Seattle "Superhero" Arrested For Pepper Spray Assault

[Vigilantis]

Seattle cops are a fucking joke around here, and this one just had a vendetta against Jones. There is no excuse for this kind of abuse of legal power. He was the only one arrested in that fray by they way. Just watch 30 seconds of that video and you can see all the women on an assault rampage, yet they don't get any punishment.

Its true the Seattle police are G-A-R-B-A-G-E, I'd trust a costume wearing nutjob with my life over the Seattle cops any day.

As far as I know its not illegal to dress up like a clown and walk the streets at night while putting themselves in danger of getting their ass kicked by passerbys (hell its seattle walking the streets costumed or not you are taking those risks)

This guy seems to have reacted in self defense only, he did not engage beyond attempting to diffuse the situation (something a security officer is paid to do). If he wants to dress up and attempt to be an outstanding citizen then I say more power to em, most people would just walk passed a woman getting mugged or beaten in the streets.

(Everett is not far enough from Seattle)

 

[Signa]

Seattle cops are a fucking joke around here, and this one just had a vendetta against Jones. There is no excuse for this kind of abuse of legal power. He was the only one arrested in that fray by they way. Just watch 30 seconds of that video and you can see all the women on an assault rampage, yet they don't get any punishment.

Its true the Seattle police are G-A-R-B-A-G-E, I'd trust a costume wearing nutjob with my life over the Seattle cops any day.

As far as I know its not illegal to dress up like a clown and walk the streets at night while putting themselves in danger of getting their ass kicked by passerbys (hell its seattle walking the streets costumed or not you are taking those risks)

This guy seems to have reacted in self defense only, he did not engage beyond attempting to diffuse the situation (something a security officer is paid to do). If he wants to dress up and attempt to be an outstanding citizen then I say more power to em, most people would just walk passed a woman getting mugged or beaten in the streets.

(Everett is not far enough from Seattle)

What disturbs me more is I watched the full video after I posted that, and someone hit another person with their car. That's vehicular assault and the 911 caller announced that crime to the dispatcher. Yet as far as I've heard, only Jones got any sort of recourse for the whole affair. This is one of the strongest "I don't want to live on this world anymore" situations I've ever had.

 

[snfonseka]

Quis custodiet ipsos custodes?

 

[Normandyfoxtrot]

There is no place in society for vigilantism.

 

[Atheist.]

Dear Escapist,
I pay money (granted not a lot) to view your website. Would you kindly spend two minutes to proof read your articles for spelling and grammar. It would make me rage less.

Thank you kindly,
-Cody

PS This is not an isolated incident. You need to work on this.

 

[Jaime_Wolf]

I think someone missed the part about being a vigilante where you leave before the cops show up.

Clearly, this guy needs to watch more Batman.

And for all of the problems endemic to police forces, I for one prefer them to the judgment of random masked citizens patrolling with pepper spray and cattle prods. There is a world of difference between seeing a crime and attempting to stop it and actively looking for crime. In the one case, you're not expecting to see crime, so you're only likely to even think to interfere if the situation is pretty clear - you're not very likely going to get involved in borderline cases. In the other, you're looking to get involved and actively searching for cases, so when you see a borderline case you're going to have to decide whether to get involved.

Superheroes work in fiction because we can see their motivations, know that they're trying to do the right thing, and have reasonably sound judgment. The same is not true in real life.

 

[Treblaine]

"civillian pepper spraying bystanders in the face" is OK?

By what definition were they bystanders?

These people never attacked "phoenix" so he can't claim self-defence was a concern. They were jus there. The fact that they were fighting isn't realy relevant in the eyes of the law, they can't allow people to simply wander into fights to pepper spray people in the face, because then that's just one private citizen spraying painful fluid into the eyes of another, regardless of context.

This sounds very much on the same level as your "using UAVs is a war crime" theory. (yes, we still all remember that)

You seem to be muddling up facts a lot and skipping big steps on the chain of causality:

"can't allow people to simply wander into fights to pepper spray people in the face"

You skipped over the part when he tried to non-violently separate them before having wanton aggression directed at himself.

"regardless of context."

You cannot disregard context in the issue of self-defence, regardless of you own personal ideals that people should never get pepper sprayed.

 

[DTWolfwood]

the law protects the wicked and prosecutes the innocent! wait that sounds wrong...no no thats right i live in the United States of Litigation.

 

[Doom972]

I find it amusing that people use the argument that he runs around in an ugly costume as to why he's crazy/stupid. Police uniform don't look that great anyway (depending on country I suppose).
This guy is trying to do what the official authorities fail to do miserably. I don't care if he does it for personal glory, fame, or sex - He does something about a serious problem instead of just complaining.
I hope he won't go to jail.

 

[Susurrus]

Isn't everyone forgetting that he hasn't been convicted yet?

Self-defense is a valid DEFENSE to a charge, but you do have to be charged with it first. They can't just let him off - they have to go through with a trial to decide if he is guilty or not first.

 

[Treblaine]

'Call the cops, stay away from them' is the proper response. When you inject yourself into illegal activities, you are breaking the law also.... duh.

So tackling a mugger who is running away with a woman's handbag (an illegal activity) you are "breaking the law" just by getting involved?

