Melissa Bailey Photo
Carlos Espada-Maldonado.
Capt. Leo Bombalicki (at right) and Building Official Andy Rizzo.
After he lost a final fight for the right to serve shish kebabs on Long Wharf, an embattled food truck operator who threatened to dump a city official in the harbor announced he is moving his family and food truck back to Puerto Rico.
Carlos Espada-Maldonado (at left in top photo), owner of the La Pinchera food truck, made that announcement Friday at the end of an appeals hearing at 200 Orange St. before police Capt. Leo Bombalicki.
Espada-Maldonado asked the city to reinstate his license, which was revoked on June 7 following a heated confrontation with an alderman and the alderman’s wife on Long Wharf.
Espada-Maldonado showed up to the hearing in a short-sleeved, button-down shirt, accompanied by his girlfriend and their 3‑year-old son, Luciano.
“Why are the cops here?” asked Luciano, as two policemen sat down across the table.
Capt. Bombalicki, who was serving as acting assistant chief while Assistant Chief Ariel Melendez was on vacation, presided over the hearing. He rattled off five incidents where the police responded to Long Wharf for disputes involving Espada-Maldonado.
Bombalicki listened to the vendor for 45 minutes before announcing his decision.
“Based on your violent, tumultuous behavior,” your appeal is denied, Bombalicki said.
Bombalicki said his decision was based on the five disputes — and on the vendor’s admission that he threatened to dump City Building Official Andy Rizzo in New Haven Harbor.
Espada-Maldonado made that admission in this Independent story on June 7.
He was describing the verbal confrontation on Long Wharf on June 5 that cost him his license. On that day, Shanah Morehead, the wife of Alderman Greg Morehead, beeped her horn as she tried to make her way past La Pinchera in the parking lot on Long Wharf Drive where food carts are now corralled together because of highway construction. When Espada-Maldonado started yelling at Ms. Morehead, she told him she would call Rizzo to sort things out.
“Go bring Rizzo here and I’ll throw him in the water,” Espada-Maldonado told her, according to his own account.
Alderman Morehead, who runs a soul food truck in the lot, called the cops on Espada-Maldonado and informed Rizzo of the threat. Espada-Maldonado wasn’t arrested that day, but he did have his license revoked.
Bombalicki brought a print-out of that Independent story to the hearing Friday morning.
“Did you say you would throw Mr. Rizzo in the water?” Bombalicki asked.
Espada-Maldonado said yes.
“I wasn’t going to do it,” he later explained. He said he was just throwing around angry words. For instance: If someone threatened to bring a father to resolve a fight, he might say, “So bring your father!”
In fact, “Mr. Rizzo reminds me of my father,” Espada-Maldonado said. “I’ve got a father as old as him.”
Rizzo (pictured) shook his head at the dig about his age.
“I knew that was coming,” he said.
Rizzo said he has stayed out of the license battle since he had a personal confrontation with Espada-Maldonado on March 11. The two got into a verbal fight over the placement of the trucks.
“We both got a little out of hand, as they say,” Espada-Maldonado said.
“We both used some language that we shouldn’t have,” Rizzo agreed. He said Espada-Maldonado got “within two inches of my face” and “called me numerous names that I would rather not mention.”
“I felt concerned for my safety,” Rizzo said. He called the police.
Espada-Maldonado did apologize later, Rizzo said. But the incident left its mark: It became the first in a series that would leave him barred from selling his food.
The most serious incident happened on April 18, when Espada-Maldonado got into a fight with a fellow Puerto Rican vendor. A knife and gun were pulled, and three men were arrested, but no one was injured. Espada-Maldonado got a year’s probation for his two charges, breach of peace and threatening in the second degree.
Espada-Maldonado and his fellow businessman lost their licenses after that incident, but were then given one more chance.
The vendor insisted Friday that he had not blown that chance — he said he was the victim of “nitpicking” and bullying on Long Wharf, and did not deserve to lose his license.
Sgt. Richard Miller (pictured), the Hill area district manager, said Espada-Maldonado blew his chance. Miller said cops have been called to Long Wharf to settle disputes five times, and all five had a common denominator: Espada-Maldonado .
For that reason alone, Miller said Friday, he recommended not renewing Espada-Maldonado’s license.
“Since we removed him from Long Wharf, we’ve had absolutely no complaints down there,” he added. The remaining 11 vendors get along just fine, he said.
Espada-Maldonado is one of the longest-running food vendors on Long Wharf. He started in 2001, when there were only four trucks there. He said he didn’t get into any trouble before this year. Rizzo was called in last fall to implement new rules after the 12 carts became “chaotic.” He said the new regulations may explain why vendors are having more disagreements now.
Rizzo said he’s given Espada-Maldonado plenty of chances: He even let him keep working after May 1, when his last license was expired, while he was going through the renewal process.
In his parting remarks, Espada-Maldonado told Rizzo he and the police should “forget about the vending stuff” and tend to more important matters, such as people getting shot.
After his license renewal was denied, Espada-Maldonado threw up his hands.
“I don’t care — I’m moving,” he said.
He said he and his family are heading to Puerto Rico on July 21 and are not coming back. He plans to ship the food truck, so that he can set up shop again in his homeland.
“It’s a good business,” he said.
Capt. Bombalickis barber needs to have his license revoked as well.