gars
01-07-2011, 03:48 PM
http://www.canada.com/4074857.bin?size=620x400
A masked "superhero" vigilante called Phoenix Jones has taken to protecting the streets of a Seattle suburb.
Jones, who wears a black and gold costume, patrols the streets of Lynnwood, a town of 35,000 people. He wears a bulletproof vest and stab protection under his outfit and carries a Taser stun gun and pepper spray.
He does not have a fancy vehicle like Batman -- instead he is driven around in a Kia by a female sidekick who does not get out of the car.
The vigilante told a TV network that he has been stabbed and threatened with a gun more than once since he began fighting crime nine months ago. But he said: "When I walk into a neighbourhood, criminals leave because they see the suit. The average person doesn't have to walk around and see bad things and do nothing."
He recently prevented a car theft, chasing away a criminal who was breaking into a vehicle. A witness said: "From the right, this guy comes dashing in, wearing this black and gold suit, and starts chasing him away."
Police in the Seattle area say Jones is part of a U.S.-wide group called the Rain City Superhero Movement. Its website says: "A real life superhero is whoever chooses to embody the values presented in super heroic comic books, not only by donning a mask and costume, but also performing good deeds."
Police say vigilantes in comic book costumes are lucky not to have been mistaken for criminals, and citizens should not put themselves in danger by trying to emulate their fictional heroes.
© Copyright (c) Postmedia News
http://www.canada.com/Superhero+keeps+Seattle+suburb+safe/4074841/story.html
Anybody who's seen Kick Ass will probably agree. It's going to be a matter of time before one of them gets their ass handed to them. That said, if I were a petty thief, I'd be scared shitless to see some idiot wearing this costume coming after me. But at the same time, if the thief had a gun, you can guarantee he will shoot it.
A masked "superhero" vigilante called Phoenix Jones has taken to protecting the streets of a Seattle suburb.
Jones, who wears a black and gold costume, patrols the streets of Lynnwood, a town of 35,000 people. He wears a bulletproof vest and stab protection under his outfit and carries a Taser stun gun and pepper spray.
He does not have a fancy vehicle like Batman -- instead he is driven around in a Kia by a female sidekick who does not get out of the car.
The vigilante told a TV network that he has been stabbed and threatened with a gun more than once since he began fighting crime nine months ago. But he said: "When I walk into a neighbourhood, criminals leave because they see the suit. The average person doesn't have to walk around and see bad things and do nothing."
He recently prevented a car theft, chasing away a criminal who was breaking into a vehicle. A witness said: "From the right, this guy comes dashing in, wearing this black and gold suit, and starts chasing him away."
Police in the Seattle area say Jones is part of a U.S.-wide group called the Rain City Superhero Movement. Its website says: "A real life superhero is whoever chooses to embody the values presented in super heroic comic books, not only by donning a mask and costume, but also performing good deeds."
Police say vigilantes in comic book costumes are lucky not to have been mistaken for criminals, and citizens should not put themselves in danger by trying to emulate their fictional heroes.
© Copyright (c) Postmedia News
http://www.canada.com/Superhero+keeps+Seattle+suburb+safe/4074841/story.html
Anybody who's seen Kick Ass will probably agree. It's going to be a matter of time before one of them gets their ass handed to them. That said, if I were a petty thief, I'd be scared shitless to see some idiot wearing this costume coming after me. But at the same time, if the thief had a gun, you can guarantee he will shoot it.