WATCH: Suspects Sling Avocados, Bananas At Bronx Store Clerk Following Dispute, Cops Say
NEW YORK (CBSNewYork) -- The hunt is on for a pair of produce hurling attackers after a store clerk's jaw was broken in an alleged assault-by-avocado at a deli near Yankee Stadium last month.
Police say just before 5 a.m. on May 29, the two men started throwing avocados and bananas at an employee of Stadium Gourmet Deli on 161 Street in the Bronx following a dispute over a food order.
Cameras inside the deli captured the brutal attack.
One of the men hit an employee directly in the face with one of the avocados, causing him to stumble backwards as he's hit with several more.
The victim suffered a laceration and fractures to his face as well as a broken jaw, according to police.
He was taken to NYC Health + Hospitals/Lincoln in serious but stable condition. The owner of the deli says the injured employee is new to the store and doesn't speak English, so the suspects may have gotten frustrated with him.
"This is not normal, how somebody try to give you service and you throw avocado, this is no good," Hany Girgis tells CBS2's Valerie Castro. "If you give order and you wait ten minutes, this is no reason to do what you do."
The suspects fled in a dark colored sedan in an unknown direction, according to police.
The first suspect is described as a Hispanic male between 25 and 30-years-old, 5'7" to 5'10" tall and 170 to 190 pounds. He was last seen wearing a black t-shirt, blue jeans, and multi-colored sneakers.
The second suspect is described as a black male between 25 and 30-years-old, 5'7" to 5'10" tall and 170 to 190 pounds. He was last seen wearing a white t-shirt, a blue vest, blue jeans, and blue and white sneakers.
Anyone with information in regards to this incident is asked to call the NYPD's Crime Stoppers Hotline at 1-800-577-TIPS (8477) or for Spanish, 1-888-57-PISTA (74682). The public can also submit their tips by logging onto the Crime stoppers website at WWW.NYPDCRIMESTOPPERS.COM or by texting their tips to 274637 (CRIMES) then enter TIP577.
