QUEENS, NY – Queens District Attorney Melinda Katz announced the arraignment of Matthew Lloyd, 36, on charges of attempted murder and assault. Lloyd is accused of attacking two men with a metal baseball bat while riding a skateboard.
Lloyd, of 20th Avenue in Astoria, was charged with attempted murder in the second degree, assault in the first and second degrees, attempted assault in the first and second degrees, and criminal possession of a weapon in the fourth degree. Queens Criminal Court Judge Anthony Battisti ordered Lloyd to return to court on August 25. If convicted of attempted murder, he faces up to 25 years in prison.
According to the charges, on August 19 at approximately 6:10 p.m., Lloyd approached Jamal Bermudez from behind near the intersection of 19th Street and Ditmars Boulevard, striking him on the back of the head with the bat. Bermudez, 46, fell and struck his head on the pavement, losing consciousness. Lloyd then fled on his skateboard, leaving Bermudez with injuries including bleeding, swelling, and lacerations.
Within minutes of the attack on Bermudez, Lloyd, still on his skateboard, approached Massalis Hristos, 79, near 20-17 19th Street. He struck Hristos on the head with the bat, knocking him to the ground. Lloyd then repeatedly struck Hristos in the head and face, causing fractures to his skull, eye socket, and face. Hristos underwent surgery to save his eye and remains hospitalized.
Lloyd was arrested less than an hour after the second attack, and was found in possession of a skateboard and a metal bat.
District Attorney Katz emphasized the frightening nature of the random attacks and stated that the defendant will be held accountable for his alleged actions. She also expressed a firm resolve that the city would not allow random attacks to take over its neighborhoods.