WTF is going on with folks this year? Is Santa Bi-polar (?) LOL
Chairs Thrown During Parents' Fight at School Christmas Program
HIGH POINT, N.C. (WGHP) -- An apparent ongoing dispute between three parents erupted into a physical fight at an elementary school's Christmas program Tuesday night.Children in the first through third grades at Oak Hill Elementary School had just completed about three-quarters of the program when three parents began fighting.Witnesses said the fight lasted about 10 minutes, and, according to an account by principal Sara Roberts, started when a father approached a student about pushing his daughter while on stage:
According to witnesses, the argument started by a father who approached another student about pushing his daughter while on stage. The one parent (not of the student who pushed) told the father to not talk to a child about that but to take it up with the principal. At that point, two other parents (twin sisters) began yelling and shouting. I had to stop the program and remind everyone to be respectful to the children on stage. However, the yelling escalated further and thus the fight began. The police were called to help by multiple members of the audience as well as a staff member who was directed to call by me. Once the police arrived, only a few people who were actually involved were questioned. However the twin sisters had left the school property by then.In the account, Roberts writes that chairs were thrown, obscenities were yelled and three mothers physically punched each other while two other mothers attempted to break up the fight.Several people called police, but the twin sisters involved in the fight had left by the time they arrived, according to Roberts.An e-mail from Superintendent Terry Grier to media Wednesday morning said that the three female parents involved had a history of disliking each other.The principal banned each parent involved in the fight.According to Roberts, a parent reported that her child was hit in the head with a chair during the melee, but was uninjured.
An accident report is being filed."My daughter was on stage singing at the time when my sister-in-law realized they were arguing," said Marseddez Lopez, who captured the argument on her camcorder. "We were gathered there to see our children perform. It's not fair to them."Lopez said from what she saw, the fight involved two parents and another person she described as a school volunteer. By the time High Point police arrived at the school, the fight had ended and many people had already left. Police have cleared the scene and no arrests were made. No one was seriously hurt in the fight.
Thrown Object Knocks Out Santa
SPOKANE, Wash. (AP) - A man dressed as Santa Claus was knocked unconscious by a thrown object that hit his face while he was riding on the back of a truck decorated as a sleigh.
Kevin Smith says he never saw what hit him Saturday. Whatever it was, it broke his nose and gave him a concussion and two black eyes.
"One second I was up there waving to people, and the next minute I wasn't," Smith said.
He was taking part in Santa Run, sponsored by the firefighters union, which features off-duty firefighters who dress up as Santa and ride through residential areas handing out candy to children.
He was taking part in Santa Run, sponsored by the firefighters union, which features off-duty firefighters who dress up as Santa and ride through residential areas handing out candy to children.
Other volunteers realized something was wrong after they hadn't heard from Smith for a few minutes. They stopped the truck and found him lying unconscious.
"It pretty much cold-cocked him," fire Lt. Scott Himelspach said.
Smith awoke in the back of the sleigh.
Smith awoke in the back of the sleigh.
"They thought I'd spilled my hot chocolate, but then they realized it was blood," Smith said. "The rest of the night was kind of hazy."
Smith, a firefighter for eight years, said he hoped to return to work on Christmas Day.
Assistant Fire Chief Brian Schaeffer said an assault report was filed with police but that no witnesses have come forward.
Assistant Fire Chief Brian Schaeffer said an assault report was filed with police but that no witnesses have come forward.
Jingle-bang! Santa's chopper shot up over slum
RIO DE JANEIRO (Reuters) - Not even Santa Claus is safe as the violent Brazilian city of Rio de Janeiro celebrates the Christmas season.
Drug traffickers in a Rio slum opened fire on a helicopter carrying a Santa to a children's party, apparently mistaking it for a police helicopter, police said Tuesday.
"They thought it was a police operation and started shooting. Luckily, nobody was hurt," a police official said.
"They thought it was a police operation and started shooting. Luckily, nobody was hurt," a police official said.
The helicopter had to return to its base after the attack. Two bullet holes were found in its fuselage.
Police said the pilot, contracted to take an actor dressed as Santa to the party in the Nova Mare slum, was flying over the neighboring Vila Joao shantytown when it was fired upon on Sunday.
Santa later returned to Nova Mare by car to distribute Christmas presents.
Santa later returned to Nova Mare by car to distribute Christmas presents.
Most of Rio's 700-plus slums are controlled by drug traffickers and are not regularly patrolled by police, who instead go into the slums in military-style raids, often using helicopters and armored
