This Exists: Guy Dresses Up as Superhero and Fights Seattle Crime
- Posted on January 5, 2011 at 1:24pm by
Jonathon M. Seidl
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He doesn’t have super powers, but he dresses like a superhero.
Seattle residents are becoming familiar with an anonymous crime fighter known only as “Phoenix Jones.” Like a comic book star, he has a skin-tight suit and caries weapons such as a taser and pepper spray. And he recently rescued a man going through a car jacking:
KIRO reports:
KIRO 7 Eyewitness News reporter Monique Ming Laven met him.
“My name is Phoenix Jones,” said the man.
The man is the hero Dan’s been trying to tell his friends about.“
People are saying, ‘No way, dude, you were probably drunk,’” said Dan.
But the superhero sounded familiar to Ming Laven. She had heard about how he and the other eight members of his Rain City Superhero crime fighting movement walk the street, eyes out for crime and prepared to fight it.On Monday night, the fully-clad superhero and Dan met.
“That’s crazy. Nice to meet you, brother. Nice to meet you. That’s insane,” said Dan, who finally got a close-up look at his savior.
“Phoenix” explained his whole super suit, including bullet-proof vest and stab plates, to Dan.
“That’s a Taser night stick. And I have Mace slash tear gas over here,” said Phoenix.
Then it was time for Phoenix to get back out on the streets, maybe not quite a super man, but an extraordinary one.
“I symbolize that the average person doesn’t have to walk around and see bad things and do nothing,” Phoenix told the news station. He explained that he started fighting crime about nine months ago and that it’s dangerous work: he’s been stabbed and had a gun pulled on him a few times.
But he doesn’t recommend this life for everyone: “I don’t condone people walking around on the street with masks. Everyone on my team either has a military background or a mixed martial arts background, and we’re well aware of what its costs to do what we do.”
Local Police department spokesman Jeff Kappel wasn’t as opposed to the vigilantly idea as one might think. “There’s nothing wrong with citizens getting involved with the criminal justice process – as long as they follow it all the way through,” the Daily Mail reports.
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Comments (123)
youguysready_letsroll
Posted on January 5, 2011 at 2:28pmAwesome! He may have saved that dude’s life. give ‘em hell Phoenix Jones.
Report Post »Ghandi was a Republican
Posted on January 5, 2011 at 2:06pm*
Report Post »Ghandi will now move his car jacking operations to Oakland, where crime is still a noble and time honored tradition….
Camo Pants
Posted on January 5, 2011 at 1:59pmMake a comic book, and sell it to little kids. It will be the new Super Man. :)
Report Post »BurntHills
Posted on January 5, 2011 at 1:58pmTruth, Justice and The American Way.
Report Post »BurntHills
Posted on January 5, 2011 at 1:58pmGod bless this guy and his group for even TRYING.
Report Post »Bill Wallace
Posted on January 5, 2011 at 1:57pmLet me tell you what next month’s top story will be…
“Superhero shot. Not faster than speeding bullet. No superman.”
While I agree that citizens should get involved, they should do it in groups and without the hype of a superhero suit. This guy is going to get dead. He may have stab plates, and a vest on, but I bet he crosses the wrong person and gets his face shot.
Report Post »Vise
Posted on January 5, 2011 at 1:57pmThat’s soooo cooooollllllll!!!!!!
Report Post »jakartaman
Posted on January 5, 2011 at 1:56pmI carry a gun – because a cop is too heavy to carry.
This group of heros are just one more element in helping to put criminal in jail!
Coodos!
Report Post »bry
Posted on January 5, 2011 at 2:11pm“a cop is to heavy to carry” LOL!!! That’s funny…I LIKE it! I will use it.
Super Hero reminds me of Curtis Sliwa, founder of the Guardian Angels. Would be great if this took off all over the country.
Report Post »untameable-kate
Posted on January 5, 2011 at 3:17pmIt is always a good thing when people help each other out. I would have preferred a more adult outfit, a uniform maybe? Hard to carry concealed with that spandex number. I guess in Seattle carrying a side arm would get you jailtime?
Report Post »76 (I'm offended that you're offended)
Posted on January 5, 2011 at 4:41pmCoodos? Captain Grammar save us!
Report Post »PoxZombie
Posted on January 5, 2011 at 1:56pmanyone ever seen a woody harelson flick called defendor? pretty crazy movie, this though… ha this is just mind boggling. I wanna know what the rest of his team call themselves.
