Sydney surfer Sam Page is in intensive care after being “bashed” by a bouncer at Players in Surfer’s Paradise. Page was celebrating his 21st birthday when, while being escorted out of the club, a bouncer punched him so hard that he was immediately knocked out and fell backward down a flight of stairs to the sidewalk below.

Mr Page is in the intensive care unit of the Gold Coast Hospital with serious head injuries. . . The bouncer, 32-year-old Eugene White of Labrador, faced Southport Magistrates Court today charged with grievous bodily harm.

Our thoughts are with Sam’s family and friends.
[Link: The Australian]

A four-year-old girl in Springdale, Arkansas died when she lay face-down on a skateboard and rode it down the driveway and into the street. She was struck by a car whose driver then sped away.

Police say the girl was hit by a black mid- to late-model 1990s Honda Accord about 3:30 p.m. A news release described the car as a “low-rider” style vehicle with chrome wheels.

[Link: Action News 5]

A 24-year-old woman from Asaka, Saitama Japan faces charges in the death of her 2-year-old son in a fire that burned down her apartment. The woman left two-year-old Takeaki Fujiwara home alone for 17 hours while she went snowboarding.

During that period, a fire broke out in their apartment and burned down the room. The charred body of Takeaki was subsequently pulled out of the debris. . . . Investigators suspect that the fire started after Takeaki accidentally pulled over a kotatsu, a small table with an electric heater.

[Link: Mainichi-MSN]

Last weekend it was a San Diego skater. This time it was a 43-year-old Kiwi surfer who reportedly walked into Planet Surf in Haleiwa, Hawaii and started acting weird.

“I saw the guy run out of the store yelling, ‘F**k You… f***ing cheap skate… or something like that, then he lifts this head high wooden Tiki carving and hurls it through the window of the store,” Jones said. “The owner and the New Zealand surfer then fought until people driving by stopped their cars and broke it up,” Jones added.

Eventually, an officer arrived and Tasered the New Zealander into submission.
[Link: Surfermag.com via Stuff.co.nz]

When San Diego State University Police officers asked Josh Gandy to get off his skateboard and walk he simply told them to fuck off and kept rolling. In return, the officers threw him to the ground and tasered him repeatedly. The attack was caught on cellphone video by freshman Laruen Neidig. We thought this a terrible tragedy until we heard Gandy’s response to San Diego’s New 8 reporters. After hearing him talk we realized Gandy’s the kind of guy who deserves a good tasering every time he opens his mouth.
[Link: KFMB]

Hundreds of people were evacuated from the Dalton Park shopping center in Seaham, UK after two telephone calls were made to a Quiksilver retail store claiming that a bomb had been left in the building:

Up to 200 visitors and 150 staff were moved out on to land surrounding the Murton centre for almost two hours as police officers and sniffer dogs checked the area. . . The centre reopened shortly before 5pm when police confirmed the calls had been a hoax and were satisfied there was no risk.

We wonder if it had anything to do with this bomb?
[Link: Sunderland Today]

Jose Gonzalez, an 18 year old who was filming friends as they skateboarded on the steps of the University of Southern California’s Heritage Hall, was attacked by campus security officers Alejandro Para and Martha Gillies on Monday, February 5, 2007. In the resulting scuffle one office broke his foot and Gonzalez ended up in jail.

“Gillies then attempted to take the video camera from Gonzalez while Para “wrestled” with him. (The officer) was being really aggressive, and I don’t know why,” Shauk said. “I don’t understand why he was being so physical.”

Why? Because they get off on being the man.
[Link: The Daily Trojan]

It’s been a big week in action sports crime. Now, we read of an Australian pro snowboarder from Whistler named Daniel James Kneitel, 35, whoe is on the DEA’s most wanted list for being part of a AUS$13 million drug trafficking operation that was allegedly moving up to 400kg of weed from Canada into Alaska and mainland US.

Mr Kneitel, who is not described in US District Court documents as being a key player, is one of five men indicted over the drug operation who are yet to be arrested. . . Four men remain at large in Canada, including identities known by the nicknames “Baldie” and “the Photographer”.

Hmm, a BC photographer who hangs out with snowboarders. . . like that narrows it down.
[Link: Melbourne Herald Sun]

Snowboarder John Titus, 19, of Conneaut, Ohio was arrested after officers found a missing skate rail from the local skateboard park stashed in his backyard.

Officers at the scene discovered one piece of skate park equipment, known as a rail, had been unbolted and removed. Following footprints in the snow, officers eventually located the equipment behind Titus’ house, a short distance from the park, police said.

Apparently, Titus wanted to work on his backlips in the privacy of his own yard.
[Link: Star Beacon]

Neil Haves Rodreick III, 29, has been arrested in Chino Valley, Arizona for 15 criminal counts, including fraud, forgery and failing to register as a sex offender. Rodreick posed as a 12-year-old boy and enrolled in several different Arizona elementary schools and even started a skateboard club and invited several kids back to his home for meetings.

Several children between the ages of 13 and 17 joined the club, officials said. On several occasions, two or three of the boys went to the trailer where Rodreick lived to discuss club matters. In all, Tieman interviewed 12 children who either interacted with Rodreick as club members or as friends of club members.

[Link: MSNBC]