Yosef Aranbayev, more famously known as Joe Avianne of Avianne & Co., has been charged with attempted murder as a hate crime after shooting a gun at a car he was chasing out of his neighborhood.
The charges were announced by Queens District Attorney Melinda Katz, who claimed that things could have ended fatally. Avianne, who is one of the celebrity jewelers behind a shop that outfits Travis Scott, Lil Baby, Blueface, Too $hort, and more, was charged with assault in the first degree as a hate crime, attempted murder in the second degree as a hate crime, reckless endangerment in the first degree as a hate crime, criminal possession of a weapon in the second degree, reckless driving, and additional charges.
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During the incident in question, Avianne was driving a Dodge Durango, following a black Chevy Tahoe before police officers intervened.
"Those guys were in my neighborhood," reportedly said Avianne to officers. "I'm sorry, officer. I didn't do anything wrong. They were scouting my whole neighborhood the whole day … I was chasing those guys. We're chasing them out of our neighborhood."
The District Attorney has said that Avianne will be held accountable for his "vigilante" actions.
"The defendant is accused of being a vigilante hell-bent on clearing his neighborhood of the two black men who drove through," said Katz.
One of the central characters in Uncut Gems is loosely based on Joe Avianne.
Avianne has not made a comment on this incident.
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