Report Post »Spawnomite
Posted on January 5, 2011 at 1:52pmI wish there were more vigilantes. .. err. . I mean super heroes taking care of the bad guys instead of the tiresome catch and release program the cops have.
Report Post »bry
Posted on January 5, 2011 at 1:51pmWell, this is a feel good story if ever I read one!!! Sorry to say, I can see Eric Holder dragging this hero before the 9th District.
Report Post »Sgt.Crust
Posted on January 5, 2011 at 1:44pmGood for him and his followers! Up, Up and away…
Report Post »Docrow
Posted on January 5, 2011 at 1:43pmYou have to admire somebody willing to put his life on the line for something he believes no matter how crazy it might seem. I hope that if he is every in need of help somebody steps up.
Report Post »GhostOfJefferson
Posted on January 5, 2011 at 1:54pmYeah, me too.
Unfortunately people who do real deeds for the betterment of the common good are generally spat upon and destroyed by the same public they were trying to help. Not even for things as “big” as fighting crime, heck even inventors or benevolent businessmen end up taking it on the chin from a mob of angry people who are indignant that somebody did something good for a change.
Report Post »Docrow
Posted on January 5, 2011 at 2:03pmsad to say but that is very true
Report Post »Tsul Kalu
Posted on January 5, 2011 at 1:40pmMore power to him… a warrior for peace, by helping the law (who never will be there most of the time) to protect others from evil.
Report Post »LibertyAdvocate
Posted on January 5, 2011 at 1:39pmSooooo, when will Joker appear?
Report Post »snowleopard3200 {cat folk art}
Posted on January 5, 2011 at 2:15pmHe is already in DC.
Report Post »LibertyAdvocate
Posted on January 5, 2011 at 6:08pmAh yes, big government is the obvious super villain.
Report Post »bertr
Posted on January 5, 2011 at 1:39pmit seems silly, but strangely also more honest and legit then most government “crime fighters”
Report Post »this is good, the only problem with advocating this is it eventually leads to lench mobs. No this guy isnt one of those, but someone always finds a way to screw up a good simple solution given enough time, part of the reason were in the mess we are now with government and regulations
Midwest Blonde
Posted on January 5, 2011 at 2:36pmLYNCH mobs, not lench mobs.
Report Post »76 (I'm offended that you're offended)
Posted on January 5, 2011 at 4:38pmCaptain Grammar to the rescue!
Report Post »Tipdog
Posted on January 5, 2011 at 1:39pmThis story is hysterical. I hope he doesnt wind up dead on the side of the road or something.
Report Post »Angelacw
Posted on January 5, 2011 at 1:39pmWell, he certainly put a lot of thought into the “suit”.
Report Post »Psytoxic
Posted on January 5, 2011 at 1:38pmThat’s awesome. I can’t believe that there is a whole group doing this.
Report Post »MistaB
Posted on January 5, 2011 at 1:38pmI like the idea but there‘s a good chance he’s going to get himself killed.
Report Post »RebelBroker
Posted on January 5, 2011 at 1:38pmHmm…. maybe some awkward applause for this. I like the idea of folks out there sticking up for one another. The whole mask thing seems… well. Awkward applause.
Report Post »Angelacw
Posted on January 5, 2011 at 1:38pmWell he certainly put a lot of thought into the “suit”
Report Post »101
Posted on January 5, 2011 at 1:33pmRight on a real life super hero!
Report Post »stephenb.net
Posted on January 5, 2011 at 1:32pmHow surprised will we be when this guy ends up shot? I admire his courage but I doubt that the city will allow this to go on for too long before they call him a vigilante or they say that he is interfering with police work.
Report Post »Psytoxic
Posted on January 5, 2011 at 1:40pmLocal Police department spokesman Jeff Kappel wasn’t as opposed to the vigilantly idea as one might think. “There’s nothing wrong with citizens getting involved with the criminal justice process – as long as they follow it all the way through,” the Daily Mail reports.
Report Post »Lion420
Posted on January 5, 2011 at 1:45pmHe’s got a bullet-proof vest with stab plates…so they should aim for his face.
Report Post »middleclassprophet
Posted on January 5, 2011 at 1:54pm-Lion420-
So, you oppose helping people, huh? Pathetic.
Report Post »Psytoxic
Posted on January 5, 2011 at 2:16pmKind of ironic Lion420 considering your profile pic is from the Greatest American Hero.
