When Rusty the Clown heard about the latest “creepy clown” sighting, this time in Gainesville, he was uncharacteristically unamused.
On Tuesday, a woman reported seeing someone dressed as a clown and scaring her near her Northwest 16th Street apartment, Gainesville Police said. Rusty, whose real name is James Gorgans, said these “creepy clowns” spread a negative perception about his profession.
“It’s a tragedy,” Gorgans said, “because it’s trying to show that clowns are scary and frightening and all the things we aren’t.”
On Tuesday, at Georgetown Apartments, the woman noticed someone dressed as a clown staring at her in silence, said GPD spokesman Officer Ben Tobias.
“When she looked at it, it tilted its head in what she described a creepy manner,” Tobias said.
She called the police, but the clown left before officers arrived, he said.
Sightings of unknown people donning clown masks began circulating the internet in early August after being spotted in South Carolina. On Sept. 22, the clowns reached Ocala. On Tuesday, Gainesville.
Tobias said it was a matter of time before someone brought the act to Gainesville. Earlier this week, residents at Village Green Apartments told police they saw four men dressed as clowns pack into a van.
One of his biggest concerns is someone scaring a concealed-weapon holder, he said. If a person perceives a threat, they may be within their rights to shoot.
“What started out as a prank could result in somebody being seriously injured or even killed,” Tobias said.
According to Florida State Statutes, it’s illegal for someone to wear a mask, hood or any other item that conceals the identity of the wearer on public or private property. Another statute makes it illegal to wear any item to conceal one’s identity with the intent of intimidation.
Kizzie Johnson, 30, a resident at Georgetown Apartments, heard about the clown sighting Wednesday from concerned friends.
Since the sighting, she said she’s more aware of her surroundings and won’t walk alone at night. If she saw the creepy clown, she’d probably scream or hit it.
“That don’t (sic) happen out here,” she said. “I didn’t know that happened in Gainesville.”
Gorgans, the former president of the World Clown Association and a clown for 30 years, said he hopes the fad dies out quickly. He said it’s likely being carried out by teenagers eager for Halloween.
“A lot of these kids go out and they imitate what they see,” he said.
He said he hopes the public understands clowning is a harmless profession that aims to make folks laugh. But even at birthday parties, some parents are visibly scared.
“If we’re asked to, we’ll stay away as far as possible,” he said.
