The Washington Sniper
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Anonymous
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escargot
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The perpetrator seems to have a grudge against the whole world.
I'm glad it's not my job to come up with an offender profile.
What can you find to say about him/her? 'This is someone who feels ANGRY and, erm, has a gun.'
Usually spree killers commit 'suicide by police', i.e. allow themselves to be shot, or shoot themselves. This murderer seems to have no intention of stopping or being caught. Could go on for a long time.
I'm glad it's not my job to come up with an offender profile.
What can you find to say about him/her? 'This is someone who feels ANGRY and, erm, has a gun.'
Usually spree killers commit 'suicide by police', i.e. allow themselves to be shot, or shoot themselves. This murderer seems to have no intention of stopping or being caught. Could go on for a long time.
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Anonymous
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An unusual and frightening phenomenon; a gun-totting loony who knows what he's doing.
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Anonymous
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the reports say this person is truly flipped out. he/she has no motive other than the thrill, so their victims are truly the random. the only way he/she will be caught is if someone close to him/her turns him/her in. since there are no patterns, there are no clues.
"He" shot a 13-year-old boy today. Now people are pissed off as well as scared. Seems to me that they're gonna find this f*cker, because of his busy work schedule and an increasingly frantic manhunt. I hope so at any rate.
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Anonymous
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deja vu…
Hmmm, once again we have a 'loony' shooting innocent people. Once again the press and politicians will wring their hands in anguish as people suffer. Once again there will be the call for changes. And, once again, nothing will come of it. This scene or something reminiscent of it is repeated in America every few months (Columbine etc), and will be indefinitely because there is an absurdly over-armed populace and a very powerful gun lobby living in the 18th century. This sniper will be caught – or not - but either way he will be forgotten and replaced by the next cause of public and political anguish – and a total failure to make any meaningful changes to absurd gun ownership laws. Ho hum.
Hmmm, once again we have a 'loony' shooting innocent people. Once again the press and politicians will wring their hands in anguish as people suffer. Once again there will be the call for changes. And, once again, nothing will come of it. This scene or something reminiscent of it is repeated in America every few months (Columbine etc), and will be indefinitely because there is an absurdly over-armed populace and a very powerful gun lobby living in the 18th century. This sniper will be caught – or not - but either way he will be forgotten and replaced by the next cause of public and political anguish – and a total failure to make any meaningful changes to absurd gun ownership laws. Ho hum.
JamesWhitehead
Piffle Prospector
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Yup, must be a horrible shock to be hit by a random sniper, when you
were only expecting bullets from your classmates.
were only expecting bullets from your classmates.
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Odd Lanquage use
Just on the BBC the police spokesman who was giving the press conference refered to the bullet as a 'projectile'?
"...the projectile was removed from the victim and we can confirm that they are from the same source."
It seems odd that to steer clear of words such as "gun" and "bullet".
I'm not suggesting a conspiracy of any kind but can anybody explain why they would use such convoluted language to explain the most obvious of elements.
Just on the BBC the police spokesman who was giving the press conference refered to the bullet as a 'projectile'?
"...the projectile was removed from the victim and we can confirm that they are from the same source."
It seems odd that to steer clear of words such as "gun" and "bullet".
I'm not suggesting a conspiracy of any kind but can anybody explain why they would use such convoluted language to explain the most obvious of elements.
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Anonymous
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Fort wrote about "phantom snipers" in Wild Talents, though these guys used bullets that were never found and rarely did any more damage than break windows and windshields:
"Snipings by the "Camden phantom" were the show-off, and nobody was injured by him; but a more harmful fellow operated in Boston, beginning about Nov. 1, 1930. I think that these sportsmen, who possibly are sentimental opponents to the shooting of game birds and deer, and practice their cruelties in ways that seem to them less condemnable, divide into the occult, and into more imaginative fellows who have found out how to practice occultly. In Boston, a noiseless weapon was used, but, this time, in two weeks, two men and a woman were seriously injured, and bullets of small calibre were removed from their wounds. These attacks so alarmed people that policemen, armed with riot guns, lined the roads south of Boston, with orders to catch the "silent sniper." The attacks continued until about the middle of February, 1931. Nobody was caught."
This article from the beeb mentions a new profiling technique called "Geographic" profiling, which uses a common-sense approach (amongst other methods) that a killer will tend to favour a location not too close and not too far from his/her home. The seeming randomness and distance from the victim is going to make this guy very hard to catch indeed. Unfortunately:
"The more killings you have, the better it works," said Andreas Olligschlaeger, president of TruNorth Data Systems, which makes crime analysis software.
