Arverne Man Sentenced to 10 Years for Fatal Attack on Taxi Driver
QUEENS, NY—Queens District Attorney Melinda Katz announced today that 22-year-old Austin Amos from Arverne has been sentenced to ten years in prison for manslaughter in the first degree, following a deadly altercation with taxi driver Kutin Gyimah in 2022. The confrontation began over an unpaid taxi fare from Manhattan to Far Rockaway.
The incident occurred on August 13, 2022, when Amos, along with Nickolas Porter and three underage girls, refused to pay for their ride and assaulted Gyimah after he chased them in an attempt to collect the fare. Video surveillance captured Gyimah catching up with one of the group members before being brutally attacked by Amos and then by the group.
The assault concluded with Gyimah being knocked to the pavement, where he subsequently died from his injuries.
In her statement, District Attorney Katz expressed gratitude to the NYPD and the prosecuting team for their efforts in bringing the defendants to justice. She remarked on the brutality of the attack and the tragic loss of Gyimah, who was left motionless and later pronounced dead at a local hospital.
Amos’s co-defendant, Nickolas Porter, also faced charges in connection to the incident. He pleaded guilty to attempted gang assault in the second degree in October 2023 and received a sentence of two years in prison, followed by three years of post-release supervision.