Not-so-superhero: Cape-wearing ‘Batman thug’ is arrested wearing a bizarre costume with mask, Dark Knight gloves and even batarangs after he ‘broke into a man’s house and attacked him’ in Brazil
- Rodrigo Rodrigues da Silva is accused of attempted murder in Parnaiba, Brazil
- He broke into a house and beat a man with an iron bar
- But he was dressed as the Caped Crusader when police arrested him
A wannabe superhero has been arrested by Brazilian police as a murder suspect after he was caught allegedly trying to kill a man during a burglary while apparently dressed as Batman.
Rodrigo Rodrigues da Silva is accused of trying to kill a man Monday while breaking into a property in Parnaiba, northeastern Brazil.
He beat his victim’s chest and legs with an iron bar while donning a long, flowing coat and a face mask that barely covered the top half of his face, until he woke up and started fighting back.
The hooded thug fled the scene but was later captured by Brazilian police, who managed to find a stash of improvised weapons and devices on him, including bladed gloves, a utility belt, a knife and several ‘batarangs’.
When asked his name, he told police his name was ‘The Punisher of Parnaiba’.
Rodrigo Rodrigues da Silva (pictured, right) is accused of killing a man while breaking into a property in Parnaiba, northeastern Brazil
He was found with a knife and several apparently homemade ‘batarangs’
The bizarre arrest comes after police in Peru arrested a drug gang and took thousands of bags of cocaine and marijuana off the streets dressed as Marvel characters.
Three of the Avengers – Spider-Man, Captain America and Thor – were joined by Catwoman in a mix of Marvel and DC for the undercover police operation in the Peruvian capital Lima.
The operation, dubbed “Marvel,” saw the four disguised police officers casually walking down a street as they pretended to promote a Halloween concert in Lima’s San Juan de Lurigancho neighborhood on Saturday.
But when he arrived at a specific house, Captain America borrowed Thor’s hammer to break open a steel door, allowing ten reserve police officers to enter and arrest three men and a woman.
The surprised residents first thought it was a Halloween joke, the police said in a statement on Tuesday.
He hit his victim’s chest and legs with an iron bar while donning a long, flowing coat and a face mask that barely covered the top half of his face.
When asked his name, he told police his name was ‘The Punisher of Parnaiba’.
But they soon realized it wasn’t a joke when Spider-Man started pinning a man to the ground.
Police seized 3,250 small packets of basic cocaine paste – a crude extract of coca leaf – as well as 287 bags of cocaine and 127 of marijuana.
A kilo of cocaine paste sells for around $380 (£330) in Peru, while a kilo of cocaine hydrochloride, its purest form, costs around $1,000 (£869).
Residents crowded outside the home as they watched in amazement as Spider-Man, Captain America, Thor and Catwoman – all now wearing police vests – led the four handcuffed suspects to a police vehicle.
The tactic of launching raids, especially to take out drug gangs using officers in costumes, is a common tactic of Peruvian police to ensure the element of surprise, which police say has led to some notable successes in recent years.