Church Vandalized Repeatedly-Middle River, MD
Broken glass, but not broken spirits. A Baltimore County church is picking up the pieces after vandals did serious damage overnight.
Mary Bubala reports it’s not the first time they’ve been hit.
As they vacuum up broken glass inside where someone smashed seven tall windows, Orems church members in Middle River also know the same vandal tried to destroy their sign outside.
“It looks as if someone took an ax, chopped into the window here and here, and when they tried to remove the ax, it pulled the window out,” said Don Schenning as he assessed the damage.
It’s not the first time vandals have struck Orems United Methodist Church. Just six weeks ago, five other windows were broken. Two months ago, the Freon lines to the air conditioning units were cut.
The church is holding an emergency meeting with its congregation Monday night, and they know they are going to have to take new steps to keep the church safe.
Suspect Keeps Beating Cop With Baton Even After Being Shot 5-6 times-Philadelphia,PA
A police officer was released from the hospital Saturday evening after being beaten with his own baton during what authorities called a “life-or-death struggle” Saturday morning that ended with a robbery suspect wounded outside a busy shopping center in West Philadelphia.
“This was an absolute battle,” said Lt. Ray Evers, a police spokesman, “and we are very lucky this officer was not killed.”
About 10:30 a.m., the officer pulled up to investigate the report of an attempted robbery outside a restaurant near the Park West Town Center at North 52d and West Jefferson Streets. The uniformed officer was alone in a marked police cruiser, Evers said. Police did not release his name.
A man pointed to the tall, heavyset suspect, saying he tried to steal his backpack. Police did not release the suspect’s identity Saturday.
When the officer approached, the suspect began striking and punching him, Evers said. The officer tried to defend himself with his expandable steel baton, Evers said, but dropped it while grappling with the suspect, who tried to pry his service weapon from its holster.
The suspect picked up the baton and began beating the officer, Evers said. During the struggle, the officer used his shoulder walkie-talkie to call for backup, witnesses said.
Emmanuel Griffin, 64, a cook at Park Side Breakfast & Lunch, described the suspect as about 6-foot-1 and 320 pounds — much larger than the police officer, he said.
The officer fired about seven shots at close range, Evers said, striking the assailant five or six times.
But the bullets barely slowed him down. Despite being shot, he kept attacking the officer, witnesses said.
“The guy went down, got back up, still strong enough to be wielding the nightstick at the cop,” Griffin said, describing bullet wounds to the suspect’s shoulder, chest, groin, and legs.
Police are investigating whether the suspect was under the influence of drugs, Evers said.
Officers responding to the distress call surrounded the suspect, still on his feet, and got him to lie down, Griffin said.
But he kept fighting.
“Police went over to handcuff him, and he jumped back up, elbowing and knocking policemen down,” Griffin said. “They jumped on him again and got him cuffed.”
The suspect, Evers said, was listed in critical condition.
Said Evers: “We escaped a tragedy today.”
Police accuse pair of stealing $20,000 in perfume, cosmetics to resell from car trunks-Hanover,MD
Prince George’s County police say they have broken a ring of professional shoplifters and seized nearly $20,000 in stolen perfume and cosmetics.
Police say the women would walk quickly and grab items from shelves so confidently that employees at a Glenarden J.C. Penney store thought they were out shopping. But they were visiting regional stores three or four times a day. Investigators say they would swipe high-end perfume and makeup and then sell the items out of their car trunks at a discount.
Police announced Friday they had arrested 19-year-old Darquesha Wilkinson and 24-year-old Latasha Mungo, both of Washington. Investigators say they are bit players in an organized ring of cosmetics thieves. They are searching for others involved.
Wilkinson told The Washington Post on Friday that the charges aren’t true.
Armored Car Robbed-Queens,NY
Police are investigating the early morning robbery of an armored car driver on Northern Boulevard in Little Neck, a spokesman for the 111th Precinct said.
The victim told police that he was exiting Little Neck’s Queens County Savings Bank Monday morning with two bags filled with $170,000 in cash.
A man ran up behind him and stole the bags before fleeing westbound on Northern Boulevard in an SUV, the victim told the precinct.
There was no struggle for the cash, the precinct’s spokesman said. No arrests have been made at this time.
School Busses Vandalized Overnight-Trussville,AL
Police and school board officials in Trussville want to know who is responsible for vandalizing several of their school buses overnight.
The tires on many of the school buses have already been re-inflated. A spokesperson with Trussville City Schools says they expect bus routes to run by this afternoon.
The vandalism happened sometime before six Friday morning. The tires on 48 Trussville city buses were deflated. Special education buses were not vandalized. Because of the damage, regular bus routes did not run this morning.
The discovery was made by employees with the transportation department. Voicemails and emails were sent to all parents and guardians who have a student in the Trussville school system. The messages informed them that routes would not run this morning. Instead, parents were asked to bring their children to school if possible.
ABC 33/40 was told the investigation is currently in the hands of the Trussville Police. Security cameras were rolling at all four schools during the time of the vandalism .
School officials do not know at this time how many students were impacted by the incident. As for the costs, ABC 33/40 was told the city did not have to purchase new tires.
Again, they expect to have the buses up and running for the after school bus route.
A spokesperson with the Trussville City Schools say more than one person is responsible for the vandalism. They suspect students from the area. Tampering with a school buses is a federal offense.
Armored Car Guard Pepper Sprayed-Robbed-Nashville,TN
Police are looking for a man who robbed an armored vehicle security guard as he delivered money to the First Tennessee Bank branch on Abbott Martin Road in Green Hills Wednesday.
The armed guard took the money to the bank’s front door and was pepper sprayed in the face by the suspect. The driver of the armored truck had stayed in the vehicle and couldn’t see the other guard around a corner.
The suspect ran to a covered parking area at the nearby Kroger and drove away in a small silver sedan with a temporary tag.
The suspect is white, about 6-foot-2 and 250 pounds who appeared to be in his 40s. He wore a red shirt, khaki shorts and a white ball cap at the time of the robbery
Students Set Off Two Prank Bombs In Highschool-Memphis,TN
Two possible suspects are in custody after two homemade chemical bombs exploded inside Craigmont High School.
Memphis Fire Department said the bombs were made out of some type of cleaning solution and aluminum foil.
Police say someone received a bomb threat on the phone. After hearing the threat, at around 11:30 a.m., staff heard a loud noise and saw smoke.
Two bombs did detonate, one of those on the second floor, and another on the third floor.
An assistant principal, who is asthmatic, was taken to the hospital for smoke inhalation and irritation as a precaution.
Memphis City Schools believe this was a prank.
“We do have two students who are being detained for questioning regarding this matter,” said Sergeant Alyssa Macon-Moore. “The two students in custody are students here at Craigmont.”
The school has been evacuated.
Craigmont High School will dismiss at 1 p.m. today, but parents are being asked to pick their children up from the Craigmont Middle School auditorium.
Three Wells Fargo Banks Closed Due to Envelopes With White Powder-New York,NY
The day of action comes after Wells Fargo closed three bank branches in New York City when they received suspicious envelopes containing white powder.
New York City Police told Reuters they were investigating six separate incidents of white powder reported at locations around Manhattan.
The Wells Fargo branches will remain closed pending further investigation by the police, bank spokesman Ancel Martinez said.
The branch locations are at Third Avenue and 47th Street; Madison Avenue and 34th Street; and Broadway and 85th Street.
Shoplifter Tried Running Down Police On Horseback-Hendersonville,TN
Hendersonville police said an officer riding a horse was assaulted by shoplifters on Saturday.
Police were called to investigate a shoplifting call at the Streets of Indian Lake.
The officer attempted to stop those involved as they made it to their vehicle, police said. The suspects attempted to strike the officer and his horse as they left the scene in a white 2005 Buick LaCross.
As the accused shoplifters fled the area, they also struck another vehicle in the area.
Police took into custody Taneisha N. Peoples, 25, of Nashville on charges of criminal conspiracy.
Warrants have been taken out for Troy D. Tyson, 21, and Aireal L. Dixon, 20, both of Nashville, who authorities believe were both involved.
Police said Tyson has history of violence towards police officers and has outstanding warrants in Williamson County and Clarksville.
Shoplifter Runs Down Giant Store Security Agent-West Bethlehem,PA
Authorities are investigating a retail theft at the Giant store in West Bethlehem where a woman allegedly backed into a store loss prevention officer who was trying to stop her from leaving.
Police say the woman took razors and tampons from the store, 2174 W. Union Blvd., at 5:44 p.m. Tuesday. Authorities say the woman left the store and was confronted by a security officer working at the Giant.
The woman took the items out of her purse, police say, and threw the packages onto the lot. She refused to stop for the security officer and walked to her vehicle.
When he stood behind her car to prevent her from leaving the lot, police say the suspect backed the vehicle up and struck the employee before he moved out of the way and she drove off. Authorities say the worker was not injured.
