What should have been a whimsical marriage proposal turned violent yesterday when a flash mob at a Paramus, NJ mall unwittingly surrounded a trio of real mafiosos shopping at Sunglass Hut.
Brody Wu, 28, planned to surprise his girlfriend, Brittany Bender, as she dined at Wok N’ Roll with friends. Through Craigslist he amassed 50 local strangers who agreed to show up and perform a short dance routine to one of Ms. Bender’s favorite songs. As the flash mob dispersed, Mr. Wu was going to get down on bended knee and present her with a discount coupon to Kay Jewelers, where they would then go and pick out a ring.
But all that changed when three unidentified men, startled by the display, opened fire into the crowd, injuring at least seven people, including Mr. Wu, before fleeing via escalator.
The song, “Hit Me With Your Best Shot,” took on a tragic new meaning.
The wounded were taken to a nearby hospital and are all in stable condition. Mr. Wu, who was lip-syncing the words at the center of the mob at the time of the attack, escaped serious injury thanks to an over sized stuffed koala he happened to be holding at the time. “Mei Mei really took one for the team,” he said jovially when reached in his recovery room.
Police are unsure as to what provoked the shooting, but suspect that the three assailants were members of the Benzini family, a local organized crime syndicate, who assumed that the performance was a distraction perpetrated by rivals in order to make a hit.
“The song choice just did not help in this situation,” said Detective John Hunt. “I have never seen a Pat Benatar-related crime in my 35 years on the force.”
He paused. “Unless you count her haircut.”
