2 stabbed or slashed as Coney Island beach gathering turns disorderly
CONEY ISLAND, Brooklyn (WABC) -- A beach brawl quickly escalated to a boardwalk brawl in Coney Island Monday night when a massive crowd got out of control.
A teenager and a man were attacked with knives during what appear to be separate melees as the gathering turned disorderly.
"We first noticed a fight break out on the beach, and it looked a little bit like a mosh pit," business owner Maya Haddad Miller said. "It was kind of scary considering how big the crowd was."
Her family store has been around for decades, so she's seen quite a lot over the years. But what happened along the beach Monday night was certainly a break from the norm. It is unclear why the large gathering took place, but Haddad Miller said she first started noticing fights around 6 p.m.
"Over the next hour, it escalated," she said. "And that's where eventually we saw someone was actually laying down in front of the store."
Authorities say a 17-year-old was stabbed in the back and torso on Stillwell Avenue at the Riegelmann Boardwalk around 6:40 p.m. in a dispute that appears to have started on the beach.
Separately, authorities say a 21-year-old was slashed in the face and the back of his head in a dispute that appears to have started at the street level.
Both victims were taken to Maimonides Medical Center, where they are listed in stable condition.
Neither could describe their attackers, but police believe they are victims of unrelated incidents.
Several men fled at the same time. Police were looking for them and reviewing surveillance videos.
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