WTF Story Thread?

LA photographer killed while shooting Bieber's car



LOS ANGELES (AP) ? Police say a paparazzo was hit by a car and killed after taking photos of Justin Bieber's Ferrari sports car in Los Angeles.

Los Angeles police Officer James Stoughton says the man died at a hospital Tuesday evening. Stoughton says Bieber was not in the car at the time. Sgt. Rudy Lopez told the Los Angeles Times that the pop star's friend was driving the car when it was pulled over for a traffic stop. It was parked on a busy street when the photographer arrived.

Police say the man was struck by a car as he returned to his own car. Stoughton says no charges are expected against the motorist who hit the man. A call to a Bieber publicist was not immediately returned.

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Gregory Liascos, Portland's Alleged 'Moss Man,' Fails To Show Up For Trial

HILLSBORO, Ore. (Associated Press) -- Authorities say an Oregon burglary suspect dubbed "Moss Man" failed to show up at his trial, and a warrant has been issued for his arrest.

Gregory Liascos of Portland earned the "Moss Man" moniker after police say he was arrested in full-body camouflage last October outside the Rice Northwest Museum of Rocks and Minerals.

Police say the 36-year-old Portland man had cut a hole in a museum wall and was trying to break in.

Officers found a bike and a backpack, but they didn't find the suspect until a police dog bit what appeared to be the ground. It was Liascos in a "ghillie" suit, a head-to-toe camouflage outfit used by military snipers to blend in with vegetation.

Liascos later said the whole thing was a mix-up, and that the outfit was a Halloween costume from his kids.

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James Summers enters Denny's, falsely says he's new GM, cooks himself meal, gets arrested

Some would argue that James Summers deserves a free meal after coming up with an elaborate ruse to fill his belly.

Summers, 52, is from Wisconsin. And on Tuesday afternoon, he walked into a Madison-area Denny's, told workers he was the new general manager, then cooked himself the quintessential Wisconsin meal -- a burger and fries.

Turns out Summers made the whole thing up. As he ate his self-cooked meal, the real GM, following a phone call to Denny's corporate, told Summers she knew he was a phony, called police, and had him arrested.

Summers even looked the part when he waltzed into the restaurant -- he wore a maroon tie and carried a briefcase.

You can't fault a guy for trying, right?

After the real GM told Summers his jig was up, he continued to insist she was mistaken and that he was in fact there to replace her. Eventually, police arrived, confirmed that Summers was lying, and arrested him. While searching him, an officer found that he was carrying an unlicensed stun gun.

Summers has been charged with fraudulently impersonating a restaurant keeper (that's really on the books?), disorderly conduct, drug possession, and possessing an electric weapon.

Here's to hoping he was at least able to finish chowing down before police hauled him away.

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Taco Cid T-Shirt: 'How to Catch An Illegal Immigrant'


West Columbia, SC (WLTX) - A t-shirt being worn and sold at a West Columbia Mexican restaurant is creating a bit of controversy.

The shirts are at Taco Cid. They say "How to Catch an Illegal Immigrant." Accompanying the words is a drawing of a box with a stick being held over two tacos--a makeshift trap.

A photo of a Taco Cid employee wearing one of the shirts started getting national attention over the weekend after it was tweeted by Corey Hutchins, a reporter at the Free Times.

After this story generated buzz on many social media sites, News19 went straight to the restaurant Tuesday and found out the owner is selling shirts.

While it may be obvious that West Columbia's Taco Cid is more Mexican restaurant than political epicenter, owner Leanne Snelgrove says the last twenty-four hours have been anything but a siesta.

"Not nationwide, No. I had a clue it would be a hit around town but not nationwide."

Snelgrove says she's received comments from praising the shirts to more extreme measures, "we've received death threat's, we've received bomb threats."

Snelgrove claims even her husband was fired by a company and replaced by illegal immigrants. News 19 reporter Nate Stewart asked Snelgrove, "What do you say to someone who see's the shirt and says, 'that's racist.'"

"That's your opinion," said Snelgrove. "If you support illegal immigrants then you support paying tax dollars for other people who just worked under the table. Let me tell you, small business owners - we pay taxes!"

