Kids, Eggs Trampled at Easter Hunt
.c The Associated Press

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. (AP) - A church-sponsored Easter egg hunt turned into a free-for-all.

Some 5,000 people were drawn to Saturday's event held by the World Harvest Church, which featured a pile of thousands of artificial eggs containing Bible verses and pieces of candy.

But when it came time to grab the treats, children were joined by anxious parents rushing the pile, and eggs and youngsters got trampled.

Ten-year-old Lizzy Ellenwood managed to collect a few eggs, but complained that some kid pushed her in the stomach and another ran over her foot with a skate.

``This isn't an Easter egg hunt. It's an Easter egg massacre,'' said Joe Vetter, one of the adults watching the debacle.

Church spokesman Ryan Julison called the event a success, but said that next year the church will make sure everyone realizes it's for the children, not the adults.

Deborah Edge took her 6-year-old and 10-year-old children to the hunt, and was shocked at how some parents behaved.

``I saw a lady stealing out of a little kid's basket,'' she said.

AP-NY-04-05-98 1346EDT