Batman unmasked by Tampa police

Post a comment | E-mail this story | Print

Walsh Nichols often dresses as Batman when in Ybor City.

TAMPA (Bay News 9) -- Batman has been unmasked by Tampa police.

Maybe it wasn't the "real" Batman, or even Christian Bale for that matter. But 21-year-old Walsh Nichols, who says some Ybor City night clubs occasionally pay him to dress as Batman to attract customers, was arrested Friday night for wearing a Batman mask in public.

"I kind of feel that it was used as an excuse," Nichols said. "Maybe it was like a slap in the face for them that I had decided to wear the mask even though he (police officer) told me not to."

Nichols says police warned him a few weeks ago that wearing his Batman mask in public was against state law.

The law states: "Wearing mask, hood or other device on public way" is illegal. The law was written back in 1951, and was apparently aimed at cracking down on the hoods worn by the KKK.

Bay News 9 asked Clearwater defense attorney Jay Hebert to weigh in on the case. He does not represent Nichols but says he hopes some common sense prevails in the court system.

"I think it's fundamentally different than somebody wearing a Klu Klux Klan hat or cap or somebody wearing a skull cap to rob a residence or rob an individual," Hebert said. "There's got to be a distinction between that and Halloween costumes."

More Information

Police say wearing masks in public on days other than Halloween is a public safety issue, and it makes criminals tough to identify.

"I don't think I'm doing a very good job at hiding dressing up as Batman in the middle of a crowded area," Nichols said.

And now Walsh says he is upset his true identity has been revealed.

"This last year and a half the majority of people didn't know who I was. They didn't know what my face looked like or anything like that, and that was kind of like a big part of it, of the fun and everything else like that," Nichols said. "The mystery of not knowing."

Nichols wouldn't say why he likes to dress as Batman, but he did say the arrest won't keep him from riding his scooter back to Ybor City this weekend.

Wearing a hood on the street is a misdemeanor offense. Nichols was also cited for not having a valid license to drive a motorcycle.