We showed the shirt to Sandy Jones, a Pastor at a prominently Hispanic Church is the Midlands.

"I think it's very racist, I think it's a very racist comment," said Jones. "If that's not likely illegal immigrants to animals you can capture with a box I don't know what else."

Jones says she's offended by the shirt and wants the restaurant to stop selling it and to apologize.

"When national news is going to hear and think that everyone is South Carolina thinks like this, that hurts me personally. It makes me very sad," said Jones.

Snelgrove says she'll keep selling the shirts, even if she is surprised by all the attention.

"The taco business is booming," said Snelgrove. "Come see us."

On its website, Taco Cid has issued this statement about the shirt:

"Our t-shirts were created as a witty and comical statement regarding ILLEGAL immigrants. There are NO racial nor hate remarks towards any specific ethnic group," it says in part. "As most tax paying Americans, we do believe ILLEGAL immigrants are burdening the system we support and live under, thereby, causing us to work harder and pay higher taxes to support the illegal activities, which our government has simply chosen to look the other way. Is it "racist" to disagree with those who are not supporting the American system?"

Leanne Snelgrove tells News19 they got the idea after going on a cruise to Key West and saw similar shirts. The shirts are selling for $35 and Snelgrove says she's been mailing them all over the world.

"It's not racist. It's immigrants - illegal Immigrants. It was just a t-shirt. Just a t-shirt," said Snelgrove.

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Large pet reptile found guarding Calif. pot stash

SAN FRANCISCO - Authorities in Northern California made a snappy discovery during a routine probation check: An alligator-like reptile named "Mr. Teeth," who was apparently protecting a stash of marijuana.

When Alameda County Sheriff's deputies entered the Castro Valley home on Tuesday, they not only found 34 pounds of marijuana valued at an estimated $100,000, but also the 5-foot-long caiman inside a Plexiglas tank guarding it in a bedroom.

Caimans are usually found in the wetland regions of Central and South America. They're considered close relatives of alligators.

"We get guard dogs all the time when we search for grow houses and people stashing away all types of dope. But alligators? You just don't see that every day," Sgt. J.D. Nelson said Thursday.

The reptile's owner, Assif Mayar, was arrested Tuesday and later charged with one count of possessing marijuana for sale. Mayar, 32, did not enter a plea during his arraignment in Alameda County Superior Court. He is being held in jail on $20,000 bail and is due back in court on Jan. 15.

He could also face citations from the California Fish and Game Commission, including possession of an exotic animal without a permit.

Mayar told deputies he got the creature to commemorate rapper Tupac Shakur's 1996 death.

"We have come across alligators before, but nobody can remember one this big and situated in such close proximity to act sort of as a sentry to the marijuana," Nelson said.

Officials at the Oakland Zoo said Mr. Teeth died Wednesday, a day after it was seized by county animal control officers.

The caiman was very sick when it arrived at the zoo's veterinary hospital, zoo spokesman Nicky Mora said Thursday.

"The veterinarian said he came in with a poor prognosis and was unresponsive when he arrived here. He passed away overnight," Mora said.

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Cow pies become cobra in Siberian village

MOSCOW, Jan. 12 (UPI) -- A giant cobra made out of cattle dung was created to entertain children in a Siberian village during the frigid winter months, its 52-year-old sculptor says.

"I made it so the kids could play around and have some fun," said Mikhail Bopposov, a native of the Siberian republic of Yakutia, RIA Novosti reported Friday.

The 880-pound sculpture shows the snake coiled and its hood spread. It's displayed in the village of Yolba, about 125 miles east of the republic's capital, Yakutsk.

Bopposov is the building manager for the village school and gets his art supplies from the 17 head of cattle he raises.

Bopposov began dabbling in dung in 2008, when he created an army tank. He's made something out of the cow pies every winter since, except in 2011, when he and his son made a rabbit out of snow. He found that medium difficult to work because it froze so hard.

This is a temporary installation, however. Come spring, like every spring, Bopposov will recycle his creation into fertilizer for crops.

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