FOX: SWAT TEAM AT PHONE BOOTH /VA (SNIPER?) [Man Arrested, Press Conference Soon]

FoxNews | October 21, 2002 | FoxNews

[RobFromGa]

Fox reports SWAT team has surrounde phone booth in Richmond, VA

[rintense]

Oh you nit-picker! It just SOUNDS silly.

[Arkinsaw]

Seriously, what good does being terrorized do? You embolden the terrorist and encourage them to do it more. Live your life and give the finger to those who would take your liberty!

Its amazing that we were able to live with 10,000 nuclear warheads pointed at us for 50 years without dying of fright. I always figured that we would deal with domestic terrorism much like Israel deals with or how Britain dealt with the blitz. Apparently we are unable to deal even with a single .223 without mass hysteria.

[Arkinsaw]

Have a drink or something.

I'm thinking that I need a drink less than others need a sedative.

[KSCITYBOY]

The van had temp plates I would not make to much out of the flag or decals... Probably the prior owners.

[CobaltBlue]

OK, you're a brave strong man. Why don't you prove what a man you are and stop denigrating people who aren't as brave as you are?

[cinFLA]

very possible ... when shooting below - aim higher; when shooting above - aim lower.

I think you left out a word - "from"

[billhilly]

It was reported earlier this morning that the van had an NRA sticker on it. It also had a thirty day temporary tag, so it seems highly unlikely that the sticker belonged to the new owner, who still did not have an inspection sticker or County Decal. The absence of either or both both of these are reason to be stopped by police. A Mexican national, however, may not be aware of that.

The employee of a car dealership mentioned those facts, as well as the fact that the car had been purchased at "Three Amigos" car dealership.

[twyn1]

There was some speculation on one of the early sniper threads that this was a group of shooters passing around the same gun, and perhaps some were more skilled (or less squeamish about a head shot)than others. Also a possibility that this is a group of "teens" who are having a sick contest or game of some kind...someone posted a story about teenage boys in her area who shot and killed a couple of people on a "dare"

[ToryNotion]

The story is being reported on local news in Richmond, channel 12 (NBC) i I forget the call letters. I heard a
replay of a phone interview between the channel 12 news person and a Ms. Joan Musselman (guessing spelling). Ms.
Musselman gave the 'saw van in school parking lot...called
911' story exactly as it has been reported/posted here.

[hoyaloya]

Any thoughts from any of us without inside information are just speculation, and yours is as likely to be true as anyone's. I think there are plenty of explanations for a Mexican flag on the back of this vehicle. Among them:

(1) This vehicle is entirely unrelated to the sniping.

(2) This was some sort of set up by the sniper(s).

(3) The vehicle had the sticker when the current driver(s) first got it.

(4) The driver(s) put it on, wanting people to think he was Mexican . . . as Mexicans probably attract less attention and are less threatenting than Arabs. I don't recall seeing many Mexican stickers in NOVA, but in some places they are fairly typical - as many here have pointed out.

I certainly don't know the answer, but given the plausible explanations, I don't think the sticker tells us too much. I certainly don't, however, think the sticker should just be taken at face value.

[Crusher138]

Seriously, how impressive is it for you to be saying these things all the way from Florida?

If geography reflects on the pertinence of what we post, I would say that a person from Colorado is worthy of being ignored...

[concerned about politics]

Seriously, what good does being terrorized do? You embolden the terrorist and encourage them to do it more. Live your life and give the finger to those who would take your liberty!

.......These were his last words before the snipers bullet drilled a hole through the front of his forehead.

[Grampa Dave]

Actually this story was confirmed on FNC by a retired policeman in the Virginia area at the recent half hour break.

Maybe Moose had nothing to do with the arrest of the driver of this van and the later arrest and pickup of the other person in the van at another site.

Cell phones in the hands of alert citizens can stop a lot of criminals.

[justlurking]

They have nothing to do with the sniper.

Or the perpetrator paid the driver of the van to deliver a message..... or maybe just to show up and confound the police. It wouldn't be difficult to find someone willing to do it: you just have to know where to look.

Earlier in the thread, a witness was quoted as saying that the police were waiting for the minivan. The chief's crypytic message makes perfect sense now: the perp probably gave them the number of the pay-phone and told them to expect a call/message there.

[Arkinsaw]

You must have some info I don't then. My understanding of the situation is that Moose's message had to do with a pre-arranged meeting with one of the perps. If you're talking about the soccer Mom story, I'm not aware that it's been confirmed and I take it that it's some unfounded rumor. Do you actually believe the arrest this morning was a coincidence? After that news conference yesterday????

Possibly. I was going with what was reported on FOX a few moments ago about the 911 call. If thats untrue and it was some sort of prearranged meeting then I still don't think it really explains the need to shut down all the schools. You would think it safer for the kids to be locked down in school rather than potentially wandering around. We will have to wait and see as it comes out or if some real logical reason is announced about the school closings. I don't discount the possibility.

[ET(end tyranny)]

FNC said that INTERPOL says there is a French sniper missing and supposedly loose in North America. Anyone else hear this?

[RobFromGa]

Do they claim that the van in question at the school parking lot was the same one impoundeded this morning at the gas station phone booth where the driver was arrested?

[Quilla]

Have y'all heard what the driver of the van has been charged with?

[Tired of Taxes]

"We don't know if he was dialing the phone, or if indeed, he was using a calling card. He may have been dialing even numbers, or odd numbers, or a combination of all three. We have no information as of yet if he had indeed dialed a "1". We have here a communications expert, who will tell us about ten-digit dialing"

Hahaha... They know nothing, but they have to fill-up hours of news coverage. Why report other news stories when you can repeat over and over again: "We're not sure. We don't know. Here's another expert to tell us how much we really don't know." And still attract viewers.

[RobFromGa]

very possible ... when shooting below - aim higher; when shooting above - aim lower.

I think you left out a word - "from"

Now you gave the sniper the whole enchilada.