Cop craving a cone busts an ex-con who drops a gun from his waistband at ice cream shop

NEW YORK (AP) - A police officer's craving for cake batter ice cream put him and his colleagues in the right place to take action when a loaded gun fell out of a man's shorts at a Baskin-Robbins shop in New York City.

Police said three officers were at the shop in Coney Island, Brooklyn while on-duty Saturday when Emmanuel Lovett walked in, tugged his denim shorts and dropped a pistol to the floor.

The officers swarmed and arrested the 33-year-old man. Police said his robbery record prohibited him from having a gun.

Lovett is charged with criminal possession of a firearm and was jailed on $7,500 bail. He is due in court Friday. A message seeking comment was left with his lawyer.

The NYPD acknowledged the oddity of the ice cream-induced arrest, tweeting: "Seriously, this actually happened."