Crime & Safety

Update: Lucali Owner to Be Charged with Attempted Murder in Stabbing Attack

Injured celebrity pizza shop owner will also wind up in handcuffs for his role in bloody street battle.

Update, 12:44 p.m, April 17th:

Both Benny Geritano and pizza shop owner Mark Iacono will be charged with attempted murder, two counts of assault and criminal possession of a weapon after , according to a spokesman for the Brooklyn District Attorney's Office. 

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owner Mark Iacono, 43, might face assault charges after on Smith Street, police said.

"It's possible he'll be arrested," an NYPD spokesman said.

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Benny Geritano, 38, had at least one stab wound in his back, as well as cuts on his hands, according to law enforcement sources. Iacono allegedly also had a knife, which has not yet been recovered.

An argument between Iacono and Geritano, a longtime friend and fellow neighborhood resident, turned bloody Friday after a heated argument at , a neighborhood grocery famous for its Italian rice balls.

Geritano pulled out a knife and began slashing Iacono. Cops said he was cut in the neck and chest.

Bright red blood splashed across the sidewalk -- with the accident happening only minutes before let out across the street.

Despite the fight that landed him in the hospital with multiple stab wounds, Mark Iacono, 43, is known as a "peacekeeper."

When his family gets together and tempers start to rise, Iacono, who owns and is a lifelong Carroll Gardens resident, is the one who jumps in and tells everyone to relax, said one family member.

But on Friday afternoon, those skills apparently weren't much help. 

Iacono was rushed to Lutheran Hospital. The family member said he is going to be "fine."

One shop owner who owns a business just up Henry Street from Lucali, said he knew both men from around the neighborhood, adding that Geritano had stopped in many times.

"It's crazy how this stuff happens, how people can be so brutal," the shop owner said. "[Geritano] was always very nice."

But Geritano was described in the Daily News as a "mad dog," and is said to have ties to the Mafia. His prior arrests include weapons possession and harassment, according to the News.

Geritano's stepfather, Anthony "Shorty" Mascuzzio, was a member of John Gotti's inner circle and was "shot dead while shaking down a Manhattan disco in 1987," according to the News.

Sources also told the News that Geritano's uncle, Preston Geritano, was stabbed to death in April 2004 in front of the Bay Ridge restaurant Amici. The 57-year-old was killed by his brother-in-law, Andrew Gargiulo, sources told the News.

According to the New York Post, Benny Geritano worked at on Smith Street, a popular spot owned by his uncle. James Geritano, who also owns the Gowanus Yacht Club and the newly opened Mexican restaurant , is the owner. 

Geritano fled the scene and was treated at for his stab wounds, according to sources. He was arrested and is in custody, the source said. Charges are pending.

Lucali did not open for business Friday night. Even before 6 p.m. when the restaurant normally opens, hungry fans of the thin crust pies were lining up.

Brooks of Sheffield, the pseudonym of the author of the local historical blog Lost City, also stopped by to express his condolences.

"It's sad," he said.

One hopeful diner, Daniella LaRocco, was shocked by the news.

"That's awful," she said to reporters. "This is a great local restaurant."

 

Zach Haberman contributed reporting


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