Report Post »GEW
Posted on January 5, 2011 at 2:18pmMy father saw a man on Sunset Blvd. CA one time pulling on a young girls arm, she was screaming at the top of her lungs, my father pulled his car over, jumped out of the car and chased the man down, grabbing him then tying his hands behind is back (with his belt) and to a lamp post, where he waited until the cops got there. The young girl said he had made some very ugly remarks to her and then tired to get her to go with him when she refused he became aggressive.
When my dad made the citizens arrest and appeared in court, he learned that this man had a record of child molestation, many times over, this one put him in jail and then deported.
Sometimes people have to get involved. She could of been harmed, raped or murdered but not when good people do something. Sometimes it is required of us to take action. I was never more proud of my father, the father of 3 girls than on that day. And the girl, well she truly believed she was going to be harmed and my Dad was her hero.
Report Post »crazedbanshee
Posted on January 5, 2011 at 2:44pm@GEW
Report Post »That is awsome…to bad the guy was deported. Anyone commiting crimes as heinous as child molestation should be sentenced to death. Especially if they come into our country and commit such crimes.
NeoFan
Posted on January 5, 2011 at 4:02pmSeattle has really strict gun laws so he really doesn’t need the bullet proof vest.
Report Post »The Bees
Posted on January 5, 2011 at 1:32pmIt is amazing what a motivated citizen can do. God Speed Phoenix Jones!
Report Post »GhostOfJefferson
Posted on January 5, 2011 at 1:51pmAnd the infantilization of adult men continues unabated.
Bet the guy started with comic books at age 6 and still reads them, er..um…I mean “graphic novels” at age 45 as “serious literature”.
I have nothing against vigilantism, in certain contexts, but can we please, please…be adults about it? You want to protect people? Be like the Guardian Angels and do it without masks and spandex and wearing your underwear on the outside. Or do it like men used to do it, out in the open without concealing their identity and for the world to see.
It really bothers me sometimes how we’re being de-evolved into perpetual childhood.
Report Post »hickoryrat
Posted on January 5, 2011 at 1:53pmMan’s rapidly dwindling individuality will someday end with an act of frightened,submissive,obedience,groveling at the feet of near-cretins.
Report Post »This man refuses to be a party to that.
He is to be commended and aided.
Rise up America shout”No More’ We will not be victims any longer!
sofaking obvious
Posted on January 5, 2011 at 2:02pmIt’s almost “comic-al”
get it?
Go for it dude.
Report Post »snowleopard3200 {cat folk art}
Posted on January 5, 2011 at 2:14pmThis is indeed different form of community crime fighting; they do need to follow the law in all forms or this can rapidly slip into becoming vigilantie justice as other Blazers have pointed out. I wish them the best though. Skip the suits that indeed is enough.
http://www.artinphoenix.com/gallery/grimm
Report Post »Xcori8r
Posted on January 5, 2011 at 2:22pmBlankman Returns
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EOGSwRe-QPM&NR=1
Report Post »@leftfighter
Posted on January 5, 2011 at 2:41pmGod speed Phoenix Jones is right.
I just hope you realize Batman only exists as a “living” hero because he’s in the comic books, not a real life hero.
I’ll lay 8-5 odds this guy’s not around long. Maybe because law enforcement made him stop, maybe because a bullet made him stop.
Report Post »GeauxAlready
Posted on January 5, 2011 at 2:46pmNot even gonna touch this one…………………
Report Post »Dustyluv
Posted on January 5, 2011 at 2:50pmI see a lawsuit happening against him soon unfortunately. Or the Police will become jealous and bad things will happen to him.
Report Post »Look at the trouble the Gardian Angels had at first with police…
HillBillySam1
Posted on January 5, 2011 at 2:58pmMotivation is indeed the word….I have been the champion of the crime-watch in my little neck of the hollar. However, I don’t need a “suit”….as a matter of fact, I wear NOTHING at all when I make my duly-appointed rounds in the neighborhood….the criminals FLEE before me….as do neighbors, motorists, small, furry animals, and other “law enforcement” personel…..sissies!!! The crime rate has dropped to an all-time low….motivation…..that‘s how it’s done!!
Report Post »mtnclimberjim
Posted on January 5, 2011 at 3:23pmGo for it boys. I would like to see lots more of this Their suits might look dorky,but I bet the are very functional as battle dress, allows for protective gear, light weight, no bulk, no enemy grip. Only thing missing is a fire arm so they can kill from a bit of distance. Now that’s serious.
