LINDENHURST, N.Y. – A chaotic scene unfolded on a busy highway in Long Island on Wednesday afternoon, when a crash between two vehicles turned into a violent brawl involving multiple people.
According to police, the incident occurred around 12:30 p.m. on Sunrise Highway near Straight Path in Lindenhurst. The two vehicles involved in the crash were driven by people who knew each other and had a prior dispute, police said.
After the collision, which left one vehicle flipped over on its side outside a Citibank branch, the occupants of both vehicles got out and started fighting with sticks, fists, and feet. A video captured by a bystander showed the mayhem as the combatants clashed on the center median of the highway, while other drivers and pedestrians watched in shock.
The video, which was posted on social media and later obtained by us, showed one man swinging a stick at another man, who tried to fend him off. A third man, wearing an orange shirt, then joined the fray and attacked the stick-wielder. He then ran around the overturned vehicle and picked up another stick, which he used to strike another person.
At one point, six people were seen involved in the brawl, while others tried to intervene and separate them. The video also showed a crowd of onlookers gathering outside the Citibank to witness the commotion.
Police arrived at the scene and arrested three people, who were charged with second-degree assault, a felony. One of the arrested persons was a minor, police said. The extent of the injuries sustained by the participants of the brawl was not immediately clear.
Police are still investigating the cause and the motive of the crash and the brawl, and are asking anyone with information or additional footage to contact them.
