Police have arrested an 18-year-old man from Williamsburg for the stabbing of another teen near a notorious Windsor Terrace plaza last month.
The suspect is facing attempted murder and other charges for allegedly stabbing a 19-year-old man multiple times in the back and torso on 15th Street near Bartel-Pritchard Square, at the southwest corner of Prospect Park, on Aug. 23. The late-night shanking, which left a bloody mess on the sidewalk and in the lobby of a neighborhood apartment building, came after an argument at a party spilled out into the street and turned into a brawl involving 20 youths, witnesses said.
“There was a lot of screaming and a lot of yelling. These kids were out of control,” said Tom Prendergast on the morning after the stabbing. Prendergast’s son filmed the nighttime commotion from their seventh-floor apartment, a few floors up from where the party was held, according to Prendergast.
The altercation started around 1:30 am with 20 youngsters arguing on Prospect Park Southwest, across the street from Brooklyn’s backyard, according to Prendergast, who says his son’s video captures the moments before the stabbing.
The video appears to show a fight break out between two individuals and spiral into a many-person melee. Several people shove one another, one person is tripped, and a group chase ensues, causing the crowd to run in all directions.
About a minute later in the video, a person wearing white shorts, a dark colored shirt and black gloves is seen running out of Bartel-Pritchard Square and into the lobby of the building where the video was shot.
Investigators say the victim is a gang member but have not released his name.
Family members of the alleged attacker say that the teen has been wrongfully accused.
“We personally feel he did not do it,” said a man who claims to be the man’s uncle and asked not to be named. “My nephew is not a troubled kid.”
The arrest came three days after the stabbing and the suspect is currently behind bars at a juvenile detention center on Rikers Island with a bail set at $75,000, according to jail documents.
The suspect’s lawyer with the Legal Aid Society did not return calls for comment by press time.
Neighbors have complained for years that Bartel-Pritchard Square is a hot spot for young people who drink, brawl, and deal drugs.
A 17-year-old named Sharif Abdallah died in a brawl at the park in 2008.
