Posts tagged: SCA Sunset

Victoria Police Superintendent Zorka Dunstan told reporters a white Toyota sedan hit three people near a tram stop at the intersection of Bourke and Swanston Streets – an area closed to vehicle traffic – at about 6.20pm on Friday.

All three were taken to hospital with minor injuries. 

She said the driver then collided with a Hyundai and Mazda at the intersection of Bourke and Russell Streets, killing one person. 

“The driver of the Hyundai is deceased and the occupants of the Mazda have been transported to hospital with minor injuries,” she said on Friday night. 

Supt Dunstan said the two occupants in the Mazda were an Uber driver and their passenger. 

She said two officers rushed out of Melbourne East Police Station on Bourke Street and swiftly arrested the alleged offender, who was on the roof of his vehicle. 

“A 26-year-old male from Melton West is currently in custody and he is undergoing a mental health assessment,” she said. 

“The man is known to police, he is recorded with us for some mental health interactions.”

Friday’s tragic incident occurred on the same street as the 2017 car massacre, where James Gargasoulas was jailed after deliberately driving into pedestrians.

He killed six people and seriously injured a further 27.  

Supt Dunstan, however, assured residents there were no suggested links to terrorism at this point in their investigations. 

Shocking footage of the incident emerged on social media and showed a number of people on the ground while others rushed to help. 

Crowds of people lined the streets with emergency services all on the scene. 

“In any of these situations it’s obviously critical that we get assistance where we can, we’re obviously very grateful to the people who rendered assistance,” Supt Dunstan said. 

Police have closed off Bourke Street from Swanston Street through to Exhibition Street, as well as Russell Street from Collins Street to Lonsdale Street. The area will be blocked off throughout the night as officers investigate. 

“I can assure the community, there is no ongoing threat to the community,” Supt Dunstan said.

Anyone with dash cam footage or information is urged to contact police on Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000 or online at www.crimestoppersvic.com.au.

A Hartford police officer has died after a driver who was fleeing the scene of a traffic stop struck a police cruiser late Wednesday night, according to Hartford police. Another officer suffered serious injuries in the crash.

The 18-year-old who has been arrested is a student in 11th grade and his bond has been set at $1 million.

Officer Robert “Bobby” Garten, 34, an eight-year veteran of the Hartford Police Department, died of his injuries, according to Hartford Police Chief Jason Thody and Mayor Luke Bronin. Garten was a second-generation Hartford police officer, police said during a news conference Thursday morning.

Gov. Ned Lamont is directing U.S. and state flags in Connecticut to be lowered to half-staff in honor of Officer Garten.

The officer who was injured in the crash, Officer Brian Kearney, is hospitalized and in stable condition. Police said he suffered serious injuries.

Police said Hartford police officers who were on patrol had stopped the driver of a Honda Accord with a canceled registration on Broad Street after the driver went through a red light, according to court documents. As the officers got out of the vehicle and approached the car, the driver sped off.

Police said the officers did not chase the car and the driver ran one red light at Farmington Avenue and another at Asylum Avenue, then hit a police vehicle that was responding to a separate incident in the area of Asylum Avenue near Cogswell Street around 10:20 p.m.

Garten was in the passenger seat of the police cruiser that was struck and died at St. Francis Hospital after doctors and nurses performed extensive life-saving efforts, police said.

“We are devastated at the loss of Bobby,” Chief Thody said in a statement.  “He was an amazing person that exemplified what it means to be a Hartford Police Officer.  His commitment to serve was above reproach.  Our HPD family has come together to support Bobby’s family, honor his memory, and do what he would want us to do, protect and serve the Hartford community.”

“My heart and prayers and the love and prayers of our whole city are with Officer Garten’s parents, family, loved ones, friends and colleagues, and the entire HPD family,” Mayor Bronin said in a statement. “Bobby Garten loved this city, loved the Hartford Police Department, served our community with distinction, courage, skill and compassion, and this loss is immeasurable for all who loved, served with, and knew him. Officer Garten and his family have our everlasting respect and gratitude.”

NBC Connecticut

Gov. Ned Lamont released a statement Thursday morning as well.

“The passing of Officer Garten is heartbreaking, and I express my deepest condolences to his family, friends, and colleagues in the Hartford Police Department. This tragedy is an unfortunate reminder of the dangers that law enforcement face every day as they protect our neighborhoods. Officer Garten dedicated his life and his career to public safety, and we salute his courage, integrity, and commitment to the people of our capital city. I urge the residents of Connecticut to keep Officer Garten’s family and the Hartford Police Department in their prayers,” Lamont said.

Garten, who is from Wethersfield and lived in Newington, served in the patrol division, as a walk-beat officer, and he was in the street crimes unit for the last two years. He’s also served on the police department’s marine unit.

Thody said he worked with Garten’s father, who was a police detective when he started in the department.

Bronin said Bobby Garten loved the city of Hartford and grew up going to Hartford Whalers games when the team was in Connecticut and more recently to Hartford Yard Goats games.

“He served this city with courage and compassion and tremendous skill and dedication,” Bronin said.

