| 2007 Breaking Security News January - June 2007 |
JANUARY 2007 Punta Gorda FL. A loss prevention agent at the Sweetbay Supermarket caught a bigger fish than he realized on Dec 30 when he apprehended 36yr old Joseph George Leptian. Police ran the suspect for warrants and found him to be wanted in Camden N.J. for the murder of his 63 year old mother. Ft. Worth TX. A security guard who resigned after being accussed of theft at the Texas Speedway has been arrested for stealing a valueable race suit worn by Dale Earnhart Sr. 44 year old James John Karl was booked after he admitted the theft. Rochester NY. 34 year old Andre Johnson, a school security officer for the city has been arrested and charged with sodemy and criminal sexual abuse for raping a minor male several times at his house and other locations. Louisville KY. An off duty Metro-Louisville police officer working security at a department store was assaulted Jan 6 during a shoplifting arrest and the suspects fled and led police on a chase that ended when they crashed into a vehicle killing an 11 year old passengar. Police have charged the driver with murder and various other charges. NYC. 720 security officers are a little happier and have a few more dollars thanks to an audit by the city of New York. It seems that these officers, all who were assigned to the various Human Resource Agency offices in the five burroughs were short changed more than $1.50 per hour by their employer, JC Mandel Security Company who has a 52 million dollar contract with the city to protect these offices. Most current and previous employees will see checks for $1000, -$2500.00 as the security company is forced to pay more than $720,000 to these officers. Memphis TN. An un-named security officer working nightclub security tried escorting a disorderly suspect out of the club Sat Jan 6th when the suspect pulled a knife and tried stabbing the officer. The officer was able to pull his firearm and shot and killed the suspect. The S/O was no injured in the attack. Birmingham AL. Police are on a manhunt for a suspect who shot and killed a housing authority security officer who was on patrol Thursday, January 11th at 6: 55am. Police have not released the officers name and are chasing down leads. Farmington CT. Two bored men waiting for their girlfriends who were shopping at a local mall decided to climb up on the stores roofs with a pellet gun and pretended to be snipers. Mall officers were able to take both in custody and charged them with various offenses. Atlanta GA. Private mall officers attempting to stop two robbery suspects at the Dekalb Mall were assaulted and the suspects shot an off-duty police officer who saw the assault and tried to assist the mall officers. The police officer was listed in good condition. Pascagoula MS. Private Officer George Stevenson chased burglary suspect Steven Anthony McCuller from the scene at an apartment complex into a school. When police arrived they arrested Stevenson for felony trespassing and carrying a gun onto school property. McCuller was also arrested for trespassing and carrying a knife. P/O Stevenson had a weapons permit and was licensed as a security officer but the school principal insisted on his arrest. Dallas TX. An 83 yr old woman has been accussed of stealing diamonds at several area malls after being apprehended by mall security officers. Police say that they are investigating the circumstances of the crimes. Virginia Beach VA. Police arrested a school security officer on Friday Jan 26th for sodomy involving a student at the school and are continuing their investigation. FEBRUARY 2007 Hilton Head SC SGT. Vanessa Green was voted the 2006 Officer of the Year by the Security Directors of South Carolina. Green is employed by the Hilton Head Plantation Pubic Safety Department. Palm Desert CA. A man who was causing a disturbance at a Walmart store was arrested on 38 outstanding warrants after security officers contacted the police for assistance. The suspect, Pinio Salazar was wanted for DUI, weapons and assault, trespassing and various other charges. Tulsa OKLA. A shoplifter at Walmart, Floyd Watson ,died of unknown causes after he was wrestled to the ground and handcuffed by loss prevention agents after he struggled with them in the store. The suspect, who had a felony record for similiar charges, will undergo a complete autopsy as police continue their investigation. FLA. Two security officers, William Swofford, 27, and Bryan Ansley, 29, were both found not guilty of murder in the shooting of Tarvares McGill in July 2005. The suspect had been driving erractically in an apartment complex, struck a pedestrian causing serious injury and headed toward the security officers as if to run them over. The officers opened fire on the suspect killing him. Louisville KY. A Shively KY. police officer, Curtis Gordon Jr. who owns the CSI Security Agency has been arrested for multiple counts of theft by deception and fraud after he contracted with the Metro Housing Authority to provide sworn police officers at the apartment complexes and instead provided non- police personnel and billed the higher hourly rate as if police officers were working the hours. He has been suspended and the Metro Louisville Police chief has ordered his officers not to work for CSI. N. Hollywood, CA. Two would be robbers of a liquor store who were both armed got into a gun battle with a uniformed armed S/O who was working security at the store. A 19 and a 16 year old were both shot by the officer and rushed to an area hospital. The officer was not hurt in the shoot