Three people face assault charges for their alleged roles in a wild melee in the Queens Center Mall food court on Friday night.
Police said the violent incident — which left one man with a stab wound to his head — began at about 7 p.m. on July 20 in the food court in the JCPenney wing of the mall located at 90-17 Queens Blvd. in Elmhurst.
According to WABC-TV, two men in their 20s were at the food court eating when a group of five individuals approached and engaged them in a dispute. That set off a large fracas between the group caught on camera, during which one of the participants slashed a 27-year-old man in the head.
Officers from the 110th Precinct and EMS units responded to a 911 call about the melee. Paramedics brought the 27-year-old man to a local hospital for treatment of his injuries, which were not considered life-threatening. Another man injured in the assault was also hospitalized and treated.
Shortly after the fight, police said, three individuals — Joshua Adams, 21, of First Street in Astoria and Dorell James, 20, and Shakema James, 27, of Salisbury, North Carolina — were apprehended at the corner of 92nd Street and 57th Avenue, just outside of the mall. Police charged each of them after questioning.
According to the criminal complaint that the Queens District Attorney’s office provided, the three individuals had visited the food court when they were approached by the 27-year-old man, who attempted to punch Dorell James in the face. All of the defendants, along with an unapprehended individual, then became involved in the brawl.
Adams, Dorell James and Shakema James were each charged with second- and third-degree assault and second-degree harassment, police said.
Two other individuals believed to have been involved in melee remain at large, law enforcement sources said.
