Tourists plead not guilty in fight

Restaurant, women, both confirm they showed proof of vaccination

Three women who were involved in an altercation with a host at a popular Italian restaurant on the Upper West Side were arraigned this week on assault and harassment charges.

The women, Kaeita Nkeenge Rankin, 44, and Tyonnie Keshay Rankin, 21, of Humble, Texas, and Sally Rechelle Lewis, 49, of Houston, pleaded not guilty Tuesday in Manhattan Criminal Court.

They were charged with one count each of third-degree assault, attempted assault and harassment, said Javier Solano, a lawyer for the women.

The charges stem from a melee that took place at the restaurant, Carmine’s, on Sept. 16. Details surrounding what ignited the brawl have been contested since the incident.

“We greatly appreciate how seriously the district attorney’s office is taking this attack on our staff,” a spokesman for Carmine’s said in a statement. “Restaurant workers are part of our city’s lifeblood, and today sends a strong message that criminal acts like these will not be tolerated.”

People seeking to eat indoors at restaurants in New York have been required to show proof of vaccination since Sept. 13.

The altercation took place days after the mandate went into effect.

Shortly after it occurred, the police released a statement saying the women had attacked the host after she asked to see their vaccination cards. But two days later, lawyers for the restaurant and the women confirmed that they had provided proof of vaccination.

A lawyer for one of the women told The New York Times that the host, who is Korean American, used a racial slur toward the guests, who are Black, and described the exchange as “mutual combat.”