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Mayor, police explore options to close troubled gas station
By Joe Gorman
YOUNGSTOWN
Fight caught on video
Video
Reports said officers were called to the Shell station at 3200 Market St. for a fight and when they arrived they found a man knocked out in the parking lot. Tracey Shuler is in the Mahoning County jail on a charge of felonious assault.
A video taken late Monday of a man police say was paid to knock out another man in a Market Street parking lot might mark the beginning of the end of a hangout city officials say attracts criminal activity and violence.
Tracey Shuler, 45, of West Warren Avenue, is in the Mahoning County jail on a charge of felonious assault for beating the victim, who appeared in a Facebook Live video to be knocked out. The victim was taken to St. Elizabeth Youngstown Hospital to be treated for his injuries.
Click here for video (Warning: video contains violence and may be disturbing to viewers.)
Police also viewed the video Tuesday to determine if anyone who was taking pictures of the fight could face charges for their role in encouraging Shuler to attack the man about 11:15 p.m. in the parking lot of the Shell Station at 3200 Market St., a place familiar to city officials.
Mayor John McNally said he asked the city prosecutor’s office to find a way to have the station declared as a nuisance and have it shut down.
He said there have been between 10 to 12 incidents of violence at the station just this year. He said he will discuss the matter with police Chief Robin Lees and the prosecutor’s office soon.
“To be honest, I think we’re all getting pretty sick and tired of sending officers to this particular location,” McNally said.
The video begins with a man in a vehicle shooting a video with his phone and it shows Shuler and the victim with Shuler holding a cane.
Shuler and the victim are arguing before other people become involved and urge them to fight and someone shouts, “Twenty bucks to win, twenty dollars to win.”
Someone else also tells Shuler: “Put that cane down. Put it down on the ground.”
The man shooting the video then gets out of his vehicle but at least one other person can be seen on his camera filming the scene also as Shuler can be heard saying, “He ain’t gonna beat me up.”
Shuler gives someone his cane and then moves toward the victim, who does not say much during the video. The victim backs up against a gas pump and seems hesitant, but when Shuler squares up to fight the man does the same.
Shuler moves on the victim quickly, takes him to the ground and starts punching him in the face. When a punch connects with the victim’s mouth, it makes a large slapping sound. He pins the man on the ground and punches him in the head several times before the fight is over.
Two people then come over to Shuler and give him money.
A man pours water on the victim who is still not bleeding until someone rolls him over as someone asks for change for a $10 bill while someone else can be seen shuffling money. Blood suddenly starts pouring out of the victim’s nose and mouth. The video then ends.
City Prosecutor Dana Lantz said anyone who paid money to Shuler could face a conspiracy charge.
As for people watching who did not pay money but encouraged the fight or failed to stop it, she said it would depend on what the video shows before a determination could be made if they should be charged.
Shuler was later found walking away on East Auburndale Avenue, and he was taken into custody there. He also has a warrant for criminal trespassing.
The place on the trespassing complaint he is barred from going to is the same gas station where the fight occurred.
The video was posted to Facebook but it was taken off sometime Tuesday morning.
A call to the gas station for comment was met by a message saying the number has been disconnected.
The station has been a magnet for trouble and was the scene of a fight about 10:50 p.m. July 23, where a man was knocked out in the parking lot and several shots were fired, damaging a car.
In April, two women were arrested there after a late-night fight as well.
Lees said there are several factors that cause trouble at the gas station. He said it is open late, it’s on a major street, sells alcohol and seems to be a place in the neighborhood people go to hang out and be seen.