It seems like you can't throw a batarang these days without hitting a real-life version of Batman, and this week, there was another sighting of the Caped Crusader in Silver Spring, Maryland. But unlike others we've mentioned recently, this Batman wasn't helping out the police or doing services to the community. The Dark Knight was being busted by the police for traffic violations.

This news report comes courtesy of Colorado's Channel 9 News, and has what might be the single best opening line a news report has ever had:

"Usually Batman and the police fight crime together, except when the person breaking the law... is Batman."


Right up to the second it cut to a shot of a guy in a store-bought costume being written a traffic ticket, I was convinced this was viral marketing for The Dark Knight Rises, complete with product placement for a pretty Batmanesque Lamborghini. It is, however, documented on the official page of the Montgomery County Police Department's Facebook page.

While the newsreaders seem to be having a lot of fun with it, this does point to a sinister undercurrent in Maryland state law. Sure, it's natural to want state-issued license plates on all vehicles, but requiring the Batman to register his car is the first step in forcing him to reveal who he actually is behind that mask, which as we all know would completely eliminate his effectiveness as a crime-fighter. This "routine traffic stop" was clearly just the first step in an assault on Batman's very identity.

But why would anyone in Maryland's legislature want to destroy Batman's crime-fighting career? Well, let's check the ol' Wikipedia here and see if we can sort this out...


Ah. Well. That explains it. Good luck with all that, Maryland.

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