Posted on 10/16/2002 6:05:52 PM PDT by GeneD
The sniper task force is running the partial license plate information from witnesses who saw the Chevrolet Astro van through computers at the Maryland Department of Motor Vehicles, a highly placed source very close to the investigation told CNN Wednesday.
In the two weeks since the Washington-area sniper began his shooting spree, he has succeeded in eluding both description and capture in one of the largest manhunts in history.
Hundreds of local, state, and federal agents are working the case, and the Pentagon has authorized the use of Army surveillance and reconnaissance aircraft in the hunt for the killer, who has left nine people dead and two wounded since October 2.
An undetermined number of people are under surveillance as officials try to track possible leads in the sniper investigation, law enforcement sources told CNN Wednesday.
The sources stressed the individuals are not suspects, and that as leads come in, investigators do what they need to do to check them.
Witnesses at the site of the latest attack at the Falls Church mall parking lot Monday said the light-colored van had a Maryland license plate, according to the source. But it's not clear if they were able to give investigators letters or numbers on the plate.
"We received license plate information from several witnesses -- different information on different tags," Fairfax County Police Chief Tom Manger told reporters earlier. "We're following up on all that information. We are not ready to release any tag information about a suspect vehicle."
Depending on how much information the witnesses are able to provide, the computer search for the van's license plate could take some time.
Members of the task force hunting down the culprit say more and better witness descriptions have come with each incident, but they admit their information is still sketchy and lacking crucial details.
One witness reported seeing a man with olive- or darker-colored skin in a white van. And yet another witness saw two men in a van.
"We do have an individual who is causing terror in the hearts of the public, but is his motivation political? Religious? Does he have a message that he's sending that we're not getting yet? We don't know," said Capt. Nancy Demme of the Montgomery County, Maryland Police Department, which is leading the multijurisdictional investigation.
"The common denominator thus far is 'male,'" she said.
Another witness to Monday's deadly shooting told authorities he saw a man shouldering a weapon, and it is believed the fatal shot was fired from 30 yards away, sources said Wednesday.
The sniper's previous victims were all shot from a distance of several hundred yards, authorities have said.
Despite those witness accounts, police said Wednesday they were unable to develop a composite sketch of a suspect.
"There are a couple of people who believe they saw a man shoot. Unfortunately, distance and darkness and, perhaps, adrenaline, have made them unable to give us a clear composite that we can disseminate," said Demme.
(snip)
(Excerpt) Read more at cnn.com ...
The purpose was to "protect women's right to choose" by making it harder to find out what auto license could be associated with which owners.
Moran gets most of his campaign money from overseas Moslem interests, many with an AlQaida connection.
That's probably why he sponsored that legislation.
My thoughts exactly! I figured thats what the recruits found when they were on their hands and knees scouring the area. DIM (Dumb Is Me)
Thank goodness that CNN has broken the story!
LOL! I had the very same first impression!
ROTFLMAO! That was my first thought too! :)
This is odd, because tonight Fox News reported that the earlier reports of a partial plate number were not true, and that police had no plate numbers to work with. The did, however, say that one witness claimed to be certain that the plate was from Virginia.
This "investigation" is getting very tiresome. I am convinced that the cops have nothing whatsoever, and are just hoping for a break. They need for the guy to strike again so they can get some more witness reports.
(Did you hear our instructions from the cops to carry a pen with us, and to write down information on our hand if we don't have any paper? They are desperate.)
You gotta admit, that would be one heck of a break in the case. Catch the sucker when he goes to the dentist for a replacement. Or catch him at the airport via a "Smile" test.
Now I've got decaf on my shirt.
While government agencies continue downplaying the terrorist link, the president has signed an Executive Order allowing the military to kill the terrorist cells operating inside the US. He did say this was going to be a war like no other war AND MUCH of it would be conducted in secret. The current cell, responsible for the current killing(s) is under observation as Delta rehearses taking them down. If the sniper(s), disappears without "fanfare" then the government got them. As the snipers become more and more brazen in their attacks it is pretty clear that they will blow themselves when they are cornered. Therefore, it is the government's best interests to quickly and quietly kill this cell (and hope there aren't too many more....) AGAIN, this is nothing more then a SWAG.
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