Denton police arrested a man Monday afternoon because he was running into traffic and may have been a danger to himself and others, they said.

Joseph Augustini (Denton Police Department)

Officers were called around 1:30 p.m. about a man with black makeup on his face who was "jumping in and out of traffic" near the Denton Square.

They eventually located the man — identified as 25-year-old Joseph Augustini — in the 1000 block of West Hickory Street, near the University of North Texas.

Augustini had black makeup on his face, arms and chest, police said, and was walking into traffic. When officers spoke to him, he replied, "I am the law" and "I am allowed to break the law."

He also told the officers to put down their guns because it wouldn't be a "fair fight," police said.

A glass pipe Augustini was holding later tested positive for amphetamines, police said.

Officers arrested Augustini on charges of public intoxication — non-alcohol and possession of drug paraphernalia. He was booked into the city jail, with bail set at $1,000.

Augustini has been arrested several times previously, including in Denton in 2012 on a criminal-trespassing charge and in Harris County in 2011 on a charge of evading arrest.