"It's an unfortunate fact," he adds. "More people have to die to get a better chance of capturing the killer."
"Snipings by the "Camden phantom" were the show-off, and nobody was injured by him; but a more harmful fellow operated in Boston, beginning about Nov. 1, 1930. I think that these sportsmen, who possibly are sentimental opponents to the shooting of game birds and deer, and practice their cruelties in ways that seem to them less condemnable, divide into the occult, and into more imaginative fellows who have found out how to practice occultly. In Boston, a noiseless weapon was used, but, this time, in two weeks, two men and a woman were seriously injured, and bullets of small calibre were removed from their wounds. These attacks so alarmed people that policemen, armed with riot guns, lined the roads south of Boston, with orders to catch the "silent sniper." The attacks continued until about the middle of February, 1931. Nobody was caught."
This article from the beeb mentions a new profiling technique called "Geographic" profiling, which uses a common-sense approach (amongst other methods) that a killer will tend to favour a location not too close and not too far from his/her home. The seeming randomness and distance from the victim is going to make this guy very hard to catch indeed. Unfortunately:
"The more killings you have, the better it works," said Andreas Olligschlaeger, president of TruNorth Data Systems, which makes crime analysis software.
"It's an unfortunate fact," he adds. "More people have to die to get a better chance of capturing the killer."
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Anonymous
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There is some speculation now that it may be a team of two people, one shooting and one driving the vehicle.
sureshot
sureshot
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Anonymous
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Killer taunts police with message on Death tarot card:
http://www.timesonline.co.uk/article/0,,1-441162,00.html
http://www.timesonline.co.uk/article/0,,1-441162,00.html
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Anonymous
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Although the MO is different, and if the tarot card message isn't a red herring, the taunting of police with a message kinda reminds me of the elusive Zodiac who terrorised the bay area of SF in the late 60's. Leaving taunting messages or deliberate clues like that usually indicates a desire to be caught. (I'm no psychologist or anything, this is just what I've read various places and my own amateur ideas)
The randomness of the killings is mysterious as serial killers usually have some kind of grudge against a particular type of person.. women, ethnic groups, etc..
I really hope they catch this loon before any more people are hurt or killed.
Terrorist?
Nazi?
Postal worker?
We shall see I guess.
The randomness of the killings is mysterious as serial killers usually have some kind of grudge against a particular type of person.. women, ethnic groups, etc..
I really hope they catch this loon before any more people are hurt or killed.
Terrorist?
Nazi?
Postal worker?
We shall see I guess.
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Mr Dead said:
certainly a complete nutter - I agree, the faster they catch him (or poss. her) the better.
As for using the Death tarot card - well at least we can rule out people who actually know what the card symbolises....
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There is the disturbing possibility that one of these killings is a deliberate murder, and the rest are just decoys and distractions, intended to make everyone think that all the killings are random.Mr Dead said:
Pretty sick, but then so is random killing.
Let's hope the police check each victim's background as carefully as if they were solitary murders.
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Anonymous
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Any precedent???
The ABC Murders by Agatha Christie, anyone?
By the way, what was the Son of Sam's specific type?
The ABC Murders by Agatha Christie, anyone?
By the way, what was the Son of Sam's specific type?
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As Moonchild says, this does occur (frequently) in crime fiction, but to be honest I don't know how common it is in real life.
But I think there are scheming and depraved people who might try it. Of course, every attempted killing increases their chance of being caught, which is little comfort to the victims.
But I think there are scheming and depraved people who might try it. Of course, every attempted killing increases their chance of being caught, which is little comfort to the victims.
A
Anonymous
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Been trying to think of any cases where a murderer has copied a fictional MO.
I know that often in a spate of killings, someone will tack on another killing - like a copycat. So who knows what might be happening in this case.
I should imagine that the police aren't ruling anything out due to the state-wide panic that is spreading amongst the public.
However you do raise a point as to how calculating and cold killers must be. To use a shotgun suggests precision, distance and aloofness but the random selection of victims suggests that there is either an urge to kill (like duh, I know) or the desire to be caught.
If its any comfort, the killer will either increase the frequency of shootings, or drop out of the sphere for a couple of years till another trigger episode.
As Nick Ross would say, dont have nightmares out there.
And if anyone wants to join me in my Howard Hughes like exsistence, just send me cash and I'll see if I can make room in my impenetrable, isolated bubble
I know that often in a spate of killings, someone will tack on another killing - like a copycat. So who knows what might be happening in this case.