out. Richmond VA. Police arrested three security officers after responding to a shooting at a local club. William A. Hunter, 42, was charged with being a felon in possesion of a firearm and discharging a firearm inside a dwelling. Kevin Henderson,39 and Thomas connor, 35, were both charged with carrying a concealed weapon without a permit. Police say that some type of altercation occurred and that Hunter opened fire inside the nightclub. Stockton, CAL. Four juviniles have been arrested for trying to burn two private officers who they lured into a fiery trap. Police say that the Securitas Security officers were on patrol in a neighborhood when they were called to a disturbance at the end of a street. Once there, the juviniles who were hiding nearby, lit gasoline on fire that had been previously placed on the ground entrapping the two officers. The four have been charged with serious felonies and the S/O's escaped unharmed. Atlanta GA. Marta, the metroplitan transit system which employs 300 of their own fully sworn police officers were sued after a woman was kidnapped from a MARTA train station parking lot and then raped. The trial concluded on Wednesday, Feb 7,th and the system was found guilty of serious security violations and the jury now is considering the size of the monetary award. Atlantic City, NJ Casino security supervisor Charles Baldwin became an instant hero after he delivered a baby on the casino floor. Baldwin said that the patron was eight months pregnant and her water broke and there was no time to transport her to a hospital. The mother of the newborn child said he was fantastic and a real hero! Tampa, FLA. Fourty nine year old Jason S. Elliot walked into an office building with a bag full of gasoline and threatened to burn the place down. Police and fire units responded but while the building was being surrounded and police operations were being put together, a private security walked out of the building with the suspect in tow. Because of the quick action of the private officer, no fire occurred and there was no injuries to anyone. San Antonio TX. A security officer shot and killed a patron of a strip club after he confronted the man for urinating near the front door. The man, dropped a gun from his waistband and as he picked it up, the private officer fired his weapon fearing for his life. The shooting is under investigation by city police. St. Lake City, Utah, An 18 yr old man entered the busy mall and shot and killed five shoppers and injured four others before police shot and killed him. Security officers closed down the mall along with police while police investigated. Decatur, GA. A male opened fire at an Atlanta suburb mall killing one and injuring another. Police are investigating the circumstances surrounding this shooting. Three weeks ago, an off-duty police officer was shot after giving chase of two robbery suspects at the same Dekalb County mall. Fresno, CAL. An off duty security officer who drove recklessly and led police on a high speed chase during a Mardi Gras parade was shot and killed by officers after he injured 3 police officers and a bystander. The security officer identifed as 22 year old Joel Perales had several loaded weapons in his car and refused to stop for police. Baltimore MD. The death of a security officer who police over a year ago believed was murder has been solved and a suspect arrested. 63 year old Mary Page who worked at the Walters Art Museum for 16 years and never missed a day of work nor was ever late was murdered and raped by her own daughter police say. Carolyn Redd has been charged with murder, rape and robbery after police determined that the murder was motivated by the daughters own financial problems. Redd is being held in the county jail on a million dollar bond. Dallas, TX. A private officer on patrol of a shopping center on South Lancaster Rd came to the rescue of a man who had just been shot and had to shoot the suspect in the leg to disarm him. The suspect was arrested and the victim was reportedly in good condition. The private officer stopped a homicide in all likelyhood a police officer said. Shreveport, LA. Two suspects robbed two banks in a matter of minutes and a hospital security officer is credited with capturing one of the bank robbers. Police say that the suspects abandoned their vehicle and one of the suspects was immediately arrested by the S/O. Police soon captured the second suspect. The suspects were identified as Christopher douglas, 25 and Cordenal Williams, 19. Baltimore, MD. A bank robber held up a local Wachovia Bank and found himself in a shoot-out with a bank security officer who was an off-duty police officer. The suspect survived his wounds and faces federal bank robbery charges. The name of the officer has not been released. Ormond Beach, FLA. an 81 year old security officer rescued a woman from a chilly pond at a research company after she stepped on the accelerator instead of the brake as she was parking her car. Kalpana Patel, 48 was sinking in her car when the security officer jumped into the pond and pulled her out through the window and to safety. Frank Chappel said he was notified by another employee of the crash and he didn't hesitate to jump into the pond. He said that he walks, bicycles, and works out regularly to stay in shape. The managers of Tanner Research Labatories said they treated Chappel to a steak dinner after he dried off and changed clothes. MARCH 2007 FLA. 20 yr Blaine Barber pled guilty to shooting and robbing Florida Tech security officer Royce McCain, 63 during a night in 2004. Barber