In the Nation

NEW YORK - Gunfire erupted in the lobby of the Waldorf-Astoria Hotel yesterday during a brazen robbery attempt at a jewelry store, wounding a security guard and sending guests diving for cover. The guard was hospitalized in stable condition, and a suspect was in custody, police said.

The incident began when the robber pulled out a gun in Cellini Jewelers and used the weapon to smash two display cases full of rings and necklaces, said a police official who spoke on condition of anonymity.

The guard, a 54-year-old retired police detective, confronted the robber. Gunshots rang out as they wrestled and fell to the floor, the official said. Both were armed. One bullet hit the guard in the upper chest, the official said.

Another hotel employee then tackled the robber, the police official said. The robber's gun went off again as they grappled, but that bullet apparently struck no one. Hotel security arrived and took the suspect into custody.

- AP

SANTA CLARA, Calif. - Police yesterday arrested a 47-year-old man suspected of killing three former coworkers at a Silicon Valley technology company.

Santa Clara Police Lt. Mike Sellers said Jing Hua Wu was arrested without incident in nearby Mountain View. Wu had been sought since the shootings Friday at SiPort Inc., a company that develops digital radio semiconductors.

Police said Wu had been dismissed last week from his job as a product test engineer. The victims were identified as Sid Agrawal, 56, SiPort chief executive officer; Brian Pugh, 47, vice president of operations; and Marilyn Lewis, 67, head of human resources.

- AP

KENLY, N.C. - A series of strong thunderstorms produced tornadoes as severe weather swept across central North Carolina early yesterday, killing two people and destroying at least a half-dozen homes.

A woman was found dead amid the rubble of her home in the community of Kenly, about 35 miles southeast of Raleigh, said state police spokeswoman Patty McQuillan. The only thing left standing was her front porch.

Elsewhere in Johnston County, authorities said a child was killed. Officials said the severe storm affected a half-dozen counties, knocking down trees and power lines.

- AP

The Diocese of Fort Worth

voted yesterday to split from the liberal-leaning Episcopal Church, the fourth traditional diocese to do so in a long-running debate over the Bible, gay relationships and other issues. About 80 percent of clergy and parishioners in the Texas diocese supported the break in a series of votes at a diocesan convention.

An Asian elephant

known for being the largest of its kind born in captivity in the United States died at the Houston Zoo last week after suddenly contracting elephant herpesvirus, which causes blood vessels to weaken. The zoo held a memorial service yesterday for the popular 2-year-old elephant named Mac, who weighed 384 pounds at birth.