Report Post »Good luck and kick ass.
pajamash
Posted on January 5, 2011 at 3:24pmSadly, just like in the Wild West, someone (an evil do-er) will go after Phoenix or one of his “League of Justice” to get the fame of “being the one” that took Phoenix, et al, down.
Report Post »JD Carp
Posted on January 5, 2011 at 4:16pmThis guy is great!
Report Post »Devil Dog 7175
Posted on January 5, 2011 at 4:28pmBout time someone did…
Report Post »KUjayhawk
Posted on January 5, 2011 at 4:31pmHe is not a vigilante… he is simply protecting others and not imposing his own judgement and form of justice upon people. ” A vigilante is just a man lost in the scramble for his own gratification. He can be destroyed, or locked up. But if you make yourself more than just a man, if you devote yourself to an ideal, and if they can’t stop you, then you become something else entirely. ” Good work!
Report Post »Beckofile
Posted on January 5, 2011 at 4:31pmDon’t we have a unionized government agency or two on staff to handle crime? Hmmmm maybe Phoenix is on to something like let’s say volunteer police, fire and teachers?? I think that is how the country got great, withstanding the suit of coarse?
Report Post »Exodus78
Posted on January 5, 2011 at 4:53pmSweet! May they use wisdom, common sense in Jesus name, Amen!
Report Post »jbl8199
Posted on January 5, 2011 at 4:57pmThis is a good idea for movie’s, but in real life he’d get killed. And someone would eventually find out his identity. All they’d need is a DNA sample.
Report Post »technoid
Posted on January 5, 2011 at 6:43pmOur nation needs to embrace what the Swiss do. Make it a law that all law abiding citizens must learn how to carry and shoot a fire arm, take gun safety and personal protection class, and be at a shooting range once a month. If all lawful citizens carry there be less opertunity for a crime to occur. Look back at WW2 history. The Japs dropped plans to invade the US because they believed all US Citizens were armed. I thank God there Are still some of States in The US that allow Citizens to Conceal carry. I live in one of them. Amen!
Report Post »Major Infidel
Posted on January 5, 2011 at 6:58pmHahahahahahahahaha
Report Post »HemiOwner
Posted on January 5, 2011 at 9:48pmPerhaps he rented and watched “KickAss” a few too many times.
Report Post »JustaCollegeKid
Posted on January 6, 2011 at 6:34am@GhostOfJefferson
A) Its symbolism, people see him and think of the comic books.
Report Post »B) If he didn’t hide his face, he’d probably be dead. In most of the larger cities I’ve been to, they’d have hunted him. Heck they still might try. I for one am glad to see someone standing up for others and helping them, however they may dress. Its a nice change.
Libertyluvnmomma
Posted on January 6, 2011 at 9:59amThe movie “Kick @ss” comes to mind. Hopefully not @ss Kicked!
Report Post »Republic Under God
Posted on January 6, 2011 at 10:26amGhostofJefferson,
I think you are being too harsh. If I opted to do something like that, I would definitely be hiding my identity it’s only practical. The man’s whole life is not crime-fighting as a cop’s would be, he has a normal life and rubbing the criminal element the wrong way too long would have reprocussions that would make their way into his normal life. We are in the information age and it’d be very easy to eventually track him down and address him had he taken the approach you preffer. I also there is a psychology to it. I couldn’t take a man in a costume that seriously and if I was the criminal I would have found myself completely underestimating him.
The comic book influence is undeniable, but I don’t understand the ridicule. There are a myriad of ways to tell a story, why knock that one? While it isn’t my ideal choice, it has brought some interesting and profound stories like, Death Note and Noein.
Report Post »PlanetXenu
Posted on January 6, 2011 at 8:05pmYa Phoenix Jones! there are actually alot of people who do this stuff. New York has a guy named Dark Guardian who is known for chasing drug dealers out of Washington Square Park (footage on YouTube) and some guys during the Oakland riots (I believe started over th judgement recently of the cop who shot the black guy instead of tasing him…alledgedly) who gave first aid to the wounded and stopped a bunch of looters including some trying to break into a bar that closed it’s doors…it’s a long story, but it rocks and many stories can be found at Real Life Superheroes. org. I support it if it’s done correctly. there is a risk of someone getting hurt if they think this is all a game.
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