QUEENS, NY – Laurence Gendreau has been convicted for a shocking random assault in which he picked up a 6-year-old boy and slammed him onto the pavement headfirst. The incident occurred outside the child’s grandparents’ home in Kew Gardens, just two hours after Gendreau had stolen an iPad from an 83-year-old woman.
Queens District Attorney Melinda Katz expressed that the conviction has made the community safer by removing a dangerous individual from the streets. Gendreau, 39, with a last known address on 110th Street in Richmond Hill, was convicted by a jury of several charges including attempted murder in the second degree and assault in the first degree. Sentencing is scheduled for October 12, and he faces up to 25 years in prison.
The events unfolded on October 10, 2019, when the young victim was waiting outside his grandparents’ home for a pizza delivery. Gendreau, who was walking past, charged at the boy, lifted him up and violently slammed him onto the ground. The child suffered a fractured skull, bleeding on the brain, and a collapsed lung. He has since recovered.
Gendreau fled the scene but was apprehended nearby after the boy’s grandfather flagged down a police officer.
Earlier the same day, Gendreau had stolen an iPad from an elderly woman. The device was recovered at the time of his arrest. The prosecution was led by Assistant District Attorney Kanella Georgopoulos, under the supervision of Assistant District Attorneys Michael Whitney and Shawn Clark.