MID-ATLANTIC

ROBERTSON APOLOGIZES FOR CHAVEZ REMARKS

VIRGINIA BEACH, Va. – Religious broadcaster Pat Robertson apologized yesterday for calling for the assassination of President Chavez of Venezuela, only hours after he denied saying Mr. Chavez should be killed. “Is it right to call for assassination?” Mr. Robertson asked. “No, and I apologize for that statement. I spoke in frustration that we should accommodate the man who thinks the U.S. is out to kill him.”

Mr. Chavez, whose country is the world’s fifth-largest oil exporter, has emerged as one of the most outspoken critics of President Bush. He accuses America of conspiring to topple his government and possibly backing plots to assassinate him. American officials have called the accusations ridiculous.

On Monday’s telecast of his Christian Broadcasting Network show “The 700 Club,” Robertson had said: “You know, I don’t know about this doctrine of assassination, but if he thinks we’re trying to assassinate him, I think that we really ought to go ahead and do it. It’s a whole lot cheaper than starting a war, and I don’t think any oil shipments will stop.”

Yesterday, he initially denied having called for Mr. Chavez to be killed and said the AP had misinterpreted his remarks. He later issued the apology on his Web site.

– Associated Press

WASHINGTON

STUDY SHOWS RACE DISPARITY DURING TRAFFIC STOPS

Black, Hispanic, and white motorists are equally likely to be pulled over by police, but blacks and Hispanics are much more likely to be searched, handcuffed, arrested, and subjected to force or the threat of it, a Justice Department study has found.

The study, by the department’s Bureau of Justice Statistics, was completed last April and posted on the agency’s Web site after Bush administration officials disagreed over whether a press release should mention the racial disparities.

Traffic stops have become a politically volatile issue as minority groups have complained that many stops and searches are based on race rather than on legitimate suspicions.

The bureau’s director, Lawrence Greenfeld, appointed by President Bush in 2001, wanted to publicize the racial disparities, but his superiors disagreed, a BJS employee said yesterday. No release was issued.

Mr. Greenfeld has told his staff that he is being moved to a new job following the dispute, according to this employee, who spoke on condition of anonymity because he is not authorized to talk to reporters. Mr. Greenfeld was not immediately available for comment. Justice Department spokesman Brian Roehrkasse would not comment on Mr. Greenfeld’s status. Based on interviews of almost 77,000 Americans age 16 or over in 2002, the study drew no conclusions about the reasons for the racial disparities in post-stop treatment.

– Associated Press

WEST

WAL-MART SHOOTING SUSPECT APPARENTLY DIDN’T KNOW VICTIMS

GLENDALE, Ariz. – A man accused of gunning down two Wal-Mart employees in a store parking lot – reloading and continuing to fire into the men after they fell – didn’t appear to know either victim and had no known vendetta against the company, authorities said. Court papers released yesterday indicated the suspect, Ed Liu, 53, was mentally disturbed but gave no further details.

The two employees had been collecting shopping carts in the crowded parking lot of their suburban Phoenix store Tuesday afternoon when a man drove up and started shooting, according to authorities.

Court documents released after Mr. Liu’s initial court appearance yesterday alleged that after shooting the two, Mr. Liu reloaded his .40-caliber handgun and then shot them several more times as they lay on the ground about 75 yards from the store entrance.

Two witnesses to the shooting gave police the license number of the shooter’s car, and Mr. Liu was arrested a few hours later in a nearby retirement community where he lived. He was booked late Tuesday on two counts of first-degree murder.

– Associated Press