Shootout in Waldorf
Gunfire erupted in the famed Waldorf-Astoria hotel during a brazen robbery attempt on Saturday at a lobby jewelry store, wounding a security guard and sending guests diving for cover. The 54-year-old guard was shot in the chest but was expected to survive. A suspect was arrested on charges including attempted murder and assault. The mayhem began when the black-garbed suspect, identified as Rafael Rabinovich-Ardans, 20, pulled out a gun in the jewelry store and used the weapon to smash two display cases full of expensive rings and necklaces, said a police official. The guard, a retired New York Police Department detective, confronted the man. About three gunshots rang out as the two wrestled and fell to the floor, though it wasn’t clear who fired.
■ UNITED STATES
Engineer booked for murder
A 47-year-old Californian engineer arrested on suspicion of fatally shooting three of his coworkers had been laid off hours earlier and returned to the office to ask for a meeting with the victims, police said. Jing Huawu was arrested Saturday, a day after the shootings at an office complex in Santa Clara, which is west of San Jose. A manhunt ended at an intersection in his home city of Mountain View, and he would be booked into jail on three counts of murder, Santa Clara Police lieutenant Mike Sellers said.
■ UNITED STATES
Dozens mourn hate victim
Dozens of mourners gathered at a Long Island church to pay respects to an Ecuadorian immigrant killed in what authorities are calling a hate crime. A viewing was held for Marcelo Lucero in Patchogue on Saturday evening, with a memorial service to follow. His body is to be flown to Ecuador for burial, Newsday reported. The 37-year-old was stabbed to death in Patchogue on Nov. 8. Prosecutors said seven teenagers attacked him because he was Hispanic. A grand jury has indicted the seven, but the charges were sealed until a New York state Supreme Court arraignment. The teens pleaded not guilty in local district court to a preliminary charge of gang assault.
■ UNITED STATES
Smoking ban repealed
After a month of fresh air, smoking is once again allowed inside Atlantic City’s 11 casinos. The City Council had passed a total smoking ban in April, but then the financial meltdown rocked the economy and led to steep declines at the casinos. The council changed its mind at the last moment and agreed to repeal the smoking ban for at least a year, but couldn’t legally stop the no-smoking rules from taking effect on Oct. 15. The ban expired a minute after midnight yesterday and gamblers can now light up again. Many gamblers and casino operators are pleased.
■ CANADA
Officials aid journalist
Officials have been working with Pakistani authorities to seek the release of a Canadian woman who was kidnapped in Pakistan earlier this week, the Foreign Affairs department said on Friday. Lisa Monette, a spokeswoman for the department, confirmed that a local woman has been abducted and said her agency is in discussions with Pakistani authorities, but refused further comment and to identify the woman, citing her own safety. The Globe & Mail and the Vancouver Sun have reported that Beverly Giesbrecht, 52, from Vancouver, British Columbia, was on a freelance reporting assignment when she was kidnapped in northern Pakistan on Tuesday.
RSS