Man drives through fair, injures eight

The Daily Oakland Press (Oakland County, Michigan)
Monday, May 22, 2006

By DIANA DILLABER MURRAY

SOUTHFIELD – Police have apprehended the Troy man who allegedly drove
his van into a throng of adults and children enjoying a school
carnival in Sunday’s brisk spring weather.

Eight people, mostly children, were injured when the van plowed into
area where the colorful, inflatable carnival rides such as a moonwalk
were being operated at about 2:45 p.m. at the Alex & Marie Manoogian
charter school carnival at 22001 Northwestern Hwy. There were no
fatalities.

School employees tried to stop the white male driver, estimated by
witnesses to be 35 to 55 years old, as he drove into the fairgoers.

He fled the scene. But he was arrested late Sunday night by Troy
officers at the request of Southfield police who developed information
to tell them where the man was, said Lt. Steven Lasota, in a
statement.

Southfield officers took custody of the driver from Troy police and
impounded the van. The man, whose identity was not released, will be
arraigned at 46th District Court today, said Lasota.

At the scene early Sunday afternoon, “Responding officers found
numerous people injured, several of which were transported to the
hospital,” said Lasota in his statement. He did not give further
details, but reports indicated several small children were hurt.

Seven adults and children were taken to Providence Hospital and
treated and released, and one was taken to Beaumont Hospital in Royal
Oak, said Brian Taylor, spokesperson for Providence. He could not give
names or more details for privacy reasons.

Lasota had issued a notice to the media to alert people to look out
for the vehicle, a maroon 1994 Plymouth Voyager, with a broken-out
driver’s side window and left taillight. The plate is DHA-648,
according to witnesses. He said the driver appeared to be
clean-shaven, of average build and possibly had a receding
hairline. He is asking anyone with information to call the Southfield
Police Department at (248) 796-5500.

Some witnesses said the window was broken when people tried to stop
the man from continuing into the crowd, but they were not successful.

“He wouldn’t listen to me,” one employee told a Channel 7 reporter.

One employee reportedly jumped on the hood of the van in order to
prevent further injuries.

Southfield fire and police departments and private ambulance services
responded to the carnival grounds to assist those who were
injured. The incident remains under investigation by the Southfield
Police Department.

The Alex & Marie Manoogian School is a nonprofit, coeducational
charter school “for students in kindergarten through 12th grade
dedicated to giving students the opportunity to acquire the knowledge
and skills that will make them well-rounded contributors to American
society, while, at the same time, preserving their rich Armenian
heritage,” according to the school’s Web site. The school will be
opened today as usual.

Established in 1969 and chartered by Central Michigan University since
1995, the school receives state funding from the students’ home
schools and follows state guidelines for all schools. In addition, it
emphasizes the study of Armenian language, history and culture.

Armenia is in southwest Asia, east of Turkey and south of Russia. It
prides itself on being the first nation to become Christian – in the
fourth century A.D. – and won its independence from the Soviet Union
in 1991.

The Manoogian School also offers a tuition-based pre-kindergarten
program for 3- and 4-year-olds, for whom the state does not provide
education funding.

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From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress