US ‘Batman’ killed

WASHINGTON: A Maryland businessman who thrilled thousands of sick children with his impersonation of Batman over more than a decade was hit by a car and killed on Sunday on a highway in western Maryland, the state police said.
The man’s real name was Leonard B. Robinson, 51, the father of three adult children from Owings Mills, near Baltimore.
For years he visited hospitals, schools and charity events dressed as the Dark Knight to the delight of thousands of children battling cancers and other serious diseases as well as bullying. He gave out thousands of dollars worth of gifts and books and signed autographs as “Batman.”
The police said Robinson was having engine trouble late on Sunday and had pulled over on Interstate 70 to look under the hood of his Batmobile, a custom-made black Lamborghini decked out with the superhero’s insignia.
He was standing on the car’s passenger side, which was still partly in the fast lane, when he was struck by a Toyota Camry that sideswiped the Batmobile. He was pronounced dead at the scene. The driver of the Camry was not injured and no charges were filed against him, the police said.
Robinson gained national attention in 2012 after a dash-cam video of him being stopped by police officers in Silver Spring, Maryland, went viral.
He was pulled over for failing to display a licence plate, but the officers, who were amused by the encounter, promptly let him go without a ticket so that he would not be late to an event at MedStar Georgetown University Hospital. The video has been watched more than 940,000 times on YouTube alone.
“When we replay the traffic-stop video, we smile and laugh, fondly remembering the day that MCP [Montgomery County Police Department] met a real superhero,” the Montgomery County Police Department said in a statement. “We hope that the Dark Knight’s bright light shines on.”
Robinson, who made a fortune building a cleaning business that he later sold, began masquerading as the Dark Knight in 2001 to cater to an obsession of his youngest son. The boy grew up, but the role grew on Robinson, who became known variously as the Route 29 Batman, Beltway Batman and Baltimore Batman.