Ali Bass, 33, of Newark, had claimed he wasn't the driver during the Dec. 11, 2009 incident
NEWARK -- An Essex County jury convicted a Newark man today of eluding city police in 2009 when he drove the wrong way on Irvine Turner Boulevard and crashed head-on into a pickup truck.
In handing down the verdict, the jurors rejected Ali Bass's claim that he wasn't behind the wheel during the Dec. 11, 2009 incident. Bass, 33, had said the driver was Arsenio Payton, but the jury agreed with prosecutors that Bass was driving the vehicle and Payton was the front-seat passenger.
"We want to thank the jury for their service. Ali Bass posed a clear danger to the public," Essex County Assistant Prosecutor Justin Edwab, who tried the case, said in a statement. "With the jury's verdict, the streets of Newark are safer tonight."
Bass's attorney, Thomas Ashley, could not be reached for comment.
Bass was found guilty of eluding, aggravated assault by eluding, resisting arrest and unlawful possession of a weapon, which refers to the vehicle. He was acquitted of possession of a weapon for an unlawful purpose.
His sentencing is scheduled for Dec. 18 before Superior Court Judge Alfonse Cifelli. Bass is facing up to 20 years in state prison as a result of his prior convictions.
Bass also is charged in three murders, but those cases are being handled separately. Payton is a co-defendant of Bass's in one of the homicides. Both men are scheduled to appear in court on Monday in the murder cases.
During the trial, Edwab said the police chase began when city police officers attempted to pull him over for not wearing a seat belt.
Edwab noted how police officers testified they saw Bass driving the Ford Taurus. Bass ultimately crashed into a Toyota Tundra in the wrong-way collision on Irvine Turner Boulevard, Edwab said.
Edwab said Bass broke his left leg in the crash and police officers saw him moving from the driver's seat to the back seat. Edwab said that injury is consistent with Bass driving and striking his left leg against the steering wheel.
But Ashley claimed the broken leg would have made it impossible for Bass to quickly move to the back seat from the driver's seat.
In light of that injury, Ashley disputed one officer's account that Bass was found with his broken left leg on the driver's seat, his right leg on the center console and his upper body in the back seat.
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To back up the claim that Bass wasn't the driver, Ashley also presented Payton as a defense witness. Payton testified that he was driving the vehicle and that Bass was in the back seat.
But when Payton pleaded guilty in February 2010 to an obstruction charge in the case, he said Bass had been the driver and he was the front-seat passenger. Under a plea agreement, Payton was ultimately sentenced to 364 days in the Essex County jail.
Ashley told jurors Payton initially lied about Bass being the driver in order to secure the plea agreement and avoid more time behind bars.
"It's human nature. That friendship meant nothing at the time. Bass was nothing to him in that time," Ashley said in his closing statement. "The only thing that mattered was Arsenio Payton."
Edwab told the jury that Payton was lying about him being the driver and said "what Arsenio Payton is serving you is rotten."
"It's a lie," Edwab said. "The truth is Ali Bass is driving."
The wrong-way collision allegedly occurred about two hours after Bass, Payton and Tyree Miller participated in the fatal shooting of Quawan Robinson, 31, of Newark, in front of 26 Johnson Avenue in the city, authorities said. Robinson was found with multiple gunshot wounds to his head and torso while inside his vehicle.
Bass also is charged with fatally shooting Hassan Brown, 29, of Newark and Franklin Johnson, 47, of East Orange, during a July 20, 2009 incident at 109 South 12th Street in Newark. Authorities have said that killing was an act of vengeance after Brown was arrested and charged with the slaying of Bass's sister in 2008.
Bill Wichert may be reached at bwichert@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @BillWichertNJ. Find NJ.com on Facebook.