Elderly Ice Cream Vendor Pistol-Whipped, Robbed In Stockton
STOCKTON (CBS13) — The search is on for two suspects accused of brutally attacking an elderly man and then robbing him while he was selling ice cream in a Stockton neighborhood.
The incident happened just as the 69-year-old street vendor was starting his shift.
Stanislaus Street in Stockton is a familiar road for Margarito Zuniga. He's done plenty of business here and has never feared for his life, until recently.
"They made me bleed everywhere. I remember being on the ground and people were trying to help me," he said.
Zuniga is a proud grandfather who makes a living selling ice cream, mangos and candy out of his cart. On Tuesday evening, while he was out working, he encountered two men.
"They approached me and when I turned my head, one of the men pistol-whipped me. They ended up taking my hard-earned money," he said.
Zuniga is just one of a half-dozen street vendors that have been attacked since January. Police say suspects target them because mostly just carry cash.
"Our neighborhood impact team has been out in certain areas where we've seen an increase in these types of robberies, and that is going to be an ongoing effort to go out and re-educate the vendors of the dangers," said Joe Silva, Stockton Police Department.
Police are looking for two Hispanic men in their 20s believed to have attacked Zuniga. Investigators say they managed to get away with more than $100.
"We do know that there's a lot of people out in that neighborhood, during that time so hopefully somebody saw something and they will do the right thing and get us a better description of the suspects and tell us exactly who these people are because they need to be held accountable," said Silva.
Officers do not believe any of these attacks are connected. They are encouraging street vendors to work in groups and say if they have a large amount of cash to take it home or deposit into the bank right away.