I should imagine that the police aren't ruling anything out due to the state-wide panic that is spreading amongst the public.
However you do raise a point as to how calculating and cold killers must be. To use a shotgun suggests precision, distance and aloofness but the random selection of victims suggests that there is either an urge to kill (like duh, I know) or the desire to be caught.
If its any comfort, the killer will either increase the frequency of shootings, or drop out of the sphere for a couple of years till another trigger episode.
As Nick Ross would say, dont have nightmares out there.
And if anyone wants to join me in my Howard Hughes like exsistence, just send me cash and I'll see if I can make room in my impenetrable, isolated bubble
The woman behind the Excedrin medicine poisonings in the 80s killed her husband and another person to throw the police off track. Details here: http://nickell.tierranet.com/tales/bruce.htm
I'm also fairly sure there was a serial rapist/killer who offed a few women and then his wife in the same way, hoping he wouldn't be suspected.
I'm also fairly sure there was a serial rapist/killer who offed a few women and then his wife in the same way, hoping he wouldn't be suspected.
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With regard to the ability (or otherwise) of profiling this person, they way i look at it is: If they could tell us the colour and cut of the suit the "Mad Bomber" would be wearing when arrested and get it right then they can profile anyone.
--kiel--
--kiel--
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Anonymous
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knew i should have wrote my post in an ancient french quatrain ...
the Maryland police appear to have arrested a suspect in the shootings ....
the Maryland police appear to have arrested a suspect in the shootings ....
A
Anonymous
Guest
first tangible clue in serial sniper case(maybe)
http://www.cnn.com/2002/US/South/10/09/shootings.maryland/index.html
ROCKVILLE, Maryland (CNN) -- Evidence retrieved from the site of the most recent sniper shooting in the Washington, D.C., area -- including a Tarot card inscribed with the message "Dear Policeman: I am God" -- has been taken to an FBI lab for analysis, law enforcement sources said Wednesday.
Results from the tests -- looking at DNA, fingerprinting, the origin of the card, handwriting and spelling -- will be of use to FBI profilers, sources said.
The Tarot card and a shell casing were found near a middle school in Bowie, Maryland, where a 13-year-old boy was shot Monday. It was the latest attack in weeklong shooting spree that has killed six people and wounded two.
Meanwhile, Montgomery County Police Chief Charles Moose said police arrested a person Wednesday in Kensington after receiving reports of shots being fired in a house. No one was in the house when police arrived, and the man was taken into custody, he said.
Moose said police saw "more than one" weapon in the house and filed to obtain a warrant to search the residence. He said he did not know if any of the weapons could have fired the .223 caliber rounds used in the shootings.
Moose said the person was not a suspect in the sniper shootings.
He said police were questioning the person and that no decision had been made on what, if any, charges would be filed.
Police angered by leak
Sources said it is unclear whether the Tarot card is related to the shootings. The card represents death in the fortunetelling deck.
Authorities said the card could have been left by a prankster.
The death card, which often shows a skeletal figure on a horse, represents endings, transitions, eliminations and the experiencing of inexorable forces.
Moose said Wednesday he was upset about the leak of the Tarot card information to reporters and said "it is inappropriate to comment on this card."
"There are a lot of things that have the potential to hurt the investigation," Moose said.
Moose also criticized statements from retired law enforcement personnel who are news analysts for TV networks and stations. Moose said it is insulting to hear commentary from "talking heads" who have not been briefed, seen evidence or talked to investigators.
Earlier, police in Prince George's County conducted an aerial search of woods near two schools in Fort Washington, Maryland, on Wednesday after a witness reported seeing a man carrying a long, dark bag. (Area of investigation)
Police said they had interviewed a witness and, based on that, established a perimeter and searched the area.
The bag's description is similar to what residents have said they have seen surveyors carry in the area, a Prince George's police spokeswoman said. The surveyors carry tripods in such bags, police said.
Boy critical but stable
The boy, who was shot after his aunt dropped him off at school, remains in critical but stable condition at Children's National Medical Center in Washington.
Authorities are trying to determine whether the shell casing found near the school can help them determine the type of weapon used in the shooting. (Tracing the bullets)
Forensics evidence, including ballistics tests on the bullets, have linked the eight shooting attacks that have occurred since last week. Authorities said each victim was hit once with a .223-caliber bullet fired from a rifle from a relatively long distance.
Montgomery County schools are closed Wednesday for a previously scheduled teacher workday. A heavy police presence monitored schools in Prince George's County.
