New York City police arrested five alleged attackers, some of them immigrant teenagers, after a violent brawl in Times Square on Friday and are looking for 16 more.
A 17-year-old immigrant boy from Nicaragua was stabbed in the back by a group of masked assailants in Times Square on Thursday night, sparking a massive manhunt for 16 suspects, according to the New York Police Department.
“I saw someone running”
The teen and his friends were visiting the iconic tourist destination for the first time when the attacker confronted them on West 42nd Street near Eighth Avenue around 5:30 p.m., shouting: “What’s wrong? You What are you looking at?” according to several sources familiar with the investigation.
The group then chased the boy and one of the men stabbed him in the lower back, causing him to fall to the ground bleeding, police said.
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“I saw someone running… there was blood all over his back,” said Bell Mohamed, who works nearby and witnessed the attack.
The victim told police he tried to protect his head from his attacker, but he lost consciousness and doesn’t remember anything else, sources said.
He was taken by EMS to Bellevue Hospital and is in stable condition, police said. A large knife stained with blood was found at the scene, police said.
The NYPD makes some arrests
Michael Colome, 22, of Queens, was charged with gang assault, battery and unlawful possession of a weapon, police said.
Three 16-year-old boys and a 14-year-old boy were also charged with gang assault and battery, but their identities were not released because they are minors, police said.
Another young suspect was detained but later released, police said. Sources said at least two of the teenagers arrested were immigrants from Venezuela.
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The incident is the latest in a series of violent clashes involving migrants in the area, scaring away many locals and tourists.
“It’s dangerous,” said Mohammed, another witness to the stabbing.
“Some people are just crazy.”
Jhon Willy, a journalism student from Michigan who came to the city with her parents, said they were aware of the violence and planned to avoid Times Square at night.