Matthew Argintar admits to poor timing for his daylight debut as Beast, his alter ego in the real-life superhero movement.

The

, complete with mask, cape and body armor.

Argintar was carrying handcuffs but was unarmed, and his presence led to several 911 calls, police said. The incident came less than two weeks after a

.

"... What I was doing was not seen the way I wanted it to be seen," Argintar told

this afternoon. "I understand it was (expletive) timing and everything. I get that."

Argintar said he was recently honorably discharged from the U.S. Army, where he served as a military policeman. He declined to discuss his service further.

He said he is among an estimated 100 people who dress as what they call real-life superheroes. There is a website,

, with member-restricted content and public links to crime fighting, equipment, police scanner feeds, U.S. law sites and "take action." Argintar cited as a fellow movement participant Phoenix Jones, who was arrested and charged in connection with trying to break up a fight last October in his hometown of Seattle by pepper-spraying the participants.

Suspect disputes account

Mansfield Township police say Argintar aroused suspicion by approaching Home Depot customers and asking if they needed help. Argintar said he was merely trying to inspire hope and was generally well-received, with some customers asking him to pose for photos with their children.

"I've been doing this for months. I've been going out at night and doing this, and meanwhile the one time I decide to go out in the day ...," Argintar said. "We are out there to try and inspire hope because that's what the people need right now: hope. ... I'm not going out there looking for a fight."

He said he didn't resist arrest "because we're on the same side."

Matty Auer, of Mansfield Township, spotted Argintar in the home-improvement store parking lot after pulling in just after 3 p.m. with her 8-year-old son, his friend and her friend's daughter. Many customers retreated to their cars after seeing him, she said.

At first she thought Argintar was walking to or from a

and didn't think there was anything particularly odd about him. When she parked her car next to him, he began waving at the children, she said. He smiled "creepily" and spoke, though she couldn't hear him, she said.

She then realized he was wearing what she described as a Batman mask.

"The only thing I could think of was what happened in the movie theater," said Auer, who recalled thinking, "What the hell would possess someone to do this, even as a joke?"

The man walked past the store's entrance and could be heard asking people, "Anyone need some help? I'm here to save the day," she said.

Argintar disputed Auer's account.

"Anybody that knows me knows that I would never say anything like that," he said. "... That is some comic-book" drivel, using an expletive.

Court date scheduled

Police charged him with being disorderly and unlawful possession of handcuffs. He was taken to Hackettstown Regional Medical Center for a psychiatric evaluation.

Argintar said he was released from the hospital, pending an appearance Aug. 21 in Mansfield Township Municipal Court.

He claimed police emotionally abused him, using expletives in challenging him to break the handcuffs they had placed on him.

Mansfield Township police Lt. Michael Reilly, the officer in charge, said he was unaware of this.

"In fact, when they took him over to the hospital, he thanked everybody and said how professional we handled it," Reilly said. "I'm not sure where that came from."

Reilly said the charges were justified.

"The officers on scene determined why there were charges based on his behavior," Reilly said. "He scared the heck out of the citizens."

Reilly said as police were coming up on the scene, people were flagging the officers down.

"I'm sure the Denver shooting has a lot to do with the fears of the public right now, obviously with the way he was dressed," Reilly said.

Police said his outfit included tactical pants, elbow and arm pads and a bulletproof vest. Argintar said the mask was not modeled after Batman; he ordered it and customized it to include prescription lenses for his near-sightedness.

He said he does not carry weapons when he is out patrolling and "abhors violence."

"I do not like hurting people, but that doesn't mean that I'm not trained to, you know what I'm saying?" Argintar said. "The whole point of the movement is I don't care if I look crazy, I just want to inspire hope."

Staff members Kathryn Brenzel, Kurt Bresswein and David Foster contributed to this report.