December 19, 2005 | Funny Bits

When bananas go bad

It's a bird. It's a plane. It's a ... banana? Onlookers in Hudson Falls, N.Y., weren't mistaken when they witnessed Banana Boy confronting an evil-doer in a local parking lot early this month. Police, however, mistook the staged scene for an actual knife fight and ended up making arrests.

Beneath the faux yellow peel was 20-year-old Chris Phelps, who, along with his brother Jonathan Phelps and friend Luke Van Scoy, was filming a bit for his local sketch comedy show, "The Ravacon," which chronicles Banana Boy's adventures.

Van Scoy was posing as a make-believe mugger who attacked Banana Boy with a prop knife. Bystanders shouted, "He's stabbing him," just as Van Scoy was pulling his weapon and, unfortunately, just as Washington County Sheriff's Deputy Shawn Lovelace was driving past the scene. Believing the confrontation was real, he took action immediately.

"All the sudden we just heard screaming and I looked over and there was the gun pointed at me. It was such a serious moment for me," Van Scoy told local TV news affiliate Capital News 9. "So I immediately dropped the knife and kind of put my hands up and took off my wig and mask."

While the crime wasn't real, the arrest that followed was. Banana Boy and his crew were charged with disorderly conduct for interrupting traffic and failing to tell police that they would be filming. They had a date with Hudson Falls Village Court last Thursday where BananaGuide mascot Billy was scheduled to appear as a character witness.

• Banana Boy charged with disorderly conduct [Capital News 9]
• Banana boy arrested after faux fight [Yahoo! News - AP]