Two 20-year-olds face charges following an assault in a Louisville shopping mall parking lot, sparked by a perceived disrespectful remark during a photo session. Police say the men searched multiple restaurants before attacking three victims, causing serious injuries. A lawsuit now claims the mall lacked adequate security.
On March 8, 2025, at the Paddock Shops in Louisville, Kentucky, three people heading to Malone's restaurant saw another group posing for photos and shouted 'say cheese,' according to an arrest report cited by police. Members of the photographed group, including Malakhi Scott Weathers-Parker and Seth Jones, both 20, felt disrespected by the comment and later returned to the parking lot after dropping someone off, accompanied by a juvenile. They checked several restaurants in search of the initial group before confronting the victims near their car, police stated. A fight broke out, with one victim beaten using their own metal baton and another placed in a chokehold until unconscious, resulting in a concussion, skull fractures, and a brain bleed. The other victims sustained bruises and contusions. The incident was witnessed and captured on surveillance footage. Weathers-Parker faces charges of first-degree strangulation, fourth-degree assault, and unlawful transaction with a minor. Jones is charged with two counts of assault and unlawful transaction with a minor. Jones was arrested on March 18, 2025; his attorney, Nick Mudd, said, 'As the video evidence will show, Mr. Jones acted in self-defense when the alleged victims pulled out a deadly weapon and Mr. Jones was forced to defend himself and disarm them.' Weathers-Parker was arrested on March 24 after a police social media appeal. Recently, an injured woman sued the Paddock Shops for negligence and premises liability, alleging poor lighting, no parking lot cameras, and slow security response. Her lawyer, David Barber, stated, '[S]he was ambushed in a dark parking lot. The Paddock Shops had no surveillance cameras covering the parking lots, inadequate lighting, and a security response slower than nearby restaurant employees and bystanders. This attack was foreseeable and preventable.'