Flickr / rollingrckSource: New York Post
NEW YORK -- A battle between halal and hot dog vendors outside City Hall Park in New York on Wednesday ended with one man bleeding from the head and his elderly attacker under arrest, police and witnesses said.
Halal salesman Jacques Sterlin, 66, was busted for assault after he bashed a vendor foe in the head with a cane about 12:30pm local time, police said.
The drama unfolded when the unidentified victim and his employer, Hristos Serertas, showed up at the plaza pushing a mobile hot dog cart and started selling food and drinks for $1 -- vastly undercutting the prices of Sterlin and Carlos Rodriguez, 56, a disabled Vietnam vet who runs a halal cart.
"$1. $1 here. Everything," yelled Serertas, who later admitted to not having a license to sell in the park. "These guys are criminals."
He then accused Rodriguez of extorting money from vendors who want to sell in City Hall Park.
"They're the halal mafia," he shouted.
The half-hour shouting match between the opposing vendors came to an abrupt end when Sterlin whacked Serertas' employee, cops and witnesses said.
Police cuffed Sterlin and took him away, while the victim was taken to New York Hospital Downtown with a head injury, authorities said.
Serertas was kicked out of the plaza by Parks Enforcement officers who slapped him with a fine for vending without the proper license.
Read More: Halal and hot dog vendors brawl outside NYC park
