Crime & Safety
Queens 'Wolverine' Guilty Of Trying To Murder BLM Protesters: DA
Frank Cavalluzzi, 57, charged protesters with a bladed glove before trying to run them over with his SUV in 2020, authorities said.
QUEENS, NY — A Queens man dubbed the "Whitestone Wolverine" after he went berserk on Black Lives Matter protesters with a bladed glove has been convicted of attempted murder in the bizarre 2020 attack, prosecutors said.
Jurors last week found Frank Cavalluzi, 57, guilty on a slew of charges, including nine counts of attempted murder, said Queens District Attorney Melinda Katz.
The two-week trial centered around a June 2, 2020, showdown between Cavalluzzi and a group of peaceful Black Lives Matter protesters in Whitestone, authorities said. Cavalluzzi flung racial slurs at the group before he chased them with a leather glove that had four serrated blades, prosecutors said.
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"I will kill you," he yelled, after he entered his SUV and drove onto a sidewalk at the demonstrators, prosecutors said.
The run-in unfolded days after the murder of George Floyd, when New York City erupted in racial justice protests.
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Even amid the violent and chaotic scenes during that time, Cavalluzzi's attack on protesters stood out: videos show him angrily drive his SUV toward protesters before running out with his clawed glove and after the crowd.
"You are in the wrong neighborhood," he bellowed at protesters, prosecutors said.
The attack led people on social media to dub him the "Whitestone Wolverine."
"I'm from Queens and we know and fear this man," one wrote.
"He and his Mercury Mountaineer are indestructible."
But prosecutors weren't laughing.
Cavalluzzi was hit with a 39-count indictment in 2021 that eventually led to his recent trial. Jurors convicted him on nine counts of attempted murder in the second degree, nine counts of attempted first-degree assault, seven counts of second-degree menacing, criminal possession of a weapon and reckless driving, prosecutors said.
He faces up to 25 years in prison on each attempted murder count.
"A dangerous man is going to jail," said Queens District Attorney Melinda Katz, in a statement. "It's a good day for New York and the First Amendment."
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