3 More In Custody In Brooklyn McDonald's Brawl, Sources Say
NEW YORK (CBSNewYork) -- Three more teenage girls were apprehended Friday after a group of teens were caught on video assaulting another girl inside a Brooklyn McDonald's.
As CBS2's Weijia Jiang reported, one 15-year-old girl surrendered with her mother Friday afternoon and was being questioned at the 70th Precinct, police sources said.
A second 15-year-old girl surrendered a short time later with an attorney, police sources said.
A third girl, also 15, was taken off a plane in Atlanta that was headed to Jamaica, sources told 1010 WINS. She was apprehended by Atlanta police on an NYPD warrant, police sources said.
Police first arrested 16-year-old Aniah Ferguson Thursday and identified her as the main aggressor. Ferguson was arraigned as an adult on robbery, gang assault and other charges Friday.
The other girls were expected to face similar charges, Jiang reported.
A judge set bail for Ferguson at $500,000 bond. She did not enter a plea, and is due back in court later this month.
"It's very disturbing, very disturbing," Gail Royal of Flatbush said of the fight that prompted the arrests. "I was very upset to see that."
The fight broke out at a McDonald's in Flatbush Monday afternoon.
The video shows a group attacking a 15-year-old girl dressed in blue while dozens of spectators cheer. Some could even be seen climbing onto table tops to get a better look as six to seven girls pummeled and kicked the victim.
Teen Suspect Charged In Brooklyn McDonald's Brawl Faces Judge
Workers at the McDonald's called 911, but police said it appeared no one in the crowd tried to help.
Investigators said Ferguson was the instigator, allegedly stomping on the victim's head and punching her.
Now, several patrol officers are stationed outside the McDonald's on Flatbush Avenue where the gang-like assault happened, CBS2's Jessica Schneider reported. They're keeping kids from loitering after school and maintaining order.
"I feel better knowing that they're around," Crown Heights resident Nita August said.
But after watching the violent video, many parents wondered if their children could be targeted too.
"You have to worry about them, because you can't take them to school every day," one woman said. "They've got to be on their own."
Prosecutors said Ferguson is a gang member and that she admitted to beating up the victim, stealing her belongings and then throwing them in the trash.
They said Ferguson claims the victim somehow wronged her friend in January and the alleged assault was retaliation.
Police said Ferguson has a history of arrests. Sources told CBS2 she's been arrested six times since September, pleading guilty last month to stabbing her brother with a knife.
Teen Suspect Charged In Brooklyn McDonald's Brawl Faces Judge
Investigators said her grandmother filed an order of protection against her for making threats and said the teen has a warrant for supposedly violating the order, CBS2's Ilana Gold reported.
Police said they used the video to identify the other girls involved in the fight. As of late Friday, theywere still looking for two more suspects between the ages of 15 and 18.
