New York's Diamond District briefly lived up to its hard-edged reputation Friday, when a feud between rival jewelers spilled into an all-out brawl caught on camera. Police say brothers George and Freddy Akay, 46 and 42, respectively, were arrested on assault charges after allegedly attacking competing jeweler Maksud Agadjani, 39, owner of TraxNYC. The fight unfolded inside Akay Diamonds on West 47th Street, in the same building as TraxNYC, as bewildered shoppers looked on, per the New York Post and TMZ. Video posted to Agadjani's Instagram account shows him storming into the shop, slamming a bracelet on the counter, and demanding money while accusing the Akays of cheating him and his customers.
In the footage, Agadjani waves a receipt and claims the Akays used his name and reputation to sell a $22,000 diamond bracelet to one of his customers, who allegedly paid for what was advertised as 14-karat gold but was actually closer to 10-karat. Security staff are seen trying to escort him out as he continues shouting. A second clip shows the confrontation flaring back up, with one of the brothers appearing to spit in Agadjani's face, setting off a pile-on in which several men swarm and hit Agadjani. He was taken to a hospital, where he recorded another video, alleging he'd been choked with his own chain. "They tried to kill me," he said, "because I exposed what they did."
Agadjani, who clients include Mr. Beast and Busta Rhymes, later told the Post that the brothers "would constantly try to steal my clients by saying they were me" and refused to stop even after repeated warnings. In the latest case, he said he'd reimbursed the customer for the $22,000 bracelet and wanted the Akays to pay him back. Instead, he said Freddy Akay strangled him while brother George "threw a whole scale at my head." He also claimed other members of the family took part in the brawl. Police said a third person received a summons related to the incident but did not specify the charge.
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