Three men were arrested for stabbing a 17-year-old boy during a wild brawl inside a Chipotle in Midtown Manhattan, cops said Tuesday.
Justin Mercado, 19, Richird Benitez, 20, and Andrew Dawson, 20, were charged with assault and criminal possession of a weapon for the attack that left the teenage victim with a stab wound to the torso on Monday, cops said.
The suspects were part of a group that attacked the teen and his friends inside the fast-casual restaurant in retaliation for a pre-existing beef around 2:40 p.m., cops said.
The trio, taken into custody shortly after the attack, admitted under questioning to participating in the ambush at the Mexican grill, but none of the three suspects confessed to being the stabber, according to a law enforcement source.
None of the attackers lived in Midtown where the attack occurred. Mercado hails from East Harlem and Dawson lives in the East Village, while Benitez resides in the Concourse area of the Bronx, said police.
A worker at the Chipotle located on Eighth Ave. near E. 52nd St. said he recognized the victim as a student at a local high school who frequents the eatery.
The victim was hanging out with some friends when the rival group barged into the restaurant and launched their attack.
“The other group showed up and just bum-rushed them,” said the worker. “They stabbed him in the abdomen. He was on the floor until the paramedics arrived.”
Another worker described the chaos as well over a dozen teens brawled inside the diner.
“They jumped up and were walking on the tables. It was a real mess,” said the worker.
Medics rushed the victim to a local hospital, where he’s expected to survive.
The Chipotle was closed for about 30 minutes after the attack while the NYPD investigated.