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Demonstrator steals police car during anti-deportation protest in Arizona

3 February 2025 at 05:38

Demonstrators in Arizona took to the streets to protest against President Donald Trump's mass deportation plan on Sunday, and police say officers were assaulted amid the demonstration.

Glendale Police confirmed to Fox News Digital that there was a large group of people who gathered in protest of federal immigration policies.

A police spokesperson said a police vehicle was stolen by one protester but no arrest has been made.

The demonstrator "jumped into one of our patrol vehicles and drove it a short distance before it was quickly recovered," the spokesperson said, adding that the suspect was unknown at that time.

LA FREEWAY BLOCKED BY ANTI-DEPORTATION PROTESTERS IN RESPONSE TO CRACKDOWN ON ILLEGAL IMMIGRATION

Traffic was still shut down in all directions in the area of the protest as of early Monday morning. Glendale and Phoenix Police were on the scene monitoring the situation, which Glendale Police said had begun "to fizzle out due to the excellent work conducted by Glendale and Phoenix Police Officers on scene."

Officers deployed chemical agents to disperse the "unruly and defiant crowd," the Glendale Police spokesperson said.

Several officers were assaulted, police vehicles were damaged and surrounding businesses and personal property were damaged, the spokesperson said.

Investigators will be looking into possible crimes at the protest and will work towards identifying suspects.

Anti-deportation protests were held over the weekend in multiple other cities across the country, including Los Angeles, Houston and Atlanta.

This comes amid the Trump administration's mass deportation efforts — with officials admitting that higher deportation numbers is the goal rather than the removal of violent migrants in the country illegally.

U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement officials were directed by Trump officials to aggressively increase the number of people they arrest from a few hundred per day to at least 1,200 to 1,500 because the president had been disappointed with the deportation numbers, The Washington Post reported last week.

The president also reversed a directive under the Biden administration that had told immigration officials not to make arrests in sensitive areas like schools and churches.

White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said last week that the administration is seeking the removal of all immigrants in the country illegally — not just those who committed criminal offenses — and falsely alleged that all migrants accused of being in the U.S. illegally are "criminals."

'DEPORTATION FLIGHTS HAVE BEGUN' AS TRUMP SENDS 'STRONG AND CLEAR MESSAGE,' WHITE HOUSE SAYS

"I know the last administration didn't see it that way, so it's a big culture shift in our nation to view someone who breaks our immigration laws as a criminal, but that's exactly what they are," she said at a press briefing, declining to say if all the migrants in the U.S. illegally had criminal records.

People who cross the border illegally have committed a crime, but simply being in the U.S. illegally is a civil violation, not a criminal one. Someone could be in the country illegally without breaking laws to enter, such as overstaying a Visa.

Trump said in his inauguration speech last month that his administration would quickly deport "millions and millions" of migrants with criminal records, although the number of migrants with criminal records who are in the country without authorization is significantly less than those millions, according to Axios.

Studies also show that both legal and illegal migrants commit crimes at lower rates than U.S. citizens.

New DNC vice chair previously called for ICE to be abolished

2 February 2025 at 13:19

Newly elected Democratic National Committee Vice Chair David Hogg has previously called on U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement to be abolished and for the defunding of police.

"Defund the police not USPS," Hogg, who first entered the national spotlight after surviving the 2018 Parkland, Florida, school shooting, said in an X post on Aug. 15, 2020.

"Abolish ICE," Hogg said in a different post two weeks earlier.

DAVID HOGG SAYS HE RECEIVED 'AN ENORMOUS AMOUNT OF VITRIOL' FOR ASKING ABOUT DEM OUTREACH TO YOUNG MEN

The posts, which were made more than two years after Hogg survived the Florida school shooting, came as he became increasingly involved in political activism, most notably by his staunch advocacy for stricter gun laws.

Hogg has also made controversial posts on other topics, including a January 2021 call to declare the NRA a "terrorist organization."

"The NRA needs to be designated a terrorist organization for the role their supporters played in staging an insurrectionist coup," Hogg said in the post.

Hogg also made posts about climate change and incorrectly predicted the outcome of the 2024 election.

