Dangers of vigilante justice
"There's nothing wrong with citizens getting involved with the criminal justice process -- as long as they follow it all the way through," Kappel said, adding they want people to call 911 and be good witnesses, even if a case goes to court.
Police say they don't want people who aren't sworn officers putting themselves in danger.
They point to an unrelated case earlier this year in Maple Leaf. A man in his late 40s was working on his rental property near Northeast 77th Street and 16th Avenue Northeast when he saw men prowling his vehicle.
The man
fought the prowlers and was winning, but one was able to inflict two knife wounds 3-inches deep. Large amounts of blood covered his clothes when medics arrived, and police say the man nearly died.
In another Northgate case from 2008, a man
shot a car prowler who was trying to steal his stereo. The prowler died and the suspect was charged with manslaughter. He's out now, but was sentenced to nine months in prison.
A member of the Rain City Superhero Movement told police they carry Tasers, nightsticks, pepper spray, but no firearms.
Police say they hope the self-proclaimed superheroes are realistic and act as good witnesses instead of putting themselves in danger. The bulletin said a
KOMO/4 news crew plans to follow the caped crusaders Friday night.
According to the national superhero website, the characters don't have to engage in violent fights to be a crime fighter, but should embody the values presented in super heroic comic books.
"Inspiration plays a major role in this, of course," character Entomo
wrote on the page. "You can inspire people to believe in a symbol.
"You can inspire people to believe they can CREATE themselves a symbol and embody it --- and it's not a lie."
Police alerted to 'superheroes' patrolling Seattle