Just two seconds
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Details: Blair was spending the weekend at Chequers, his official country residence, when he felt ill and was first taken to a local hospital, then to London's Hammersmith Hospital. There it was established he had an irregular heartbeat and a cardioversion was administered to regulate it. Cardioversion is the use of an electrical stimulus to restore a normal rhythm. Blair was sedated for 20 minutes during the procedure. He returned to work after a few days rest.
1029. Date: April 29, 2004
Victim: Attorney General John Ashcroft
Location: Washington, D.C.
Details: Ashcroft canceled an appearance, because he was feeling ill. His conditioned worsened. On the advice of a White House physician, he was taken to George Washington University Hospital for evaluation. He was diagnosed with a severe case of gallstone pancreatitis and was hospitalized in intensive care.
1030. Date: November 13, 2004
Victim: Vice President Dick Cheney
Location: Washington, D.C.
Details: Cheney was taken to George Washington University Hospital after complaining of shortness of breath. He underwent several tests and went home after three hours. It was blamed on a bad cold.
1031. Date: January 31, 2005
Victim: Senator Hillary Clinton
Location: Buffalo, New York
Details: Clinton collapsed during a speech, moments after complaining of a stomach virus. A doctor in the crowd treated her and she left the event without further assistance.
1032. Date: December 6, 2005
Victim: Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger
Location: Sacramento, California
Details: Schwarzenegger was reportedly taken to the hospital with a rapid heartbeat after coming down with the stomach flu. He was released from the UC Davis Medical Center after several hours when doctors determined his heart was functioning normally. Schwarzenegger had heart surgery in 1997 to repair a congenital valve problem. An occasional rapid heartbeat is common after that type of operation. The governor resumed a normal schedule, appearing in good health as he met with top advisors in his office.
1033. Date: October 6, 2006
Victim: Fashion Designer Yves Saint Laurent
Location: Paris, France
Details: Laurent collapsed in the road outside his boutique next to his Mercedes. He had just hosted a fashion show. Aides rushed to assist him, and medics quickly arrived and rushed him to the hospital.
Section 2C: Wrong Place/Wrong Time/Wrong Associations
No one is immune from crime.
A governor from a Midwestern state went on a trade mission to Romania. When he got off the plane, he wore a white cowboy hat that he had recently received at a governor's conference in Oklahoma. He quickly found himself surrounded by Romanian children, pulling at his clothes and asking (in English!) for money. The hat identified him as "a wealthy American" and created a situation where he could be victimized -- indeed several children were attempting to pick his pockets as his protective detail hustled him to a safe area.
In the following sampling of incidents, the public figure was the victim of a crime rather than the target for assassination, assault, or kidnapping.
1034. Date: February 13, 1976
Victim: Actor Sal Mineo
Location: West Hollywood, California
Details: Mineo pulled his car into the carport behind his apartment late at night. As he was walking inside, Lionel Ray Williams lunged out of the shadows and stabbed him in the chest with a large knife. Neighbor's heard Mineo shout, but he died before help could arrive. The death went unsolved for three years. Williams was arrested in Michigan for forging checks. He bragged about killing Mineo to his cellmate, and was overheard by a prison guard. His cell was bugged and police arrested him for Mineo's murder. On February 14, 1979, Williams was sentenced to life in prison for the murder. He had killed Mineo to rob him for money to fund his drug habit.
1035. Date: June 29, 1978
Victim: Actor Bob Crane
Location: Scottsdale, Arizona
Details: Crane was beaten to death with a camera tripod in the bedroom of his apartment. The crime went untried until 1994, when his friend, John Carpenter, was arrested for the murder. Following an eight-week trial, the jury deliberated for two and a half days before they acquitted him of the charges. Carpenter died of a heart attack in September 1998.
1036. Date: August 30, 1990
Victim: Assistant District Attorney Sean Healy
Location: New York, New York
Details: Healy was shopping in a grocery store when a drive-by shooting occurred. Five bullets were fired into the store. Healy was hit once in the head and killed.
