Criminals in Norwich may want to stay alert after the city’s own caped crusader sprang into action during a night out.
Cosplayer Sonni Mason, 25, was dressed as Batman while celebrating a friend’s birthday on Saturday.
As he and his friends queued outside a bar on Queen Street, Mason witnessed a handbag being stolen and was suddenly called upon to channel his inner superhero.
The real-life Dark Knight chased the suspect on foot before flagging down a police officer and asking for help.
After locating the stolen bag near Norwich Cathedral, Mason climbed a wall to retrieve it.
His homemade grappling hook, made from recycled toilet rolls, failed to do the job, leaving the costumed hero reliant on a friend to give him a boost up the wall.
The suspect had taken the bag after accusing two women of stealing cigarettes from him.
Mason said the stranger had joined the women in the queue and initially appeared friendly, before accusing them of stealing from him.
Cosplayer Sonni Mason, 25, was dressed as Batman when he was called into action as a real-life superhero
Mason was filmed retrieving the stolen bag from the Cathedral and returning it to its owner
The man then grabbed the handbag and ran, prompting Norwich’s newly minted hero to give chase.
The pursuit resembled a comic-book crossover, with Batman joined by friends dressed as Mr Fantastic from the Fantastic Four, Poison Ivy from Batman and Cyclops from the X-Men.
Mason documented parts of the dramatic evening in a TikTok video that has been viewed more than 300,000 times.
He regularly posts videos of himself dressed as superheroes, including Cyclops and Daredevil.
The handbag was returned with all its contents still inside, although Norfolk Police said no arrests had been made.
Mason acknowledged that his life has little in common with that of Bruce Wayne.
Rather than being a billionaire philanthropist living in a mansion, he works at a local cafe.
‘I’m a bog-standard guy, to be honest,’ he told the Eastern Daily Press. ‘I currently work at a cafe, but I’m a creative at the core. I love films and have four or five years of experience in that industry.’
Unlike the billionaire playboy, the cafe worker described himself as a ‘bog-standard guy’
The grateful owner raised the recovered bag aloft after her evening was saved by the local hero
Mr Mason dressed up as Batman and other superheroes on his social media account
Mr Mason said: ‘There’s not a lot of good things going on in the world. At the time, being able to get someone’s bag back, make sure she could go home safe and see someone happy again felt good.
‘Everyone needs a little bit of that in them. A little bit of Batman. You have to be brave, bold and kind.
‘I didn’t want to jump off rooftops or beat people up. I just want to make sure everyone else is all right. Sincerely, that’s what [Batman] is about. He’s a protector.
‘I just hope more people will be inspired to do the same if they see someone being mugged or feeling uncomfortable on a night out.’
A Norfolk Police spokesperson said: ‘Officers on routine night-time economy patrols in Norwich were approached by a member of the public, on Saturday, September 19, who requested help to find a missing bag.’
‘Following enquiries at the scene, the bag was located with all of its contents intact and subsequently returned to its owner.’
