Jury in Long Island road rage incident reaches split verdict

A Lakeview man recorded on dashcam video repeatedly slashing and stabbing a man swinging a bat during the culmination of a road rage argument in Franklin Square last year was acquitted Tuesday of attempted murder and second-degree assault with a deadly weapon in Nassau County Court.

However, Rashawn Marquez, 21, a Con Edison worker, was found guilty of second-degree assault and criminal possession of a weapon.

Marquez went on trial last week on charges of attempted murder, assault and criminal possession of a weapon for the July 6, 2025, dispute with Kevin Stang, which started with a fender bender on the Southern State Parkway, according to court testimony, and ended up in a street brawl.

Stang, who has video cameras mounted on the front and rear of his car, recorded Marquez chasing him around 4:30 a.m. for about 14 minutes at speeds above 100 mph on the highway and secondary roads, until he finally stopped on Rosegold Street in Franklin Square.

Stang said he had just worked a 16-hour shift at Kennedy Airport and his "mind wasn't straight" when he stopped the car. The video was admitted into evidence at the trial. 

"It’s 4:30 in the morning and I’m just trying to get home," he said on the witness stand. "I felt scared."

He admitted he was angry about being chased when he stopped and got out of his car with a baseball bat to confront Marquez.

"I was going to speak with him about why he was chasing me," he said.

It’s too dark to see what the rearview camera shows when the two men first confront each other.

Stang said Marquez, who has a prior attempted murder conviction, got out of his car with a utility knife in his hand.

The two men can be seen in the front-facing video recording swinging and tussling — Stang swinging his bat at Marquez and Marquez slashing Stang with his knife.

Stang appears to be backpedaling as Marquez advances and Stang falls  to the ground near a parked car. Both men continue their combat, the video shows, with Stang swinging wildly from the ground and Marquez stabbing and slashing him from above.

After a few seconds, Marquez runs back to his car and the video shows Stang get up, his face covered with blood, and run after his assailant again with the baseball bat still in hand.

Stang suffered multiple cuts to his face, neck, arm and back, requiring a blood transfusion and hundreds of stitches, according to Nassau County prosecutor Melissa Yurisak. The attack left him with nerve damage.

"He filleted him like a fish," she said during closing arguments.

Marquez’s attorney Matthew Tuohy said his client acted in self-defense.

"My client was justified," he said. "The two of them both engaged in a road rage incident that started on the Southern State Parkway from Queens to Nassau County."

He said Stang blocked the roadway, then attacked Marquez before he could get out of his car.

"My client had to make a split-second decision," Tuohy said. "Was he going to trust this guy? He defended himself and then he got off him."

Marquez laced his fingers together and bowed his head in court before the verdict was read. He appeared to rejoice and then hung his as the full verdict was read.

"Hold your head up," a family member said as Supreme Court Justice Caryn Fink dismissed the jury.

Tuohy said his client had mixed feelings about the verdict.

"I'm happy, obviously, that the top charges were dismissed, the attempted murder and the assault in the first degree," Tuohy said. "My client's exposure is significantly reduced. I feel it's an inconsistent verdict."

Tuohy said Marquez was "devastated" by the verdict. "He's really turned his life around. He has three small kids. I think that's what his mind is on."

 Outside the courthouse after rendering their verdict, jurors said they did not believe Marquez intended to kill Stang, but they said his actions were disproportionate with the threat he faced.

"They were both in the wrong," juror Hunain Ali, 24, of Merrick, said. "They were both in a crazy state of mind. They're both angry at each other."

Juror Lucille Siegel, of East Meadow, said,  "They were both at fault and there were times when both of them could have ended the situation and neither one of them did."

She initially voted to find Marquez guilty for attempted murder.

"It was over the top," she said. "Had I known that he was convicted prior of attempted murder, it would have made a big difference." 

Marquez faces up to 7 years in prison when he is sentenced on June 17.