By Chris Fuchs
Four men in an Asian gang have been charged with gang assault stemming from an argument in a Flushing nightclub on Main Street earlier this month during which a man from Kentucky was fatally stabbed, the police said Tuesday.
The men were arrested on March 5 and March 6 and were charged only with gang assault, a felony, police officials said. The police were still searching for the assailant who stabbed the victim, a 28-year-old man from Kentucky, the officials said.
The officials identified the men as Hoi Lau, 29; Ming Ting Wong, 23; Ken Min Chan, 22; and Jin Shen Li, 27. The men were believed to be members of a gang known as the American Born Chinese, who the officials contend provoked the fight. Each was charged with first-degree gang assault, a felony punishable up to 25 years in prison if convicted.
The stabbing happened shortly after 2 a.m. March 3 inside the Take One Night Club, at 36-51 Main St., said Lt. Jack Shatinsky, the commander of the 109th Precinct detective squad. The officials said there were as many as 20 patrons involved in the brawl, which occurred inside a VIP room in the nightclub.
The victim, Tong Quiang, 28, of Kentucky, was stabbed once through the heart, and was slashed about the throat and arms, the lieutenant said. He was taken to New York Hospital Medical Center of Queens, where he was pronounced dead, the police said.
The officials said the argument was sparked by a fight that took place in Flushing Feb. 14 between the American Born Chinese gang and another, of Fukinese descent, which often visits the nightclub. The American Born Chinese gang initiated the argument March 3, but it was unclear whether the victim was a member of either group, the lieutenant said.
The stabbing at the Take One Night Club came six months after a Flushing man was wounded by gunfire outside a restaurant on 37th Avenue near Main Street, a shooting that was fueled by an argument that also began inside the nightclub.
The victim was shot once in the right foot and once in the left calf by five men with whom he argued, according to a complaint filed by the Queens district attorney. Soon after the shooting, police officers from the 109th Precinct arrested five men, who were charged variously with attempted murder, assault and criminal possession of a weapon.
Reach reporter Chris Fuchs by e-mail at Timesledgr@aol.com or call 229-0300, Ext. 156.
