The "Wolverine"-glove-wearing racist who first taunted, then attempted to run over nine Black Lives Matter protesters in 2020, was sent to jail on Tuesday for 14 years on the nine attempted murder counts.
The driver, Frank Cavalluzzi, was convicted last year, but the lengthy sentence was handed down by Supreme Court Justice Michelle Johnson in part because of video evidence presented at trial that showed Cavalluzzi first donning a glove with long blades, then swinging at peaceful protesters before jumping back into his car and speeding towards them on a sidewalk.
The protesters scattered in horror, as a a supercut of the video shows:
Queens DA Melinda Katz said the sentence stemming from the June 2020 incident was "justice."
"A dangerous man is being held accountable for unleashing terror on peaceful
demonstrators who were simply exercising their First Amendment right," she said in a statement that emphasized the Cavalluzzi used "racial slurs" to taunt the peaceful protesters as they held signs and chanted on an overpass above the Cross Island Parkway in Whitestone.
Cavalluzzi, of Flushing, yelled, "I will kill you," which was captured in Streetsblog's video.
Cavalluzzi's lawyer, Jason Russo, said he's already filed a notice of appeal, arguing that Johnson's sentence was "too harsh" and that Katz engaged in a prosecutorial overreach.
"The case was over-charged," Russo told Streetsblog. "The charge of attempted murder suggests that he took steps to kill people. In fact, the video shows that if he wanted to hit and kill anybody, the opportunity was there. But he purposely did not hit anyone."
