Man Charged With Attempted Murder For Shooting At NYPD Car: DA

ARVERNE, QUEENS — A suspected Bloods gang member was charged with attempted murder Wednesday for shooting at a marked NYPD car in Far Rockaway that had two cops sitting inside, according to Queens prosecutors and a news report.

Kane Motta, 21, stands accused of firing at a patrol car parked on Beach 66th Street near Almeda Avenue about 11:30 p.m. Sunday, the Queens district attorney's office said in a news release.

NYPD officers Fawad Khan and Mark Beneducci were sitting in the car when they heard a "loud popping sound," then "felt the vehicle rock suddenly," according to the release.

They got out and spotted bullet holes in the back and the side of the car, prosecutors said.

"Thankfully neither of these officers was struck by the bullets that were fired at them," Queens District Attorney Melinda Katz said. "While we are living through very tumultuous times with demonstrators clashing with police in the streets, this incident was not a protest. This was a targeted attack on our law enforcement as they watched over a neighborhood on a quiet night in Queens."

Prosecutors say video surveillance of the area shows Motta stashing a gun on the wheel of a parked car nearby, then retrieve it and walk to a lot next door that had a clear sightline of the parked police car.

Police identified him as a known Bloods gang member, according to the New York Post.

Motta was arraigned Tuesday night on charges of attempted murder, attempted assault, criminal possession of a weapon and second-degree assault, then remanded.

If convicted, he could spend 20 years to life in prison, prosecutors said.