Skateboard vs. Mercedes: NYC Parking Spot Turns Into Full-On Street Brawl

man hits mercedes with skateboard in street brawl
Image Credit: Michael O'Hara / X.

Some things are worth fighting for. A parking spot in Manhattan’s East Village apparently made that list for at least two guys last Tuesday, and the results were caught on video for the whole internet to enjoy. Anyone who has ever circled a city block for twenty minutes looking for a spot knows the frustration is real, but most of us stop short of turning it into a sidewalk sparring match.

The setup, according to Fox News, is simple enough. A skateboarder and a buddy were holding a parking spot open, presumably for a friend still en route. A Mercedes rolled up and decided that “reserved by skateboarder” wasn’t a real designation, and tried to pull in anyway. That disagreement over curb real estate is what kicked off one of the more chaotic viral clips to come out of New York City this summer.

What followed was not exactly a technical clinic. The skater reportedly cracked the Mercedes with his board a couple of times before winging it at the vehicle entirely, which is a bold way to treat your primary mode of transportation. The driver hopped out, grabbed the board off the ground, and swung it back at the skater, a move that escalated things from “heated argument” to “actual fight” in about two seconds flat.

From there it got messy in the way these things usually do. Neither combatant looked like they had much of a background in boxing, throwing what can generously be described as soft punches and a few kicks before both men went down to the pavement together. A woman who was with the Mercedes driver tried to get them to stop, and the two ignored her completely, because that’s apparently how these things go once pride gets involved.

The Skateboard Becomes the Main Weapon

Once the fight resumed, the skater got on top, landed at least one real punch, then let the driver back up. That’s when the board came out again, and this time it connected solidly with the driver’s head. It was reportedly the hardest shot landed by either man in the whole scuffle, and it was quickly followed by a choke hold that finally brought things to an end.

The camera operator, who had been filming the whole ordeal, wandered over to check out the Mercedes afterward and found the windshield smashed to pieces.

What the NYPD Says Happened

A police spokesperson confirmed to the Post that the driver had indeed been trying to park his Mercedes when the confrontation broke out. As of Saturday afternoon, police were still searching for the skateboarder, who left the scene before anyone in uniform showed up.

The driver was taken to a local hospital and is reportedly in stable condition.

No Arrests, Just a Cracked Windshield and a Sore Head

Despite the shattered glass and the skateboard-to-the-skull finale, no arrests have been made in connection with the fight. It’s a reminder that in a city where parking is basically a contact sport already, sometimes the fight for a spot turns literal.

City drivers everywhere can probably relate to the frustration that started this whole thing, even if most would agree the Mercedes windshield didn’t need to become collateral damage.

Author: Olivia Richman

Olivia Richman has been a journalist for 10 years, specializing in esports, games, cars, and all things tech. When she isn’t writing nerdy stuff, Olivia is taking her cars to the track, eating pho, and playing the Pokemon TCG.

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