So Much For Christmas Spirit!

NEW YORK – A Wal-Mart worker was killed Friday after an "out of control" throng of shoppers eager for post-Thanksgiving bargains broke down the doors at a suburban store and knocked him to the ground, police said.

At least four other people, including a woman eight months pregnant, were taken to hospitals for observation or minor injuries, and the store in Valley Stream on Long Island closed for several hours before reopening.

Nassau police said about 2,000 people were gathered outside the store doors at the mall about 20 miles east of Manhattan. The impatient crowd knocked the man to the ground as he opened the doors, leaving a metal portion of the frame crumpled like an accordion.

"This crowd was out of control," said Nassau police spokesman Lt. Michael Fleming. He described the scene as "utter chaos."

Dozens of store employees trying to fight their way out to help the man were also getting trampled by the crowd, Fleming said. Witnesses said that even as the worker lay on the ground, shoppers streamed into the store, stepping over him.

Kimberly Cribbs, who witnessed the stampede, said shoppers were acting like "savages."

"When they were saying they had to leave, that an employee got killed, people were yelling 'I've been on line since yesterday morning,'" she said. "They kept shopping."

The 34-year-old man was taken to a hospital, where he was pronounced dead at about 6 a.m., police said. The exact cause of death has not been determined, and the man's name was not released.

A 28-year-old pregnant woman was taken to a hospital, where she and the baby were reported to be OK, said police Sgt. Anthony Repalone. At least three other people were taken to hospitals with minor injuries.

Police said criminal charges were possible in the case, but Fleming said it would be difficult to identify individual shoppers. Authorities were reviewing surveillance video.

Wal-Mart Stores Inc., based in Bentonville, Ark., called the incident a "tragic situation" and said the employee came from a temporary agency and was doing maintenance work at the store.

"The safety and security of our customers and associates is our top priority," said Dan Fogleman, a company spokesman. "At this point, facts are still being assembled and we are working closely with the Nassau County Police as they investigate what occurred."

Shoppers around the country line up early outside stores on the day after Thanksgiving in the annual bargain-hunting ritual known as Black Friday. It got that name because it has historically been the day when stores broke into profitability for the full year.

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AP retail writers Anne D'Innocenzio and Mae Anderson and contributed to this report.

Man allegedly helps renovate with 'hot' property

CHALMETTE, La. (AP) - A man may have won points with his girlfriend by offering to help renovate her home. Police weren't impressed, however. Authorities say the man stole some of the things he was using in the renovation
- including $10,000 worth of cabinets.

The 29-year-old man was booked with possession of stolen property.

The St. Bernard Parish Sheriff's Office said he was helping renovate his girlfriend's home with items that had been reported stolen in at least three burglaries. The items included the cabinets removed from the walls of a home in Violet and carpet cut from the floors.

The sheriff's office said Thursday that the man could face additional counts of possession of stolen property.

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Information from: The Times-Picayune, http://www.timespicayune.com

Underwear-clad man ignites fireworks

MOUNT ISA, Australia (UPI) -- Authorities in Mount Isa, Australia, said a man was arrested after he allegedly ran down the street in his underwear with firecrackers strapped to his head.

Mount Isa Superintendent Les Hopkins said the 22-year-old man allegedly ran up and down Camooweal Street in the city center wearing only his underwear and a bicycle helmet with detonating firecrackers bound to it, The (Brisbane, Australia) Courier-Mail reported Monday.

"He was running close to one of our main roads, where the big road trains travel," Hopkins said. "It could have been quite tragic."

The man was charged with possession of fireworks and being a public nuisance. He was released after posting bail.



Copyright 2008 by United Press International

Pair stopped at 108 mph re-arrested at airport

BANGOR, Maine (AP) - A man and woman who told troopers they were speeding to catch a flight when they were clocked driving 108 mph ended up in jail a second time - this time on charges of unruly behavior aboard an airplane, officials said.

The woman, 29, and the man, 42, both of Thorndike, were charged with criminal threatening, criminal trespass, disorderly conduct and violation of bail conditions after they were arrested Wednesday at Bangor International Airport.

Forty-eight hours earlier, the couple had been released on bail after speeding past an unmarked state police cruiser on Interstate 95.

They told the trooper they were headed to the airport, but they were going in the wrong direction and had no tickets or receipts with them.

The man was charged with disorderly conduct, and the woman was charged with criminal speeding and unlawful possession of scheduled drugs.

On Wednesday, they were reportedly loud and disorderly at the ticket counter before boarding a flight to New York City. The behavior continued on the airplane, and the pilot returned to the gate, where the two were arrested, said Deputy Chief Peter Arno.

Man's ashes said tossed in parking dispute

FORT WALTON BEACH, Fla. (UPI) -- A Florida man may face criminal charges for allegedly spilling the remains of a woman's late father while arguing with her about a parking spot, police said.

The woman said she came home after being away for five days to find a "belligerent drunk neighbor" at her Okaloosa County home, the Northwest Fla. Daily News reported Monday.

She said her daughter went outside to find the neighbor sitting in her car after they heard someone honking the horn.

The woman told police the man started yelling and swearing at her before she attempted taking a wooden container carrying her late father's ashes out of the car.

The man allegedly knocked the container from her grasp, police said. A bag fell from the box and a portion of the remains in it were scattered on the ground, the newspaper said.

The woman said he tried to dump the bag after she told him what was in it and finally let go after it was torn open.

The man told police he consumed about four beers prior to the scuffle and has denied allegations he dumped the ashes, the newspaper said.




Copyright 2008 by United Press International