'Joker' Says He Was Treated 'Like A Celebrity' After His Arrest
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FT LAUDERDALE (CBSMiami) – No need for The Batman, we've got the Joker in custody.
A man who must have a real thing for the Dark Knight's nemesis was picked up by the cops Tuesday in southwest Miami-Dade.
After bonding out, 29-year-old Lawrence Sullivan said he just wanted to go home and relax before his next court date. But at least his time inside the slammer will be memorable.
"I was treated like a celebrity inside," Sullivan said after bonding out. "I was on the psych floor cause I take medications."
With a face full of tattoos and green hair, Sullivan touted his good side.
"Ask the police officers that arrested me how polite I was, did not curse them. They treated me real respectful. They are really good cops," said Sullivan.
Just after 6:30 p.m. on Tuesday, police received reports of a man with facial tattoos and green hair pointing a gun at passing cars in the area of SW 104th Street and Hammocks Boulevard.
When an officer arrived he spotted Sullivan who fit the description, walking out of the front gates of a nearby apartment complex.
The officer questioned Sullivan while conducting a pat-down. He reportedly found a Smith & Wesson .380 in one of Sullivan's pockets and placed him under arrest.
"If I was waving a gun, yeah, I will admit it. I was not waving a gun. Did I have a gun in my pocket? Yes and I want to be safe," said Sullivan.
Sullivan was charged with carrying a concealed weapon.
In court earlier on Wednesday, Sullivan was given an assistant public defender, but he declined the state's services.
"I don't even feel like signing the paperwork right now. I am not in the mood for that," he said.
The judge found probable cause for the charges, disappointing his sister.
Sullivan's mother and two sisters spoke out because they want to defend him.
They said he's never done something like this before and his mother does not believe he would have threatened anyone with a gun.
"I feel terrible and this is something where he should have known better," Monica Sullivan said.
Sullivan's mother disputes the charges.
"I'm his mother, and I don't believe he would have done something like that," Roxanna Sullivan said.
Sullivan, whose distinctive look is reminiscent of Jared Leto's Joker in "Suicide Squad," mixes and matches his representations of various Jokers on his face.
On each of his cheeks, he has a tattoo that looks as if his mouth has been split ear to ear and then stitched back together. The tattoo is similar to the imagery in the "The Dark Knight," where the late Heath Ledger portrayed the Joker.
The word "Joker" is scrawled on the right side of Sullivan's forehead while the left side has a tattoo of The Batman logo with the words "F**K Batman" on the wings and dagger piercing the bat's heart.
The comic book Joker's signature "Ha, Ha, Ha" is tattooed below his right eye.
And if that was not enough, there's a "666" and an upside down cross tattooed just in front of his right ear.
His family said he recently put tattoos on his face as an expression of his artistic side.
"He's a good kid. You know. He has a lot of tattoos. But he's a nice kid with some problems. He is mentally disabled and is handicapped," his mother said.
Records show he was arrested four years ago for a marijuana charge.
He is known for profanity-laced posts on YouTube labeled King Joker, The Joker Smile and Machine Gun Kelly where you see a weapon. He talks violently.
Sullivan's two sisters and mother said he's an entertainer, who created the posts to have fun and would not harm anyone.
"He's a very good-hearted person. He doesn't look for any problems," Monica Sullivan said. "They misjudged him by the way he looks. It's not right."
They said he actually has a passion for helping homeless people and helping his mother, who has multiple sclerosis.
Sullivan's mother and sisters say they are going to help him fight the charges. His bond was set at $5,000 – which his family posted early Wednesday evening.