1037. Date: June 17, 1991
Victim: Former President Jimmy Carter
Location: Miami, Florida
Details: Carter was working at a construction site when several shots were fired from a passing car, wounding another worker in the head.
1038. Date: June 20, 1991
Victim: Mayor David Dinkins
Location: New York, New York
Details: Dinkins was making an anti-gun speech at a housing project when a man fired six shots from a TEC-9 assault weapon. The shots were aimed at a drug dealer one block away from Dinkins, who was not injured.
1039. Date: May 28, 1992
Victim: Congressman Bob Traxler
Location: Washington, D.C.
Details: Traxler was entering his car when an assailant struck him on the head and robbed him of $8. Capitol Police found him lying unconscious and bleeding.
1040. Date: January 26, 1993
Victim: Venezuelan Diplomat Jesus Delgado
Location: Miami, Florida
Details: An armed robber shot Delgado to death while he was vacationing in Miami.
1041. Date: January 28, 1993
Victim: French Ambassador Philippe Bernard
Location: Kinshasa, Zaire
Details: Bernard was watching a riot from the embassy windows when two bullets, fired by rampaging soldiers, struck and killed him.
1042. Date: May 22, 1993
Victim: Deputy Premier Zlatko Lagumdzija
Location: Sarajevo, Bosnia-Herzegovina
Details: Bosnian Serbs shelled Sarajevo with mortar and artillery shells, killing 16 and wounding 129, including Lagumdzija. He was treated for shrapnel wounds to his abdomen and legs.
1043. Date: May 24, 1993
Victim: Catholic Cardinal Juan Posadas Ocampo
Location: Guadalajara, Mexico
Details: Ocampo was killed with his driver and five others while he sat in his car at the airport. The gunmen mistook him for a drug dealer and attacked with AK-47s and grenades.
1044. Date: July 5, 1993
Victim: Oil Tycoon Marvin Davis
Location: Nice, France
Details: Two men robbed Davis of $10 million in jewels as he rode with his wife and chauffeur in his limousine. His bodyguard in a follow-up car got tied up in traffic and became separated from them.
1045. Date: July 9, 1993
Victim: Missouri State Senator Jerry Howard
Location: Mobile, Alabama
Details: A gunman in the parking lot of his hotel robbed Howard during a legislative conference. He lost his wallet, $150, and camera equipment.
1046. Date: August 6, 1993
Victim: Billionaire Henry Pharon
Location: Beirut, Lebanon
Details: Pharon was found stabbed to death with his bodyguard in his hotel room. They were believed to be robbery victims.
1047. Date: February 25, 1994
Victim: Prince Charles
Location: London, England
Details: A burglar climbed the scaffolding covering St. James's Palace and broke into Charles' apartment. Several personal items were stolen.
1048. Date: September 20, 1994
Victim: Iranian Diplomat Yousef Pishknari
Location: Beijing, China
Details: A man with an AK-47 went on a sho
oting spree on a major street during rush hour. Pishknari, his son, and seven others were killed, and 40 wounded before police killed him.
1049. Date: October 22, 1994
Victim: Circuit Judge James Harvey
Location: Effingham, Illinois
Details: A man firing his high-powered rifle into the air struck Harvey in the throat as he stood in his garage, over one mile away.
1050. Date: November 1, 1994
Victim: Lawmaker Valentin Martemyanov
Location: Moscow, Russia
Details: Martemyanov suffered a fatal head injury when he was beaten and robbed near his home. The assailants took his briefcase and wristwatch.
1051. Date: April 11, 1995
Victim: Governor Frank Keating
Location: Oklahoma City, Oklahoma
Details: A shooting incident occurred within yards of the Governor's Mansion. It was a dispute between two parties and not directed at Keating.
1052. Date: October 15, 1995
Victim: Senator Barbara Mikulski
Location: Baltimore, Maryland
Details: Mikulski was walking from her car into her house late at night when a man knocked her down, stole her purse, and fled. She suffered a dislocated hand.
