Philadelphia woman charged after allegedly attacking Central Park carriage drivers: Police

NEW YORK (WPVI) -- A Philadelphia woman has been charged with assault after police say she attacked two horse carriage drivers during a confrontation in Central Park.

According to the NYPD, officers responded to a 911 call shortly after 11 a.m. Tuesday near West Drive and 59th Street in Central Park, where they learned two 45-year-old men had been involved in a verbal dispute with a 27-year-old woman.

Police said the woman struck one of the men in the face and shoulder with a skateboard and punched the second man in the face. Both men suffered minor injuries and declined medical treatment at the scene.

Authorities arrested Abigail Holbrook, 27, of Philadelphia, and charged her with two counts of assault. Police said she has no prior arrest history.

Video provided by TWU Local 100 and recorded by one of the carriage drivers appears to show portions of the confrontation. The union said the incident happened near the horse carriage stands in Central Park.

The case has drawn a strong reaction from representatives of the city's horse carriage industry.

"This is outrageous and unacceptable," said Alexander Kemp, administrative vice president of TWU Local 100. "We need a more visible police presence for our members at horse-carriage stands in the park to protect against these wackos. This is their place of work and people are coming just to harass and attack them. All workers deserve to be safe at work."

Christina Hansen, a TWU Local 100 shop steward who said she witnessed the incident and called police, blamed rhetoric from animal rights organizations for contributing to tensions surrounding the carriage horse industry.

"This is what you get when the City Council Speaker praises and poses for photos with extremist organizations like PETA and NYCLASS, whose leaders have lied and vilified us as animal abusers for decades. Their followers, who don't know a thing about horses, have been brainwashed by these groups' propaganda and emboldened to lash out," Hansen said.