admitted that he and others were looking for someone to rob and rode through the campus and spotted the security officer and quickly overtook him and then killed him. Colorado Springs CO. A private officer working at a juvinile facility has been arrested for sexually assaulting a minor and other charges.Erin Hutchinson, 31 is currently being held on bond. APRIL 2007 Atlanta GA. CNN Security Officer Called Hero! A ten year veteran of the CNN security force in downtown Atlanta Georgia is being called a hero after he shot and killed a suspect who gunned down his girlfriend in the atrium area of the complex during a busy afternoon. Odell Adams was working in the CNN headquarters when he heard shots and ran to the area and observed a suspect, Arthur Mann standing over the body of a woman that he had just shot and holding a gun. Adams was forced to shoot the suspect who later died at a local hospital. Officer Adams quick response and professional assesment of the incident probably saved many other lives R.A. McCann, president of PrivateOfficer.com said. Hamilton, Oh. A private security officer working for Duke Energy reported to police that he observed a man jumping off a bridge into a river and an all out search was launched including a rescue helicopter. Four hours into the search, security officer Gregory Meyers admitted that he had made up the story and was immediately arrested for falsly reporting an incident. Blackburg VA. 32 persons on the campus of Virginia Tech was shot and killed by a student who then turned the gun on himself and left many unanswered questions. Campus police officers, EMS and police from numerous area agencies responded to the campus shooting. Cincinnati OH, Two officers working security at the mall have been arrested and accussed of stealing numerous dvds. Deputy sheriff John H Miller 36 and security officer Adam Taylor, an employee of Valor Security was booked on felony theft charges. Sacramento CA. A security officer working at an apartment complex was forced to fire his weapon and kill the driver of a fast moving vehicle. Police are not sure why the driver sped up and headed toward the S.?O but say at this time it looks like a justifable shooting. Reno NV. Police have arrested an on duty patrol security officer after they responded to a suspicous persons call. Patricia Rose Medel was charged with burglary, larceny and carrying a concealed weapon after police found her inside a business where she had parked her patrol truck in the rear. Albuquerque NM. City police arrested Phillip Tomlin, 24 after they discovered that he had a plan to storm the convention center and kill a security officer who had ejected him from the property. MAY 2007 Hialeah Gardens, FLA. An armored car officer was robbed of nearly 2 million dollars on Thurs 5/3/07 and the robbers attempted to kidnap him but he broke loose and fired several shots as they sped away. Police say 1.8 million dollars was in a pick up bag that was ripped from the guards hand. San Diego, CA. A private security officer sitting in his car outside the Lucky Lady casino opened fire on a suspect who reached into the guards vehicle and tried stealing a PlayStation. The security officer fired numerous shots at the suspect as he jumped into a waiting car. Police are investigating and possible charges against the guard could be filed. Baltimore, MD. An off-duty city police officer working security at Club Mate shot and killed a suspect who pulled a handgun on another security officer. Police say that the suspect had been involved in an altercation with officers just minutes before.Quinton Q. Monroe 23 was killed. Orlando, FL. Six subjects entered the Inight Financial Credit Union and disarmed it's security officer before robbing it. Police have arrested two of the six suspects and are tracking down the other four bad guys.The security officer was not injured in the robbery. Chicago, IL. A shoot out during mid day at the Illinois Service Federal Savings and Loan has left one person dead and a private officer wounded. Police say that three armed suspects entered the bank and disarmed a security officer and took over the bank and began to fire. Another security officer returned fire and prevented other employees and customers from being shot or killed. P/O Earl Coleman, 53 survived his gunshot and said that he was deeply saddened about the death of a 73 year old customer who also was shot by one of the robbers. White Plains NY. 39 year old Edgard Justiniano was covicted of severly injuring a mall security officer who was attempting to arrest him for shoplifting two pairs of jeans. The officer was stabbed multiple times but recovered from his injuries. After a plea deal, Justiniano will serve eight and a half years for robbery and assault. JUNE 2007 Columbia, S.C. A man who hijacked an armored truck and shot the guard twenty times has been sentenced to death. Calvin alphonso Shuler, 44 is accussed of killing security officer James "JB" Brooks in the robbery attempt in December of 1997. Miami, FL. A Wendy's restaurant manager was shot while arguing with a customer over barbecue sauce while a security officer assigned to the store to protect it was sleeping in his vehicle. The manager had interveened when a customer insisted on 10-20 packets of sauce and was told that it was against store policy. The guard woke up after hearing the gunshots and the manager was transported to a local hospital where he is recovering. Cleveland, OH, A disturbance at a local library sends three juviniles to jail and injures a security officer police said Friday. An