Photo Courtesy of Google
The incident happened at the intersection of 23rd Street and Jackson Avenue.
By Forum Staff
A Long Island City man has admitted to recklessly driving his vehicle onto the sidewalk and running down a 17-year-old high school football player who was with a group of people purportedly out egging on Halloween night 2017, Chief Assistant District Attorney John Ryan, on behalf of Queens DA Richard Brown, announced on Thursday.
Richard Keith, 51, has pleaded guilty to first-degree assault before Acting Queens Supreme Court Justice Barry Kron, who indicated that he would sentence Keith on May 16 to nine years in prison and three years’ post-release supervision.
According to the charges, Keith was seen driving his gray 2008 Dodge Caravan onto the sidewalk toward a group of people, including the victim, Christopher Miraba, 17, at the intersection of 23rd Street and Jackson Avenue at approximately 8:19 p.m. on Tuesday, Oct. 31, 2017. The victim tried to run away by crossing Jackson Avenue, but Keith followed in his car across the street and intentionally struck the teenager. Additionally, Keith reversed the vehicle running over Miraba a second time and then drove forward, running over the young man a third time before fleeing the scene. Keith did not stop and did not render aid to the victim.
Keith drove approximately half a block before stopping. When an eyewitness approached his vehicle and said that Keith had killed a person, Keith said “f— that. He wants to hit people with eggs, that’s what he gets.”
Miraba was rushed to a borough hospital where he was treated for his injuries, which included a fractured skull base, multiple spinal fractures, bruised lungs, a broken right femur, a pelvic fracture, and a broken right ankle.
“Because of this defendant’s actions—using his vehicle as if it were a two-ton weapon—this young victim suffered serious injuries that still affect him to this day,” Ryan said. “The defendant has admitted his guilt and will spend considerable time in prison for acting out in anger to settle a petty dispute.”
