That's essentially what West Hartford, Conn., police say a suburban homeowner told an ice-cream truck driver Sunday evening. To be more specific, the angry resident waved a pair of hedge clippers and threatened to quickly make the driver less of a man if he didn't turn down the truck's speakers, cops told the Hartford Courant.
Police said Matthew Flynn, 46, was trimming his hedges at about 6:30 p.m. when a Melly's Ice Cream truck ambled by, speakers blaring in order to lure calorie-craving children. Flynn allegedly blew his top and charged out into the street, running out in front of the truck and making it stop. He then yelled at the teenaged driver, according to police, asking him to turn down the tunes and not drive down his street again, since no children lived on the block.
To make his point clear, he allegedly held up the clippers and threatened to trim two very dear and personal items from the ice-cream vendor's nether regions.
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| Is this all it takes to drive off those annoying ice cream trucks? Thanks for the, um, tip, Matthew. |
"He's making the chopping motion with the hedge trimmer," said the arresting officer. "He may have taken it a little farther than necessary."
In neighboring Hartford, a neighborhood movement was launched against Mr. Softee trucks in 2002, going all the way to court. The residents lost, which may or may not have been a factor in Flynn's behavior. Flynn was charged with threatening and breach of the peace and given a Tuesday court date.
There was no word on whether a specific ice-cream jingle — "Pop Goes the Weasel," "London Bridge" or maybe "The Entertainer" — set him off.
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