A police source said that a Superman performer witnessed the altercation and was interviewed by police. Other street performers said that before police arrived Superman called producers from ABC's "Jimmy Kimmel Show," which is taped across the boulevard from the theater, and a cameraman videotaped Young being led off by officers.
Neither Young nor his attorney could be reached for comment Friday.
Under city rules, street performers can't state a price or demand money to take a photo with them, Vernon said. "They only can ask for a donation. They also cannot touch or follow the tourists if they walk away."
Continuing disputes led to a "superhero summit" last year between authorities and about a dozen performers, which police said significantly reduced conflict on the boulevard. Street actors predicted Thursday's incident could lead to a formal city crackdown.
"People all over the world come to Hollywood looking for movie stars and film characters," said Councilman Eric Garcetti, who represents Hollywood. "These folks are our ambassadors. We expect the highest standards from them, which they generally uphold. I don't feel that individual incidents require new legislation but we do need to keep a watchful eye on the crown jewels of the city."
Garcetti said there are two kinds of street performers.
"There were the characters that wanted to have a code of conduct and ethics about interacting with tourists, which comprised the majority," the councilman said. "The second group of performers were renegades, who didn't want to abide by any rules and were the troublemakers."
Friday on the Walk of Fame, some street performers worried about the future.
"The city will do something eventually. Yesterday's incident probably shortened that time span," said Thomas Fox, wearing a pirate's suit reminiscent of Capt. Jack Sparrow in "Pirates of the Caribbean."
"Things like this happen around Chewbacca all the time. I saw him in a fight with a music vendor. They knocked over a baby stroller," Fox said.
Nearby, Chris Mitchell posed for tourists snapshots in a Darth Vader costume. Lifting his mask, he switched off the microphone device that gives his voice a deep, gravelly Darth Vader sound and said Chewbacca often had run-ins with other performers.
The whole thing has the creators of the "Star Wars" character shaking their heads.
"The street performer doesn't have any affiliation with Lucasfilm," said company spokeswoman Lynne Hale. "Nevertheless, we are disappointed that someone dressed as Chewbacca would behave in this way."
andrew.blankstein
@latimes.com
bob.pool@latimes.com
