A crime-fighting vigilante dubbed the 'Mexican Batman' has left police completely baffled after hunting down alleged motorbike thieves and duct-taping them to lampposts. The wannabe hero has wrapped at least five men to street poles over the last two weeks in Jalisco, Mexico.
Vigilante's Methods
The supposed crooks were found with their mouths covered, cat whiskers drawn on their faces and the word 'ratero' – Spanish for thief – scrawled across their foreheads. Pink signs detailing their alleged crimes were left above their heads.
The mysterious bloke from Lagos de Moreno has gone global after turning suspected crooks into walking comic book scenes. Armed with rolls of heavy-duty duct tape and a black marker pen, he has left five suspected bike thieves glued to lampposts since June 13.
Police Response
Despite the internet cheering him on, local police are treating the taped-up men as victims. State Security Secretary Juan Pablo Hernández has revealed they are hot on Batman's heels, tracking two vehicles connected to the bizarre street punishments.
Other Notable Vigilantes
While local detectives scramble to find the mysterious Dark Knight, he isn't the first person to ditch the emergency services and dish out some brutal street justice. Here are some of the most notorious vigilantes who took the law into their own hands.
The Subway Vigilante
In December 1984, New York City was a hotbed of crime when Bernhard Goetz claimed four youngsters approached him on a subway train, demanding five dollars. Goetz said he feared he was about to be mugged, pulling out a revolver and shooting all four teens, leaving one permanently paralysed. The American public initially hailed Goetz as a hero for his actions. However, the reaction quickly soured, and Goetz was eventually convicted of an illegal weapons charge, spending eight months behind bars.
Ken McElroy's Killers
Ken McElroy was the ultimate small-town tyrant, terrorising the residents of Skidmore, Missouri, for years with alleged arsons, rapes and robberies. When he shot a beloved local grocer and walked free on bail in 1981, the fed-up townspeople decided they'd had enough. A mob of dozens of townsfolk surrounded McElroy's truck in broad daylight and opened fire, reportedly killing him instantly. To this day, despite dozens of witnesses, a strict code of silence remains, and nobody has ever been charged with his death.
The Phoenix Superhero
Dressed in a custom black-and-gold supersuit, Benjamin Fodor prowled the streets of Seattle, Washington, under the alter-ego Phoenix Jones. Leading a group called the Rain City Superhero Movement, he broke up street fights with pepper spray and tackled carjackers. Jones became an internet sensation, but his comic-book crusade came crashing down when police arrested him for assault after a pepper spray incident. Although no charges were ultimately filed against him, the real-life superhero group eventually disbanded.
Tony Martin
Norfolk farmer Tony Martin became a household name in 1999 when career criminals broke into his isolated home. Fed up with being targeted by burglars, Martin opened fire in the pitch black with an illegal shotgun, killing 16-year-old intruder Fred Barras. The case ignited a ferocious national debate over a homeowner's right to self-defence. Martin was initially convicted of murder, though it was later reduced to manslaughter on appeal, serving three years in prison.