The mayor said Garten’s mom said Wednesday that every day that her son was on shift she told him to be safe out there and he would respond, “I always am.”

“And he was yesterday, too. He was doing exactly what he should do to serve this city,” Bronin said. “And that’s a reminder that every one of our officers, no matter how safe they are, put themselves in the line of danger every day and we are so grateful to them for what they do for this community.”

A portion of Asylum Avenue was blocked off for several hours as police conducted their investigation.

Hartford police say a suspect, Richard Barrington, 18 of Hartford, is in custody.

Barrington, an 11th-grade student, suffered minor injuries and has been released from Hartford Hospital. He is being charged with several violations, including interfering with police, failure to obey traffic control signals and misuse of plates, police said.

He is due in court on Sept. 28.

Several police officers held vigil outside St. Francis Hospital Thursday morning. Just after 4:30 a.m., the officers led a procession from the hospital to escort the fallen officer’s body to the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner in Farmington.

Just before 3 p.m. Thursday, a police motorcade escorted Officer Garten from the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner to a funeral home in Wethersfield.

A Hartford police officer has died after a driver who was fleeing the scene of a traffic stop struck a police cruiser late Wednesday night and a motorcade escorted the officer to a feneral home in Wethersfield.

Hartford police said state police are leading the investigation and there is video evidence of what happened.

Michael Collado opened his second restaurant, Casa del San-Gwich, in October at 20 W. Broad St. in downtown Bethlehem, just in time for construction to begin in earnest on the apartment building replacing the former Boyd Theatre.

With the dirt flying next door, the sidewalk in front of the business has been closed. Despite that, Casa del San-Gwich, which specializes in freshly prepared Dominican sandwiches, has been doing well, Collado said, but he didn’t think the construction “would be this bad.”

“I thought the sidewalk will be open, you know, and stuff like that,” said Collado, who also co-owns Casa del Mofongo at 553 Main St., with his wife Mayra. “I wasn’t sure that it was going to be completely closed off.”

On Sunday, Collado and his fellow business owners will have something to celebrate as construction on the new Boyd, which is expected to be completed in fall 2024, reaches its halfway point.

A Building the Boyd Block Party will run 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. at 1 W. Broad St. with live music from Life After Dead, a Grateful Dead Tribute band, and specials from nearby businesses such as Luxurious Seduction Spa, La Casa del San-Gwich and Joe’s Tavern. Vouchers will be available to those who park in the Walnut Street Garage.

Developer Plamen “Rocco” Ayvazov, CEO of Monocacy General Contracting, which is developing the property at 30 W. Broad St. with DLP Real Estate Capital, will be on hand to answer questions about the project.

The new complex will be six stories, with its facade featuring elements in tribute to the industrial heritage of Bethlehem, including red brick and exposed steel. Theater memorabilia will be presented among interior public spaces, such as a vintage projector and chandelier, theater seats and photos. In addition to the community’s 204 apartments, the complex will feature underground parking, a pool, courtyard and 5,000 square feet of commercial space.

Tammy Wendling, senior vice president, Bethlehem Initiatives for the Greater Lehigh Valley Chamber of Commerce, said the block party is a chance to let people know that businesses on this block of Broad Street are still open.

“Some of the walkability has been injured because of [construction],” she said, “but our businesses are still open and we definitely want the community to recognize that. Even though there’s all these moving parts, we’re still open for business and we’re still having fun and we’re going to have a party to celebrate and incorporate our local businesses.”

Once a vibrant staple of the performing arts scene in Bethlehem, the Boyd Theatre building sat vacant since 2011 after suffering severe weather damage that year. The storefronts next to the theater, which used to house Edible Arrangements and Ruby’s Floral Factory, were condemned in 2015 because of Boyd’s deteriorating state.

The building was demolished in February 2022.

The theater got its start in 1921 when Charles and John Kurtz, locals who owned a cabinetry and furniture-making business and restaurant, opened it as the Kurtz Theatre. Three years later, the venue was renamed the Colonial after being bought by the Wilmer and Vincent Theatre Co., which owned the Colonial Theatre in Allentown.

It got the Boyd name in 1934 when A.R. Boyd Enterprises of Philadelphia bought it — along with the Globe Theater in Bethlehem and theaters in Allentown and Easton. The Heydt family bought the Bethlehem building in 1970 and showed films at Boyd Theatre until it closed in 2011.

For the Grateful Dead, their 1972 tour of Europe would be the band’s grand introduction to the continent. But the Dead had actually made the trip overseas a few times before their scheduled gigs that eventually became Europe 72. In 1970, the band had a few gigs planned for the Roundhouse Theatre in London, but those were cancelled, pushing the Dead’s European debut back to their appearance at the Hollywood Festival in Leycett, England on May 24th of that year.

The following year, the Dead were supposed to play a festival in Auvers sur Oise, France. When they arrived with their crew, the band were presented with monsoon-like conditions. With the festival cancelled, the Dead found themselves at the Château d’Hérouville with nowhere to go.