NYC fare beater pleads guilty, faces 25 years, in police shooting

NEW YORK (Reuters) - A man who shot a New York City police officer trying to apprehend him for not paying the fare on a city bus faces 25 years in prison under a plea deal reached on Friday, prosecutors said. Rashun Robinson, 29, of Brooklyn, pleaded guilty to one count of aggravated assault on a police officer at state Supreme Court in Brooklyn, the Brooklyn District Attorney said in a statement. He will be sentenced on Sept. 3. The charge stems from an incident in February, when rookie police officer James Li and his partner found Robinson trying to take a free ride on a city bus and ordered him off. Robinson stepped off the bus and ran, firing shots at the officers as he did. Li was struck in the leg and groin. Robinson had originally been charged with attempted murder in the first degree, which carries a possible sentence of 25 years to life. Li, who suffers nerve damage from the wound and walks with a cane, was at the courthouse on Friday and told local media he thought the plea deal was fair. Robinson reportedly took a less conciliatory tone when asked by the judge if he realized that he seriously injured Li in the shooting. "He can still walk," Robinson said, according to local media. (Reporting by Curtis Skinner; Editing by Barbara Goldberg and Leslie Adler)