23-year-old Benjamin John Francis Fodor also known as self-proclaimed superhero Phoenix Jones, Â entered court yesterday with his superhero mask and costume in place. The nocturnal crime fighter was arrested for four counts of assault after spraying a group of late night club-goers with pepper spray. Jones claimed that he wasn’t causing trouble, but intervening in a fight that had broken out.
He also claims that he did not bring out the pepper spray until he was attacked. Jones spent seven hours in jail and was released on $3,800 bail. MSNBC reported that Jones had this to say on his Facebook page after his release: “I would never assault or hurt another person if they were not causing harm to another human being.”Â
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Although Jones appeared in court he is not facing any charges at this time. The Seattle City Attorney Pete Holmes’ staff has reportedly states that they were still interviewing witnesses and video evidence of the incident before deciding whether or not to file charges.Â
Upon leaving the courthouse, The Seattle Times reports that Jones removed his mask and gave a brief impassioned speech, saying that ” I am Ben Foder. I also am a father. I also am a brother. I’m just like everyone else. The only difference is that I decided to make a difference and stop crime in my neighborhood and my area.”
While many applaud the “movement” of civilians taking crime-fighting into their own hands to protect their neighborhoods and communities, actual crime-fighters, including Seattle police spokesperson Mark Jamieson aren’t amused. In a recently released statement Jamieson shared his thoughts on the validity of Jones’ superpowers, “Just because he’s dressed up in costume, doesn’t mean he’s in special consideration or above the law.”
What do you think collegiettes™? Should real life super heroes be stopped?Â