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HT This Day: Sept 24, 1975 — Attempt to kill Ford foiled: President unhurt; woman held for firing shot
HT This Day: Sept 24, 1975 — Attempt to kill Ford foiled: President unhurt; woman held for firing shot
A 45-year-old woman fired a shot in the direction of President Gerald Ford as he left a downtown hotel yesterday, but her gun was deflected by an alert policeman just as it went off, a San Francisco policeman said. Mr. Ford was not hurt.
San Francisco Police Lt. Frank Jordan said the Secret Service had taken a woman into custody identified as Sarah Moore.
“She was standing 35-to-40 feet away from the President,” Lt. Jordan said. “She produced a 38-calibre revolver and fired one shot, fortunately striking no one.”
Capt. William Conroy of the San Francisco police said the Secret Service had checked on the woman on Sunday night because she was on a list of potential threats to the President.
“The Secret Service examined her and passed her,” Capt. Conroy said He said she was a known activist who had been involved in the massive food giveaway organized last year as an effort to free kidnapped heiress Patricia Hearst.
San Francisco policeman John Gleason said he was standing by as part of the Presidential Guard detail when he saw Mr. Ford walk up to the Limousine and wave to a small crowd across the street.
“At that time somebody shot a gun in the direction of the President and I looked over across the street to see a chrome revolver pointed at the President.” Mr. Gleason said.
Mr. Ken lacavoni, special agent in-charge of the San Francisco Secret Service office, later identified the woman as Sarah Jean Moore, 45.
There was no immediate address on the woman.
Mr. lacavoni also said police had recovered a 38-caliber handgun from her.
He placed the time of the shooting at 3-30 p.m. (local time) and said only one shot had been fired and that nobody hit.
The Presidential jet, Air Force I, left San Francisco International air- port about 20 minutes after the shot rang out.
The President had arrived at the airport after a high-speed race from the city’s downtown section.
Mark Knight, 22, a free-lance photographer, who was perched In a bush across the street from Mr. Ford’s car, said he was watching the President emerge from the St. Francis Hotel when he heard the shot and saw the woman.
“The shot rang out, and all the attention went to her,” Mr. Knight said. “The Secret Service men were on her in a second and the crowd moved away from her. It was a women, wearing a blue pant suit and Secret Service men got on top of the President, almost, and pushed him into the car. Then they took off.”
Miss Moore, who claimed to be a one-time FBI informer until a year ago, was one of the first volunteers to join the million-dollar “People in Need” food ransom programme established by kidnapped Patricia Hearst’s parents last year in an attempt to win her release from the Symbionese Liberation Army.
The suspect, also known as “Sarah Jane Aalberg,” who has a 9-year-old son, also has written articles for the underground newspaper. “Berkelley Barb.” reports UPI.
When she was arrested on Sunday, she was carrying 13 live rounds in her purse and police found about 100 bullets in her car.
She was held on $1 million bail on a federal charge of attempted murder of the President. US Attorney James Browning said he would ask that she be examined by a psychiatrist.
The man who saved the President’s life by hitting her arm to deflect the gun was identified by police as Oliver Sipple, 33, an exMarine on 100 per cent disability. Then police officer Tim Hettrien, 26, immediately put his hand around the cyclinder of the revolver to keep it from firing again, and Officer Joseph Currie, 20, put his hand on top of Hettrich’s. Earlier, police said Currie had deflected the gun.
The bullet ricocheted, and, nearly spent, struck a bystander who was treated for a minor injury.
Earlier in the day, police arrested a 24 year-old man, Ronald Carlo, on suspicion of wanting to kill Mr Ford. Carlo had handed a threat pning letter to a St. Francis Hotel cashier.’ A few minutes later, he began denouncing Mr Ford to a hotel porter, who called the police.
According to Reuter, despite advice from his close aides and the Secret Service, the President refused to let the earlier incident upset his usual free-wheeling style of campaigning and plunging into crowds.
Richard Krohm, a San Francisco businessman, who saw the second emoting incident, said he was standing about 16 metres from the President when the shot rang out.
“He (Mr Ford) appeared to be gunned but no shot,” Mr Krahm said.
He was crouching in the back seat of his car as it raced away,” he added.
As the Presidential motorcade drove off at high speed, a young buy picked up what was believed to be the spent bullet and gave it to a policeman.
Yesterday’s incident occurred just 17 days after a woman member of the Charles Manson murder cult family Lynette (Squeaky) Fromme, brandished a loaded 45 pistol in Mr Ford’s face as he walked through a crowd in Sacramento, California.
No shot was fired and she was seized by Secret Service agents.