1053. Date: November 5, 1995
Victim: Prime Minister Jean Chretien
Location: Ottawa, Canada
Details: A man armed with a knife broke into the home of Chretien at 2:45 a.m. Mrs. Chretien heard a window break and then came face-to-face with the man. She locked the door and called the RCMP. Officers arrived moments later and arrested the man. Four bodyguards were suspended for the lapse in security and three supervisors were reassigned.
1054. Date: October 21, 1995
Victim: Teresa Heinz (wife of Senator Kerry)
Location: Washington, D.C.
Details: Heinz was walking from a theater with the wife of a former senator when a man pulled a gun and robbed them of their purses.
1055. Date: November 15, 1995
Victim: Former Governor Madeleine Kunin
Location: Washington, D.C.
Details: Kunin was walking to a subway station near her home when a man grabbed her purse and shoved her down. She struck her head on a car bumper.
1056. Date: February 25, 1996
Victim: Actor Haing S. Ngor
Location: Los Angeles, California
Details: Muggers confronted Ngor in an open parking garage outside his apartment. When he refused to turn over a gold pocket watch that held a picture of his dead wife, he was shot twice with a .38 revolver and killed by three members of the Oriental Lazyboyz street gang. The gunmen fled, but were later arrested. Ngor's car and wallet, which contained $3,000 in cash, were not taken. Three gang members were convicted in July 1999 for the murder.
1057. Date: November 7, 1996
Victim: Supreme Court Justice Ruth B. Ginsburg
Location: Washington, D.C.
Details: Ginsburg was walking near her home in the Watergate complex when her purse was snatched. Police later recovered some items, but she lost $40 and credit cards.
1058. Date: January 16, 1997
Victim: Ennis Cosby (son of celebrity Bill Cosby)
Location: Los Angeles, California
Details: When Cosby's Mercedes-Benz had a flat tire, he pulled off the San Diego Freeway at about 1:45 a.m. to repair it. He was gunned down in an apparent roadside robbery attempt. (Cosby hired co-author de Becker to monitor the hunt for his son's killer.) On March 13, the murderer was arrested and later convicted for the killing.
1059. Date: January 18, 1997
Victim: Actor Bill Cosby
Location: New York, New York
Details: Autumn Jackson tried to extort $40 million from Cosby, claiming he was her biological father. He admitted to having a one-time fling with Jackson's mother and had provided money to the family until Jackson turned 18, though he disputed the paternity claim. She was found guilty of extortion and sentenced to 26 months in prison; two accomplices were sentenced to five years and three months. The convictions were overturned in June 1999 on a technicality. The case was retried later, and the convictions were returned.
1060. Date: June 28, 1997
Victim: Governors
Location: Las Vegas, Nevada
Details: Governors Miller, Leavitt, and Beasley were seated at ringside during the Tyson-Holyfield fight, which ended when Tyson was disqualified for biting Holyfield. The crowd panicked when the sound of gunshots rang out. They stampeded from the arena, injuring over 40 people. The sounds were actually from breaking bottles. The governors were not injured.
1061. Date: December 29, 1997
Victim: State Legislator William Robinson Jr.
Location: Norfolk, Virginia
Details: Police searched for a man who pistol-whipped Robinson outside his law office. Robinson had come under recent criticism for frequently using his legislative privilege to delay court cases.
1062. Date: April 12, 1998
Victim: Diplomat Catherine Jones and Vice Consul David Bicker
Location: Tirana, Albania
Details: A gunman flagged down the Peugeot car driven by Jones, as she and Bicker were returning from a restaurant. The gunman shot her in the arm and Bicker in the stomach, but both survived.
1063. Date: September 11, 1998
Victim: Governor Jim Hunt
Location: Raleigh, North Carolina
Details: A boy walked unnoticed into the Governor's Mansion and went to the second-floor living quarters. The boy took an electric razor, a gold-colored knife, and a commemorative coin. He set off a motion detector as he was leaving and was caught by a state trooper. The boy told police he entered the grounds by following a car through the drive-in gate entrance. He was charged in juvenile court with larceny, and breaking and entering. The governor and his wife were away. An extensive review of security procedures was ordered.
