Children race to collect marshmallows dropped from helicopter
SOUTHFIELD (US), March 31: It rained marshmallows at a suburban Detroit park on Friday as children raced to snatch up thousands of the gooey treats being dropped from a helicopter.
The annual Great Marshmallow Drop took place at Catalpa Oaks County Park in Southfield, hosted by Oakland County Parks.
Hundreds of children waved and cheered as the helicopter passed by on its way to the drop zone. Once there, a passenger dumped the treats out of a sack and onto the grass below and children darted to collect them.
Officials stressed that although the fluffy treats are tempting, they must not be eaten because they hit the ground. Instead, kids exchanged the marshmallows they collected for a prize bag containing candy, a colouring book and a one-day pass to a water park.
Speaking before the event, Melissa Nawrocki, Oakland County recreation program supervisor, said 15,000 marshmallows would be dropped.
The helicopter made four passes, dropping marshmallows aimed at kids in three age categories: 4-year-olds and younger; 5 to 7 year olds, and those 8 to 12 years old. The drop for children with disabilities came later in the day. (AP)
Shoplifter chased by police on horses in New Mexico
ALBUQUERQUE, March 31: Police in New Mexico had all the horsepower in this chase: A shoplifter was detained outside a Walgreens this month after trying to outrun a horse-mounted police officer.
Albuquerque police bodycam video shows a dark-brown horse trotting through a parking lot behind a man in black clothing.
The horse catches up to him within seconds.
“It wasn’t me,” the man yells as he leads the horse and police officer into the street, stopping traffic.
The man then finds himself surrounded when two more police officers on horses arrive at the scene, the video shows. One of the officers dismounts from his horse and handcuffs the man, who has been charged with stealing $230 worth of merchandise from the Walgreens, according to the Albuquerque Police Department. (AP)