"Unlike Covid there is no vaccine for climate change once we start feeling the impacts we can just implement and survive. There is only one solution – prevention," Hogg said in in one post.

"If this election is a match up between Taylor Swift and Ted Nugent I think it's safe to say I've seen enough – Biden wins the 2024 election," Hogg said before former President Joe Biden made the decision to drop out of the 2024 race.

Now just 24 years old, Hogg took to social media early Sunday to celebrate his election to leadership within the DNC.

DEMOCRATS CONSIDER REBRAND AFTER TRUMP WIN, WANT TO AVOID ‘FREAK SHOW’ PARTY LABEL: REPORT

"I’ve just been elected as a Vice Chair of the DNC. I’m deeply grateful to the members for their trust and belief in me and I don’t take it lightly. Now it’s time to get to work," Hogg said in a post on X, going on to promise a "Democratic Party that is authentic, relatable, earns people's trust, and wins again."

"It’s time we stop surrendering, go on offense, and take the fight to Donald Trump and every single Republican who is gutting our rights, attacking workers, and rigging the system for the wealthy and well-connected," Hogg said.

But the elevation of Hogg to vice chair of the DNC also comes at a time of deep soul-searching for the Democratic Party, with many analysts blaming the party’s poor 2024 showing on its seemingly soft stances on crime and illegal immigration.

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Nevertheless, Hogg called on the party to "rethink the way we've been doing things" in his post on X, arguing that it is vital "to rid our party of its judgmental attitudes, and do the work to win back every group we lost this year, from the working class to young people."

The DNC did not immediately respond to a Fox News Digital request for comment.

OJ Simpson murder trial: Suppressed witness testimony casts shadow over verdict

2 February 2025 at 04:00

Two potential witnesses who say they ran into OJ Simpson on June 12, 1994 – the night his ex-wife Nicole Brown Simpson and her friend Ronald Goldman were brutally hacked to death outside her upscale condo – are sharing their stories in a new docuseries decades after they were left out of the ensuing murder trial.

One, who later sued prosecutors for libel, could have placed Simpson within a mile of the crime scene after she said she narrowly missed crashing into his SUV. 

The other said he saw Simpson acting oddly and dumping a wrapped item in a trash can at Los Angeles's largest airport 30 minutes later.

Due to his fame as a football star, a TV sports commentator and actor, he was highly recognizable at the time.

FBI RELEASES HUNDREDS OF PAGES ON OJ SIMPSON MURDER INVESTIGATION

Both appear in Netflix's new docuseries, "American Manhunt: O.J. Simpson."

The first is Jill Shively, who lived in Santa Monica at the time and encountered Simpson in a traffic altercation around 11 p.m. on the night of the murders. 

Less than a mile from the crime scene, Shively told investigators she nearly crashed into a white Ford Bronco with no headlights on.

"I could see who it was and I knew it was a football player, but I wasn't sure who," she elaborated to People Wednesday. "He was yelling at another driver, ‘Move, move.’ I recognized his voice because I had just seen a Naked Gun movie. It was O.J. Simpson." 

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OJ SIMPSON PROSECUTOR MARCIA CLARK DISSECTS EVOLVING MEDIA'S IMPACT ON TRIALS AND TRUE CRIME

Shively testified before the grand jury, then sold her story to the tabloid TV show "Hard Copy" for $5,000, the Los Angeles Times reported.

Her then-boyfriend also allegedly told prosecutors that she was a "felony probationer" and not a credible witness. She sued him and county officials over the latter claim but was never called to the stand at trial

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The other is Skip Junis, who claimed to have seen Simpson arrive at Los Angeles International Airport around 11:30 p.m. the same evening.

PHOTOS: OJ SIMPSON THROUGH THE YEARS

As he was waiting to pick up his wife, he claimed, he saw Simpson get out of a limo with a duffle bag.

"O.J. went to a trash can and plopped the bag on top," Junis told People. "What was really peculiar is when he unzipped the bag, he pulled out a long item that was covered with a white rag or cloth and put it in the trash can."

