Man Admits to Attempted Murder of N.Y. Officer

July 11, 2012
A Queens man pleaded guilty Tuesday to the attempted murder of a police officer during a high-speed chase that began in Hempstead and ended in a crash on the Meadowbrook State Parkway last year.

July 11--A Queens man pleaded guilty Tuesday to the attempted murder of a police officer during a high-speed chase that began in Hempstead and ended in a crash on the Meadowbrook State Parkway last year.

Damon Banner, 26, of St. Albans, pleaded guilty to second-degree attempted murder in exchange for a sentence of 16 years by Nassau County Judge John Kase. He will be sentenced Aug. 8.

Banner's lawyer, Glenn Hardy of Garden City, said, "In light of the evidence and the charged crimes, this was a fair and satisfactory result for my client."

Prosecutors said that on Nov. 7, two Nassau officers in an unmarked car noticed Banner approaching a man from behind on Westbury Boulevard in Hempstead. Banner saw the officers and walked away; as they pursued him, he reached for his waistband and ran, prosecutors said.

Banner got into a waiting vehicle driven by Ayanna Zellner, 29, of Freeport, and while police gave chase, he fired about four shots that missed the pursuing officers' car, prosecutors said.

Zellner drove onto the Meadowbrook State Parkway though it was closed for a fatal car accident, prosecutors said. Zellner crashed into the cars involved, then the center median, prosecutors said. They were arrested. Zellner's case is pending.

Copyright 2012 - Newsday, Melville, N.Y.

Sponsored Recommendations

Whitepaper: A New Paradigm in Digital Investigations

July 28, 2023
Modernize your agency’s approach to get ahead of the digital evidence challenge

A New Paradigm in Digital Investigations

June 6, 2023
Modernize your agency’s approach to get ahead of the digital evidence challenge.

Listen to Real-Time Emergency 911 Calls in the Field

Feb. 8, 2023
Discover advanced technology that allows officers in the field to listen to emergency calls from their vehicles in real time and immediately identify the precise location of the...

2022 Transparency and Trust Report - Public Safety & Community Relationships

Nov. 16, 2022
Veritone releases its 2022 Law Enforcement Transparency and Trust Report delivering Five Key Findings of Community Sentiment on Policing

Voice your opinion!

To join the conversation, and become an exclusive member of Officer, create an account today!