Friday, Mar 25, 2005
Easter Bunny claims he was assaulted by 12-year-old boy at Michigan mall
BAY CITY, Mich. (AP) - The Easter Bunny is hopping mad.
Bryan Johnson, who portrays the furry character at the Bay City Mall, says he was pummelled in an unprovoked attack while on the job. Police say the attacker was a 12-year-old boy who sat on Johnson's lap the day before the March 18 incident.
Johnson, 18, suffered a bloody nose. He kept his cool during the attack, deeming it inappropriate for the Easter Bunny to fight back. But he's not willing to forgive and forget.
"They (the sheriff's deputies) told me it was up to me, and I feel that the boy should be prosecuted," Johnson told the Bay City Times.
Johnson told Bay County Sheriff's deputies that the boy hit him in the face at least six times before running away.
Bay County Sheriff John Miller said the youth has been in trouble in the past. The case will be forwarded to the Bay County prosecutor's office next week for action, he said.
Johnson, meanwhile, is back on the job at the mall, where he had been working as the Easter Bunny for about a week before the attack. He says he took the job to help support his girlfriend and three-month-old daughter.
"I just like getting the kids to laugh and have fun," he said.
