A BRUTAL street brawl erupted after two women tried to claim a parking spot by standing in the way of a driver.
The viral video taken in Queens, New York, has reignited a debate on whether it’s ever right to claim a public space using an item – or your body.
Mother and daughter pair, Andreea Dumitru, 45, and Sabrina Starman, 21, launched a vicious assault on driver Jada McPherson when she attempted to park on a street in Ridgewood.
But the pair were allegedly “guarding” the space – with their bodies.
An unidentified man also joined in on the horror brawl, fighting McPherson, but fled the area before cops arrived, authorities said.
After McPherson looked for another parking space on the block at 18-28 Putnam Ave, she returned to inform the mother and daughter that reserving parking spots was not allowed, she shared with The NY Post earlier.
It was then the unknown man was said to have gone “ballistic” while Dumitru and Starman hurled racist language at McPherson.
The pair alleged that McPherson was the one who started the confrontation and lobbed racist insults at them.
Shocking footage shows McPherson expressing her outrage at the empty space being reserved, before Dumitru and Starman approach her.
It is at this point the mom and daughter duo slam her to the ground and pull her hair as the unknown neighbour joins in on the vile chaos.
Starman and Dumitru were arrested and charged with first-degree assault and second-degree harassment, cops said.
They have since apologised for the horrific fight after they received online death threats.
However, McPherson is not accepting their apologies, as she told the Post, because she feels “the apologies are prompted by the video’s widespread attention and do not seem genuine”.
She added: “I don’t think it’s from their hearts, like deep down.
“But I just hope they could see or see what they did wrong and kind of get a better understanding of how to operate or act in certain situations from this situation.”
The incident has divided people online on whether it’s right to guard a space.
One Ridgewood resident told the newspaper: “Honestly, if you have a friend that you know is literally coming around the corner in like a minute?
“Yeah, what’s the problem with that? But standing there longer than five minutes – absolutely not.”
“But that’s just how New Yorkers are, territorial. I understand why, but it’s not something I’d ever consider doing.”
But another argued they wouldn’t be worth putting your safety at risk for a space.
They said: “I personally wouldn’t get into a fight over it […] because of how people drive here, I would not put my body on the line in front of cars.
“I’d be scared to stand in the street to save a spot. Because of how people drive here, I wouldn’t put my body on the line.”