A murder weapon was never found in connection with the case.

Simpson's lawyers had maintained that he was home at the time of the murders, waiting for a limo to LAX. He took a red-eye flight to Chicago for a golf outing but was asked to return to Los Angeles by police the next morning. 

Junis said he told police what he had seen but was not called to the witness stand during the trial.

"I think Marcia Clark forgot about me," he told the outlet, referring to the lead prosecutor on the case.

Clark declined to comment when contacted by Fox News Digital. She also declined to appear in the docuseries, according to Netflix. 

Simpson had an elite team of attorneys known as the "Dream Team" that included Johnnie Cochran, Alan Dershowitz, Robert Kardashian, Shawn Holley, Robert Shapiro and others. They ultimately convinced jurors of enough reasonable doubt to acquit Simpson in the murders.

A Heisman Trophy winner from USC nicknamed "Juice," Simpson went on to a stellar NFL career as a running back with the Buffalo Bills and San Francisco 49ers. But after briefly flirting with Hollywood stardom, he became the most prominent U.S. figure to face murder charges after the brutal double stabbing left Brown Simpson and Goldman dead at her Brentwood condo.

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The two victims were not believed to have been romantically involved. 

Although he was acquitted in that case, Simpson later lost a civil lawsuit connected to the deaths. Years later, at the age of 61, he took part in an armed robbery to steal some of his own memorabilia. He served the minimum nine years of a 33-year sentence before receiving parole.

Simpson died last April after a private cancer battle. Near the end of his life, he remained in Las Vegas and returned to the public eye on X, posting reactions to current events.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

Luxury Florida mall's string of murders and kidnapping have one thing in common: retired FBI agent

2 February 2025 at 04:00

It’s been 18 years since a South Florida community was rocked by a series of murders and a kidnapping at a local mall, and a retired FBI agent who worked on the cases for over a decade believes the crimes are connected and that the killer may still be "out there."

After shopping at the Boca Raton Town Center Mall, mother of two Randi Gorenberg and Nancy Bochicchio and her 7-year-old daughter Joey were murdered, and another mother known as Jane Doe was kidnapped with her 2-year-old son, all within a nine-month timeframe in 2007.

"I heard about them just like everybody else on the news, and it was just horrible," retired FBI Agent John MacVeigh, who investigated the three cases for 10 years, told Fox News Digital. "We contacted Boca Police Department, knowing that it was something that, you know, we could possibly assist." 

'DATING GAME' SERIAL KILLER'S RISE TO FAME WAS KEY TO HIS DOWNFALL, ARRESTING OFFICER REVEALS FOR FIRST TIME

Gorenberg, 52, was last seen on surveillance video walking out of the Town Center Mall in the early afternoon of March 23, 2007. About 45 minutes later, someone called 911 from a park about five miles away, claiming to hear gunshots and seeing someone being pushed out of a vehicle. Authorities soon found Gorenberg's body at Governor Lawton Chiles Memorial Park. 

"It does appear that she resisted at some point," MacVeigh said of Gorenberg. "She was shot and basically thrown out the car while the suspect drove away."

Less than five months later, Jane Doe and her young son were kidnapped from the parking lot at the same mall. MacVeigh described the harrowing incident as Jane Doe got into her SUV Aug. 7, 2007. 

"She puts her son from the passenger side into the center car seat. She walks around to the trunk," MacVeigh said. "She opens the trunk. She puts the stroller in. She walks back around. As she opens the door to get in the driver's seat, the suspect had already jumped in the back passenger seat. Now, you're talking seconds … so he had to be extremely close to her."

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The suspect forced Jane Doe to drive to an ATM and take out $600. 

"Just terrified. I mean, she's in the car with her 2-year-old, and this man has got a gun on her and threatening her," MacVeigh said. 

Unusually, the perpetrator seemed to be "a little bit sympathetic" toward the mother and son, the retired FBI agent added. The gunman decided to drive them back to the mall, where he put blacked-out swim goggles over her eyes and handcuffed her wrists before fleeing. 

MacVeigh said, to escape, Jane Doe "took the handcuffs and went up under her feet around to get out from behind her back" and then drove to the valet and reported the attack. 

