BUFFALO, N.Y. — Two people were taken to the hospital after a fight broke out overnight Sunday in the city's Allentown district.
The assault was captured on video by a concerned resident who told 2 On Your Side they are tired of the violence and crime happening in the area. The video shows a man and a woman getting beat up outside Jim's Steakout around 5 a.m. Sunday morning.
Warning: the video linked below is graphic.
A spokesperson for the Buffalo Police Department says the incident started inside Jim's Steakout restaurant, where three people began pushing, shoving and punching a man and a woman.
Buffalo Police say they have arrested 26-year-old Deante Peoples, 26-year-old Stephon D. McCann and 27-year-old Tarrice Greer. The individuals are all being charged with gang assault, which refers to an assault by three or more people.
Both of the victims were taken to ECMC. We are told the 30-year-old female victim suffered a broken nose and has been released. The condition of the male victim is still unknown at this point.
A concerned Allentown resident told 2 On Your Side that they are frustrated with the number of assaults, fights and robberies that happen on the streets during the weekend nights.
Mohamed Gaafar, the manager of Allentown Pizza, said he has seen an increase in fights within the past year.
"Almost every weekend we have a fight in the area, almost every weekend" he said.
Gaafar says a fight broke out in his restaurant a few months ago, which is why the business now hires a security guard every weekend.
"We had a big fight here a couple months ago, when people started fighting outside the store, started fighting us, knocked my computer down, they destroyed my phone, assaulting, hit me and my crew," he said. "That’s why we had to get security guard."
One resident told 2 On Your Side they would like to see a larger Buffalo Police presence on weekend nights, Gaafar agrees.
"The problem is we don’t have enough cops to cover the area, like we need at least one cop to stay here for the weekend like Friday or Saturday night just on the corner here or there," Gaafar said. "So they can stop any fight (before it) starts."
A spokesperson for the Buffalo Police Department says officers patrol the Allentown entertainment district every night. On Friday and Saturday nights he says there is a special detail assigned to the area.