You know it's people like you and your alarmist attitudes for why people stand by as crimes are committed, if they aren't afraid of criminal reprisal (of which the law will have little sympathy) then they are afraid the law will use them as a patsy!

 

[goldendriger]

Batman was arrested? I dont want to live on this planet anymore

 

[AzrealMaximillion]

The truth is I think the cops are getting a little sick of his shit and finally decided to take him down a couple of pegs. He's been running around downtown Seattle since 2010 putting himself in situations where he doesn't belong and potentially putting himself in danger of being seriously injured or killed if things got far enough out of hand. The police department have said many times before they'd prefer that he just call 911 and report what he sees instead if injecting himself into the situation and making it worse.

In the video he did call 911. Multiple times.

The fact of the matter is there was nothing wrong with what he's doing in this video. He didn't attack anyone, and only pepper sprayed in defense. It's perfectly legal for a citizen to stop a crime. I've seen videos of men in their 50s and above tackling bank robbers and placing them under citizen's arrest until the police showed up. They didn't get arrested, why should Phoenix Jones?

 

[Treblaine]

'Call the cops, stay away from them' is the proper response. When you inject yourself into illegal activities, you are breaking the law also.... duh.

So tackling a mugger who is running away with a woman's handbag (an illegal activity) you are "breaking the law" just by getting involved?

I must have missed that part in the video. At what point does that happen?

You can't have it both ways.

You talk generally that interjecting into "illegal activities, you are breaking the law also"

Not "Interject into THIS PARTICULAR illegal activity". You made the assertion without specifying this case but universally it is breaking the law to even try to prevent a crime being committed, that is the only way to interpret what you said.

If you didn't mean that, then please go back and edit your post for clarity.

 

[AzrealMaximillion]

The fact of the matter is there was nothing wrong with what he's doing in this video. He didn't attack anyone, and only pepper sprayed in defense. It's perfectly legal for a citizen to stop a crime

Yeah, going out carrying weapons, looking for trouble, and then using those weapons when you find that trouble is a strictly defensive action? He was literally looking for a fight.

That guy deserves to be in prison. Society can do without crazed vigilantes committing acts of violence, everyone knows there's already plenty of that to go around.

He jumped a bunch of people in a fight and then peppersprays them. How is that not a crime? I don't know how it works for you, but if I'm attacked, and while I'm defending myself some additional nutjob attacks me and pulls out pepperspray, I'm going to hurt him. And hurt him bad, because a weapon means all restrictions are off. If he gets to pepper me, I could die because I can't defend myself, so I can choose between death and rearranging some of his facial features.

Me, I'm going with the latter in such a scenario. Who wouldn't?

Uh Huh. Okay.

Watch the video again, you seem to have missed the part where he gets hit BEFORE he pepper sprays them. WHICH CONSTITUTES SELF DEFENSE.

And you're going to sit there and tell me that if someone breaking up a fight that you're in pepper sprays you, that you would hurt them?
You do realize that you would be assaulting someone right?
You also do realize that YOU would be the one who deserves to be in prison for that right?

Listen, he broke up a fight with an entire group of intoxicated people fighting in the middle of the streets.

I highly doubt that you yourself would be hurting much of anyone if you were drunk and got pepper sprayed.

Did you not see the part of the video where the brunette fell flat on her face going after Phoenix?
If you were that plastered and hit ANYONE that would really not help your case in a court of law.

To be honest all of the people involved in that video could be charged with assault, not only on Phoenix, but on each other. Then there's the case of the hit and run victim.

 

[Fbuh]

Got to 2 minutes. Too embarrassing for all involved.

But hey, if I'm ever in need of a 6'2" human dildo, I know who to call.

Funnily enough, I'm 6'2". I MUST BE THE PHOENIX!!!!!

 

[Prince Regent]

I don't think this "superhero" really helps society, but I do think he makes it more interesting.

And for that I salute him.

 

[Quaxar]

That's why you don't get arrested as a super hero. Now his secret identity is probably ruined.
Thanks, police.

 

[Redratson]

He's the hero Seattle deserves, not the one it needs right now. He's a loud guardian, a watchful moron, a dark idiot.

Good man. This needs carving onto a bronz statue of this asshole.

Lol, I called somebody an asshole! Just like Penn and Teller, derpadoo!
Forgot an E
Why is this guy an Asshole?
Sure he's probably putting his life at great risk by doing this stuff, but his heart is in the right place. As far as I can tell, he isn't going looking for fights, but rather responding to them. If you heard there was a man choking to death, and you ran to him, you wouldn't be accused of ambulance chasing would you?
While I do think he might be a bit misguided, it's not like he's going out and assault people for selling drugs, or over eagerly tasering people. He's just a altruistic dude that doesn't quite know what to do.
Certainly not an asshole.
An asshole is when you kick puppies, spam emails, or ignore people being hurt because you don't want to get involved.
Why do you think you get to be so vindictive in this situation?

^ this, Though I do like the whole vigilante idea (personally sounds appealing in a nerdy courageous way) I agree he is not an asshole by any standards. Just really really misguided. Heart is in the right place though

 

[Redratson]

*double post my bad*

in addition to my statement - Seattle Police take their sweet time to get there? :/