This Dark Knight has taken a dark turn.
A Times Square costumed Batman who’s repeatedly sued the NYPD for false arrest was behind bars Thursday for swiping a $50 bill from an Irish tourist, officials said.
Jose Escalona-Martinez, 42, was charged with petit larceny and criminal possession of stolen property for the Wednesday night theft on W. 45th St. and Broadway.
The victim, a 63-year-old woman visiting New York from Ireland, told police that she had taken a picture with Escalona-Martinez about 8:30 p.m. on Wednesday, as heavy rains pelted the city.
The woman opened her wallet to give Escalona-Martinez a tip, but the crooked caped crusader snatched a $50 bill and ran off.
Cops grabbed him a few moments later and took him into custody.
“A dark night for Gotham when fake Batman is led away in cuffs,” tweeted Abettertimessquare Wednesday night. “Time to enact Mayor @billdeblasio reforms ASAP!”
Escalona-Martinez’s arraignment was pending Thursday.
The performer has sued the city twice for unlawful arrest — once when he was Batman, once when he was Spider-Man.
Earlier this month, he was thrown in handcuffs and given a summons for disorderly conduct after he was seen walking toward Father Duffy Square, a forbidden zone for costumed characters.
Escalona-Martinez said at the time he had done nothing wrong.
“This is big discrimination. This is not right. The cops just wanted to be a------s — and they were.”
The street solicitor, who testified in costume as Batman at recent City Council hearings about aggressive Times Square costumed characters, said he’s been wearing the cowl or the web-head mask for four years.
The city is in negotiations to mark off “activity zones” for costumed and topless performers after repeated complaints that the panhandlers were harassing visitors to the Crossroads of the World.
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