SAN FRANCISCO (TheBlaze/AP) — A woman tied to the tracks. A bank robbed by a man in a neon green suit covered in question marks. And then a kidnapping by … a penguin. Sounds like a job for San Francisco's newest crime-fighter -- Batkid.
Police escorts 5-year-old leukemia survivor Miles, also known as BatKid and Batman after they arrest the Riddler November 15, 2013 in San Francisco. Make-A-Wish Greater Bay Area foundation turned the city into Gotham City for Miles by creating a day long event bringing his wish to be a BatKid to life. (Photo by Ramin Talaie/Getty Images)
Running through the streets transformed into an imaginary Gotham City was 5-year-old Miles Scott -- ahem, Batkid -- living out his dream through the Make-A-Wish Foundation.
Batkid took off from Union Square in the morning in one of two Batmobiles — black Lamborghinis with Batman decals. Police escorted the Lamborghinis and closed off roads as they sped to their first caper: a damsel in distress on a cable car track.
It's the Batkid-mobile. (Image source: Make-a-Wish/Twitter)
Watch this raw footage of Batkid speeding to the scene of a crime:
Hundreds of people jostled for space, as the boy, a leukemia patient who's in remission, dressed in a Batman costume and accompanied by an adult Batman impersonator emerged from the Lamborghini to rescue a woman.
Batkid (a.k.a. Miles Scott) on the scene to save the day. (Image source: Make-a-Wish/Twitter)
Miles looked overwhelmed and was bashful. The damsel sat on the street in a green dress and thigh-high black boots. She had a handkerchief around her mouth and her hands were bound behind her back. Batman and Batkid jumped on a trampoline, as the crowd roared.
They rescued the woman and disabled a plastic replica bomb she was tied to.
Batkid and an adult-size Batman rescued this damsel in the middle of the track. (Image source: Make-a-Wish/Twitter)
One rescue down, but the day isn't done for Batkid. There are crooks to catch. (Image source: Make-a-Wish/Twitter)
The two masked superheroes then took off to nab the Riddler as he robbed a downtown bank.
A flash mob will summon Batkid later in the day for another crime — the diabolical kidnapping of the San Francisco Giants mascot — Lou Seal — by the Penguin.
Many villains from the iconic comic played a role in the 5-year-old's dream. (Image source: Make-a-Wish/Twitter)
Make-A-Wish San Francisco live tweeted the action, changing its profile picture to the Batkid logo for the day. Even President Barack Obama got involved in some of the Twitter action.
[blackbirdpie url="https://twitter.com/SFWish/status/401417414120071168"]
[blackbirdpie url="https://twitter.com/SFWish/status/401420947384586240"]
[blackbirdpie url="https://twitter.com/BarackObama/status/401427096276201474"]
[blackbirdpie url="https://twitter.com/SFWish/status/401425868125245440"]
[blackbirdpie url="https://twitter.com/SFWish/status/401429849438318593"]
[blackbirdpie url="https://twitter.com/SFWish/status/401441836826259456"]
Later in the day, a grateful Mayor Ed Lee will give Miles a key to the city after the crooks are corralled.
Miles didn't know what was in store for him and thought he was in San Francisco just to get a Batman costume so he could dress like his favorite superhero, KGO-TV reported.
Miles, who lives in Tulelake in far Northern California, was diagnosed with leukemia when he was 18 months old, ended treatments in June and is in remission.
His father, Nick Scott, thanked the Greater Bay Area Make-A-Wish Foundation and the estimated 7,000 people who will help make his son's wish come true.
"All the doctors, nurses and all the other parents that have to deal with the same thing we're going through. I hope they get a conclusion to their illnesses like we're getting," Nick Scott told KGO-TV.
Make-A-Wish has fulfilled similar wishes across the country. In Anaheim, a child became Batman's sidekick, Robin; and in Seattle a child was a secret agent, said Jen Wilson, a spokeswoman for the local organization.
The San Francisco Chronicle, KGO-TV and thousands of volunteers were participating in the event. Miles was supposed to see a broadcast in the morning with Police Chief Greg Suhr calling for his help.
Watch Surh describe the event:
The Chronicle also planned to distribute special-edition newspapers with the headline, "Batkid Saves City," in Union Square, where the flash mob was set to gather.
"This has turned into a full blown phenomenon," Suhr said Thursday.
Associated Press writers Channing Joseph and Sudhin Thanawala contributed to this report.
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