off-duty officer driving by spotted at least ten juviniles surrounding the security officer and stopped to assist the S/O. Two juviniles punched the S/O in the face while several others began to assult the off-duty police officer. the juviniles have been charged with assault, resisting arrest, disorderly conduct and rioting. Colorado Springs, CO. A 30 yr year old woman who was working as a security guard faces several serious charges after her children were found wandering in the neighborhood in search of food. Police say that they were called after several people found an 8 year old and a 4 year old out in the area alone and asking for food. Lisa Williford faces charges of child abuse and was free on bond Sunday. Her children, ages 8,4,3, 2 and 15 mths were put into state custody while authorities investigate further. San Francisco, CA. Police say that an off-duty homeland security officer came to the aid of a police officer who was trying to arrest a suspect who had stabbed a store manager during an argument. The officer was hit by a car and pinned under it while attempting to capture the assault suspect and the security officer continued the pursuit and finally shot the suspect once in the chest. The police officer is in the hospital with non-life threatening inuries while the assault suspect is listed in critical condition. Birmingham, AL. At Hayes High School last night at around 3a.m. someone set off the alarm system and two armed school security officers were dispatched to investigate. On arrival one of the security officers observed a suspect climbing out of a window and confronted the man at gun point. While handcuffing the suspect who has been identified as Alfonzo Turner, 24, he broke loose and began to struggle and both the suspect and the officer landed on the ground. According to the police report, it was at this point that the officers gun discharged striking Turner who underwent surgery at Univeristy Hospital and later died. The security officer has been placed on paid administrative leave while the shooting is under investigation which is routine for all situations like this. The officer is not employed by the Birmingham Police but is an employee of the City of Birmingham School Security Division. Memphis TN. A baby was left unattended inside a hot car late Tuesday afternoon at a Kroger grocery store on Kirby. According to police, a security guard saw the three month old baby inside the car and was able to get it out. The guard went inside the store, called the police, and paged family members. A Memphis Fire Department official said authorities had not yet determined how long the baby was left inside the car before it was found. The baby was taken to Methodist LeBonheur hospital in Germantown in non-critical condition. Authorities have not yet said whether the baby is a boy or a girl. GUARD TIED UP/ THIEVES STEAL ATM ATLANTA, GA. June 8th, 2007 Thieves are making the rounds once again in the metro Atlanta area tearing ATM's out of the walls or whatever they are attatched to. Last night they used construction bulldozers stolen from a near-by construction site to pull one out of a wall at a gas station. Friday's theft was also the second of an ATM in metro Atlanta in as many days. Early Thursday, gunmen tied up a security guard at the Herndon Plaza office building in downtown Atlanta before taking a free-standing cash machine from the lobby. The machine was found outside the building. Last December, metro police departments reported at least four ATM thefts in which the suspects used stolen construction equipment or other vehicles to crash through the front doors of Walgreens stores. That rash of thefts ended when Walgreens officials began removing cash from the machines at night. SECURITY GUARD GETS PRISON IN STABBING OF MAN White Plains June 8th, 2007 – A 48-year-old Yonkers man was sentenced in Westchester County Court on Friday to one to three years in prison on his conviction to manslaughter in the second degree, assault in the second degree and criminal possession of a weapon. Lloyd Henry of the Bronx was a security guard at a Yonkers apartment building when he stabbed a man in the chest and abdominal area when the victim, William Coleman, refused to leave the building. The incident occurred in the early morning of April 7, 2006 when Henry worked as a security guard at the Cromwell Towers Housing Complex at 77 Locust Hill Avenue. He had approached a group of individuals who had attended a party in the building as they congregated in a stairwell, making noise and drinking and asked them to leave. The men were escorted from the building but attempted to return. A fight ensured in the lobby at which time Henry pulled out a knife and stabbed the victim. When police got there moments later, they rushed Coleman to the hospital where he died a few hours later. GUARD SHOOTS COP IN DEFENSE Minneapolis, MN. June 9th, 2007 The man who shot and wounded an undercover Robbinsdale police officer is now out of jail, and may not be charged with any crimes.Martin Treptow walked out of the Anoka County Jail Friday afternoon, and told reporters he shot the officer because he feared for his family's safety. Treptow says he got into a dispute on the road with a man who turned out to be the undercover officer. He says he did not know the man was a cop."We're about three feet away from each other and he's pointing the gun at my wife," Treptow said. "I had to defend my family."Treptow, who used to work as a security guard and has a permit to carry a gun, pulled his own weapon and fired.Treptow, his