Investigators -- about 100 from Montgomery County and 95 from other agencies -- are sifting through 1,600 tips and leads deemed credible. They continue to search for a suspicious white van seen by a witness near the scene of one of the shootings.
Reward fund growing
The shootings began October 2 when someone fired a shot through a window of a Michaels crafts store in Wheaton, but no one was hit.
Five people were shot and killed in Montgomery County during a 16-hour period from October 2 into Thursday morning. A sixth victim was shot dead Thursday night on a Washington street.
A seventh person was wounded Friday in Fredericksburg, Virginia. She was released Tuesday afternoon from Inova Fairfax Hospital, a spokeswoman said. (Trail of the sniper)
Authorities have not identified a suspect, but they said they hope a growing reward fund may help persuade anyone who knows anything about the killings to come forward.
Late Tuesday, the reward stood at nearly $240,000 for information leading to the arrest and indictment of the person responsible for the killings. The fund includes $100,000 from the state of Maryland, $50,000 from Montgomery County and $10,000 from a victims' rights foundation.
Donations also have been coming in from across the country, said Donna Bigler of the Montgomery County executive's office, which is managing the fund. The county has set up a telephone number for people to call to donate money using credit cards.
"We've had donations from a local law firm, a crime solvers' group in Wisconsin, a couple from Virginia and a businessman in California, giving from $100 to $50,000," Bigler said.
Precautions in nation's capital
Investigators also are reconsidering a September 14 shooting outside a Silver Spring, Maryland liquor store, trying to determine whether the same culprit might be responsible. A man was wounded there but survived. Michael Bouchard, a special agent with the federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms, said the ballistics evidence from that crime scene was inconclusive.
Authorities also are looking into a fire at a Michaels crafts store near the middle school in Bowie. The crafts store burned down, and the case remains open. Several of the shootings have taken place near Michaels crafts stores.
The fear in Washington's suburbs has spread into the District of Columbia, with Capitol Police implementing "added precautionary measures" in response to the attacks.
A memo sent Monday to "all office emergency coordinators" on Capitol Hill urged people who work and visit the Hill to "exercise an abundance of caution," including "reducing outside activities to the extent possible."
The memo states "there is no indication that a threat is directed toward the Capitol or members of Congress."
The White House called the outbreak of violence "traumatic" and "scary." (Full story)
Maryland Gov. Parris Glendening called the sniper a "coward," and he called on the suspect to "stop this insane killing."
"This is a person who is shooting elderly men, shooting women and now shooting little children," Glendening said at a Tuesday news conference with local and federal law enforcement agencies.
"It is extremely important that he understands that no one is looking up to him, that no one is thinking this is a great act that he's doing. We're all thinking that this is an act of absolute cowardice."
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wouldn't it be cool if the person was then christened "The Tarot Sniper"?
http://www.cnn.com/2002/US/South/10/09/shootings.maryland/index.html
ROCKVILLE, Maryland (CNN) -- Evidence retrieved from the site of the most recent sniper shooting in the Washington, D.C., area -- including a Tarot card inscribed with the message "Dear Policeman: I am God" -- has been taken to an FBI lab for analysis, law enforcement sources said Wednesday.
Results from the tests -- looking at DNA, fingerprinting, the origin of the card, handwriting and spelling -- will be of use to FBI profilers, sources said.
The Tarot card and a shell casing were found near a middle school in Bowie, Maryland, where a 13-year-old boy was shot Monday. It was the latest attack in weeklong shooting spree that has killed six people and wounded two.
Meanwhile, Montgomery County Police Chief Charles Moose said police arrested a person Wednesday in Kensington after receiving reports of shots being fired in a house. No one was in the house when police arrived, and the man was taken into custody, he said.
Moose said police saw "more than one" weapon in the house and filed to obtain a warrant to search the residence. He said he did not know if any of the weapons could have fired the .223 caliber rounds used in the shootings.
Moose said the person was not a suspect in the sniper shootings.
He said police were questioning the person and that no decision had been made on what, if any, charges would be filed.
Police angered by leak
Sources said it is unclear whether the Tarot card is related to the shootings. The card represents death in the fortunetelling deck.
Authorities said the card could have been left by a prankster.
The death card, which often shows a skeletal figure on a horse, represents endings, transitions, eliminations and the experiencing of inexorable forces.
Moose said Wednesday he was upset about the leak of the Tarot card information to reporters and said "it is inappropriate to comment on this card."
"There are a lot of things that have the potential to hurt the investigation," Moose said.
Moose also criticized statements from retired law enforcement personnel who are news analysts for TV networks and stations. Moose said it is insulting to hear commentary from "talking heads" who have not been briefed, seen evidence or talked to investigators.
