Glass
13th October 2011, 08:25 PM
His name's Ben, but he calls himself Phoenix Jones: Seattle's self-proclaimed superhero has his day in court.
Self-proclaimed Seattle superhero Phoenix Jones, a vigilante crime-fighter accused of assault, made his first court appearance on Thursday, but prosecutors have so far declined to charge him.
The one-time mixed-martial-arts competitor whose real name is Benjamin Fodor was arrested on Sunday after police said he pepper-sprayed a group of innocent nightclub patrons he believed were involved in a street brawl downtown.
He was jailed briefly on suspicion of four misdemeanour counts of assault and released on $US3800 bail.
http://images.theage.com.au/2011/10/14/2690209/art-phoenixjones4-420x0.jpg
He showed up for a brief hearing on Thursday in Seattle Municipal Court wearing a pinstriped shirt and his black-and-yellow mask, which he removed at the request of a court officer. He donned it again as he left the courtroom.
Fodor, with his hooded mask and a black-and-yellow suit of body armour, has become something of a local celebrity since he began patrolling downtown Seattle streets about a year ago to break up fights and alert police to other petty crimes.
In addition to pepper spray, he is known to carry a stun gun and a cell phone on his late-night rounds. He also attends charity events on request.
http://images.theage.com.au/2011/10/14/2690207/art-phoenixjones2-420x0.jpg
Prosecutors said they have not filed charges against Fodor but that he remains under investigation, and a case could be brought against him at a later time.
Fodor said he felt confident that a 13-minute video of Sunday's altercation, taken by a member of his entourage, proved him innocent of wrongdoing.
Police said Fodor assaulted a group of men and women as they were leaving a nightclub early on Sunday morning "dancing and having a good time" in the street.
Much more @ the Age (http://www.theage.com.au/executive-style/his-names-ben-but-he-calls-himself-phoenix-jones-seattles-selfproclaimed-superhero-has-his-day-in-court-20111014-1lnt9.html)
It is interesting that he is on Bail but has not been charged. I'm not sure how that can be.
Self-proclaimed Seattle superhero Phoenix Jones, a vigilante crime-fighter accused of assault, made his first court appearance on Thursday, but prosecutors have so far declined to charge him.
The one-time mixed-martial-arts competitor whose real name is Benjamin Fodor was arrested on Sunday after police said he pepper-sprayed a group of innocent nightclub patrons he believed were involved in a street brawl downtown.
He was jailed briefly on suspicion of four misdemeanour counts of assault and released on $US3800 bail.
http://images.theage.com.au/2011/10/14/2690209/art-phoenixjones4-420x0.jpg
He showed up for a brief hearing on Thursday in Seattle Municipal Court wearing a pinstriped shirt and his black-and-yellow mask, which he removed at the request of a court officer. He donned it again as he left the courtroom.
Fodor, with his hooded mask and a black-and-yellow suit of body armour, has become something of a local celebrity since he began patrolling downtown Seattle streets about a year ago to break up fights and alert police to other petty crimes.
In addition to pepper spray, he is known to carry a stun gun and a cell phone on his late-night rounds. He also attends charity events on request.
http://images.theage.com.au/2011/10/14/2690207/art-phoenixjones2-420x0.jpg
Prosecutors said they have not filed charges against Fodor but that he remains under investigation, and a case could be brought against him at a later time.
Fodor said he felt confident that a 13-minute video of Sunday's altercation, taken by a member of his entourage, proved him innocent of wrongdoing.
Police said Fodor assaulted a group of men and women as they were leaving a nightclub early on Sunday morning "dancing and having a good time" in the street.
Much more @ the Age (http://www.theage.com.au/executive-style/his-names-ben-but-he-calls-himself-phoenix-jones-seattles-selfproclaimed-superhero-has-his-day-in-court-20111014-1lnt9.html)
It is interesting that he is on Bail but has not been charged. I'm not sure how that can be.