Video of assault at Green Acres Mall goes viral

Police are investigating an assault that occurred in a parking lot at the Green Acres Mall on Sunday, video of which was posted to Facebook and quickly went viral.

Police said the victim, a 49-year-old woman, was attempting to park her vehicle in a space near Applebee’s at 1:30 p.m. when she noticed a man standing in it, apparently to hold it. Police said she maneuvered her vehicle into a different space and parked, but became engaged in an argument with another woman over the original space. That escalated into a physical altercation and the second woman threw the victim to the ground. The victim was punched repeatedly in the face and head area and suffered minor injuries to her face, police said. She refused medical attention at the scene.

The video, posted by a user whose Facebook profile says he lives in Brooklyn, had more than 450,000 views within 48 hours. A man who calls the assailant his wife can be seen holding a young child as he repeatedly prevents a third woman from intervening, at one point telling her, “Back up, I don’t want to hit you,” as he encourages the assault. Three other children appear in the video, at least one of them pleading with their mother to stop.

The man is heard telling bystanders that the victim swung at his wife first as he continues to encourage the attack, later saying, “Brooklyn style.” Several bystanders come into view, one of them wearing a black shirt with a Sprint logo, but none attempt to intervene until near the end of the 1-minute-and-53-second video, when what appears to be a man and a woman get in between the assailant and the victim and separate them. The assailant’s husband calls to the children to “get in the car” as they walk away.

The mall’s police substation can be seen in the background, but no officers appear in the video. Police said they arrived after the incident.

A spokesman for the mall issued a statement concerning the assault: “We strive to provide an enjoyable and safe shopping environment for our guests and employees at all times at Green Acres. Yesterday, there was an isolated altercation between two individuals in the Applebee’s parking lot. The matter is currently under investigation by NCPD.”

Police requested that anyone with information regarding the incident contact Nassau County Crime Stoppers at 1-800-244-TIPS. All callers remain anonymous.