Not a still from the next Batman movie, via NBC LA
Who watches the Watchmen impersonators? The LAPD. They've just started cracking down on the Grauman's Chinese Theater-area characters, who have long been accused of "aggressive begging," among other crimes. And the LAPD sting isn't just limited to a single rogue Chewbacca or Spiderman. According to CNN, the following superheroes have all been handcuffed and/or taken into custody since last Friday:
- A Batman
A Spiderman
2 Cat Women
A Donald Duck
An Edward Scissorhands
A Freddy Krueger
A Mr. Incredible
An Autobot (Bumblebee)
A Michael Jackson
A Scooby-Doo
A Johnny Depp (not clear if this is actually a Captain Jack Sparrow)
An Elvis
Superman Christopher Dennis told CNN he's staying away for now, and there were few characters on Hollywood Boulevard yesterday afternoon. A spokesperson for the LAPD's Hollywood Division tells Curbed that complaints about the characters have increased lately, and that with summer here and more tourists around, residents and businesses have asked the LAPD for help. She says there's been an increase in aggressive behavior, both toward tourists and businesses and among the characters, who she said can become territorial of their spots on the Boulevard. There was recently an aggravated assault in the area.
CNN reports that some characters "are talking about organizing a protest," but it doesn't sound like there's an actual ban in place. The LAPD rep says the police are keeping an eye out for characters behaving badly and that they just want the area to be "tourist friendly."
· Hollywood crackdown nabs faux superheroes [CNN]
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