Yesterday, we revisited the ongoing ice cream truck turf wars in midtown, where competing ice cream vendors are using intimidation to scare off fellow frozen dairy pushers. Now an ice cream vendor has been arrested for hitting a hot dog vendor over the head with a baseball bat. For people selling delicious sugary treats to children, these guys seem to have a lot of rage.
On the afternoon of May 12th, a hot dog vendor selling his tubed fare at 54th Street near Madison Avenue was approached by the driver of a New York Ice Cream truck, the same company that's been allegedly menacing Mister Softee in the area. The two scuffled, after which, according to the NYPD, ice cream assailant John Cicero eventually brought out a bat and hit the hot dog man repeatedly in the head.
Head of the Midtown North Precinct’s detective squad Lieutenant Marco Gonzalez told the Times that after the bat was removed from Cicero by a bystander, the ice cream man allegedly whipped out a knife and further threatened the other vendor before motoring away in his truck.
After the NYPD released images of then-suspect Cicero, he turned himself in yesterday to police. Cicero—who seems like a chill fun guy—was charged with Assault 2, a felony, and Misdemeanor Menacing in the second degree, according to cops.
Good thing our guy Victor in Brooklyn is a pacifist.
Video by Jessica Leibowitz
