ZING! THWACK!
Seattle police report officers were chasing down a 23-year-old man for threatening a bouncer at a Capitol Hill bar when he hurled a “batarang” at a patrol vehicle, embedding the “Batman-style throwing star” in the SUV.
Police initially responded to a bar north of downtown around 6:30 p.m. Monday when a man reportedly threatened a bouncer with a homemade spear – essentially a knife attached to a metal pole, Fox Q13 reports.
“The man fled the scene, but officers Benjamin Timbs and Walker Dickson chased after him. At one point during the pursuit, officers witnessed the man throw something toward a police SUV,” according to the Seattle Police Department’s online crime blotter.
“A short time later, after catching up to the 23-year-old suspect in the 800 block of East Denny Way, officers discovered the object the man had thrown was a ‘sharp, black Batman-style throwing star,’ which had embedded in the lower front end of the patrol cruiser.”
Photos of the “batarang” released by SPD show the throwing star was about six-inches long in the shape of the Batman symbol with an elastic hair tie wrapped around one side.
Police arrested the man on felony assault charges, and booked him into King County Jail. NBC News reports that SPD is also pursuing other weapons and obstruction of justice charges against the the wanna be Black Knight, “who they reassured residents is ‘not Batman.’”
The Seattle Times highlighted the incident with the headline “Holy ‘batarang,’ Batman! Man hurls throwing star at Seattle police,” but several readers didn’t find it very amusing.
“Does anyone thinks the headline is ‘cute’? Violence against police, anyone for that matter? After seeing so many misleading, lying and downright stupid headlines in the Times lately I think someone should be fired,” Imtellinyou8 posted in the comments.
“Bad choice to so glib with this headline. This was an attack on police,” DoubleDawgDareYa wrote. “Despite its appearance, this ‘Bat Star’ is a very dangerous weapon that could have inflicted serious harm. Even if the attacker was mentally unbalanced, as implied, he was apparently in position to do even more damage with that spear. Please take this a bit more seriously.”
“Thank God he missed hitting the police!” user1017125 added.
Others who posted to Facebook seem to think the ordeal was hilarious.
“Police reassured residents he was not Batman. But if he was Batman that’s exactly what the police would do…,” Andrew Mettler wrote.
“Ban assault batarangs,” Thomas Gordan added.
“Bat lives matter?” Jason Ravanelli posted.
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