Katz Busts Wolverine Man on Attempted Murder Charges
Queens District Attorney Melinda Katz yesterday announced the arrest of a 54-year-old man who allegedly chased Black Lives Matter protesters wearing a glove infused with 4 long, serrated-edged blades.
Frank Cavalluzzi, 54, of 166th Street in Whitestone was arraigned before Queens Criminal Court Judge Mary Berjarano on a complaint charging him with attempted murder in the second degree, attempted assault in the first and second degree, reckless endangerment in the first degree, menacing in the second degree, endangering the welfare of a child and criminal possession of a weapon in the fourth degree.
According to the charges, at 3:45 p.m. June 2, at the intersection of Clintonville Street and the Cross Island Parkway service road, a group of about a dozen peaceful demonstrators held up signs and posters calling for justice in the death of George Floyd. Cavalluzzi was allegedly one of the many drivers to pass by the demonstration and he began yelling at the protesters.
Then, he pulled over, got out of the SUV wearing a device harnessed at his wrist with 4 serrated-edged blades protruding from a glove. The defendant allegedly began chasing a young man in a threatening manner with the knives and shouted in anger at him.
Then the defendant allegedly got back behind the wheel of his SUV and mounted the sidewalk nearly running down the marchers.
“In a burst of anger and rage, this defendant allegedly sought to kill protesters who were peacefully assembled and exercising their right to free speech. No one at any time should infringe upon another’s Constitutionally-protected freedoms and doing so with the intent to injure and maim is criminal. This defendant is alleged to have yelled out ‘I will kill you’ to the peaceful crowd,” said Katz.
“It is amazing that no one was injured in the melee. The defendant is in custody and will be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law,” she added.
Meng Announces New Conavirus Testing Site in Flushing
U.S. Rep. Grace Meng (D- Bayside, Flushing, Forest Hills, Fresh Meadows, Glendale, Kew Gardens, Maspeth, Middle Village, Rego Park) announced yesterday that the city will open a new community COVID-19 testing site tomorrow (June 6th) at Leavitt Field in Flushing.
The site, which officials are planning to set-up under a tent in the field’s parking lot, will be a walk-in location. It will be open seven days a week from 9 a.m. to 7 p.m.
“I am pleased that more constituents will have access to coronavirus tests as more testing sites become available in my congressional district,” said Meng. “Queens has been the epicenter of this pandemic, and as I’ve been saying, more testing is vital to combatting the outbreak. I thank the City for launching this new testing location, and I will continue fighting for needed COVID-19 resources for our communities.”
De Blasio Announces Plan to Expand Restaurant Outdoor Seating
Mayor Bill de Blasio yesterday announced plans to temporarily use open space to support the city’s restaurants while maintaining social distancing.
Once the City enters Phase 2 of reopening, restaurants will be able to serve customers in outdoor seating areas without enduring a cumbersome application and approval process.
“New York’s restaurants are part of what make us the greatest city in the world. They’ve taken a hit in our fight against COVID-19 – and there’s no recovery without them,” said de Blasio. “Our Open Restaurants plan will help these businesses maximize their customer base while maintaining the social distancing we need to beat this crisis once and for all.”
The Open Restaurants seating program will include:
CURBSIDE SEATING
Once Phase 2 of reopening begins, restaurants in commercial corridors will be able to serve patrons outdoors in alignment with State guidelines. Restaurants will be able to convert parking spaces in order to use the roadbed alongside the curb for dine-in service. There will be a simple process to register and self-certify online.
Guidelines restaurants must comply with include, but are not limited to, ensuring seating is accessible, bus stops or fire hydrants are not blocked, and seating is located away from intersections. Restaurants must provide their own vertical barricades, planters, tables, and chairs.
OPEN STREETS
There are currently over 45 miles of Open Streets across the city, with continued plans to reach a goal of 100 miles citywide. Restaurants will be able to create seating areas directly in front of their establishments on these Open Streets. The City will also identify new Open Streets on commercial strips with large number of restaurants and bars as it continues to roll out new corridors in the coming weeks and months.
SIDEWALK SEATING
The City will work to create a simpler, streamlined process for sidewalk seating that would require establishments to maintain appropriate clear paths for pedestrians and people with disabilities.
The City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene, Department of Consumer and Worker Protection, and the Department of Transportation will monitor the success of this three-pronged program and will be prepared to step in if it creates concerns for accessibility or socially distanced use of the sidewalk, curb lane, or streets.
