Off-duty state trooper, a former wide receiver, tackles shoplifting suspect [Viral Video]
An off-duty Connecticut state trooper, a former wide receiver when he played football in college, tackled a suspected shoplifter outside a convenience store Sunday. The trooper, who was on his way to a basketball game and stopped at the store to buy Gatorade, heard a police radio broadcast that Enfield police were looking for the suspect as he was parking his cruiser. As the trooper was getting out of the cruiser he saw the suspect, wearing a black-hooded sweatshirt, heading towards him, according to post on the Connecticut State Police Facebook page. “The trooper turned on his cruiser’s emergency lights, identified himself as a state trooper and the chase was on,” the post stated. State police said the incident illustrates why state duty troopers drive cruisers off-duty. The post does not identify the trooper but stated that he played college football ten years ago. He clearly hasn’t lost much of his speed, if any, since then. It also does not identify the suspect or the item or items that he allegedly stole. [Source: MassLive]
Man slams into five cars in parking lot during getaway
A Fresno, California, man is behind bars Sunday after police say he hit five cars in the parking lot of Fresno Ag Hardware. Witnesses say the man was acting strangely inside the store before it happened. Police suspect he was under the influence. When the suspect, Francisco Vega, 32, walked out of the store with a ruler and hat — loss prevention associate John Melikian confronted him in the parking lot. “I knew something was wrong with the guy,” said Melikian, saying Vega was acting odd in the store. Vega locked his car and began to drive off when he approached, according to Melikian, starting a series of collisions inside the parking lot. Five vehicles were hit in total, including Melikian’s car. His car was hit so hard it drifted into another parking lane. Another car was hit so hard it ended up in a different parking row.
During the series of collisions, Melikian said Vega got out of his car. “I was trying to calm him down. I tried to get his keys from him, but he got back into his vehicle,” he said.Police responded fast since an officer was nearby, according to Lt. Joe Gomez. Vega left the parking lot, but eventually drove into an Arco gas station at the intersection. Gomez described Vega as very aggressive and five officers had to hold him down. As police cuffed him, he wailed loudly, saying, “Let me go.” “Had to put a spit mask on him. He was spitting at us, kicking at us, threatening to kill us — pretty sure he was under the influence of meth,” Gomez said. Both Gomez and Melikian say it’s a miracle no one left in an ambulance. “Looks like god has his wings on this one today,” said Melikian. “He almost hit me twice. I kept getting out of his way. This guy was driving like a maniac.” Vega is now in police custody. He could face hit and run, theft, resisting arrest and a drug-related charge. He was taken to the hospital for a toxicology test. [Source: YourCentralValley]
Colorado proposes requiring data breaches to be reported in 30 days
The Colorado legislature is considering a bill to drastically improve the state’s privacy and data security law, including giving organizations just 30 days to report a breach.Introduced in January, the amended bill passed unanimously in the House Committee on State, Veterans and Military Affairs on Feb. 14. The proposed bill overlaps between HIPAA and state privacy laws, as legislators added medical information and health insurance identification numbers to the types of personal information covered by the bill. This includes the time-frame. Current Colorado privacy laws state organizations must report without “reasonable delay,” while HIPAA regulation requires healthcare organizations report breaches within 60 days after a breach is discovered. The proposed rule creates a 30-day breach notification rule, from the time the organization determines “there is sufficient evidence to conclude that a security breach has taken place.” If the bill passes, Colorado would join Florida as the toughest states on breach notification timelines. Florida also has a 30-day notification rule, but allows an additional 15 days if there’s a “good cause for the delay.” States have been steadily proposing modifications to privacy laws, given the increase in cyber-attacks. For example, North Carolina is currently considering legislation to give organizations just 15 days from time of discovery to report a breach. [Source: Health Care IT News]
Two Russian nationals sentenced for data breach that compromised 160M cards
Two Russian Nationals were given U.S. federal prison sentences for their respective roles in a 2013 data breach that compromised 160 million credit card numbers and resulted in hundreds of millions of dollars in losses. Vladimir Drinkman, 37, and Dmitriy Smilianets, 34, along with three other codefendants admitted to carrying out one of the country’s largest hacking operations affecting entities including Dow Jones, NASDAQ, JCPenney, JetBlue, Heartland Payment Systems, TJX, Hannaford Bros. and 7-Eleven with three of the affected organizations claiming reported losses in excess of $300 million, according to a Feb. 15 DOJ press release. Drinkman was sentenced to 144 months in prison and three years of supervised release after pleading guilty to one count of conspiracy to commit unauthorized access of protected computers and one count of conspiracy to commit wire fraud in a manner affecting a financial institution. Smilianets was sentenced to 51 months and 21 days in prison along with five years of supervised release after he pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit wire fraud in a manner affecting a financial institution. “Drinkman and Smilianets not only stole over 160 million credit card numbers from credit card processors, banks, retailers, and other corporate victims, they also used their bounty to fuel a robust underground market for hacked information,” Acting Assistant Attorney General John P. Cronan said in the release. [Source: SC Magazine]
Grocery chain Albertsons to acquire Rite Aid
Grocery chain Albertsons announced plans today to acquire Rite Aid, as the traditional grocery industry continues to look for growth by broadening offerings, not just store base. A combined Albertsons and Rite Aid would have a value of roughly $24 billion, including debt. The two will have about 4,900 locations, 4,350 pharmacy counters and 320 clinics across 38 states and the District of Columbia. Most Albertsons’ pharmacies will be rebranded as Rite Aid, and the company will continue to operate Rite Aid’s stand-alone stores. Shares of Rite Aid was up 11 percent in premarket trading after skyrocketing as much as 30 percent before the opening bell. This deal follows Rite Aid’s failed attempt in 2015 to sell to its 4,600 stores to Walgreens. That deal was whittled down by regulators to a purchase of 1,932 stores for $4.37 billion. The deal with Albertsons underlines the change in course that retailers are taking, no longer looking to expand only by real estate footprint, but also by capability. Increasingly, retailers are looking to pharmacies for this expansion, which can take advantage of the frequency with which people buy prescription drugs. There is also the opportunity to use store footprints as a base for drug delivery and pick up. CVS Health late last year announced its intent to acquire Aetna for roughly $69 billion. Walgreens is now said to be in early-stage talks to acquire drug wholesale company AmerisourceBergen, The Wall Street Journal has reported. [Source: CNBC]
Employee follows getaway car to help catch robbery suspect who punched LP associate
A Decatur, Alabama, robbery suspect is jailed after punching a Belk employee in the face, police said. Brittany Nicole Slater, 26, is held in the Morgan County Jail with bail set at $5,000 on a felony robbery charge, records show. She was arrested Friday by Decatur police. Slater is accused of fleeing the scene after punching the loss prevention associate in the store parking lot, said police spokeswoman Emme Long in a news release. When Slater left in a vehicle, a store associate contacted law enforcement and followed the suspect, Long said. Police caught up to Slater’s vehicle and took her into custody. Long said she doesn’t have a police report to provide additional information about the case. Belk declined comment. The store is in Decatur Mall. Further details weren’t available. If convicted, Slater faces up to 10 years in prison. [Source: AL.com]