Corporal C.B. Fleming may not run around the city wearing a cape and mask, but the neighborhood kids still call him Batman.

The 42-year-old police officer is something of a local celebrity in South Hill, Virginia. He was given the affectionate nickname after he spent an afternoon ensuring that a group of children felt safe following a gas leak.

Fleming was just one of the emergency crew members who arrived at Iesha Roper-Boswell's home in response to the dispatch call last week. Once the house was deemed safe, he started chatting with Roper-Boswell.

As they talked, the 28-year-old mother mentioned to Fleming that her daughter, niece, and fellow neighborhood kids were afraid of cops.

She was then stunned when – shortly after their conversation – she saw Fleming lying in the grass so he could play with the children. Not only that, the kids were happy to have another playmate, regardless of his uniform.

Roper-Boswell pulled out her phone and captured a quick video of the heartwarming moment. Since uploading it to Facebook, it has been viewed thousands of times.

In addition to being a father of four biological and two adopted children, Fleming has been working at the South Hill Police Department in Virginia for the last 15 years, and he says that he has always strived to be a positive part of his community.