Mob of anarchists attack Starbucks in New York

Police say a mob of 25 anarchists fought with officers and tried to use eight-foot-long metal pipes to smash windows of a Starbucks in the East Village on Saturday.

The incident happened around 8:45 p.m. at the Starbucks on the corner of Astor Place and Lafayette Street. Customers were sent diving under tables during the attack.

The mob was unable to smash the thick protective plexiglass windows and there ended up being no damage to the store.

Police arrested Eric Marchese, 24, Alexander Penley, 41 and Nicholas Thommen, 30. All three men face multiple charges. Two officers sustained minor injuries in the melee.

Police said a crowd, some wearing masks, stormed out of an Anarchist Book Fair at Church across the street from Washington Square Park. Many participants at the sixth annual event tipped garbage cans and spray-painted anarchist symbols on businesses in the area. more