Man Dressed as Batman Chases Suspected Thief, Scales Wall to Recover Stolen Handbag

A birthday night out in Norwich turned into a scene straight out of Gotham City when a man dressed as Batman chased a suspected handbag thief through the streets.

Sonni Mason was attending a friend’s costume party Saturday, September 19, when he saw a woman’s handbag being snatched following an argument outside a nightclub, The Guardian reported on Friday, September 25.

Mason, 25, took off after the suspect while still in his Caped Crusader costume.

According to SWNS, the pursuit quickly turned into a full comic-book lineup, with Mason joined by friends dressed as Mr. Fantastic from Fantastic Four, Poison Ivy from Batman & Robin and Cyclops from X-Men.

During the pursuit, the group flagged down police officers before catching up with the suspected thief, but he no longer had the handbag.

A tip then pointed them toward Norwich Cathedral, where the missing bag had been placed on top of a high flint wall about 300 meters away, the Guardian reported.

When attempts to knock it down with a roll of toilet paper went nowhere, Mason climbed the wall himself and brought it back down.

Police said they returned the handbag to its owner with everything still inside.

“I hope I can inspire people to be a little bit more like Batman. Not so much the running around in the dark in a costume, but helping others out. I didn’t expect to be scaling up a wall,” Mason told SWNS.

He added, “Everyone needs a little bit of Batman. You have to be brave, bold and kind. I would hope everyone else would do the same, whether or not they are wearing a cape or a cowl.”

Norfolk Police confirmed that someone approached officers that night seeking help finding a missing bag, per The Guardian.

“Following inquiries at the scene, the bag was located with all of its contents intact and subsequently returned to its owner,” a police spokesperson told the outlet.