2 Jewelers Arrested After TraxNYC Diamond District Brawl
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Two jewelers were arrested following an altercation in the New York City Diamond District on Jan. 2.
New York—A fight broke out between jewelers in the New York City Diamond District last weekend, leading to two arrests, the New York City Police Department confirmed Monday.
In video footage that has since gone viral, jeweler Maksud Agadjani, the 39-year-old owner of TraxNYC, confronted fellow jewelers George Akay, 46, and Freddy Akay, 42, of Akay Diamonds at their booth inside 64 West 47 St.
In a series of videos posted to TraxNYC’s Instagram account, Agadjani alleged that the jewelers sold a $22,000 diamond bracelet to a customer of his, falsely claiming it was a TraxNYC piece and mispresenting it as 14-karat gold when his testing showed it was 10-karat gold.
TraxNYC became an Instagram-famous celebrity jeweler, garnering more than 4 million followers. The company is best known for working with celebrities like Busta Rhymes and Kodak Black as well as YouTube sensation Mr. Beast.
Agadjani took the bracelet back from the customer and refunded him the $22,000, according to one of the videos.
Agadjani said he was going to get the money back. “Pull up. We’ll group together. We’ll sue them and take their property,” he said in another video posted to the TraxNYC account.
The next video shows Agadjani approaching the booth with the bracelet, slamming it down on the counter and cursing at the men as a crowd gathers and attempts to diffuse the situation.
In the following video, one of the men behind the Akay Diamonds’ booth appears to spit in Agadjani’s face. A fight then breaks out.
The NYPD confirmed to National Jeweler on Monday that police responded to reports of an assault on Jan. 2 around 2:30 p.m. at 64 West 47 St.
Upon officers’ arrival, it was reported that a 39-year-old male victim was approached by two individuals and a verbal dispute began, followed by a physical altercation.
“The individuals punched the victim to the face and body with closed fists. The victim sustained minor injuries and was transported by EMS to NYC Health and Hospitals/Bellevue in stable condition,” a police spokesperson said.
Agadjani claimed in one of the videos that the men tried to choke him with the gold chain he was wearing, showing marks around his neck. He credited his staff for stepping in and “saving his life.”
George and Freddy Akay were both arrested and charged with assault, police said. Another unnamed individual was issued a summons.
Akay Diamonds did not respond to a request for comment by press time.