wife and two children, then drove to a nearby convenience store and called police.Police say some witnesses back up parts of Treptow's story, but the officer says it was Treptow who pulled his gun first.Coon Rapids Deputy Police Chief Timothy Snell says both drivers could have brought the situation to a better conclusion. "I think there were points in this incident when either side could have backed off," he said.Treptow is now free, can resume carrying a gun, and can travel anywhere he likes.Prosecutors say it may take weeks to finish the investigation.The officer could not be reached for comment. Authorities declined to provide his name on Thursday, because he works undercover and has several cases pending. MALL GUARDS ARRESTED FOR THEFTS AT MALL ST PAUL, MN. JUNE 8TH, 2007 They were hired to protect the merchandise at the sprawling Rosedale Center. Now four security guards stand accused of pilfering thousands of dollars of merchandise from the mall's stores. Roseville police arrested the guards on Wednesday while investigating a rash of burglaries within the mall the past few weeks. The guards, who were employed by IPC International and working under contract for the mall, are believed to have burglarized stores in the mall after completing their security shifts, Roseville police said in a prepared statement. Obviously, we're deeply concerned and upset about the situation," said Rollin Hunsicker, mall vice president and general manager. "There's nothing much more troubling than when those entrusted to provide security choose to provide harm. Police and mall officials had investigated the burglaries for about three weeks before the arrests. Serving search warrants in Roseville and Minneapolis, investigators recovered more than $20,000 in merchandise stolen from about a dozen stores at the shopping center, according to Roseville police. The searches turned up items from Williams Sonoma, Abercrombie & Fitch, Caribou Coffee, Air Traffic, Zumiez, Verizon, Foot Locker, Rosetta Stone, World Poker Store, Bath and Body Works and Things Remembered. The four have since been released and face numerous felony charges TEENS BEAT GUARD SEVERELY PALM SPRINGS, CA. JUNE 11 ,2007 Four teenage boys were arrested in Palms Springs on Sunday for allegedly beating a 66-year-old Bowers security guard unconscious and robbing him, authorities said. The teenage boys -- aged 17 to 18 -- allegedly confronted the victim -- a former Marine -- early Saturday as he patrolled a construction site near the intersection of Rosa Parks Street and El Dorado Boulevard -- near a Valero gas station, Palm Springs police Lt. John Booth said. Booth said the teenagers allegedly struck the security guard repeatedly with blunt objects and dragged him from his car until he was unconscious. The suspects then robbed the victim and left the scene in an older model Ford Explorer. Officers found the victim unconscious and badly injured. He was transported to Desert Regional Medical Center in critical condition and put in the hospital's Intensive Care Unit, Booth said. Detectives located the suspects' vehicle, and the suspects were arrested soon after, Booth said. All four teenage suspects were charged with robbery and attempted murder, he said. The Palm Springs police will hold a press conference on Monday at the station. Police Chief Gary Jeandron will give an update on the victim's condition as well as other developments. CAMPUS POLICE FIRE SHOTS MICHIGAN-JUNE 12, 2007 Campus police officers chased several suspects and shots were fired during a burglary. No one was hurt, and two suspects are facing several felony charges, including assault with intent to do great bodily harm less than murder. Dexter Marnell Scott, 22, and Cora Lee Hawkins, 22, were arraigned by Magistrate Sandra Straus in Isabella County Trial Court Monday afternoon for allegedly breaking into the Microchips computer store, and resisting and obstructing police. Scott, who is alleged to have attempted to run over one of two CMU officers responding to an alarm at the store at about 3:15 a.m., is charged with breaking and entering with intent, a 10-year felony; assault with intent, a 10-year felony; assault with a dangerous weapon, a four-year felony; and two counts of resisting and obstructing police, a two-year felony. Scott, who is listed online as a senior at CMU, posted 10 percent of a $10,000 bond and was released from the Isabella County Jail Monday afternoon. Hawkins, a former CMU student who was kicked out of school in 2005 after being held in contempt of court during the grand jury investigation into the beating death of Demarcus Graham, was charged with breaking and entering with intent to commit larceny, a 10-year felony; and two counts of resisting and obstructing police. Hawkins, who told Straus that she is attending Mid- Michigan Community College, posted 10 percent of a $6,000 bond and was released, according to jail records. Hawkins, who also faced perjury charges in connection with the grand jury investigation, pleaded guilty to contempt of court Aug. 16 in exchange for dismissal of the perjury charge, Isabella County Prosecutor Larry Burdick said. She was sentenced to 30 days in jail and was released Sept. 19, Burdick said. Although the university declined to name the officer who fired the shot, CMU Police Chief Stan Dinius said Sgt. Christopher Pryor and Officer Tom Smoker responded to the alarm at the UC. Pryor and Smoker allegedly saw Scott fleeing the building, and chased him to the parking lot between Powers and Ronan halls, CMU spokesman Steve Smith said. Once