NEWS OF THE DAY
From Across the Nation
1 Spacey lawsuit: A man who says Kevin Spacey groped him in a Massachusetts bar in 2016 has dropped his lawsuit against the Oscarwinning actor. Mitchell Garabedian, a lawyer for the man, said Friday that the suit filed June 26 in Nantucket Superior Court has been dismissed. No reason was provided either by Garabedian or in the court filing. Garabedian’s client, the son of Boston TV anchor Heather Unruh, alleged Spacey got him drunk and sexually assaulted him at the Club Car restaurant where the then 18year old man worked. Spacey still faces a criminal charge. He has pleaded not guilty to indecent assault and battery. 2 Road rage: Two Houstonarea children were in critical condition Friday after an argument between their father and another motorist who fired into their car and ignited fireworks that engulfed the vehicle in flames. Sheriff Ed Gonzalez said road rage led to the gunfire Thursday after the father and his wife had purchased fireworks. They were driving with their 1yearold child and another child believed to be 1 to 3 years old. Passersby took the family to a clinic, and the children were airlifted to a Galveston hospital with severe burns. Authorities are searching for the shooter.
3 Fireworks panic: A false report of gunfire set off a stampede that trampled more than a dozen people at Chicago’s annual July 4 fireworks display at Navy Pier, where thousands of revelers had crowded the Lake Michigan shore. Three others were stabbed when a fight broke out after a group of males flashed gang signs. Two teenage boys, ages 14 and 15, and a 30yearold man suffered nonlifethreatening injuries. No arrests were announced. The stampede began when private security officers might have mistaken a firecracker for gunfire and warned bystanders to take cover. In all, 14 people were hurt. They were taken to hospitals with nonlifethreatening injuries.
4 Student killed: The body of a slain college student has been recovered in a Utah canyon about 85 miles from a backyard in Salt Lake City where other remains were found last week, police said Friday. The disclosure came in the case involving Mackenzie Lueck, 23. Some of her charred remains and belongings were found in a suspect’s backyard. The body was discovered Wednesday. Lueck disappeared June 17 after she returned from her grandmother’s funeral. Ayoola A. Ajayi, 31, is being held on suspicion of aggravated murder, kidnapping and other crimes.
5 Good cops: Three New York City police officers paid for an accused shoplifter’s groceries rather than arrest her at a Whole Foods in Manhattan. Shopper Paul Bozymowski tweeted that the woman was being held by store security at the Union Square Whole Foods on Thursday after she was caught with food in her bag that she hadn’t paid for. A photo in Bozymowski’s tweet showed the woman crying as three police officers paid for her food. Chief of Department Terence Monahan said the officers are among the “kindhearted cops who quietly do good deeds for New Yorkers in need.”
Chronicle News Services