Officers stopped the man, who wants to remain anonymous, just after midnight last Wednesday when they spotted him decked out in a superhero costume.
According to the Columbia Daily Herald, he told police that he was looking for crime to report.
The self-professed comic book nerd was armed with a screw driver, wrenches and a cell phone, all of which were stored in a utility belt.
Police urged the Viper to stop his patrols and told him that he was violating a city ordinance, which bans people wearing masks in public.
He told the Columbia Daily Herald that, “I am just a guy trying to do what’s right, in tights.” To the Viper, it was a matter of pride protecting his hometown.
The crime-fighting college student said he eventually hopes to become a comic book artist when he is done with school.