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Driver of stolen SUV apologizes to family

BURNABY, B.C. - The driver of a stolen SUV involved in a fatal police shooting says he feels responsible for the death of his teen passenger following a car chase with police.

Ian Campbell, now 21, apologized to the victim's family Thursday during video testimony from prison at a coroner's inquest into the shooting three years ago.

The inquest is looking into the death of 16-year-old Kyle Tait, a passenger in the SUV who was shot by New Westminster police officer Todd Sweet following the police chase in the early hours of Aug. 23, 2005.

Campbell, Tait and three other teens stole the vehicle in Vancouver and planned to sell it to a garage in neighbouring Surrey the night of the incident.

When police attempted to pull the vehicle over at a roadblock, Campbell sped away.

When the stolen SUV attempted to ram a police vehicle, Sweet has testified that he feared for the safety of his rookie partner and fired three shots.

Man accused in Obama case limps into court

DENVER - A Colorado man suspected of making racist threats against Barack Obama limped into federal court on crutches Thursday.

Therin Gartrell, 28, was formally advised of a methamphetamine-possession charge against him.

Gartrell was arrested Sunday, just before the Democratic National Convention in Denver.

Authorities say he was pulled over in the suburb of Aurora in a rented truck that contained rifles, a bulletproof vest, wigs and fake IDs.

Police allege Gartrell and two other men had talked about killing Obama.

The U.S. attorney's office later said the men were drug users who made racist threats but had no firm assassination plot and no ability to carry one out.

16 people injured when walkway collapses

SAN DIEGO - A block-long covered walkway next to a construction scaffold collapsed on Thursday, injuring 16 pedestrians, three critically.

Authorities say about 25 people were on the walkway when its wooden walls and roof fell in.

Abigail Reckermann, 50, says the walls started moving, then she heard a bang and everything started coming down.

Ariel Medina, 34, was uninjured but saw a board fall onto the back of a man she was talking with.

Authorities say three people suffered life-threatening injuries.

Fire spokesman Daniel Calderon says investigators don't know what caused the collapse.

Man who beat up lawyer sent to prison

CHATHAM, Ont. - A 40-year-old man from Chatham, Ont., who beat up his lawyer has been sentenced to more than nine years in jail.

Randy Madsen was sentenced Thursday on numerous charges, including robbery, assault with a weapon and aggravated assault.

Lawyer Gundrun Mueller-Wilm was defending Madsen on separate charges when he broke into her Chatham office, struck her in the head with a brick and robbed her.

Source: The Canadian Press, The Associated Press