Thousands Help 'Batkid' Save SF

A 5-year-old boy grabbed the attention of San Francisco today as thousands of residents joined an elaborate effort to help the tiny leukemia patient play crime-fighting "Batkid" for a day. With the help of the Make-A-Wish Foundation, Miles Scott rescued a woman, captured the evil Riddler during a bank robbery, and stopped a kidnapping by another villain, the Penguin. A grateful mayor Ed Lee planned to give the boy a key to the city. Miles thought he was in San Francisco only to get a Batman costume so he could dress like his favorite superhero. Instead, he saw a broadcast in the morning with Police Chief Greg Suhr calling for his help.

Miles soon took off from Union Square in one of two Batmobiles—black Lamborghinis with Batman decals. Police escorted the cars and closed off roads as the boy, accompanied by an adult Batman impersonator, sped away to save a woman in distress on a cable car track. A crowd roared as Batman and Batkid rescued the woman, disabled a plastic replica bomb, and moved on to their next adventure. The San Francisco Chronicle planned to distribute special-edition newspapers with the headline, "Batkid Saves City." The boy's father, Nick Scott, thanked the estimated 7,000 people who were making his son's wish come true. Miles was diagnosed with leukemia when he was 18 months old, ended treatments in June, and is in remission. (More Batman stories.)