1064. Date: March 7, 1999
Victim: HHS Secretary Donna Shalala
Location: Georgetown, Maryland
Details: Shalala withdrew money from an ATM and was walking back to her car when a man tried to grab her wallet. She rolled to the ground and began to scream. The man and a nearby woman jumped into a car, driven by another woman, and fled. Shalala noted the license number and police caught them.
1065. Date: December 3, 1999
Victim: International Banker Edmond Safra
Location: Monte Carlo, Monaco
Details: Safra's male nurse set a fire in a trashcan to create an emergency situation wherein he could save Safra's life. A sophisticated security system in the six-story building sounded the alarm immediately, and Safra believed that intruders had entered his building. He placed himself and their nanny in a bathroom that has been modified for entry-resistance. The blaze quickly spread to the domed roof of the building. It took firefighters three hours to extinguish the blaze. Safra and the nanny died of asphyxiation. Safra's wife and her granddaughter, who locked themselves in another room, were rescued. The male nurse suffered two self-inflicted wounds that he claimed were from two intruders. He later confessed to setting the fire and cutting himself with a knife.
1066. Date: February 10, 2000
Victim: Vice President Al Gore
Location: Los Angeles, California
Details: Gore was at the USC Medical Center promoting his health care proposal when gunfire erupted at a fast-food restaurant nearby. Three people were shot. Gore was scheduled to leave the hospital at that time, but the Secret Service held the motorcade for about 1/2 hour, until they were sure the area was safe.
1067. Date: June 18, 2003
Victim: Sandro Luiz da Silva (son of President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva)
Location: Sao Paulo, Brazil
Details: Silva was inside his girlfriend's home when two robbers stole his car parked outside with two bodyguards inside it. The robbers shot both military bodyguards, wounding one seriously in the head, and d
rove the car about two miles before stealing another.
1068. Date: April 30, 2004
Victim: Supreme Court Justice David Souter
Location: Washington, D.C.
Details: Souter was jogging on the street at 9:00 p.m., when a group of young men assaulted him. Police took him to the Washington Hospital Center, where he was treated for minor injuries. No other details were released.
1069. Date: August 7, 2005
Victim: Singer Marc Cohn
Location: Denver, Colorado
Details: Cohn was shot in the head during an attempted carjacking near the city's convention center. Cohn recovered after doctors successfully removed a bullet from his temple. He was in Denver to play a sold-out concert at the city's botanical gardens. Joseph Yachteen reportedly fired a single shot into the singer's rented van, grazing the driver (Cohn's road manager Thomas Dube) and seriously injuring Cohn after they refused to unlock the van door for the suspect. Dube and Cohn drove away from the armed suspect and were treated and released for their respective bullet wounds.
1070. Date: October 18, 2006
Victim: Mayor Michael Bloomberg
Location: New York, New York
Details: Bloomberg's car was stolen and his assistant was punched in the face during the carjacking. Bloomberg was not in the 2001 Lexus, which was stolen while the aide was running an errand in Hackensack, New Jersey. A woman reportedly approached the window of the car and asked Bloomberg's employee for money. When he refused, a man reportedly opened the car door and began to argue. The man reportedly punched the aide in the face and wrestled him out of the car with the woman's help. The car was found about two hours later, abandoned by the side of a road. Police said they were still searching for the two suspects.
"Ah, how I'd like to kill somebody. But it must be somebody important, so it gets in the papers."
Luigi Luccheni, assassinated Empress Elizabeth of Austria, 1898
Section 3
Embarrassing Situations
Protest activity occurs somewhere in the world every day. Often, these individuals or groups target public figures at an event or at their home or office. These activities can incite ugly mobs and create potentially dangerous situations, damage property, or embarrass the protectee in the media. While some of the targeted public figures were injured in the incidents that follow, it was not the intent of the aggressors to kill or seriously injure them. Often, events simply got out of control.