Real life 'Kick ***' -- Bets on when he tries to fly???

[MAD]

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worl...ashington.html

Jones, who wears a black and gold costume, patrols the streets of Lynnwood, a town of 35,000 people just outside Seattle, Washington. He wears a bullet proof vest and stab protection under his black and gold outfit, and carries a Taser stun gun and pepper spray. He does not have a fancy vehicle like Batman however, and instead is driven around in a Kia by a female sidekick who does not get out of the car.

The case mirrors that of 'Kick-***', last year's Hollywood film directed by Matthew Vaughn, in which an ordinary teenager tries to become a real-life superhero.

The vigilante told a television network that he has been stabbed and threatened with a gun more than once since his crime-fighting crusade began nine months ago.

But he said: "When I walk into a neighbourhood criminals leave because they see the suit. I symbolise that 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."

Jones is thought to be part of a nationwide 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 would-be vigilantes dressed 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.

But Jones, who has been in contact with detectives, said: "Everyone on my team either has a military background or a mixed martial arts background, and we're well aware of what it costs to do what we do."