According to Cincinnati Police, no arrests have been made in the string of crimes that kicked off shortly after noon.

        About 12:20 p.m., a black male — slender, in his 30s and wearing a mask and dark clothing — used a gun to rob the Bonomini Bakery in the 1600 block of Blue Rock Avenue in Northside of an undisclosed amount of money.

        Just before 10 p.m., ice cream vendor Joseph Watson Jr., 24, of the 2300 block of Gilbert Road in Walnut Hills, was robbed by a gunman while he was selling ice cream in the 1900 block of Westwood Northern Boulevard in Fairmount.

        Mr. Watson was shot in the foot before the suspect ran away with $150 in stolen money. Mr. Watson was transported to University Hospital, where he was treated and released.

        At 10:30 p.m., a black male wearing a black mask and a black female in her mid-40s entered the Budget Host Inn in the 3300 block of Central Parkway in University Heights and used a small handgun to steal a “large amount of cash.”

        The clerk was not injured.

        From January through April, there were more than 100 armed robberies in Cincinnati, nearly double the amount for the same period in 2001 and 2000.
       

78-year-old man dies in Ohio 747 collision

       LIBERTY TOWNSHIP — A 78-year-old Liberty Township man was killed in a two-vehicle crash Saturday afternoon at the intersection of Ohio 747 and Millikin Road.

        The crash occurred about 1:40 p.m. when the victim's vehicle was northbound on Ohio 747 and was struck by a vehicle traveling east on Millikin Road, the Butler County Sheriff's Office said.

        The victim was pronounced dead at the scene. The driver of the eastbound vehicle was transported to Mercy Hospital-Fairfield, where she was treated and released.

        The names of the drivers were not immediately released.

Four found safe after abduction

        Four people who were abducted at gunpoint Friday night outside an apartment complex in Avondale have been returned home safely.

        Cincinnati Police confirmed Saturday that all four victims, ages 4 to 21, were released unharmed hours after three black men forced them into a car at gunpoint.

        Police are investigating the incident and are attempting to locate the mother and brother of two of the victims.

        One suspect is described as being in his 20s, 5-feet-9 inches, 160 pounds, wearing blue pants, a white shirt and a tan cap.

        The other two suspects are described only as being in their 20s. All three men were armed with handguns and spoke with Jamaican accents, police said.

        They were last seen driving a sky blue, Buick LeSabre.

        Anyone with information is asked to call the Criminal Investigations Section at 352-3542 or Crimestoppers at 352-3040. Callers can remain anonymous and may receive compensation for their information.
       

Man, woman injured in motorcycle crash

        MADISON TOWNSHIP — A man and woman injured Friday night in a motorcycle crash were in fair condition Saturday at Miami Valley Hospital in Dayton.

        Ron Sturgess, 56, and Barbara Millson, 61, were transported to the hospital by helicopter after the motorcycle they were riding crashed into a car on Ohio 122, near Ohio 744, about 9 p.m., according to deputies with the Butler County Sheriff's Department.

        No other information was available.
       

Man, 19, loses hand in fireworks accident

       Kendall Evans, 19, of Covington was in fair condition Saturday at University Hospital, recovering from a July 4th fireworks injury that caused him to lose his right hand.

        According to relatives, Mr. Evans' hand was amputated early Friday because of the extent of the fireworks injury, which happened near John G. Carlisle Elementary School in Covington about 10 p.m.

        He had just purchased what he thought was an M-80 near Eighth Street and Madison Avenue when he went to a Porta-Potty and the fireworks exploded.

        He lost three fingers, and a tourniquet had to be applied to his hand. The hand was amputated about four hours later.
       

Fireworks ignite fires in five homes

        DAYTON, Ohio — Illegal fireworks caused a fire that destroyed two homes, damaged three others and burned four garages to the ground, fire officials said.

        “It's the worst residential fire I've ever been to,” said Ron Fleming, district chief for the Dayton Fire Department. “To have nine structures burning at the same time, that's a first for me and I've been here 28 years.”

        No one was injured in the homes. One firefighter was treated at a hospital for heat exhaustion, Chief Fleming said.

        Fire investigator Scott Bennett said the department questioned three males ages 12 to 15. None was arrested.

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