Posts Tagged ‘Violence’

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Police Mull Charges in Walmart Pepper Spray Case

By Dawn in Crime, Investigations, MSI Detective Services, Violence, witness statement at November 28th, 2011 | No comments

It seems that every year for about the past eight years or so we hear about some form of shopping violence taking place on Black Friday. Remember the time a man was trampled to death? What has happened to our society when an Xbox 360, or any commodity, causes people to physically harm others in hopes of getting an item or getting it on sale? It’s just a game people. It’s not like there is a food or water shortage – where you might understand people acting desperately or irrationally.

I saw stories where people were staked out in store parking lots in tents days before Black Friday. This big shopping day of the year has truly gotten out of hand. Most often, there are no real deals to be had. Marketers and advertisers draw people in with a carrot and know that once the shopper is in the store, they will buy other items that are not on sale.

Los Angeles police are still deciding whether to pursue charges against a woman who allegedly used pepper spray while shopping at a Walmart Thanksgiving night in Porter Ranch, according to a report in the Los Angeles Times.

LA Police Officer Bruce Borihanh told the paper, “We have a ton of witnesses and victims to interview.”

The woman turned herself in Friday night after the incident allegedly caused minor injuries to other shoppers, including children. Reports range from stating that anywhere from 10-15 people were injured. NBC News reported police said no more than 15 were hurt, 10 of them from the effects of inhalation of pepper spray.

The woman was released pending further investigation after she refused to discuss the incident, police said Saturday. Her identity has not been released. Read the full article »

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Stanley Cup Riot Investigation Making Progress – IRIT Identifies More Rioters

By Dawn in Interrogation, Investigations, MSI Detective Services, Surveillance Services, Violence at November 4th, 2011 | No comments

On Monday, the Integrated Riot Investigation Team will recommend more charges against identified rioters. Since June, IRIT has sifted through a mound of digital evidence and has identified more rioters from the Stanley Cup riot in downtown Vancouver than expected. In the beginning of the investigation stage, 40 people were charged. Several hundred more charges are expected to be coming.

Each individual will have a minimum of two charges brought forward: participating in a riot and at least one other charge. The digital evidence packages, many of which include a 500- to 700-page report, will now be forwarded to Crown for approval.

Names are going to be withheld, but police will release details of each case, such as the age of suspects and their exact charges.

“This is what we have been looking for, to finally see the work that we’ve done come to fruition,” IRIT team commander Insp. Les Yeo said in an exclusive interview with 24 Hours Vancouver earlier this month.

“We’ll be working through this until we’re finished and every last (person) is held accountable.”

IRIT was also expected to release footage today of arrests being made, some occurring as recently as Friday. Yeo has said it could take up to two years before all suspects are charged.

A website titled, “Canucks Riot 2011″ is depicting images on its website of people who are alleged to have committed criminal offenses and asking the public to contact Vancouver Police Department investigators if they recognize anyone at riot@vpd.ca or (604) 717-2541 or leave an anonymous tip with Crimestoppers at 1-800-222-8477.

It is really unfortunate that rioting after sports games has become more common. For us Chicagoans, we can still remember riots in the street by locals in 1991 even though the Bulls won their first NBA Championship! Win or lose, it seems some people just need a reason to act crazy and violent. Someday, these people may ruin it for everyone. Who knows what restrictions may have to be imposed around these games. With most local governments running out of money, they will no longer be able to afford to pay overtime to the police to babysit these foolish people.

Much of the research for this story came from STEPHANIE IP, 24 HOURS@ vancouver

 

 

 

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Woman Fights for Life After Shopping Cart Attack

By Dawn in Crime, Investigations, MSI Detective Services, Violence at November 2nd, 2011 | No comments

A 47-year-old Manhattan mother was fighting for her life at Harlem Hospital on Wednesday, two days after she was struck by a shopping cart that was thrown from four stories above her at East River Plaza Mall in East Harlem.

According to police, the boys were playing around on the fourth-floor walkway of the mall when they decided to push shopping carts against the railing, New York’s WNBC reported. One of the carts fell four stories down on top of Marion Salmon Hedges, who had been at the mall to shop for Halloween candy with her 13-year-old son.

The 12-year-old boys accused of throwing the shopping cart were arrested Tuesday and charged with juvenile assault. The two, who were described by neighbors as coming from underprivileged families, were turned-in by a 14-year-old friend who had tried to stop them, the New York Daily News reported.

According the NBC News’ Stephanie Gosk, Hedges’ husband Michael Hedges said on his facebook page that he hopes the two boys get the kind of care they need to become responsible members of the community.

“She’s going to be, in the best of all cases, in rehabilitation for months,” the newspaper quoted Michael Hedges as saying on Tuesday.

“She’s under sedation. She’s intubated. She has a thousand machines hooked up to her. It’s very disturbing,” he reportedly added.

Authorities have been questioning people who witnessed the incident and those who knew the boys and the victim.

Hedges, a real estate agent who lives on the Upper West Side, is known for her charity work. She was a board member of the Samuel M. Isaacs community center and had a special interest in the youth programs. Hedges is active in her church, the Daily news reported.

The pranksters were charged in family court with assault as juveniles. Both live in East Harlem and neither of their families had a statement for NBC New York.

Read full story@ msnbc

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Deputies Nab Two ‘Very dangerous’ Inmates Who Escaped Fla. Prison

By Dawn in Burlary, Crime, Investigations, MSI Detective Services, murder, Violence at November 1st, 2011 | No comments

Last week, police were searching for two ‘very dangerous’ inmates of a Florida prison who escaped on October 24th.

Officials realized that Rondell Reed and Leviticus Taylor were missing from their shared cell during a routine headcount, shortly before 5 a.m.

The prison immediately went into lockdown and officials later found the inmate’s red prison jumpsuits during a search of the jail.

Leviticus Uriah Taylor, 25, was caught on that same evening after a sheriff’s deputy spotted him walking down a road.

“When the agent asked if he was Taylor, he said, ‘It’s me.’ And there was no struggle at all. He had presumably been out all night and was wanting to come in,” Indian River County Sheriff Deryl Loar said.

Loar added that two women who he said had confessed to aiding in the escape effort are now in custody. The women — 19-year-old Sadie Welker, who said she was Taylor’s girlfriend, and Angela Pike, 35 — were arrested on charges of aiding an escaped inmate and are being held on $100,000 bonds.

The second escapee, Rondell Reed, was captured last Saturday morning north of Cincinnati Ohio. Read the full article »

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