there, Scott allegedly got into a car -- where police said Hawkins awaited, Smith said. One of the two officers fired his SIG Sauer handgun after Scott allegedly ignored orders to stop and instead started the car and drove at them, Dinius said. CMU officials said the officer fired the shot in self-defense. Scott and Hawkins allegedly continued to flee in the vehicle but were stopped at about 3:20 a.m. Monday by Isabella County Sheriff's Deputy Mark Mogg on East River Road near South Crawford Road in Union Township, according to police. Investigators on Monday served search warrants on the car and were in the process of determining whether items found in the vehicle were taken from the store, the chief said. Some items were missing from the store, Dinius said. Lot 6 -- the parking area between Ronan and Powers -- was closed Monday while officers were investigating the incident, according to CMU. PALM SPRINGS, CA. JUNE 13 2007- Local police confirmed today that four suspects, two adults and two juviniles are in custody in connection with the severe beating and robbery over the week- end of security officer Wallace Brown while he was on duty at a construction site. The four approached the guard with the intent of robbing him police say and then plumeted him with rocks, fists, and feet and possibly other weapons. Brown is currently on life-support at the Desert Regional Medical Center. Jamar Thomas, 18, Darius Lee, 18 and two others are said to be part of the area crip gang and are facing serious felony charges which will be upgraded to murder or possible capital murder should Mr. Brown pass away from his injuries. PrivateOfficer.com will continue to follow this story for further developements. MAN SHOT BY GUARD AWARDED $52.4 MILLION CANTON OHIO JUNE 13 2007 Not responding to the lawsuit of a man paralyzed by one of its security guards will cost a Willoughby-based security company $52.4 million. A Stark County judge issued the whopper judgment today in the case of Joshua Doepker. Willo Security employee Kevin Johnson shot Doepker, 26, at Skyline Terrace apartments on Oct. 27. Police said Doepker was shot once in the neck as he sat in the driver’s seat of his pickup truck. The wound rendered Doepker a quadriplegic. He is dependent on a feeding tube and ventilator. A message seeking comment was left with Willo, which offers security services in Northeast Ohio and Columbus. The company no longer provides security at the low-income housing complex. OFF-DUTY SECURITY OFFICER HELPS NAB ROBBER Kissimmee, FL. June 16, 2007 Coy Dotson, an off-duty security officer had pulled into the 7-Eleven to get some gas when he witnessed a robbery in progess. He said that he noticed a man running and heard shots fired and watched as a man fled out of the store and jumped into a nearby pick-up truck. Dotson, along with the store clerk then chased the suspect onto Interstate 4 and notified police. Deputies entered the chase and boxed the suspect in on US Highway 192 where a stand off then caused near- by hotels to be evacuated after the suspect shot a deputy sheriff. The SWAT team finally ended the three hour stand off after shooting the suspect. Dotson told reporters that he was just in the right place at the right time and didn't think twice about giving chase. It just felt right he said. SECURITY GUARDS RESCUE KITTEN SAN ANTONIO JUNE 17, 2007 The calico kitten was riddled with fleas and so scrawny you could see its backbone.Yet the animal was in far better shape Thursday morning than it had been several hours earlier, when two off-duty security guards on a secluded South Side road saw a man and a woman tying the creature to some railroad tracks with a shoelace, a police report said.The couple got away, but the kitten, christened Tracks, got a temporary home with one of its rescuers. We're trying to make it fat," said John Hernandez, 22, feeding the skeletal weeks-old feline a second can of beef and gravy.Police are investigating the case as one of deadly conduct because Hernandez and the other guard, Jacob Salinas, said the man pointed a gun at them.The city also could assign an animal cruelty officer to the case. The strange case comes on the heels of tougher animal-cruelty laws passed this year by Texas lawmakers.House Bill 2328 would allow pet owners to be punished for seriously injuring their animals and extends protection to stray dogs and cats, defining cruelty as something that "causes or permits unjustified or unwarranted pain or suffering."Cruising near the intersection of Shane and Villamain about 3 a.m., Hernandez and Salinas noticed a young man and woman standing over the Union Pacific railroad tracks, a police report said. The friends felt something was wrong and doubled back and noticed a kitten in the woman's hand. They knew we were watching them," Hernandez said.So Hernandez switched off his headlights and parked nearby. "It was disgusting, really, seeing someone tie a kitten to the tracks," Salinas said, "just for the joy of seeing it get run over."The couple got into a green Saturn and pulled away. Hernandez drove closer and killed his engine. Silence. Then the high-pitched cry of the kitten. It was upside-down, its back legs bound to the tracks, he said. Hernandez and Salinas untied the creature, got back in the pickup and called police. They caught up to the Saturn and recorded the license plate number but backed off when the man stopped the car, retrieved a gun from the trunk and pointed it at them, Hernan VIRTUAL MEMORIAL ANNOUNCED ATLANTA GEORGIA……..JUNE 17TH, 2007 A virtual on line memorial was announced