What to Know
- Police said 18 people were arrested Thursday after a migrant shelter melee on Randall's Island sparked chaos among asylum seekers and left at least one person hospitalized following a stabbing.
- Cell phone video shared with News 4 showed a man struggling on the ground as officers surround him, eventually getting him cuffed along with more than a dozen other migrants.
- The witness said he saw the security guard take out a knife and stab a migrant in the neck. Police could not confirm whether a security guard was involved, but did say the victim was stabbed in the neck.
Police said 18 people were arrested Thursday after a migrant shelter melee on Randall's Island sparked chaos among asylum seekers and left at least one person hospitalized following a stabbing.
Multiple people were seen being escorted away in handcuffs following the afternoon brawl. Cell phone video shared with News 4 showed a man struggling on the ground as officers surround him, eventually getting him cuffed along with more than a dozen other migrants.
More video shows a man desperate to get past police as he yells "my brother, my brother." The man's 24-yera-old brother had just been stabbed and was being taken away in an ambulance.
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According to a witness at the migrant shelter, two men got into an argument Thursday and were asked by a security guard to move outside. That's when things apparently escalated, and more people got involved.
The witness said he saw the security guard take out a knife and stab a migrant in the neck. Police could not confirm whether a security guard was involved, but did say the victim was stabbed in the neck.
Police sources told News 4 that "multiple" knives were recovered from the area.
News
The afternoon chaos comes less than two weeks after a 24-year-old was fatally stabbed at the same shelter. A 26-year-old man was arrested.
Following the Jan. 6 stabbing, a City Hall spokesperson said security at the relief center would be "redoubling" efforts to keep everyone safe.
