Buffalo, N.Y. (WBEN) - Kente Bell of Buffalo was sentenced Wednesday morning before Erie County Court Judge Kenneth Case to 18 years in prison, followed by five years of post-release supervision for his role in a high-speed car chase through the City of Buffalo back on March 29, 2022 that injured three Buffalo Police Officers.
Back on April 10, 2023, Bell pleaded guilty to three counts of Attempted Murder in the Second Degree (Class "B" violent felonies) and one count of Criminal Possession of a Weapon of Second Degree (Class "C" violent felony). The defendant pleaded guilty to the charges in full satisfaction of the indictment against him.
Bell was also sentenced on Wednesday to seven years in prison with five years of post-release supervision for the one count of Criminal Possession of a Weapon. In addition, he was sentenced to three years in prison with three years post-release supervision for violating probation on an Attempted Criminal Possession of a Weapon charge against him back in December of 2020. Those two sentences run concurrent with his Attempted Murders sentence.
The 29-year-old was sentenced on Wednesday as a second violent felony offender.
Erie County District Attorney John Flynn says Bell was facing between 17-to-20 years in prison for his role in the incident, and his office advocated for the full 20 years. However, the judge decided on a couple years less in the sentence.
"He gave him 18 on the Attempted Murder counts, he gave him seven on the gun charge, and then he gave him three on the probation violation that he had as well. He pled guilty to a gun charge back in September of 2020, two years before this incident. He was on probation at the time this incident took place, and, obviously, he violated probation, so the judge gave him three years for that too. But he granted them all concurrent," said Flynn following Wednesday's sentencing. "He'll do his 18 years, he'll be off the streets now for a good 18 years. He'll have five years of post-release supervision when he does get out, and I hope he has learned his lesson. I hope he has a good 18 years to think about what he did, and more so, what he could have done on that day."
Bell did not wish to speak when presented the opportunity to during his sentencing.
At approximately 6 p.m. ET on Tuesday, March 29, 2022, Buffalo Police officers on routine patrol saw Bell driving a vehicle with tinted windows on West Ferry Street near Niagara Street. The officers initiated a traffic stop and approached his vehicle, which was parked in Broderick Park. The defendant drove off after the officers found he was driving with a suspended registration.
The Buffalo Police officers pursued the defendant as he drove drove at a high-rate of speed Northbound on Niagara Street into the city's Black Rock neighborhood. A female passenger jumped from the vehicle on Military Road near Glor Street where she was detained by police.
Bell continued to recklessly drive onto the Scajaquada Expressway and Kensington Expressway before he exited onto Bailey Avenue. The defendant drove around police patrol vehicles that were parked in an attempt to stop the defendant on Bailey Avenue.
The defendant, again, attempted to cause the death of police officers by firing shots while driving on Bailey Avenue near Langfield Avenue. One police officer who was sitting in the passenger seat of a patrol vehicle was shot in the arm by the defendant.
While defendant continued to drive on Bailey Avenue, he, again, attempted to cause the death of police officers by firing shots from an illegal gun on near Arden Avenue.
The pursuit ended when the defendant crashed his vehicle into a billboard pole on East Ferry Street near Fillmore Avenue. The defendant attempted to cause the death of police officers by continuing to fire shots from the illegal weapon after the crash. Buffalo Police returned fire and the defendant was subsequently injured.
The defendant was transported to Erie County Medical Center, where he was treated to injuries to his hand, shoulder and lower extremities.
The Erie County District Attorney's Office previously announced that after a thorough review of the incident, it was determined the actions of the police officers who fired their weapon were justified. The Buffalo Police officers were cleared of any criminal wrongdoing.
While Bell could have faced Attempted Murder charges in the First Degree, as he originally did shortly after the incident, Flynn feels justice was still served in pursuing Second Degree counts.
"The reason for that was more so the evidentiary nature of the case, and the fact that there was some friendly fire involved in this case, and going to trial with those issues potentially could have confused the jury and just cause mayhem that I didn't want to deal with an a jury and a trial," Flynn said. "So his guilty plea of the Attempted Murder in the Second Degree, in my opinion, was justice here, and was acceptable to the police officers involved as well."
Flynn acknowledges that two of the three police officers injured in the high-speed chase were a result of friendly fire. He adds it was a very fortunate situation to see no one killed, and that the injuries sustained to the police officers were only minor.
