Police Searching For Suspects In West Nyack Black Friday Beatings
WEST NYACK, N.Y. (CBSNewYork) – Police are searching for the violent suspects accused of beating up Black Friday shoppers at a popular mall.
At the Palisades Center Mall, five victims were punched and attacked by three men in three separate incidents. Police say the beatings were random and unprovoked.
"I've seen like arguments, but not to the extent where someone was beaten to the ground," mall employee Sunil Melwani told CBS2's Tracee Carrasco.
Melwani was at his jewelry kiosk when he saw one victim get knocked down.
"I saw he stood up and was wondering who did it to him," Melwani said.
Clarkstown police say the suspects' punching spree happened between 2:30 a.m. and 3:30 a.m., when the mall was opening for 24 hours for the shopping holiday.
"The three men struck the victims, ran away and moved on," Clarkstown Police Officer Peter Walker said.
The three victims, all males in their late teens and early 20s, were not robbed but suffered several injuries, Carrasco reported.
"Bruises and bumps, up to a laceration requiring approximately 17 stitches and a broken wrist," Walker said.
Police say they are still investigating, but don't know yet if the attacks were part of the knockout game, which made shoppers CBS2 spoke with uneasy.
"You're just minding your business, going along doing your shopping and then all of a sudden someone rolls up on you and punches you in the face, it is unnerving," Dennis Doohan said.
Clarkstown police said they would be stepping up patrols outside of the mall here as the holiday shopping season continues.
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