A 25-year-old partygoer dressed in a Batman costume chased down a thief and returned a stolen handbag to a woman in Norwich, Norfolk, British media reported.
Sonny Mason had travelled to the city with friends on the evening of 19 September to attend a themed party while dressed as the iconic comic book superhero. He was standing near a bar when an unfamiliar man approached the group and attempted to strike up a conversation.
The stranger suddenly accused two women standing in a queue nearby of stealing cigarettes from him. He then snatched a handbag directly from the hands of one of the women and fled from the venue, prompting Mason to run after him.
Superhero Pursuit
Mason was accompanied by a group of friends who were also dressed in elaborate costumes, including Marvel Comics characters Mr. Fantastic and Cyclops, as well as DC Comics villain Poison Ivy. As Mason sprinted down the street after the thief, his superhero-costumed companions joined the pursuit.
During the chase, the group spotted police officers on patrol in the area and immediately alerted them to the fleeing suspect. The suspect continued to run from the group through the streets of Norwich.
Recovery and Escaped Suspect
As the chase unfolded, the fleeing criminal threw the stolen handbag onto the top of a high brick wall in an effort to discard the evidence. Mason initially attempted to retrieve the bag using a makeshift grappling hook built from a toilet paper roll, but the makeshift device failed to reach the bag.
Recognising that he could not reach the top of the wall alone, Mason relied on his friends to assist him. His companions gave him a physical boost up the brick wall, allowing Batman to grab the handbag from the ledge.
Mason located the bag and returned it safely to the victim. However, neither the group of partygoers nor the responding police officers were able to catch the thief before he escaped.
Comic Origins and Real Vigilantes
The unusual retrieval was reported by the Daily Star, a national daily tabloid newspaper published in the United Kingdom. Norwich is the county town of Norfolk, a region situated in East Anglia in the east of England along the River Wensum.
In popular culture, Batman is a fictional superhero published by DC Comics and created by Bob Kane and Bill Finger. The character is famous for operating in Gotham City and using specialized gadgets, including Batarangs and grappling hooks, to fight crime. Poison Ivy is a fellow DC Comics character, whereas Mr. Fantastic and Cyclops are prominent superheroes from rival publisher Marvel Comics.
The British incident follows earlier reports of a real-life vigilante operating in the Mexican state of Jalisco. The unidentified individual was nicknamed the Mexican Batman after he began hunting down suspected motorcycle thieves and fastening them to roadside poles using duct tape.
Jalisco is a major state in western Mexico known for its capital city, Guadalajara. Police officers in Norfolk have confirmed that the suspect in the Norwich theft has not yet been caught.
