THIS is the incredible moment a partygoer dressed as Batman retrieved a woman’s handbag after chasing down a thief who snatched it during a night out.
Sonni Mason, 25, did not expect to be fighting in his homemade caped-crusader costume for a friend’s fancy dress birthday party on Saturday September 19.
But Sonni, who travelled from London to Norwich in Norfolk for the event, found himself unexpectedly taking on one of the city’s criminals.
He chased down a handbag snatcher through the streets before footage showed him scaling a wall and prowling around in search of the stolen goods.
Brave Sonni then threw down the handbag to a woman below as bystanders were heard clapping in the video.
Sonni, who works in a cafe, said: “I hope I can inspire being to be a little bit more like .
“Not so much the running around in the dark in a costume but helping others out. It was really unexpected and I didn’t expect to be scaling up a wall.”
The drama began in a queue outside a bar when a man, who the group did not know, joined them and “initially seemed friendly”.
However the man soon accused two women of stealing a packet of cigarettes from him and snatched a handbag.
The alleged robber made off – with the caped crusader hot on his heels.
Other costumed characters in the friend group – including Mr Fantastic from the Fantastic Four, Poison Ivy from Batman and Cyclops from the X-Men – joined the pursuit.
They flagged down a group of officers on their way before catching up with the thief, who was no longer in possession of the bag.
But a tip-off then led the makeshift crime-fighters to the stolen bag which had been thrown on top of a wall outside the grounds of Norwich Cathedral.
It was there, with a timely boost from a friend and permission from the police, that Batman scaled the barrier to retrieve the handbag, finally reuniting the victim with her property.
Sonni says he does not share much in common with Bruce Wayne – the superhero’s billionaire philanthropist, mansion-dwelling alter ego from the comic .
Sonni said: “I’m a bog-standard guy, to be honest.
“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.”
But while his bank account may look a bit different to Wayne Enterprises, he firmly believes in a code of ethics rooted in kindness.
Sonni 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 would hope everyone else would do the same, whether or not they are wearing a cape or a cowl.
“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.
“It shouldn’t take a superhero costume to make you want to do that.”
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.”
