A night out in Kentucky took a chaotic turn, resulting in multiple arrests and injuries as a group of men initiated confrontations across several businesses after feeling disrespected, according to Kentucky law enforcement.

Twenty-year-old Malakhi Scott Weathers-Parker faces charges including first-degree strangulation, fourth-degree assault, and unlawful transaction with a minor. Similarly, Seth Jones, also 20, is charged with two counts of assault and one count of unlawful transaction with a minor, as reported by the Louisville Metro Police Department.

The incident unfolded on March 8, 2025, at the Paddock Shops in Louisville, a mall located in the city’s eastern region.

According to police accounts, three individuals were on their way to dine at Malone’s when they encountered another group posing for a picture. One of the individuals from the first group jokingly shouted “say cheese” to the second group before entering the restaurant.

The group being photographed perceived the “say cheese” remark—typically a lighthearted prompt for smiling—as an act of disrespect, according to an arrest report accessed by Louisville’s Fox affiliate WDRB. Weathers-Parker and Jones were part of this second group, police noted.

After initially leaving the area to drop someone off, the accused returned to the original parking lot where the “say cheese” comment was made, this time accompanied by a juvenile, with the intent to locate the first group, according to authorities. The trio reportedly visited several restaurants in their search for the group from earlier, police stated.

Eventually, the victims returned to their car where they were accosted by the defendants, according to the arrest report.

Quickly, the groups came to blows.

One victim was beaten with their own metal baton, police claim. Another was put into a chokehold until they became unconscious, according to law enforcement. In the aftermath, the unconscious victim suffered a concussion, skull fractures, and a brain bleed, police said. Another victim was left with bruises and contusions on her leg. A third victim suffered bruises and contusions all over his body.

After the attack, the trio left the scene of the crime, police claim. The incident was witnessed by another person in the parking lot and recorded by surveillance cameras, law enforcement says.

On March 18, 2025, Jones was arrested, WDRB reported at the time. His lawyer claimed he acted in self-defense.

“As the video evidence will show, Mr. Jones acted in self-defense when the alleged victims pulled out a deadly weapon and Mr. Jones was forced to defend himself and disarm them,” defense attorney Nick Mudd told the TV station.

The next day, police requested the public’s help locating Weathers-Parker in a post on Facebook which jocularly referenced the inciting remark and included what appears to be a still image of the defendant from the night in question behind the wheels of a car.

“We would like to introduce you to 19-year-old Malakhi Scott Weathers-Parker,” the social media post reads. “Our Eighth Division Detectives would like to talk to him. We are alleging that he and some of his friends thought it would be cool to be ‘cheese heads’ and assault and strangle a patron outside of a popular east end eatery on 3-8-25 during the evening hours. If you should know where ‘Mr. Pepper Jack’ is or you feel ‘cheesy’ enough to call in a tip. Remember you can do it anonymously.”

On March 24, 2025, Weathers-Parker was arrested, the police department announced in a follow-up Facebook post.

This month, a woman injured during the incident sued the Paddock Shops for negligence and premises liability over an alleged lack of security and lighting in the parking lots, WDRB reported this week.

Despite the police department’s claim that the assailants are caught on surveillance cameras, the plaintiff in the lawsuit is alleging the camera situation at the shopping mall was wholly insufficient.

“[S]he was ambushed in a dark parking lot,” attorney David Barber said in a press release. “The Paddock Shops had no surveillance cameras covering the parking lots, inadequate lighting, and a security response slower than nearby restaurant employees and bystanders. This attack was foreseeable and preventable.”