Man convicted of attempted murder for attacking 6-year-old boy in Queens

QUEENS, N.Y. (PIX11) — A man was convicted of attempted murder after slamming a 6-year-old boy head-first into a Queens sidewalk four years ago, authorities said Thursday.

Laurence Gendreau, 39, was also convicted of assault and endangering the welfare of a child in connection to the Oct. 10, 2019, incident, prosecutors said.

Gendreau randomly attacked the boy while he and his brother were waiting for a pizza delivery outside their grandparents’ Kew Gardens home. Gendreau was walking by when he picked up the boy and threw him into the ground, fracturing his skull, prosecutors said.

The boy’s grandfather chased after the defendant before a nearby officer captured Gendreau near Lefferts Boulevard and Metropolitan Avenue, authorities said.

The child was taken to the hospital with a fractured skull, a collapsed lung, and a brain bleed. He has since recovered from his injuries, prosecutors said.

Hours before the assault, Gendreau stole an iPad from an 83-year-old woman in Kew Gardens. The iPad was later found in his home, authorities said.

The jury also convicted the defendant of grand larceny and criminal possession of stolen property.

Gendreau faces up to 25 years in prison when he is sentenced on Oct. 12.

“This senseless and brutal attack left a young boy seriously injured and a community shocked. We all deserve to feel safe in our homes and while walking the streets of our neighborhoods.
The criminal justice system worked and we were able to take a dangerous man off the street,” Queens District Attorney Melinda Katz said in a statement.