New York Daily News

Gal skirts charge in salon scrap

- BY MARCO POGGIO AND GRAHAM RAYMAN

Prosecutor­s dropped charges Wednesday against a woman who was embroiled in a bizarre fight in a Brooklyn nail salon caught on a viral Facebook video.

Christina Thomas was accused of misdemeano­r assault charges for punching, slapping and dragging a 35-yearold woman Aug. 3 at the New Red Apple Nails salon on Nostrand Ave. near Martense St. in East Flatbush.

“After reviewing all the evidence, interviewi­ng more than a dozen witnesses and analyzing video footage, we dismissed the charges today against Ms. Thomas in the interest of justice,” Brooklyn District Attorney Eric Gonzalez said. “Our investigat­ion, which started immediatel­y after this serious incident took place, is ongoing.”

Huiyue Zheng, 32, a salon employee, is still facing assault and weapon possession charges. She is due back in court Sept. 25.

The video showed salon workers surroundin­g a woman. One of the workers starts smacking at the woman with a broomstick.

As the woman fled, a second customer yelled: “What are you doing?!” The woman with the stick also hit that customer.

The woman who posted the video said racial bias played a role — the customers are all black and the workers Asian.

“So I’m at the nail salon and they f—ed up a lady eyebrow and she refused to pay then a fight broke outttt,” wrote the Facebook user, Mercy Maduka.

“Share this cause the cops decided to arrest the black people but not the Chinese people who ganged up on them! Hitting them like animals.”

The fracas sparked a protest the following day.

Brooklyn Borough President Eric Adams applauded the move, calling it “justice in action.”

“The video I reviewed, shortly after it went viral, was deeply disturbing and unacceptab­le,” he said.

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