Brooklyn man charged with attempted murder after allegedly running over school bus driver

August 16, 2021 Brooklyn Eagle Staff

The Kings County Supreme Court at 360 Adams St. Photo: Rob Abruzzese/Brooklyn Eagle

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A 22-year-old Brooklyn man has been charged with attempted murder, assault, leaving the scene of an incident and other charges in connection with a road rage incident in which he allegedly intentionally ran over a school bus driver, causing serious injuries, and fled.

Kings County District Attorney Eric Gonzalez identified the defendant as Kymani Hardie, 22, of Crown Heights. He was arraigned Monday before Brooklyn Supreme Court Justice Matthew Sciarrino on an indictment in which he is charged with second-degree attempted murder, first- and second-degree assault, leaving the scene of an incident without reporting and related counts.

According to the investigation, on April 30, 2021 at about 5:15 p.m. near the corner of Linden Boulevard and Hinsdale Street in East New York, Hardy, driving an Infiniti sedan, was blocked by a yellow school bus that was empty except for the driver and was standing at a red light. He allegedly became enraged, exited his car and banged on the bus, breaking two mirrors.

The bus driver, a 44-year-old woman, disembarked from the bus and started to record his behavior with her cell phone while standing on the median. Hardy then allegedly ran her over and continued to drive without stopping. The victim suffered a shattered pelvis, broken ribs, a lacerated liver and other injuries.

Videos showed that Hardy, his hand bandaged and driving the same car, checked into a nearby hotel a short time later. DNA recovered from that Infiniti and the bus mirror matched the defendant. He was arrested on June 21, 2021.

Brooklyn District Attorney Eric Gonzalez. Eagle file photo by Rob Abruzzese

Hardy is being held on $75,000 bond or $50,000 cash bail and was ordered to return to court on September 16, 2021. He faces a maximum sentence of 25 years in prison if convicted of the top count

District Attorney Gonzalez said, “The alleged actions of this defendant are truly horrifying. He is accused of mowing down an innocent bus driver, striking her on purpose and in cold blood and then fleeing the scene. This type of senseless violence cannot be tolerated, and we will now seek to find him fully accountable.”

Brooklyn Supreme Court Justice Matthew Sciarrino. Eagle file photo by Rob Abruzzese

The case is being prosecuted by Assistant District Attorney Evan Hannay of the District Attorney’s Red Zone Trial Bureau under the supervision of Assistant District Attorney Karla Watson, bureau chief.