By Kyle Lawson
Staten Island Advance, N.Y.
STATEN ISLAND, N.Y.— A Manhattan man charged with the attempted murder of three Staten Island police officers was found guilty Monday on all charges, after about two days of jury deliberations.
Divante Pitt, 32, was convicted on the top three counts of first-degree attempted murder, in addition to criminal possession of two loaded firearms and second-degree reckless endangerment. The top three counts each carry a maximum sentence of up to 25 years to life in prison.
The trial, attended by NYPD officers and the defendant’s family, centered on a Mother’s Day police pursuit that ended with gunfire on a Port Richmond street. Court records indicated Pitt was residing in the Kips Bay section of Manhattan at the time of the incident.
Justice Lisa Grey adjourned the case to Nov. 19 for sentencing in state Supreme Court in St. George.
Police pursuit through Staten Island
The incident unfolded at about 7:20 p.m. on May 11, 2025, when uniformed officers in an unmarked vehicle attempted to pull over a gray Nissan SUV for excessive window tints on Forest Avenue in Mariners Harbor. When the SUV sped forward without stopping, multiple units joined what prosecutors described as a “full-blown pursuit” in broad daylight.
After turning from Forest Avenue onto Port Richmond Avenue, Pitt took several quick turns through Port Richmond as at least four NYPD units either followed behind or maneuvered on side streets trying to cut off the defendant.
The pursuit, which stretched about two miles and lasted about five minutes, ended on the 200 block of Port Richmond Ave., when Pitt was facing a marked NYPD vehicle heading toward him. Surveillance video showed Pitt’s Nissan cross the double yellow lines and head straight for the patrol car, while, according to prosecutors he fired several shots through his own windshield at the three officers.
“Two bullets ended up on the inside ceiling, inches from the heads of those three officers, said Assistant District Attorney Lisa Davis during opening statements. “Not words, not threats, but bullets being fired at their marked police vehicle.
Harrowing video as sides debate ‘intent’
Surveillance footage shown during closing arguments captured the moment the Nissan swerved toward officers as gunshots rang out. The NYPD vehicle swerved onto the sidewalk in what an officer testified was an intentional maneuver to avoid direct gunfire. The Nissan crashed into a parked vehicle.
Crime scene photos showed two bullets lodged in the interior ceiling of the NYPD vehicle. A forensics expert testified that shell casings and bullets matched the defendant’s firearm. A civilian SUV was also in the area when shots were fired.
Prosecutors presented evidence that two loaded firearms were found in Pitt’s vehicle. A Glock 27 .40-caliber pistol was resting on his right thigh and appeared to have been fired until empty, according to officer testimony. A black Taurus PT111 G2 pistol with ammunition was found on the passenger-side floor. Evidence showed Pitt’s DNA was found on both firearms. He did not hold a license to carry or possess a firearm in New York .
“He had two loaded guns in his car; he wanted to get away and he wanted to get away fast,” said Assistant District Attorney Antonia Assenso during closing arguments. “He picked up one of those two loaded guns and aimed his car directly into that RMP (police car). And he didn’t pull the trigger once or twice, he pulled it seven times trying to kill those officers.
Defense attorney Ronald Nir argued that the placement of bullet holes in his client’s own windshield proved Pitt was not shooting to kill anyone, and he suggested Pitt may have suffered a medical episode. Body camera footage showed Pitt appearing motionless with his eyes closed after the crash, with a discharged handgun on his lap.
“I submit the defendant’s head moves, Assenso countered. “He’s not unconscious. He’s playing possum.
Nir at one point told jurors that “sometimes people driving on the streets overreact, sometimes police officers overreact. He also questioned whether his client was the only person who fired a weapon during the ordeal.
The officers suffered joint and limb injuries as a result of the incident, according to a criminal complaint. Prosecutors said none of the police officers involved discharged their firearms, which the defense questioned through cross-examination and remarks to the jury.
Pitt was taken to Richmond University Medical Center for evaluation after officers pulled him from the vehicle. It was unclear if he sustained any injuries in the crash. No medical professionals were called to testify in that regard.
Ongoing drug case, prior gun conviction
In a separate, ongoing case on Staten Island, Pitt is charged with criminal possession of cocaine with intent to sell, court records show.
Though neither case was the defendant’s first run-in with the law.
In 2017, he was convicted of a gun charge and sentenced to six years in prison, the Advance/SILive.com reported.
‘Heinous actions’: D.A. McMahon
District Attorney Michael E. McMahon said the verdict held Pitt “fully accountable for his crimes.”
“Refusing to obey multiple traffic laws or yield to a legal car stop, Divante Pitt led NYPD officers on a dangerous chase through Port Richmond before firing multiple shots from an illegal firearm at a marked NYPD vehicle over one year ago,” McMahon said in a written statement Monday.
“And while this dangerous defendant’s barrage of bullets thankfully missed their intended targets, Pitt’s heinous and criminal actions that day nearly took the lives of three of New York’s Finest.”
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