Panhandler Gets Probation After Brawl : Studio City: The transient fought three men after they refused his plea for money. Last year, he was threatened with a gun by rap star Vanilla Ice.

A transient who found himself unexpectedly in the spotlight last year when he was threatened with a gun by rap star Vanilla Ice has pleaded no contest to a battery charge for hitting a man who refused to give him money.

Los Angeles city attorney’s office spokesman Ted Goldstein said the transient, James N. Gregory, 35, accosted Mel Rubin of Studio City near the same spot where he had his June 3 run-in with Vanilla Ice, whose real name is Robert Van Winkle.

“This seems to be a case of what goes around comes around,” Goldstein said.

Gregory was “aggressively panhandling” outside the Sav-On Drugs store near the corner of Laurel Canyon and Ventura boulevards on Feb. 11 when he approached Rubin and two companions coming out of the store, Goldstein said. They refused to give him money, and one of the three made a hand gesture to Gregory, he said.

Gregory followed the three into a nearby record store and began arguing with them, Goldstein said. “Some pushing and shoving started going on,” followed by Gregory slugging Rubin, he said.

Gregory then left the store and went into a nearby Ralphs supermarket, where he was posing as a customer when police arrived and arrested him, Goldstein said.

After spending two days in jail, Gregory pleaded no contest to one count of battery in Van Nuys Municipal Court. He was given credit for two days in custody and was sentenced to two years probation by Commissioner John Ladner, Goldstein said.

Gregory was also ordered to stay 100 feet away from the shopping center lot, Goldstein said. “This should put a major crimp in his lifestyle, because this had apparently been his long-term hangout,” he said.

Gregory had tried to sell Van Winkle a necklace in the Ralphs parking lot around 2 a.m. as the rapper and three friends sat in his Jeep, police said. Gregory told police that Van Winkle and a bodyguard brandished guns and chased him away.

Van Winkle pleaded no contest in Van Nuys Municipal Court on Sept. 27 to a weapons violation charge and was ordered to make a public service video and pay a $1,782 fine.

Van Winkle voluntarily made contributions to two nonprofit agencies serving the homeless and runaway children, Goldstein said.