In brief: Body found in Vancouver mall restroom
VANCOUVER, Wash. – A store employee found the body of a woman in a restroom at the Westfield Vancouver Mall.
The Clark County medical examiner’s office identified the woman as 61-year-old Lyudmila Tikhomirova, of Vancouver.
Police spokeswoman Kim Kapp said there’s no sign of a crime.
The body had apparently been there overnight and emergency responders were called shortly after 6 a.m. Monday, Kapp told the Columbian.
No additional information was released about the death.
Police: Gunmen scare was video shoot
SEATTLE – Police raced to the top of a downtown Seattle building after getting reports of as many as six people on the roof carrying rifles and handguns.
Officers found a group shooting a music video Monday.
On their website, police say officers found one man who was carrying a rifle and ammunition and five other people, two of whom were carrying pistols. All the “guns” were realistic-looking replicas.
The video crew had apparently scaled a fire escape to reach the roof.
Police cautioned the group about the dangers of trespassing and shooting unapproved music videos with realistic-looking weapons.
New cracks found in Seattle viaduct
SEATTLE – The latest inspection of the 61-year-old Alaskan Way Viaduct in Seattle found some new hairline cracks.
The Washington state Department of Transportation said the elevated highway along the waterfront is safe, but vulnerable in an earthquake.
A routine inspection was conducted the weekend of March 1-2 and discovered new and widening cracks near Spring and Seneca streets.
The department said Monday the cracks are a half-mile north of – and unrelated to – the machine drilling the state Highway 99 replacement tunnel.
Spokesman Travis Phelps said no new settling was measured.
The viaduct has been regularly inspected since the 2001 Nisqually earthquake and it has settled more than 5 inches at one spot near Yesler Way.
The department plans to close the viaduct again March 22 for a follow-up inspection.
House cat traps owners in bedroom
PORTLAND – Portland police had to be called in to subdue a 22-pound house cat that trapped its owners inside their bedroom after attacking their baby.
The baby was not injured in the Sunday incident.
Sgt. Pete Simpson, a Portland Police Bureau spokesman, said officers responded to a 911 call that evening from a couple who had locked themselves in their bedroom with the baby and their dog after the cat attacked the child.
Simpson said the 911 operator could hear the cat screeching in the background as the couple awaited help.
Officers used a dog snare to capture the cat and placed it in a crate.
Simpson said the owners told the dispatcher the cat has a history of violence. He said the cat remained with its owners.