Six teenagers arrested for attack on 15-year-old girl in Brooklyn McDonald's
The final suspect handed themselves in to police on Wednesday night
Your support helps us to tell the story
From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.
At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.
The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.
Your support makes all the difference.Police in New York have arrested all six girls involved in last week's vicious attack on a 15-year-old girl in a McDonald's in Brooklyn, which shocked many residents after video of the assault emerged online.
Footage of the brutal attack showed six teenage girls pouncing on the 15-year-old, continually throwing a barrage of punches to the girl's back and face as she was swung around the room. The McDonald's was packed with people watching the after-school fight, with many cheering and filming the scene on their phones.
Police later said they were made aware of the incident after workers from the fast food chain dialled 911. No one else watching had attempted to contact authorities.
On Wednesday night, the final suspect was arrested by police after the 15-year-old teenager was brought to a Brooklyn police station with her mother, ABC 7 News reported. She was charged with robbery and gang assault.
Police said that Aniah Ferguson, 16, was the mastermind of the assault and was the first person to be arrested in relation to the crime. She has 10 prior arrests, according to authorities, including beating up her grandmother, stabbing her brother and assaulting a police officer.
During questioning, Ferguson said that she had been looking for the victim since January after the pair had had a dispute. She was tipped off last week that the girl was in a McDonald's in the area. According to authorities, she then gathered a crew to search for the girl, splitting up the gang to visit every McDonald's in the neighbourhood until the victim was found.
Police allege that Ferguson, the ringleader, stole the victim's coat, phone and make-up bag and threw them in the trash.
16-year-old Mercedes Wilkinson was charged with second-degree gang assault. She turned herself in to police.
Another girl, Tilani Marshall, 17, appeared in front of a judge on Saturday facing similar charges, but her attorney said that Marshall was not involved in the attack as she could not see her client in the video of the assault.
However, both Marshall and Dahvina Gonzalez, 15, turned themselves in to police. A 14-year-old suspect always wanted in connection with the fight was caught by police in Atlanta, allegedly attempting to fly to Jamaica.
Following the assault last week, police and community leaders had called on people to come forward to ensure those responsible were punished. The victim of the attack had reportedly refused to talk to police because she was afraid of retaliation. Police state that the girls who attacked the school kid allegedly have links to a violent crew that operates in the Crown Heights area of Brooklyn.
Join our commenting forum
Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies
Comments