A 14-year-old Virginia boy ended up in handcuffs and in the backseat of a police car after some grownups didn't find humor in his benign banana outfit.
Bryan Thompson, a cheerful student at Colonial Forge High School in Stafford, Va., thought it would be an entertaining prank to put on a banana costume and sprint down the sidelines at halftime of his school's football game.
Fox 5 DC reports the autistic boy ended up getting suspended for 10 days by a grumpy principal who thought
he was creating mayhem. Brian's mother, Tavia Thompson, says her son's actions were harmless and he was trying to be funny and entertaining.
A spokeswoman for the school wouldn't comment on the suspension. But the community is certainly commenting, and loudly.
Brian's story is starting to go viral on the Internet and he's getting plenty of support. Video of his run had tens of thousands YouTube views as of Wednesday morning and someone has started a Facebook page in support
of the "Banana Man."
A few students have donned T-shirts with the slogan "Free Banana Man." Teachers at the school took the shirts away and gave the students detention for their fashion statement.
Brian's mother claims the real reason for her son's suspension is the impulsiveness that results from her son's autism.
Thompson, who enjoys rap music and even has a stage name, was not arrested for the stunt.
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