Four Teens Arrested, Fifth In Custody For McDonald's Brawl
NEW YORK (CBSNewYork) -- Four teenagers have been arrested, a fifth is in custody and a sixth is still on the run in the case of a vicious beating of another teen at a Brooklyn McDonald's.
On Saturday, a 16-year-old girl turned herself in to police in connection with the brawl, police told CBS2. Mercedes Wilkinson is charged as an adult with robbery and gang assault, CBS2's Dave Carlin reported.
Police charged 17-year-old Tilani Marshall with second-degree robbery and gang assault after she turned herself in on Friday.
A court clerk said Marshall has a warrant out for her arrest on a different case, but did not have the details, Gold reported.
In court, Marshall didn't speak a word.
Outside of the courtroom, Marshall's attorney, Audrey Thomas, said her charges are a mistake.
"This young lady did not commit any robbery or any other serious felony charges and that will be proven," she told 1010 WINS' Gary Baumgarten.
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Thomas said Marshall, now free on bond, isn't in the video nor did she rob the victim.
"I'm confident this case is going to be dismissed as the facts unfold," Thomas said.
A 15-year-old girl, who police did not identify, was also due in court after turning herself in on Friday. She is charged with second-degree robbery and gang assault.
Another girl, age 15, was taken off a plane Friday in Atlanta that was headed to Jamaica, sources told 1010 WINS. She was apprehended by Atlanta police on an NYPD warrant, police sources said. Charges against her in connection with brawl are pending, Gold reported.
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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.
Workers at the McDonald's called 911, but police said it appeared no one in the crowd tried to help.
Police say after some initial reluctance from the victim and her mother, both are now fully cooperating.
Police first arrested 16-year-old Aniah Ferguson on Thursday and identified her as the main aggressor. Ferguson was arraigned as an adult on robbery, gang assault and other charges Friday.
Investigators said Ferguson was the instigator, allegedly stomping on the victim's head and punching her.
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A judge set bail for Ferguson at $500,000 bond, 1010 WINS' Carol D'Auria reported. She did not enter a plea, and is due back in court later this month.
Prosecutors said Ferguson is a member of the Young Savages gang 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.
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, Gold reported.
Parents in the area who have seen the video said they worry for their kids.
"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."
Now, several patrol officers are stationed outside the McDonald's on Flatbush Avenue where the assault happened, keeping kids from loitering after school and maintaining order.
"I feel better knowing that they're around," Crown Heights resident Nita August said.
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.
