Seattle "Superhero" Arrested For Pepper Spray Assault

[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? :/

 

[synobal]

Citizens arrest is actually a myth and is actually 100% illegal.

You are terribly misinformed even a 2 second google search would of made you better informed. Here you go Citizen's Arrest in the USA [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Citizen's_arrest#United_States].

 

[chronobreak]

snip

Why couldn't he have just called the police and end it there? What good did he do by injecting himself in a volatile situation with a weapon? It's not like he has the power to arrest them. If he had just called the police, he would not have assault charges. Would any normal person even think to do something so ridiculous?

At least put yourself in the position of the people fighting- if you saw a costumed guy running towards you yelling with a weapon, what would you do? Would you assume the guy is there to help, or a crazy person who may have intent to harm you? If you've spent any time on the streets, you would know better than to just randomly trust some guy like that.

 

[AzrealMaximillion]

snip

Why couldn't he have just called the police and end it there? What good did he do by injecting himself in a volatile situation with a weapon? It's not like he has the power to arrest them. If he had just called the police, he would not have assault charges. Would any normal person even think to do something so ridiculous?

At least put yourself in the position of the people fighting- if you saw a costumed guy running towards you yelling with a weapon, what would you do? Would you assume the guy is there to help, or a crazy person who may have intent to harm you? If you've spent any time on the streets, you would know better than to just randomly trust some guy like that.

Well from what I'm gathering from the Escapists commenting on this who are actually from Seattle, their police department seems to be lackluster.

That and he did call the police. In fact he called 911. Multiple times.

I think you and a lot of people demonizing Jones here haven't actually seen the video. The people he went up against were all drunk. None of them were in a normal state of mind. They were fighting in the middle of the streets like barbaric people.

And trust me, I've spent plenty of time on the streets. I may be from Canada but there are some reeaally sketchy places up here. But if I see a guy in what seems to be a well made lightly armoured costume running up on a group of drunk people fighting with pepper spray as his defense, I would cheer him on. Crazy people don't spend their time learning martial arts and making homemade armour. Crazy people don't walk into a situation that's more dangerous for them and try to dissolve the problem. Just because he's in an outfit doesn't mean he's crazy.

If this was a police officer in the exact same situation people would be calling him epic, or badass.



It's funny that every time someone actually does something in the world people on forums find some reasons to crap all over what they did, sadly these same people complain that no one does any good in the world.

 

[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!

Well actually that is illegal, tackling the mugger is considered battery and if you hold him there while waiting for the police to arrive it is considered kidnapping. Citizens arrest is actually a myth and is actually 100% illegal.

Regardless of whatever the law may be wherever you live (Citizens arrest is real in most jurisdictions), do you think that it is RIGHT for it to be illegal for non-police to use even minimal force to apprehend criminals?!

I'm not talking about shooting robbers or holding them down and beating them. Just grabbing them and holding them in the area till the police arrive.