NEW YORK – Jaquan Adams has been sentenced to 10 years in prison for criminal possession of a weapon, according to Queens District Attorney Melinda Katz. A gun was used by Adams to threaten a motorist to surrender an open street parking spot in Bayside to him.
A jury found Adams, 29, of 212th Street in Cambria Heights, Queens, guilty of three counts of criminal possession of a weapon and menacing in the second-degree following a two-week long trial. In a judgment handed down today by Queens Supreme Court Justice Gia L. Morris, Adams was sentenced to 10 years in prison followed by five years of post-release supervision.
“An argument over nothing more than a parking spot escalated into a life-or-death confrontation because the defendant chose to resolve the dispute with an illegal handgun. He has now been held to full account for his criminal actions,” District Attorney Melinda Katz said. “My office will continue to fight the plague of gun violence with all resources at our disposal.”
A verbal dispute ensued between the defendant and the victim in front of 39-20 Bell Boulevard on May 26, 2019, at approximately 11:48 p.m. In the course of the argument, the defendant displayed a firearm and threatened to shoot the victim if he did not move his car.
When the victim left the parking space, the defendant got into a Honda Civic and pulled into the spot that the victim had just vacated. Police responding to the incident were informed of the Honda Civic by the victim who called 911. The incident was investigated while Adams was not inside or near his vehicle.
Following the execution of a search warrant on the defendant’s vehicle, police discovered a .38 caliber Smith and Wesson revolver loaded with six rounds inside of a black reusable canvas bag under the hood. Additionally, the defendant’s name and a photograph were found on a New York State benefit card found in the center console. As a result of laboratory testing, Adams’ DNA was found on the firearm in question.
After being arrested on unrelated charges on June 12, 2019, the defendant admitted to possessing the firearm and arguing with the victim over a parking space.