Man Throws Toddler from Bridge - Hawaii

[Guest guest]

http://news./s/ap/20080118/ap_on_re_us/child_dead_overpass

I take a strange kind of comfort when the initial stories even mention that they

will be looking into whether the assailant has a history of mental illness. Far

too often, the act is then blamed on the deterioration of the person's mental

status, but just a few years ago, reporters were much more likely to say that

these acts were " unexplainable. " At least now they are starting to wonder (as we

do) ----- " Is this another one? "

Terry

Child thrown to death on Hawaii freeway

By AUDREY McAVOY, Associated Press Writer1 hour, 13 minutes ago

The man in hospital scrubs threw the toddler like a doll from a pedestrian

overpass to the freeway humming with traffic. The 2 1/2-year-old boy fell 30

feet to the asphalt and was pronounced dead at the scene.

The horrifying incident Thursday on the highway cutting through the heart of the

city shocked Honolulu residents, causing panicked parents to phone day care

centers to check on their children.

Police arrested a 23-year-old man they say occasionally baby-sat the child after

witnesses saw him throwing something, followed him and called authorities.

Kraig Hengst told The Honolulu Advertiser he was working in an apartment garage

across the street from the overpass when he saw a man " toss the baby " at about

11:40 a.m.

" I saw the baby high in the air. I thought it was a doll at first, " Hengst said.

The man held the child in one arm and " tossed it into the air, " he said.

One or two vehicles may have struck the boy, but it was unclear exactly what

killed him, the newspaper reported.

A white sheet covered the body on the westbound lanes of the H-1 freeway, a

major route through downtown that police temporarily closed. The scene was just

blocks from the Capitol and the governor's mansion.

The man, who was wearing green hospital scrubs, was taken to the police station

and then to a hospital, said police spokeswoman Yu. She didn't know

whether he had a history of mental illness or a criminal record.

" That will be part of the investigation, " Yu said.

The suspect screamed " Thank you for everything " to television crews as he was

escorted to a cell block. While in a police car, he rocked back and forth in the

back seat.

The Queen's Medical Center, the nearest facility with a mental health wing,

declined to say whether the man was or had been a patient. But spokeswoman

Pollard said that no patients were missing Thursday and that none had

been discharged in an unstable condition.

nie Bruen told KITV that the man calmly walked away from the overpass after

dropping the child. Bruen later chased the man up a hill among houses and

low-rise apartment buildings near the freeway.

" He didn't say anything, he didn't scream; he looked like a normal person

standing there smoking a cigarette, except that he had on a smock, " Bruen said.

" That's just a horrible sight that I seen down there, for any man to do that to

a child. "

Hedy Chun, director of a nearby preschool, Kamaaina Kids Honolulu, said 10 to 15

parents called to check on their children. All students were safe, she said, but

her staff was shocked.

Gov. Lingle, told of the incident shortly after it happened, called it a

" real tragedy. "

The Associated Press. All rights reserved. The information

contained in the AP News report may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or

redistributed without the prior written authority of The Associated Press.

All rights reserved.

Questions or Comments

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[Guest guest]

Hi Terry,

Watch out though for this double edged sword. most people labeled mentally ill

are not dangerous but many people who take drugs can become dangerous. So

looking for mental illness, in my humble opinion, is missing the real target of

these violence causing drugs.

" Mentlaly ill " people are potentially anyone who got sad or upset, ie anyone.

Apparently now anyone who see's a shrink can be deprived of constitutional

rights immediately.

Jim

http://news./s/ap/20080118/ap_on_re_us/child_dead_overpass

I take a strange kind of comfort when the initial stories even mention that they

will be looking into whether the assailant has a history of mental illness. Far

too often, the act is then blamed on the deterioration of the person's mental

status, but just a few years ago, reporters were much more likely to say that

these acts were " unexplainable. " At least now they are starting to wonder (as we

do) ----- " Is this another one? "

Terry

Child thrown to death on Hawaii freeway

By AUDREY McAVOY, Associated Press Writer1 hour, 13 minutes ago

The man in hospital scrubs threw the toddler like a doll from a pedestrian

overpass to the freeway humming with traffic. The 2 1/2-year-old boy fell 30

feet to the asphalt and was pronounced dead at the scene.

The horrifying incident Thursday on the highway cutting through the heart of the

city shocked Honolulu residents, causing panicked parents to phone day care

centers to check on their children.

Police arrested a 23-year-old man they say occasionally baby-sat the child after

witnesses saw him throwing something, followed him and called authorities.

Kraig Hengst told The Honolulu Advertiser he was working in an apartment garage

across the street from the overpass when he saw a man " toss the baby " at about

11:40 a.m.

" I saw the baby high in the air. I thought it was a doll at first, " Hengst said.

The man held the child in one arm and " tossed it into the air, " he said.

One or two vehicles may have struck the boy, but it was unclear exactly what

killed him, the newspaper reported.

A white sheet covered the body on the westbound lanes of the H-1 freeway, a

major route through downtown that police temporarily closed. The scene was just

blocks from the Capitol and the governor's mansion.

The man, who was wearing green hospital scrubs, was taken to the police station

and then to a hospital, said police spokeswoman Yu. She didn't know

whether he had a history of mental illness or a criminal record.

" That will be part of the investigation, " Yu said.

The suspect screamed " Thank you for everything " to television crews as he was

escorted to a cell block. While in a police car, he rocked back and forth in the

back seat.

The Queen's Medical Center, the nearest facility with a mental health wing,

declined to say whether the man was or had been a patient. But spokeswoman

Pollard said that no patients were missing Thursday and that none had

been discharged in an unstable condition.

nie Bruen told KITV that the man calmly walked away from the overpass after

dropping the child. Bruen later chased the man up a hill among houses and

low-rise apartment buildings near the freeway.

" He didn't say anything, he didn't scream; he looked like a normal person

standing there smoking a cigarette, except that he had on a smock, " Bruen said.

" That's just a horrible sight that I seen down there, for any man to do that to

a child. "

Hedy Chun, director of a nearby preschool, Kamaaina Kids Honolulu, said 10 to 15

parents called to check on their children. All students were safe, she said, but

her staff was shocked.

Gov. Lingle, told of the incident shortly after it happened, called it a

" real tragedy. "

The Associated Press. All rights reserved. The information

contained in the AP News report may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or

redistributed without the prior written authority of The Associated Press.

All rights reserved.

Questions or Comments

Privacy Policy -Terms of Service - Copyright/IP Policy - Ad Feedback

FAIR USE NOTICE: This may contain copyrighted material. Such material is made

available for educational purposes, to advance understanding of human rights,

democracy, scientific, moral, ethical, and social justice issues, etc. This

transmittal constitutes a 'fair use' of any such copyrighted material as

provided for in Title 17 U.S.C. section 107 of the US Copyright Law. This

material is distributed without profit.

________________________________________________________________________________\

____

Be a better friend, newshound, and

know-it-all with Mobile. Try it now.

http://mobile./;_ylt=Ahu06i62sR8HDtDypao8Wcj9tAcJ