NEW YORK — A man who dresses up as Cookie Monster in Times Square turned down a plea deal in a New York City case accusing him of shoving a 2-year-old after the child’s mother refused to tip the man.

Osvaldo Quiroz-Lopez is charged with endangering the welfare of a child.

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An Elmo character, left, uses a woman's camera to photograph her with a Cookie Monster character in New York's Times Square recently. A string of arrests in the last few months has brought unwelcome attention to the growing number of people, mostly poor immigrants, who make a living by donning character outfits, roaming Times Square and charging tourists a few dollars to pose with them in photos.
An Elmo character, left, uses a woman's camera to photograph her with a Cookie Monster character in New York's Times Square recently. A string of arrests in the last few months has brought unwelcome attention to the growing number of people, mostly poor immigrants, who make a living by donning character outfits, roaming Times Square and charging tourists a few dollars to pose with them in photos. The Associated Press

The Daily News says the plea deal would have let him off with two years of anger management counseling and two days of community service.

Quiroz-Lopez turned down the offer Wednesday after prosecutors said he would have to plead guilty to the charge.

He was arrested April 7. Police say he demanded $2 from a Connecticut family that posed with him for a photo. According to a criminal complaint, he shoved the toddler and yelled obscenities at the family.

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