Ice Cream Man Wanted for Selling Ice Cream Too Close to School

INGLEWOOD, CA - Authorities in Inglewood today asked for help in identifying a man in a blue van who sold ice cream to elementary school students in violation of a municipal code requirement that vendors stay 500 feet away from schools.

The ice cream vendor was peddling his goods on Thursday in the 3200 block of West 104th Street, in the vicinity of Woodworth Elementary, said Lillian Grant of the Inglewood Unified School District.

"(He) ... was using his arm to motion the students away from the front of the school, where he is prohibited from selling ice cream, to a nearby area away from the school," Grant said.

The driver stopped his van a short distance away from the campus and sold ice cream to several students before leaving the area, she said

"There was no criminal intent on the part of the vendor, and the students were not in any danger," Grant said. "However, school police (are) continuing to investigate the incident in order to identify the person of interest operating the ice cream van to make sure he is licensed in accordance with Inglewood municipal codes."

She said school police will be vigilant in determining that ice cream truck operators are properly licensed.

"While 'stranger danger' is always a potential threat, this incident was not the case," Grant said.

Anyone with information on the blue van or the ice cream vendor was urged to call school police at (310) 680-5237.

--City News Service, photo via Pixabay