The residents of Beaverton, Oregon, can rest peacefully at night, knowing their streets are being patrolled by their very own real-life superhero. ‘The Guardian Shield’ has taken it upon himself to ensure the neighborhood’s safety after dark, and in true superhero fashion, the masked crusader hasn’t revealed his identity because he wants people to focus only on his mission.

“I want to be taken seriously,” he told FOX 12 Oregon. “Everything I do is legit, as much as possible. I make sure no one is breaking into cars, no one’s fighting, everyone is getting home to their families after a hard day of work.”

The Guardian Shield, or simply ‘Shield’, wears a red costume and is always armed with pepper spray, a stun gun, a baton, a flashlight, a first aid kit, a GoPro camera, and of course, a shield. He says the police are aware of his crime-fighting ways and he’s only had positive interactions with officers. They don’t encourage him to intervene in dangerous situations, but they do appreciate being tipped off when there’s trouble brewing.

Photo: Casey Louise Photography

Things have been going pretty well for him so far, and Shield says he isn’t worried about the possibility of his activities leading to a lawsuit against him. “If I intervene, that means that somebody was down and nobody was doing nothing, and I’m tired of that,” he explained. “People are sue-happy, but there’s also a reason why nobody gives a crap anymore and bad things happen, and it’s unacceptable.”

Locals do indeed seem happy to know someone is patrolling their streets. “I think it’s actually pretty cool seeing him around,” said resident Chris Delorenza, who loves spotting The Guardian Shield along with his sister Katie. But they admitted that their mom wasn’t quite prepared for the sight of a man in a costume. “She was getting out of her car and he talked to her and instead of talking to him, she screamed, yeah, she got scared,” Katie said.

Photo: video caption

However, Beaverton’s friendly neighborhood superhero needs help. He’s trying to raise funds to buy his own patrol car, in order to cover more ground. “Recently, FOX 12 Oregon did a story on me and I’m getting a lot of requests to patrol and venture into other neighborhoods,” he wrote on his GoFundMe page. “My current mode of transportation is my feet. I NEED A VEHICLE to help my patrols reach further into the communities. Any assistance you could provide would be greatly appreciated.” So far, he’s raised $30 out of his goal of $1000. I guess not everyone can be as rich as Bruce Wayne…

The Guardian Shield is not the first real-life superhero we’ve ever featured on Oddity Central. Milwaukee has its own superhero known as The Watchman, London has Traffic Droid, a cycling vigilante who keeps the streets safe for bicycle users, and New York has Prowler, a female superhero who patrols the dark alleys of New York City. Oh, and let’s not forget Mangetsu Man, the goofy Japanese superhero keeping Tokyo clean.

via FOX 12 Oregon