Gorilla mascot ambushed by guy in banana costume
STRONGSVILLE, Ohio - An Ohio teen who works in a gorilla suit says he was in shock when he recently got attacked by another kid wearing a banana costume.
Sixteen-year-old Brian Genco says it's his summer job putting on the gorilla get-up to advertise for a cell phone store in Strongsville, near Cleveland. He tells WJW-TV the suit has a lot of padding, so getting tackled by the banana guy didn't hurt. But he says he couldn't see anything because his mask got pushed over his eyes.
Store manager Brandon Parham said last week that the attacker took a flying leap, like a Spartan in the movie "300." Parham called 911 as the banana peeled off down the street with other teens.
"Rest assured, unless you are a silverback gorilla, you have nothing to worry about when coming into the store," Parham told the station.Police didn't find anyone. They think it was a prank.
Cell phone video of the attack surfaced recently and was posted on FOX-8's website:
AP-NY-07-13-11 0633EDT