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Tourist Bus Ticket Seller Sues Rival Company After Violent Midtown Attack

By Gwynne Hogan | July 17, 2015 7:34am
 A ticket seller is suing a rival company after an employee assaulted him, a lawsuit says.
A ticket seller is suing a rival company after an employee assaulted him, a lawsuit says.
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DNAinfo/Gwynne Hogan

MIDTOWN — A bus tour ticket seller is suing a rival sightseeing company, claiming an employee assaulted him and threatened to cut his throat and kill him, according to a lawsuit filed Tuesday.

Elder Antoine, 49, who worked for an affiliate of City Sightseeing, according to his lawyer, was threatened by an employee of Big Bus Company on multiple occasions, starting in December 2014, according to papers filed in New York Supreme Court. 

“I am going to kill you,” “get you” and “cut your throat,” Antoine claims the man threatened him.

The adversary also intercepted potential customers, according to the complaint.

On March 28, in front of 1605 Broadway, his threats turned physical. The man punched Antoine in the face, breaking his nose, according to police and the lawsuit.

Antoine was taken to Roosevelt Hospital for treatment. No arrests were made, police said.

This isn’t the first time rival ticket sellers have resorted to violence.

On July 1 in Battery Park, a group of ticket sellers slashed a man from a rival company, police said, though they would not provide information about which companies were involved in that incident.

"This is a challenging job," said Abozou Simkpa, 32, a ticket seller at City Sightseeing who worked with Antoine.

"The other person tries to spoil your tickets," Simkpa said, explaining that there is fierce competition between companies. 

"We fight for customers. Sometimes it gets physical," said a Big Bus employee who refused to give his name because he said he could lose his job. He said physical altercations were rare.

Ticket sellers work for commission and occasionally get into verbal disputes with other sellers, according to several other ticket sellers who would not give their names.

Big Bus declined to comment on the lawsuit. City Sightseeing did not respond to requests for comment.