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A4 U.S. NEWS
Thursday 23 June 2022
Man found not responsible for Times Square vehicle rampage

By TOM HAYS wasn’t entirely detached
Associated Press from reality by maneuver-
NEW YORK (AP) — A man ing his vehicle onto the
who drove his car through sidewalk and driving with
crowds of people in Times precision for three blocks,
Square in 2017, killing a mowing down people until
young tourist and maim- he crashed.
ing helpless pedestrians, One victim’s pelvis was sep-
was cleared of responsibil- arated from her spine. Doc-
ity Wednesday because of tors were certain she would
mental illness. die, but she somehow sur-
A jury in New York City ac- vived. Elsman’s younger
cepted an insanity de- sister Eva, then 13, testified
fense claiming Richard Ro- during the trial about her
jas was so psychologically own injuries: broken ribs,
disturbed he didn’t know a collapsed lung, a com-
what he was doing. pound leg fracture and
The judge has said the find- other wounds that kept her
ing would qualify Rojas for in the hospital for weeks.
an open ended “involun- “The defendant made a
tary mental commitment” decision that day,” the
instead of a lengthy prison prosecutor, Peterson, said.
term. He ordered Rojas “He made a choice. …
held while he drafts an ex- Richard Rojas, right, appears in court for the start of his trial in New York on May 9, 2022. He went to the ‘crossroads
amination order, and said Associated Press of the world,’ a high pro-
there would be a hearing had to decide whether or loss, and all of the victims of jas descended into para- file place where everyone
on the matter Thursday. not Rojas “lacked respon- this horrific incident.” noia after he was kicked knows there’s lots and lots
Rojas, 31, who was impas- sibility by reason of mental Jyll Elsman, the mother of out of the Navy in 2014. of people.”
sive throughout the trial, disease or defect.” Alyssa, reacted with dismay That Rojas was behind the Once there, he was “in full
had no visible reaction to Rojas’ attorney Enrico De- in a social media message. wheel of the car was never control of his car,” he add-
a verdict reached after less Marco told reporters out- “Really the only thing I in doubt. Multiple security ed.
than two days of delibera- side court that the verdict have to say is if this had videos showed him emerg- DeMarco told jurors “there
tions. “right and humane,” add- happened to any of the ju- ing from the vehicle after it should be no doubt” his cli-
The defendant was ac- ing that winning over the ror’s children — would they crashed. That put the focus ent met the legal standard
cused in an attack that in- jury was an uphill battle still have said ‘not respon- of the case on his mental for an insanity finding. The
jured more than 20 people “because it was such a hor- sible’?” she wrote. state. evidence, the lawyer said,
and killed Alyssa Elsman, rible act.” The trial, which began early In his closing argument, showed Rojas “lacked a
18, of Michigan, who was In a statement, District At- last month, featured testi- prosecutor Alfred Peter- substantial capacity to
visiting the popular tourist torney Alvin Bragg said his mony from victims who suf- son conceded that Rojas know what he was doing
destination with her family. office’s “condolences con- fered severe injuries from was having a psychotic was wrong” because of an
The jury was instructed that tinue to be with the fam- what prosecutors labeled episode, including hear- underlying illness — schizo-
if it found prosecutors had ily, friends and loved ones “a horrific, depraved act.” ing voices, at the time of phrenia, as diagnosed by
proven elements of murder of Alyssa Elsman, who suf- On the defense side, family the rampage. But Peterson a defense psychiatrist who
and assault charges, it also fered a terrible and tragic members testified how Ro- argued Rojas showed he testified.q

San Francisco subway train shooting

kills 1, wounds another

it stopped in Castro,” said trains, buses, streetcars and reviewing the footage.
Supervisor Rafael Mandel- San Francisco’s iconic ca- The station where the sus-
man, who represents the ble cars. pect ran out is at the heart
Castro District. Mandelman The shooting happened of San Francisco’s famous
said that while the person around 10 a.m. on a Muni Castro neighborhood,
who was killed appeared train traveling between the which is internationally
to be part of the alterca- Forest Hill and Castro sta- known for its LGBTQ activ-
tion, the second man who tions. ism. The shooting comes
was shot and wounded is “When the train stopped, just four days before San
believed to have been an the perpetrator ran out, Francisco’s Pride parade,
innocent bystander. along with all of the people which typically draws
Police personnel confer outside the entrance to the Castro Muni San Francisco police on the packed train,” said thousands of people from
Metro station following a shooting in San Francisco, Wednesday,
June 22, 2022. spokeswoman Officer Kath- Supervisor Myrna Melgar, around the world, and
Associated Press ryn Winters said Wednes- who represents the Forest people are on edge amid
day’s shooting is believed Hill neighborhood. a wave of threats to the
By OLGA R. RODRIGUEZ and way train in San Francisco to have been the first ever Police were looking for a LGBTQ community.
JANIE HAR Wednesday morning, po- on a train with the San Fran- man described only as Winters said the shooting
Associated Press lice said. cisco Municipal Transporta- wearing dark clothes and doesn’t appear to have
SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — “There was an altercation tion Agency — also known a dark hooded jacket. targeted the LGBTQ com-
One man was killed and between folks who may as Muni. The agency oper- Winters said all Muni trains munity or to be connected
another was wounded in a have known each other ates most public transpor- and subway stations have to the weekend’s upcom-
shooting on a packed sub- inside the subway before tation in the city, including cameras, and police were ing Pride events.q