Seattle Superhero Unmasks Himself In Court

Self-proclaimed superhero Phoenix Jones has dramatically unmasked himself outside a Seattle court as he vowed to keep fighting crime despite being accused of assault.

The vigilante appeared for a hearing on Thursday dressed in his back-up superhero costume - a black-and-yellow mask that he removed before reporters to confirm his real identity.

The one-time mixed-martial-arts competitor, whose real name is Benjamin Fodor, was arrested early Sunday morning.

Police said he pepper-sprayed a group of innocent nightclub-goers he believed were involved in a street brawl.

He was jailed briefly on suspicion of four counts of assault and released on \$3,800 (£2,400) bail.

Mr Fodor said he was confident that a 13-minute video of Sunday's altercation, taken by a member of his entourage, proved him innocent.

The video, which was posted on the Internet, showed Mr Fodor being alerted to what he believed to be a "huge fight".

The footage shows him rushing on foot toward a crowd yelling "call 911" (the emergency services number in the US), then wading into the group with a can of pepper spray.

Some in the crowd angrily fought back, with one woman screaming and beating Mr Fodor with her shoes before police finally arrived on the scene.

To his fury, Mr Fodor's true identity was revealed for the first time by media after his arrest.

On Thursday, he initially showed up to the Seattle Municipal Court wearing a pinstriped shirt but covering his face with his mask.

Then, flanked by his lawyers and speaking with reporters outside the King County Jail on Thursday, he removed the mask and confirmed his real identity.

"I'm Phoenix Jones," he declared. "I'm also Ben Fodor.

"I also protect the city, I also am a father, I also am a brother. I'm just like everyone else.

"The only difference is that I decided to make a difference and stop crime in my neighbourhood and my area.

"I intend to keep making that difference. The charges were false."

He then abandoned his pinstriped shirt on a sidewalk, revealing a faded black rubber shirt he claimed was his back-up costume, and strode off.

Police, he said, still have his main costume - which includes a moulded black-and-yellow suit of body armour.

Mr Fodor has become something of a national celebrity since he began patrolling downtown Seattle streets a year ago to break up fights and alert police to other petty crimes.

In addition to pepper spray, he is known to carry a stun gun and a mobile phone on his late-night rounds.

He also attends charity events on request.

Prosecutors said they have not filed charges against Mr Fodor but that he remains under investigation, and a case could be brought against him at a later time.

Mr Fodor said he planned to resume his vigilante work immediately, and called on Seattle citizens to join him downtown on Saturday night.