Peaceful And Serene Roosevelt Island Community Garden Interrupted Saturday Afternoon By Fight Between Two Members And Friends - NYPD Arrests One For Assault, Another For Menacing As A Hate Crime

The Roosevelt Island Garden Club Community Garden is almost always a very peaceful and serene spot.

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But not last Saturday afternoon according to the Roosevelt Island Operating Corp (RIOC) Public Safety Department 24 hour blotter. Yesterday morning, I asked RIOC Public Safety Department Chief Kevin Brown:

The Psd incident report lists an assault at what appears to be the Garden Club. 10/03/20 – 1831 – 755 Main St – Assault – PSD/NYPD responded – NYPD Arrest. What happened? Anybody injured, weapons used. Do you have any more details?

Chief Brown replied: 

On Saturday October 3, at about 1640 hours PSD responded to a dispute at 755 Main Street. Two people were involved ... Vaugh... and ... Amad.... Both were arrested. Vaugh arrested and charged with menacing for brandishing a pocket knife and Amad arrested and charged with assault.  This was a dispute between two members of the garden club. (They are friends) They had a disagreement. One person pulled out a pocket knife and the other struck that male with a 2x4 piece of wood.

A NYPD spokesperson added that the complaint stated Vaugh was hit with a piece of wood by Amad and suffered pain and lacerations. Amad was charged with assault. Vaugh was charged with menacing as a hate crime for threatening Amad with a box cutter but no other specific information for including element of hate crime to the charge.

A Roosevelt Island Garden Club spokesperson replied to my inquiry about the incident:

On the afternoon of October 3rd, there was an incident outside the northwest gate of our garden involving two garden members who previously were friends. This incident ended in a physical altercation. Public Safety was called and an ambulance came for one person. The injured individual was discharged from the hospital later that same day. The Executive Board of the Roosevelt Island Garden Club is taking immediate action to vote on the membership status of the individuals involved.