A work colleague just sent me over this news story, and at first I thought that maybe it was an early April Fools prank! But no, it’s real…

On Sunday evening, a man in Lynwood, near Seattle,  returned to his parked car to find a man attempting to break into the vehicle, by using a metal strip inserted into the door frame, to break the lock. The victim pulled out his cell phone and began to call 911, when a masked avenger known as the Phoenix Jones arrived on the scene, and chased the villain away.

Apparently this isn’t an isolated case of masked vigilantism, and Jones is just one of several members of the Rain City Superhero crime fighting movement, which also includes: “Thorn,” Buster Doe,” “Green Reaper,” “Gemini,” “No Name,” “Catastrophe,” “Thunder 88,” and “Penelope”.

Jones started his crime-fighting crusade nine months ago, and says that he’s been stabbed, and had a gun pulled on him a few times, but received no serious injuries. He patrols the streets wearing a skin-tight black and gold rubber suit, including  a ballistic vest, arm and leg trauma plates, a ballistic cup, and sculpted plastic abs. For protection, he carries a Taser night stick, a net gun, and mace.

Here’s the most insane thing - he’s got a (not so) secret hideout, in the back of a comic shop! Oh, and did I mention that he patrols the streets in a Kia?!

He says the getup is working to his advantage though, and that when he enters a neighborhood, criminals flee at the sight of him!

I’m heading down to Seattle in March to go to Emerald City Comicon, and I hope to hell this guy is there! Just awesome!

Sources:

http://www.kirotv.com/news/26363364/detail.html

http://www.seattlepi.com/local/430430_super19.html

http://capitolhill.komonews.com/content/phoenix-jones-real-life-superhero

http://seattlecrime.com/2010/11/23/on-patrol-with-phoenix-jones-guardian-of-seattle

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