Spider-Man Who Repeatedly Punched Cop in Times Square Can't Afford $3,500 Bail

Junior Bishop was charged with assault, criminal mischief, resisting arrest and disorderly conduct

By Zach Johnson Jul 28, 2014 2:14 PMTags
Aggressive Spiderman, Times SquareThe New York Post

The Daily Bugle would be all over this story!

A panhandler dressed as Spider-Man repeatedly punched a cop in the face in New York City's Times Square Saturday, police said. The violent outburst was caught on camera and uploaded to YouTube.

According to The New York Post, Junior Bishop was demanding between $5 and $20 from tourists who wanted to pose for pictures. Around 2 p.m., a cop overheard the outrageous prices and confronted him.

How did Bishop respond after the officer asked to see his ID?

"F--k you! This is none of your business," he allegedly shouted, tearing off his Spider-Man mask.

The video footage shows Bishop attacking the officer before a policewoman jumped in to subdue him. "Stop resisting, bitch!" officer Eduardo Molina shouted during the fight. After the altercation, The New York Post claims one office quipped, "The real Spider-Man would have never done something like this."

Molina was taken to NYU's Langone Medical Center. He was treated for pain and swelling to the face.

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Tim Tompkins, president of the Times Square Alliance, argued in favor of a proposed law that would require licensing costumed characters. "This incident is yet another reminder that many—though certainly not all—of these so-called friendly characters are actually violent and aggressive and have troubling criminal records," he told NBC 4 New York. "A rigorous licensing scheme would address this."

Bishop, who has also dressed as Cookie Monster in Times Square, was arraigned in Manhattan Criminal Court Sunday. He was charged with assault, criminal mischief, resisting arrest and disorderly conduct. Judge Ruth Pickholz set his bail at $3,500, which defense attorney Eric Schlosser said Bishop can't afford.

Bishop is the third Spider-Man to get into legal trouble in the past two years, officials told The New Daily News. Moussa Rabaoui of Queens allegedly grabbed a woman's breasts and buttocks as he put his arm around her on Broadway near W. 42nd St. on June 20. Philip Williams, meanwhile, was acquitted of hitting a young mother who stiffed him on a tip back in February 2013. He was convicted of the non-criminal harassment.

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