A violent mob was caught on camera reportedly beating a New York City couple and setting a car on fire after several local residents tried to stop a rowdy street takeover in their neighborhood over the weekend.
The attack began around 12:30 a.m. Sunday, after a group of drivers were seen speeding across residential lawns and doing donuts on the corner of South Drive and 141st Street in Malba, a neighborhood located in Queens, the New York Post reported.
A private security guard first attempted to defuse the situation, but was subsequently assaulted by the mob and had his vehicle set on fire, according to City Councilwoman Vickie Paladino, who represents the neighborhood.
Larry Rusch, who owns a security company, reportedly heard the drivers performing stunts in the street. When he rushed outside to see what was causing the commotion, he was met by about 40 cars in the street, The Post reported.
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Rusch reportedly attempted to park a company car in the intersection to try to block the drivers from causing more damage.
“As soon as I did that, everyone started leaving,” Rusch told The Post. “Then two individuals go up to the car. Somehow they threw some kind of firework or something and lit the car up. Then melee started again.”
Another local resident was also assaulted, according to the report.
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“When I came out, I said, ‘Bro, you gotta get the f— off my property,’” victim Blake Ferrer told The Post. “And that’s when it all started.”
The incident quickly devolved into chaos, with video showing the group allegedly attacking Ferrer and his wife, reportedly leaving the Queens man with a broken nose and ribs. Additional footage shows a vehicle on fire as another car circles it.
Paladino took to social media to express her concern regarding the incident, adding that Ferrer was “lucky he wasn’t killed.”
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Paladino also blasted local law enforcement’s response to the melee, revealing that residents who called 911 to report the incident were told that a “quality of life team and 311 should handle the situation.”
“Unacceptable. In fact, these violent street takeovers should be met with maximum force by the police department,” Paladino added.
However, the NYPD said in a statement to Fox News Digital that while the initial responding officer was rerouted to a more serious call, once authorities received word that the incident had been upgraded to a higher priority call, an officer was quickly dispatched to the scene.
“The [precinct] covers a large geographical area, and this was a busy Saturday night,” a spokesperson for the NYPD said in a statement. “At the time of the incident in question, other units from the [precinct] were handling multiple priority jobs, including an arrest for an individual who was driving while intoxicated, transporting someone to the hospital, an assault, and a vehicle collision with injuries.”
A third resident also reportedly had objects thrown into his car when he attempted to stop the drivers from continuing the chaos, according to The Post.
Additionally, Paladino blasted the lack of accountability within the city regarding similar instances of street takeovers, adding, “These incidents are happening citywide, and they’re happening because there are no longer any real consequences to this kind of criminality.”
The councilwoman then pointed to several armed residents “who exercised extreme restraint,” adding that the “level of restraint is not guaranteed. If the city refuses to do what’s necessary, the people might.”
