Friday, August 14, 2009 WASHINGTON: Michigan State Police are investigating a fiery crash that began in Taylor and ended in front of a southwest side restaurant, leaving one man dead. Taylor police were chasing the vehicle about 7 a.m. this morning because it was reported stolen, Taylor police officials said in a press release. Troopers were not involved in the chase but are helping with the investigation and recreating the crash for the probe, Taylor police and Michigan State Police officials said. A Taylor resident called police about 6 a.m. to report the theft, Taylor police said. A patrol unit spotted the vehicle a short time later on Interstate 75 and attempted to stop it. The driver sped away and the officers chased the truck into Detroit, where "our officers eventually terminated the pursuit," according to the release. "The defendant then slowed the vehicle down and officers continued monitoring the vehicle at a safe distance," the release stated. After driving on several surface streets, the suspect drove onto Michigan Avenue, where he sped up after seeing a Michigan State Police cruiser, according to the release. The truck the suspect was driving then hit a minivan trying to turn onto Martin from Michigan Avenue, according to broadcast news video of the incident. After hitting the van, the truck careened into a parked truck and a utility pole before exploding, witnesses and police said. The truck's driver died in the crash, police said. They did not know his identity, other than he appeared to be a white male, police said. The crash happened in front of Telway Hamburgers restaurant at the intersection of Michigan Avenue and Martin. Longtime cook Debbie McComas said she heard booms from the crash and when she looked up from her grill, saw the fiery aftermath of the incident from the big front window of the eatery that faces Michigan Avenue. "If it wasn't for that pole and other truck, (the stolen truck) would have gotten us," McComas said. "All I know is God was with us." Debris from the incident was strewn about Michigan Avenue. A drive shaft was blown about 400 feet west of Martin and a rim was about 200 feet away with its tire across the street from it. One pickup was missing its rear axle and the other pickup was on the sidewalk at the intersection. The van was on Martin and its front end was damaged.
BEIRUT: Thousands of people converged Saturday on central Beirut to mark the fourth anniversary of the assassination of Lebanese former premier Rafiq Hariri.Waving Lebanese flags and carrying pictures of the slain leader, men, women and children gathered under sunny skies in Martyr's Square where members of the parliamentary majority were to address the crowd. The rally comes as final preparations are underway in The Hague for the launch of the international tribunal set up to bring Hariri's killers to justice. It also comes as the country prepares for legislative elections in June that will pit Western-backed political parties against a Hezbollah-led alliance backed by Syria and Iran.Hariri died in a massive car bombing on February 14, 2005 that also killed 22 others. The assassination was widely blamed on then Lebanese power-broker Syria, which has denied any involvement. The attack on the Beirut seafront was one of the worst acts of political violence to rock Lebanon since t...
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