'Superhero' crime fighters get mixed review

SEATTLE, Jan. 11 (UPI) -- Seattle police are asking self-styled "superheroes" to knock off amateur crime fighting after one of them had his nose broken Saturday.

Sgt. Sean Whitcomb told Seattlepi.com he had seen no police report of the incident and only learned of it when "Phoenix Jones the Guardian of Seattle" recounted it Monday on KOMO-TV.

"I endanger my life with a reason and a purpose," Jones told KOMO's Luke Ducey Monday.

On ABC's "Good Morning America" last week, Jones said calling 911 is a good start, but "it's like waving a white flag." "If police aren't here, criminals feel free to run wild in my city," he continued. "And I'm not going to stand for it."

Jones told KOMO he was breaking up a fight Saturday night, called 911, put one of the men in a headlock and waited for police.

Another man pulled out a gun, and when the superhero let go of the man he was holding, that man kicked him in the face and broke his nose, Jones said.

"Does Superman get his ass kicked?" one detective asked Seattlepi.com. "These people should not be called superheroes."