Earlier, police in Prince George's County conducted an aerial search of woods near two schools in Fort Washington, Maryland, on Wednesday after a witness reported seeing a man carrying a long, dark bag. (Area of investigation)
Police said they had interviewed a witness and, based on that, established a perimeter and searched the area.
The bag's description is similar to what residents have said they have seen surveyors carry in the area, a Prince George's police spokeswoman said. The surveyors carry tripods in such bags, police said.
Boy critical but stable
The boy, who was shot after his aunt dropped him off at school, remains in critical but stable condition at Children's National Medical Center in Washington.
Authorities are trying to determine whether the shell casing found near the school can help them determine the type of weapon used in the shooting. (Tracing the bullets)
Forensics evidence, including ballistics tests on the bullets, have linked the eight shooting attacks that have occurred since last week. Authorities said each victim was hit once with a .223-caliber bullet fired from a rifle from a relatively long distance.
Montgomery County schools are closed Wednesday for a previously scheduled teacher workday. A heavy police presence monitored schools in Prince George's County.
Investigators -- about 100 from Montgomery County and 95 from other agencies -- are sifting through 1,600 tips and leads deemed credible. They continue to search for a suspicious white van seen by a witness near the scene of one of the shootings.
Reward fund growing
The shootings began October 2 when someone fired a shot through a window of a Michaels crafts store in Wheaton, but no one was hit.
Five people were shot and killed in Montgomery County during a 16-hour period from October 2 into Thursday morning. A sixth victim was shot dead Thursday night on a Washington street.
A seventh person was wounded Friday in Fredericksburg, Virginia. She was released Tuesday afternoon from Inova Fairfax Hospital, a spokeswoman said. (Trail of the sniper)
Authorities have not identified a suspect, but they said they hope a growing reward fund may help persuade anyone who knows anything about the killings to come forward.
Late Tuesday, the reward stood at nearly $240,000 for information leading to the arrest and indictment of the person responsible for the killings. The fund includes $100,000 from the state of Maryland, $50,000 from Montgomery County and $10,000 from a victims' rights foundation.
Donations also have been coming in from across the country, said Donna Bigler of the Montgomery County executive's office, which is managing the fund. The county has set up a telephone number for people to call to donate money using credit cards.
"We've had donations from a local law firm, a crime solvers' group in Wisconsin, a couple from Virginia and a businessman in California, giving from $100 to $50,000," Bigler said.
Precautions in nation's capital
Investigators also are reconsidering a September 14 shooting outside a Silver Spring, Maryland liquor store, trying to determine whether the same culprit might be responsible. A man was wounded there but survived. Michael Bouchard, a special agent with the federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms, said the ballistics evidence from that crime scene was inconclusive.
Authorities also are looking into a fire at a Michaels crafts store near the middle school in Bowie. The crafts store burned down, and the case remains open. Several of the shootings have taken place near Michaels crafts stores.
The fear in Washington's suburbs has spread into the District of Columbia, with Capitol Police implementing "added precautionary measures" in response to the attacks.
A memo sent Monday to "all office emergency coordinators" on Capitol Hill urged people who work and visit the Hill to "exercise an abundance of caution," including "reducing outside activities to the extent possible."
The memo states "there is no indication that a threat is directed toward the Capitol or members of Congress."
The White House called the outbreak of violence "traumatic" and "scary." (Full story)
Maryland Gov. Parris Glendening called the sniper a "coward," and he called on the suspect to "stop this insane killing."
"This is a person who is shooting elderly men, shooting women and now shooting little children," Glendening said at a Tuesday news conference with local and federal law enforcement agencies.
"It is extremely important that he understands that no one is looking up to him, that no one is thinking this is a great act that he's doing. We're all thinking that this is an act of absolute cowardice."
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wouldn't it be cool if the person was then christened "The Tarot Sniper"?
A
Anonymous
Guest
quote:
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Originally posted by rynner
There is the disturbing possibility that one of these killings is a deliberate murder, and the rest are just decoys and distractions, intended to make everyone think that all the killings are random.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Story here is similar: http://www.msnbc.com/local/wnbc/A1350039.asp?0cb=-2137378
sureshot
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Originally posted by rynner
There is the disturbing possibility that one of these killings is a deliberate murder, and the rest are just decoys and distractions, intended to make everyone think that all the killings are random.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Minor Drag said:
Story here is similar: http://www.msnbc.com/local/wnbc/A1350039.asp?0cb=-2137378
sureshot