Nyack, April 17 — Police told local residents in South Nyack to stay indoors Tuesday afternoon to avoid a fight involving 40-50 people in two gangs which resulted in injuries and possibly two stabbings. Orangetown police said some of the participants were armed with knives, bats and an ax. One of the injuries resulted from someone being hit in the head with a hammer. Five arrests have been made.

Police say gang members from Spring Valley, reportedly members of the Bloods, came to the village on April 15 seeking retribution following an incident at Nyack High School, when someone in a Nyack street gang pulled a girl’s red bandanna from her neck.

Sources: WCBS/AP, The Journal News, The Daily News

Updates:

• Commentary from Orangetown’s Supervisor Thom Kleiner and Police Chief Kevin Nulty, April 22, 2008
• Orangetown Police Chief and Nyack Schools’ Superintendent meet about gang-related incident, Inside Rockland, April 22
• Nyack confronts gang issues, Journal News, April 19
• Gang Violence ‘€˜Never Happens Here.’ But This Time, It Did.
  New York Times, April 18
• More on Why It Happened, Journal News April 27