Chief: Man wasn’t serious about threat

Chief: Man wasn’t serious about threat

indianapolis

A northern Indiana police chief said Sunday he believes a man arrested after reportedly threatening to “kill as many people as he could” at a school was just bluffing when he made the ominous remark during a heated argument with his wife.

Interim Cedar Lake Police Chief Jerry Smith said Von I. Meyer, 60, was arguing early Friday with his wife and initially threatened to set her on fire while she was sleeping at their home.

Meyer, who was arrested Saturday on seven felony charges, then told his wife he would kill her “at the school” and “would kill as many people as he could before police could stop him police,” Smith said.

Meyer’s wife works at the cafeteria at Jane Ball Elementary School, less than 1,000 feet from the couple’s home in Cedar Lake, about 45 miles southeast of Chicago.

Man fires shots in Calif. parking lot

newport beach, calif.

A suspect who fired about 50 shots in the parking lot of a crowded Southern California shopping mall, sending shoppers sprinting for safety, was cooperative when officers took him into custody, authorities said Sunday.

Witnesses said people ran, screaming and ducking for cover, when 42-year-old Marcos Gurrola fired into the air and onto the ground Saturday afternoon near the Macy’s department store at the Fashion Island mall in Newport Beach.

He paused to reload several times, police said.

Then Gurrola put the gun down and offered no resistance when bicycle officers arrested him around 4:30 p.m., said Lt. John Lewis. “He just gave up,” Lewis said.

Investigators have no motive, Lewis said. Officials said one person suffered a minor injury while running away, and was treated.

Landslide victory

tokyo

After leading his conservative party to a landslide victory that will bring it back to power after a three-year hiatus, Shinzo Abe stressed today that the road ahead will not be easy as he tries to revive Japan’s sputtering economy and bolster its national security amid deteriorating relations with China.

The Liberal Democratic Party, which led Japan for most of the post-World War II era until it was dumped as the economy fizzled in 2009, won 294 seats in the 480-seat lower house of parliament in Sunday’s nationwide elections, according to media reports.

Allies sweep vote

caracas, venezuela

President Hugo Chavez’s allies won a sweeping victory in Venezuela’s gubernatorial elections Sunday, capturing a large majority of states and showing their socialist party still has muscle even as cancer has put the socialist leader’s future in question.

The ruling party won at least 19 of 23 states, according to preliminary results.

Diet Pepsi quietly changes sweetener

new york

Diet Pepsi is quietly changing its sweetener ahead of a major rebranding of the soft drink set for next month.

The change comes as PepsiCo Inc. looks to reinvigorate its namesake brands after losing market share to Coca-Cola Co. in recent years.

Cans of Diet Pepsi around the country now list a mix of two artificial sweeteners, a pairing that is commonly found in newer diet sodas.

In addition to aspartame, cans of Diet Pepsi found in New York, Omaha, Neb., and the Bay Area now list acesulfame potassium as an ingredient.

Associated Press