today in Atlanta Georgia, home of the PrivateOfficer.com and the National Private Officers Association. Richard McCann, CEO said today that the NAPPO is planning on building an actual brick and mortar security guard museum and a memorial honoring the many private security officers who are killed in the line of duty each year. Despite the low wages, the inadequate training and the public opinion of security personnel, each officer risk their lives everyday in the performance of their duties no different than a law enforcement officer. The public isn’t aware of this and for the most part the death of a security officer goes unnoticed by the media McCann said. In fact, we have sixty to ninety security officers killed every year in the performance of their job and in many cases the deaths are brutual attacks on the guard who is just doing his job, trying to fulfill his obligations to his client and employer. The virtual memorial will be hosted at http://www.privateofficer.com/ and will list the names of all security officers killed in the line of duty since NAPPO started keeping records in 2004. OFF-DUTY GUARD ROBBED LORAIN OHIO JUNE 21 2007 After a long hard day as an armored car guard Todd Schill 45 of Lorain usually stops off at his favorite pizza shop for a slice of pizza before heading home. But over the week end when he did just that he found himself held at gunpoint, handcuffed and he was threatened to be killed by the robber who thought that he was a police officer since he was still in uniform. Schill said that he started to pull his own weapon but the robber quickly put the gun to his head. Schill was unhurt and the robber got away but police do have video of the robbery and get-away and hopefully will be able to put this guy behind bars fast. SECURITY OFFICER ARRESTED FOR SHOOTING AT PARTNER WASHINGTON - JUNE 22 2007 A contract security guard at Walter Reed Army Medical Center fired at another guard Wednesday during an argument outside the main entrance to the complex, District of Columbia police said. No one was injured. The argument began about 8:45 a.m., and shortly afterward one of the guards pulled out his gun and fired at least 10 shots, police Cmdr. Hilton Burton said. No one was hit by the gunfire, but bullets did hit least two cars across the street, he said. "This was rush hour on a busy thoroughfare. There were cars and pedestrians in the line of fire," Burton said. A Walter Reed surveillance video of the shooting shows two civilians ducking to avoid the gunfire, Burton said. Police were still reviewing the video Wednesday, and there were no immediate plans to release it. The target of the gunshots, whose name was not released, ran to a nearby house and called police. The other guard, Dwan Thigpen, 34, of Fort Washington, Md., was arrested and charged with assault with intent to murder. He had not appeared in court by Wednesday afternoon, Burton said. The guards worked for Vance Federal Security Services, said Joe Gavaghan, a spokesman for the company, which contracts with Walter Reed. Vance is "cooperating with authorities investigating this incident," said Gavaghan, adding that the company could not provide additional details. MAN CHASED BY SECURITY DROWNS SEATTLE WA. JUNE 22 2007 8:00PM…….. Police and fire- rescue personnel spent Friday night searching the Spokane River for a man that security officers were chasing prior to him jumping into the river. Security personnel chased the man they say was half naked through the Riverfront Park before he went into the river. Police are not sure what prompted the man to run around half naked or if he was under the influence of alcohol or narcotics. Rescue workers called off their search early Saturday morning saying that at this point they are considering this a body recovery and no longer a search and rescue. A passer-by took several pictures of the person in the water but as of yet he has not been identified yet. MAN EXECUTED FOR KILLING GUARD Columbia, S.C. A man who killed an armored car guard 10 years ago was executed Friday night by lethal injection. Calvin Alphonso Shuler, 40, was declared dead at 6:17 p.m. He made no final statement. Shuler was armed with a handgun and assault rifle when he ordered two guards out of an armored van that was stopped outside a Harleyville bank in 1997. Shuler, a former co-worker of the guards, exchanged gunfire with the men before driving off in the van with James “J.B.” Brooks, the third guard who was locked in the back.Brooks, 77, and Shuler also exchanged gunfire. Shuler was wounded in the neck before he got into another vehicle and fled. Authorities later found Brooks’ body in the van, which was abandoned along a dirt road several miles from the bank. Just after 6 p.m., prison officials pulled back a burgundy curtain, revealing the glass-encased death chamber to the 10 witnesses. Shuler, clad in a bright green jumpsuit, had already been strapped to a gurney, tubing connecting one of his outstretched arms to the lethal chemicals kept behind a brick wall. Shuler turned his head toward the glass, locking eyes with a man Corrections Department officials identify only as Shuler’s spiritual adviser. Shuler never moved his gaze from the man, seated in the second row of the small brick witness room behind three members of Brooks’ family. The adviser began nodding his head, saying “Amen, amen, my brother,” to Shuler, then hummed softly as the execution was carried out. About two minutes after the chemicals began flowing into his veins, Shuler took several audible breaths through his mouth before becoming still. His eyelids slid to halfway closed and his chest stopped moving up and down. A doctor entered the room several minutes later, using a stethoscope to check for a heartbeat before nodding to Corrections officials, who said at 6:17 p.m. that Shuler had been executed. Corrections Department officials said earlier Friday that Shuler was served a last meal of a T-bone steak, well done with A-1 steak sauce, baked potato, french fries, grape drink and chocolate cake. He met with the spiritual adviser throughout the day Friday. His attorney Francis Cornely also was on Shuler’s witness list, but no family members. Three members of the Brooks’ family watched Shuler die. They were not identified by prison officials and chose not to speak with reporters. Three members of the media and two law enforcement representatives also witnessed the execution. Shuler’s request for clemency was denied by Gov. Mark Sanford on Friday. Shuler’s attorneys argued to the South Carolina Supreme Court that lethal injection was cruel and unusual punishment, but the high court on Wednesday rejected the request to stop the execution, according to Lisa Kimbrough, a Columbia attorney who has worked on Shuler’s case. It was South Carolina’s first execution of 2007 and the 37th since reinstatement of the death penalty in 1977. SECURITY OFFICER KILLS TRESPASSER NASHVILLE TN -JUNE 25 2007- A fight at a North Nashville truck stop early Sunday morning leaves one man dead and another injured. Police say a man and woman inside a parked car were approached by a security guard at the Pilot truck stop on West Trinity Lane around 2:30 a.m. Sunday. They were suspected of trespassing, and refused to leave the parking lot. A verbal argument between the man in the car and the security guard then turned into a physical fight once the man got enraged and got out of his car to attack the guard. Officers say the fight lasted awhile, and the security guard shot the man in the chest. He later died at Skyline Medical Center. The security guard is hospitalized at Baptist. Police are now talking to him and the woman that was in the car, to figure out the details of the incident. SUSPECT CAUGHT IN GUARDS RAPE AFTER 20YEARS BALTIMORE, MD JUNE 29 2007 Twenty years after a Maryland Cup Corporation security guard was attacked and raped, Baltimore county police have made an arrest in the case. As Richard Sher reports, after reexamining the victim's clothing two years ago, semen samples were taken from her clothing and entered into a national DNA data base. Then this past Tuesday, there was a hit, and the suspect, 47-year-old Stephen Lawrence Sellman, was identified. Baltimore County Police Corporal Mike Hill told WJZ's Sher, "Sellman was arrested in the Edmondson Village area of Baltimore City, Wednesday night." When the attack took place on October 8, 1987, the victim was 38-years-old. The report stated the victim was approached at her security booth by an unknown male who told her he was waiting for someone to pick him up. When she turned away from him, he entered the booth and held a screwdriver to her throat and forced her to perform sexual acts, then raped her. The victim was transported to GBMC Hospital and was later released. An extensive search for the suspect at the time did not identify or locate him. Detectives continued their investigation through the years, and this week detectives were notified by the Maryland State Police Forensic Services Division that a CODIS match had been made identifying Sellman as the DNA match. Maryland State Police spokesman Greg Shipley said, "If you think you've gotten away with a crime, better think again. DNA testing is helping us solve cases and people are being caught and arrested to put in prison to pay for their crimes." Sellman was charged with first-degree rape, two counts of first-degree sex offense, and two counts of perverted practice. He was taken before a court commissioner early Thursday morning where he was denied bail and taken to the Baltimore County Detention Center. He then had a bail review Thursday afternoon. MALL GUARD ARRESTED IN SEXUAL ASSAULT MIAMI-DADE, Fla. JUNE 29 2007 -- Police have arrested a security guard at the Dillard's Department store at Miami International Mall for sexually assaulting a customer after she refused his demands for sexual favors following his accusations that she had been shoplifting. The Miami-Dade Police Department's Sexual Crimes Bureau charged Angel Vanegas, 27, with sexual battery on Sunday. Police say he approached the victim, only described as a white female in her 40s, as she was walking through the mall's anchor store with her kids. He accused them of stealing, and he escorted the victim into the security office. Once he was in the office, police say he told her he would resolve the matter in exchange for sex. When the victim refused, the man assaulted her. Vanegas is now out of jail after posting a $25,000 bond on Tuesday. He is scheduled to be arraigned on the sexual battery charge on July 16, 2007. The police are familiar with Vanegas after a previous arrest. Back in 2000, police charged him with marijuana possession and having an open alcohol container in a vehicle. However, the case was not prosecuted after he completed a pre-trial intervention program for first offenders. A spokesperson for the Miami International Mall released this statement: "We are aware of the alleged incident you have mentioned and are cooperating fully with the Miami-Dade Police Department. The safety and welfare of our mall visitors, shoppers, and tenants is our foremost concern." |