Posted on 05/23/2006 5:18:58 PM PDT by decimon
COVINGTON, Ga. - A man ran over three young children and two women with a car in the parking lot of a McDonald's restaurant Tuesday, police said, and one witness described him as having a smile on his face.
Lanny Barnes, 46, was in custody and charges against him were pending.
"All indications are that he intentionally hit them," Assistant Police Chief Almond Turner said.
A 2-year-old girl was in critical condition and two boys, ages 3 and 4, were in stable condition, Police Chief Stacey Cotton said.
The women, ages 33 and 36, are sisters and the mothers of the children, authorities said. Both were also in stable condition.
The children were airlifted to an Atlanta hospital, about 30 miles away, and the women were in a hospital in Covington, authorities said. They were hit by a Honda Accord.
Barnes' mother, Mary, told The Associated Press her son has battled mental illness.
"He's been suffering with depression for years," she said, her voice shaking after being told by a reporter what happened. "Lord have mercy."
Witnesses described the car running over a curb as the victims left the restaurant, then hitting them and the building before backing up and hitting them again, police said.
Ryan Boldman-Snyder, 20, an employee at the McDonald's, was on a break outside when he heard screaming, and said Barnes was "smiling the whole time."
Witnesses tried to pull Barnes out of his car in the restaurant parking lot. Police officers finally pulled him out of the car from the passenger-side front door, Boldman-Snyder said.
McDonald's area franchise manager Bill Hall said the company was deeply saddened.
"Our prayers are with the victims, the children, and their families," Hall said. "We are cooperating fully with the authorities as they investigate."
Hall said that the restaurant, about 30 miles southeast of Atlanta, would remain closed for the rest of the day and that counseling was being provided for employees.
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Associated Press Writer Harry R. Weber contributed to this report from Atlanta.
And 25 years later we still can't undo it?
Twenty? I'd have it done in about five...
Depends on how thick his skull was.
The extra fifteen is just to make sure.
Unbelievable. Prayers for the victims and their families.
Only police should have cars
Most bipolars are not violent even in their manic phases.
Frankly psychotic and delusional sounds more like it.
Very sad. I don't understand why the young innocent ones have to die so often.
Sad.
I know several violent bipolars who were diagnosed initially as depressed. They all did jail time partially because they were not being handled properly.
At least a couple went wild after being giving antidepressents. They jumped over into mania and became agitated and delusional.
I don't know this case at all, but just made a guess based on some of the things I've seen. Not saying all bipolars are like this, but i've seen enough tough ones to know it can happen.
I like the Alaskan law. I'm for proper legal proceedings after the fact but during the fact a guy like this should be stopped, if possible.
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