Friday, June 6, 2008

Hit-and-Run Video Inspires Outrage

HARTFORD, Conn. -- A 78-year-old man is tossed like a rag doll by a hit-and-run driver and lies motionless on a busy city street as car after car goes by. Pedestrians gawk but appear to do nothing. One driver stops briefly but then pulls back into traffic. A man on a scooter slowly circles the victim before zipping away.

The chilling scene -- captured on video by a streetlight surveillance camera -- has touched off a round of soul-searching in Hartford, with the capital city's biggest newspaper blaring "SO INHUMANE" on the front page and the police chief lamenting that "we no longer have a moral compass."

"We have no regard for each other," said Chief Daryl K. Roberts, who released the video Wednesday in hopes of making an arrest in the accident that left Angel Arce Torres in critical condition.

But Roberts and other city officials backtracked on Thursday. After initially saying he was unsure whether anyone called 911, he and other city officials appeared at a news conference in which they said that four people dialed 911 within a minute of the accident, and that Torres received medical attention shortly after that.

Roberts said his initial angry reaction was based on what he saw in the video. "The video was very graphic and sent a very bad message," the police chief said.

The hit-and-run took place in daylight last Friday at about 5:45 p.m. in a working-class neighborhood close to downtown in this city of 125,000.

In the video, Torres, a retired forklift operator, walks in the two-way street just blocks from the state Capitol after buying milk at a grocery store. A beige Toyota and a dark Honda that is apparently chasing it veer across the center line, and Torres is struck by the Honda. Both cars then dart down a side street.

Nine cars pass Torres as a few people stare from the sidewalk. Some approach Torres, but most stay put until police responding to an unrelated call arrive on the scene after about 90 seconds.

Tornadoes Lash the Great Plains

WICHITA, Kan.-- Tornadoes dropped onto the Great Plains after warnings by forecasters, causing damage and spooking a pair of circus elephants in Kansas that escaped their enclosure around the town of WaKeeney before being captured. At least four tornadoes touched down in western and central Kansas, where residents braced for what National Weather Service forecasters called a potentially historic outbreak. Tornadoes were also reported in Nebraska and Missouri, and a funnel cloud was seen in Colorado.

In N.Y., Climbs of the Times

NEW YORK -- A Manhattan skyscraper that is home to the New York Times became the site of twin daredevil stunts, with two men scaling the 52-story tower within a matter of hours. The first, French skyscraper climber Alain Robert, unfurled a banner as he ascended that read: "Global warming kills more people than a 9/11 every week." He was arrested at the top. Hours later, Renaldo Clarke of Brooklyn climbed the building and was also taken into custody at the top.

Teacher Who Made Threats Quits

JONESBORO, Ga. -- A high school science teacher has resigned after he allegedly threatened to rip out a student's eyeballs and kill a student's family. Travis Heckstall was arrested after an incident inside his Mount Zion High School classroom. The 34-year-old, who also allegedly threw a chair during the incident, resigned on the last day of school. He told police he was threatened and made the statements to try to maintain control of his classroom.

-- From News Services