GUILDERLAND — A 25-year-old man, who is probably a gang member, was stabbed at Cross-gates Mall on Saturday, police say.

Just after 8:30 on Saturday night, near an escalator that leads to mall security offices, police say, two men fought while a group of people stood around them.

As security guards and police officers came to intervene, members of the group ran away. Po-lice suspect that they are gang members, Guilderland Lieu-tenant Curtis Cox told The Enterprise.

An officer was able to catch one person involved in the fight and discovered he was bleeding, Cox said. He was stabbed two or three times, Cox said, in the up-per back and the side.

"He was extremely uncooperative and remains so," Cox said. The victim refuses to give police any information about the incident, he said.

His wounds were not life-threatening, Cox said, but Guilderland’s Emergency Medical Service workers took him to the hospital. The victim didn’t want to go to the hospital, Cox said, but police insisted.

The victim was stabbed with a knife and Crossgates security found the weapon in the mall and turned it over to the police for evidence, Cox said.

Police don’t know who stabbed the man, Cox said. The attacker is described as a black male with a thin build, who is possibly in his early 20’s. With the victim not cooperating, police have little hope for finding the accused.

"As of yet, if we have no info to go on, it’s still an open case," Chief James Murley said. "But, I remain doubtful it’ll move for-ward."

Gangs at the mall
In March, Murley described two gang-related "riots" that occurred that month at Crossgates Mall. Then, police arrested at least eight people and, with a Taser gun, stunned two of them.

The presence of gangs in one of the area’s largest gathering places has caused increased violence and arrests. This has made mall management pay for more police officers at Crossgates and consider a curfew.

Last week, Ron "Cook" Barrett, senior gang-prevention specialist for the Capital Region Gang Prevention Center, told The Enterprise about gang members at the mall.

They gather at Crossgates because it’s a common place where thousands of teenagers and young adults go, he said.

"They love the excitement," Barrett said. "They like to cause a scene and it’s talked about back at school. It boosts their reputations."

With gang members — from Albany, Schenectady, and Colonie — trying to cause scenes at the mall, violence is likely, he said.
"All it takes is for somebody to look at somebody wrong," Barrett said. "Somebody steps on somebody’s shoe and there’s a confrontation. It takes one negative element to start something."

For three years, Guilderland Police have noticed gang members gathering at Crossgates Mall, Murley said earlier.

"They have the right to go there," Murley said. "They just have to conduct themselves in an appropriate fashion....For the most part, they do what everyone else does; they go to the mall to enjoy themselves."

The best way to control violence in the mall is to be proactive and Guilderland is doing this, Barrett said. Increasing security at the mall and working with experienced Albany officers are positive steps toward stop-ping violence and arrests at the mall, he said.

Murley said more meetings are scheduled next week with mall security and Albany County District Attorney David Soares, to discuss controlling violence at the mall.