Clarification at the bottom.

There's no stopping the costumed characters of Hollywood Boulevard. After the LAPD tried to ban them from the area near Highland Avenue, they sued and won: Freedom of speech.

And now they're free to kick the shit out of each other once more.

The surly, salty folks who hustle for a buck posing for pictures with tourists got into a brawl this week, police said:

Captain Jack Sparrow took on Catwoman, another pirate and a space alien, according to the Los Angeles Times.

Seems like he lost this time: The fracas ended with the pepper spraying of Sparrow, UC Davis-style.

It happened outside the Kodak Theater yesterday.

Officer Rosario Herrera told Associated Press that no arrests had been made.

Sparrow had to be treated for minor injuries.

The characters have had a history of duking it out over turf along the street, and there have even been instances of beefs with tourists who refuse to “tip” for the photos.

The LAPD should relax, though: The characters are policing themselves, one canister of pepper spray at a time.

[Clarification at 11:53 a.m.]: Fishbowl LA and other outlets are now saying that it wasn't Catwoman who got into it with Sparrow. Rather it was an Ozzy Osbourne impersonator. (Meh — slightly more feminine; so what?).

The Times seems to be sticking with the Catwoman angle. She apparently told NBC Los Angeles that Sparrow and another character were antagonizing her:

He was antagonizing me to do so, so I did. I said, 'I'm giving you fair warning. If you do not get away from me I will spray you in the face.

[@dennisjromero / djromero@laweekly.com / @LAWeeklyNews]

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