Last week, the identity of "real-life superhero Bee Sting" was revealed at an arraignment.
Now we know that "Bee Sting" is actually Adam Besso of Sterling Heights.
Besso was arrested after pulling a shotgun on a motorcyclist in a trailer park in Burton, Michigan.
Besso approached the man saying the man's motorcycle was too loud. A struggle ensued and Besso's shotgun discharged. Thankfully, no one was injured.
MLive spoke with Tom Carter, the man who was approached by Besso. Carter told MLive he was surprised when the masked man confronted him in the trailer park:
"I couldn't hear him, so I started to approach him and that's when the gun came out," said Carter, 38, about the incident with Bee Sting. "As soon as I saw the gun I was thinking I didn't want my kids to get shot."
The use of a gun has not only offended law enforcement, it offended another real-life superhero.
"Arsenul," a RLSH (real-life superhero) from Eaton Rapids e-mailed me over the weekend to let me know Bee Sting "is no longer a member of the Michigan Protectors."
MLive reports that Arsenul cut ties with Bee Sting "via Facebook":
"The moment he brought a shotgun loaded with slugs, that moment he did something majorly illegal. He gave all RLSH a bad name and he gave the Michigan Protectors a bad name.”
It seems the real-life super hero movement in Michigan is less about actively confronting criminals, and more about helping those in need.
They say they work to increase animal abuse awareness, help the homeless, and inspire others to get involved.
You can hear it straight from Bee Sting in his YouTube video.
And you can see Bee Sting (prior to his arrest), the Animal (who doesn't consider himself a super hero, but a "masked-activist"), and Venge (who's had it tough himself) patrolling in Lansing in this report from Lansing 6 News.
Of note, items the Animal carries in his utility belt include:
- pepper spray
- flashlight
- wallet
- some business cards
- cell phone
- and a headlight
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j1DErGjvNZI&feature=related
Bee Sting supporters are working to raise money to help him post bond.
And his fiance, Amanda Wilson, tells MLive there's more to the story about the shotgun incident:
He's a trained combat veteran," she said of Besso, who served in Iraq. "He wouldn't just willy-nilly pull out a (shotgun) unless he thought, 'This guy is going to kill me.'"
Wilson said she was surprised when she found out about her soon-to-be husband's alter-ego:
"I was shocked when he told me," Wilson said about the day Besso told her he wanted to be a superhero. "It took a while to get used to it. I thought he'd get over it, but it's been a year and he's not over it."
This trend is not just limited to Michigan. It's happening around the country.
In Seattle, police have been dealing with a group known as the "Rain City Superheroes."
In an ABC report, Seattle Police Public Information Officer Mark Jamieson voiced the potential for problems mildly.
"Our concern is that if it goes badly, then we end up getting called anyway, and we may have additional victims," said Jamieson.
Where this all started... who knows?
Some tie it to the movie Kick Ass... life imitating art. Or was it art imitating life? You tell me.
