New York police have released a new surveillance video of the mob of masked individuals who ransacked a Chinese restaurant in Queens on March 4.
Surveillance footage published on Thursday shows 17 teens cramming themselves into an elevator just after trashing Fish Village on the third floor of a corner mall in College Point.
Three people who were already in the elevator were forced out by the mob, who somehow managed to all fit in.
The video also gives a relatively clear look at the face of one member who appears to have lowered his mask or face mask.
The restaurant attack, which occurred minutes earlier, saw the suspects flip tables and chairs, terrifying around 30 customers who had been dining in peace.
Subscribe to
NextShark's Newsletter
A daily dose of Asian America's essential stories, in under 5 minutes.
Get our collection of Asian America's most essential stories to your inbox daily for free.
Unsure? Check out our Newsletter Archive.
“From the time they entered to the time they left, it only took a minute,” owner Tony Hu told CBS News through a translator. “They didn’t say a word. We have no idea what was happening.”
Hu said he was behind the register when the chaos erupted. He tried to call 911, but the perps were gone by the time he got through.
The incident resulted in damages amounting to approximately $20,000. “This is a big financial loss,” Hu said, adding that customers may fear visiting a business where “things like this happen.”
In an incident the day prior, a masked man fatally shot a 67-year-old bodega employee on the Upper East Side during a robbery.
On Monday, Mayor Eric Adams urged businesses to tell customers to remove their masks before entering their premises.
“We are putting out a clear call to all of our shops, do not allow people to enter the store without taking off their face mask,” Adams told 1010 WINS. “And then once they’re inside, they can continue to wear it if they so desire to do so.”
Hu described the teen perps as mostly Asian and some Hispanic, according to ABC New York.
No arrests have been made as of Thursday night.
The incident is being investigated as criminal mischief. Anyone with information on the suspects is urged to call Crime Stoppers at 1-800-577-8477 or submit tips through the Crime Stoppers website or their Twitter account, @NYPDTips.
