Spider-Man punched a police officer in the face in Times Square over the weekend, the police said, in the latest episode of children-friendly characters displaying R-rated behavior in front of stunned tourists in the heart of Manhattan.

Mickey and Minnie Mouse stood dumbfounded, smiles plastered on their faces, and Elmo placed a red mitt to his cheek as the officer and Spider-Man grappled on the sidewalk before falling to the ground. The punch broke the officer’s glasses, the police said, and the struggle sent his police hat flying. A second officer assisted in finally getting the ersatz superhero into handcuffs on Saturday.

By Sunday, the Spider-Man had been unmasked as a 25-year-old Brooklyn man, Junior Bishop, and he was arraigned in Manhattan Criminal Court on charges of assaulting a police officer, resisting arrest, criminal mischief and disorderly conduct. He was held on $3,500 bail.

His arrest came at the intersection of two trends in Manhattan street life: the proliferation of television and film characters’ jockeying for attention from tourists in Times Square — along with the tips they pay for photos — and the intensifying focus of the Police Department on quality-of-life offenses.