Protesters in N.M. decry police shootings
ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. -- Protesters advocating for drastic changes within a police department criticized for its use of force put the police chief "on trial" during a rally Saturday in Albuquerque.
Dozens of protesters, including some with children, marched from Roosevelt Park with signs and a makeshift coffin inscribed with names of people killed by Albuquerque officers in recent years.
The Police Department is under scrutiny for more than 40 police shootings -- 26 of them fatal -- since 2010, and the Justice Department has issued a harsh report over the agency's use of force.
The protesters marched peacefully Saturday before returning to the park to continue the rally.
The mock trial outlined how Police Chief Gorden Eden has failed to stop his officers from using excessive force, said David Correia, one of the protest's organizers.
Eden, who took the job four months ago while the Justice Department was wrapping up its investigation of the department, said in a statement that police talked to protest organizers and that officers would provide traffic escorts for the marchers.
Driver fends off stun gun, steals police car
SALEM, N.H. -- An unruly driver zapped with a stun gun during a traffic stop yanked out the barbs, assaulted the officer and fled early Saturday, prompting a two-state pursuit that also led him to steal a police cruiser and threaten to shoot officers, authorities said.
The fracas began shortly after midnight in Salem when officer Adam Pearson pulled over Robert Zygarowski, 52, of Ellwood City, Pa., for a traffic stop. Police said Zygarowski was uncooperative, so Pearson shocked him with the stun gun.
Police said Zygarowski pulled out the barbs, assaulted Pearson, then jumped in his car and sped away, beginning a chase that ended when his tire blew in Lawrence, Mass. When Pearson ordered Zygarowski and two others out of the car, Zygarowski charged at the officer and fled in the marked cruiser.
Pearson detained the other two until officers from surrounding police departments arrived to give chase, police said. They found the abandoned cruiser a short distance away with no damage and all of its contents still inside.
A short time later, a man matching Zygarowski's description walked into a gas station in Methuen, Mass., and said he had guns and was going to shoot officers, prompting the clerk to call police, authorities said. As police converged on the area, Zygarowski was spotted walking through the kitchen of an IHOP restaurant.
Police surrounded the area and found Zygarowski walking on a nearby trail, where another brief scuffle ensued.
Zygarowski was arrested and charged with assault, resisting arrest and other offenses. The other two people in the car were questioned and released without charges.
Gay governor hopeful leads Maine parade
PORTLAND, Maine -- A Democratic candidate who reluctantly made public his homosexuality last year served as the grand marshal of Maine's biggest gay-pride parade and festival Saturday and urged activists to continue fighting to eliminate discrimination and promote equality.
Mike Michaud, who is trying to become the first openly gay person to be elected governor, said it would be powerful for the gay community to have a seat at the table in discussions with governors across the country on equality issues.
"Maine has come a long ways and our nation has come a long ways, but there's still a long way to go," he said before he marched alongside a white convertible down the parade route in downtown Portland.
Michaud is in a three-person race with Republican incumbent Paul LePage and Independent Eliot Cutler.
Rescuers search Mount Rainier for writer
MOUNT RAINIER NATIONAL PARK, Wash. -- Rescuers on Mount Rainier spent a third day searching for 70-year-old outdoors writer Karen Sykes, who hasn't been seen since she separated from her hiking partner on Wednesday.
The National Park Service said Saturday that six ground crews, including two dog teams, were combing an expanded search area near the Owyhigh Lakes Trail on Rainier's east side. Rescuers also searched by air.
Sykes was reportedly working on a story when she and her partner encountered snow at 5,000 feet. Her partner stayed as she went on, with the idea that they'd reconvene, but she never turned up.
The partner, who made it safely back to the trail head, reported her missing at 10:30 p.m. Wednesday.
Sykes had adequate survival gear to camp overnight in an emergency, said Mount Rainier National Park spokesman Patti Wold.
Safety concerns for Sykes and search crews include snow bridges, tree wells and steep, wet, slippery terrain, Wold said.
-- Compiled by Democrat-Gazette staff from wire reports
A Section on 06/22/2014