It started a few months ago in Seattle, when would-be masked crusaders came out of the woodwork, taking on crime in the city (and in one instance bravely stopping a man who was exposing himself on a city bus). So how are the heroEs doing now?

To put it bluntly: not so super. Just ask "Phoenix Jones, the Guardian of Seattle," who got clocked in the face and threatened with a gun over the weekend when he tried to break up a downtown fight. Video of the local news coverage after the jump:

Seattle police told Jones and the handful of other would-be crimefighters to put down the nunchucks and dial 911 next time they spot trouble.

The best quote of the ordeal came this frustrated Seattle police detective: "Does Superman get his ass kicked? These people should not be called superheroes." Well said.

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