Submitted by Michael Allen on Oct 11, 2011
Police officers in Seattle, Washington, arrested a 23-year-old man who calls himself 'Phoenix Jones' early on Sunday after he was accused of assaulting several people with pepper spray.
Seattle police spokesman Detective Mark Jamieson said: "Just because he's dressed up in costume, it doesn't mean he's in special consideration or above the law. You can't go around pepper spraying people because you think they are fighting."
'Phoenix Jones,' who wears a black mask with yellow stripes, a bodysuit and sports shoes with no socks, claims that he was only trying to stop a street fight. A video (below) shows Jones and his sidekick 'Ghost,' running toward a group of people and then breaking up the gathering.
A BMW car appears and speeds away on the street, almost hitting an unidentified man. Jones chases after the car to get the license number. A person with Jones is heard calling 911 to report a hit-and-run.
Jones and his followers then approach the rest of the group down the block. A woman screams at them to "stay away." Another woman runs up to Jones and hits him, screaming, "You sprayed (expletive) pepper spray in my eye!"
Two men then approach Jones, who then appears to pepper spray them.
In capital letters, Jones wrote on his Facebook page that he wouldn't "ever assault or hurt another person if they were not causing harm to another human being."
The superhero's alter ego is Benjamin John Francis Fodor; he was booked in a county jail on four counts of assault, with arraignment set for Thursday.
Jones is one of many vigilante crime fighters to show up in Seattle in the last couple of years. His exploits have garnered media attention and he's had a camera crew following him in recent months.
Peter Tangen, a volunteer spokesman for Jones, said that police have an agenda against the masked crime fighter.
video here http://www.opposingviews.com/i/society/crime/video-police-arrest-seattle-superhero-phoenix-jones
