6th Teen Arrested in Brutal McDonald's Melee

Authorities say a sixth teenager has been arrested in connection with the beating of a 16-year-old girl at a Brooklyn McDonald's that was recorded by onlookers and went viral online earlier this month.

Police say a 15-year-year-old girl was arrested Wednesday evening and charged with robbery and gang assault.

The girl's name was not released because she's a minor.

The alleged ringleader in the attack, 16-year-old Aniah Ferguson, was the first suspect to be arrested in the March 9 brawl. Two 17-year-old girls and girls aged 14 and 15 have also been arrested.

Ferguson was arraigned Friday on charges of robbery and gang assault, and is being charged as an adult.

Ferguson has been arrested half a dozen times since September on various offenses, including for allegedly attacking a pregnant woman in an emergency room and her own grandmother, records show.

They also allege she is part of the Young Savages gang, a violent group known to be involved in patterns of violence and credit card scams.

Ferguson, who lives with her mother and grandmother she has been accused of attacking, was ordered held on $500,000 bail. She also has a 1-year-old daughter. None of the three attended her arraignment Friday.

Video of the McDonald's attack, which was posted on Facebook, shows four girls, all believed to be Erasmus Hall High School students, repeatedly punching and kicking another teen wearing a blue hooded sweatshirt while throngs of bystanders shout in the background.

The larger group continues to attack the teen in the blue sweatshirt, even pulling out her hair extensions, until the girl huddles underneath a table with her hands over her head.

At one point, one of the girls in the group stomps on the victim's head. The victim suffered a concussion, bruises and contusions, according to a criminal complaint.

At several points during the fight, bystanders can be heard saying, "She’s dead," and, "You murdered her."

The video ends with several students picking the girl up off the ground and putting her on a bench.

Police initially said the investigation had been hampered by a lack of cooperating witnesses, including the girl in the blue sweatshirt and her mother, but NBC 4 New York learned Friday that the victim had come forward to file a police report.

The Department of Education, meanwhile, called the actions seen in the video "abhorrent."

Copyright AP - Associated Press
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