"It was just so blatant and bizarre because you just wouldn't think that somebody would be accosted in the middle of the day — handcuffed, blindfolded — forced to go to an ATM and then brought back to the same location and dropped off," he said. "It wasn't the norm." 

'DATING GAME KILLER' KEPT 'TROPHIES' THAT ULTIMATELY LED TO HIS DOWNFALL: DETECTIVE

Four months later, 47-year-old Bochicchio and her young daughter Joey went shopping at the Boca Raton Town Center Dec. 12, 2007. And, just like in the case of the abduction, authorities believe they were attacked as they were trying to leave the mall's parking lot.  

Investigators believe they were abducted and taken to an ATM, where they were forced to withdraw $500 and that the suspect used duct tape, plastic ties, handcuffs and goggles to bind and control Bochicchio and her daughter, according to the Boca Raton Police Department's website. 

"Nancy resists. She breaks her handcuffs. We do believe that she tried to get Joey out of the car, and then he turned around and shot both of them," MacVeigh said. 

Officers found the mother and daughter dead shortly before midnight in their vehicle in the mall's parking lot with the car's engine still running, police say. 

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Now a private investigator, MacVeigh observed an similar theme in all three attacks tied to the local mall. 

"The suspect was trying to control women," he explained. In both the Jane Doe and Bochicchio cases, the suspect used a pair of blacked-out swim goggles, as well as other material, to bind and control the victims.  

MacVeigh said another repeated detail was the time of day. All three crimes took place in "broad daylight" and "right around the same time." 

"It's not a small little coincidence. There's not … one or two small things. This is an accumulation of things," he added, referring to the related details among the cases.  

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Detectives with the Boca Raton Police Department and Palm Beach County Sheriff's Office created a task force in January 2007 to work together on solving the Gorenberg and Bochicchio murders, according to the Boca Raton Police Department website. However, the task force later disbanded, and both departments continued working on the individual cases with the FBI's assistance, MacVeigh said. 

Investigators collected several hundred pieces of evidence from the Bochicchio crime, including DNA samples, and "a massive investigation involving resources from around the country" unfolded, the Boca Raton police website added. Detectives went through hours of surveillance video, searched various locations and followed up on leads. 

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"We sent agents to the mall because they were interested in trying to find out if maybe it was somebody that had worked there," MacVeigh said. "We issued subpoenas, and we went door to door. It was pretty overwhelming because you don't realize how many people work at that mall. And I think the number when we were done was somewhere in the neighborhood of 14,000." 

After her abduction, authorities spoke with Jane Doe about the individual who attacked her and created a composite sketch to try to determine his identity.

"You and I could both be that composite. I mean, it's just you have a hat on with glasses and all you're seeing is the bottom part of the face," MacVeigh explained about the drawing's details. 

COP WHO SURVIVED SERIAL KILLER AS A TEEN IS NOW ON TRACK TO BECOME A DETECTIVE

Despite two people of interest being initially identified in the Bochicchio case, according to police, all three cases remain unsolved, and MacVeigh believes the crimes are all connected. 

"It's just so hard to believe that it's not the same person," MacVeigh said. "Three of these incidences … in the same area, and very similar. Here you have a very affluent mall … and, you know, you are targeting people that you suspect have money.

"While there is presently no physical or forensic evidence directly linking this case to any other investigations, there are enough similarities to lead Boca Raton investigators to believe this case is related to the August 7, 2007 Town Center Mall carjacking incident," the Boca Raton Police Department states on its website, referring to the Bochicchio murders being related to the Jane Doe abduction. 

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MacVeigh said he continues to get calls from investigators who are still tracking down new leads and working on the case today. 

"As technology changes and evolves regarding DNA testing, this case is continuously being reevaluated. We remain optimistic that technological advances will lead our investigators to a breakthrough in the investigation," Jessica Desir, a spokesperson for the Boca Raton Police Department, told WPTV last month regarding the Bochicchio murders. 

MacVeigh explained that although the Boca Raton Town Center Mall might have more security measures in place today, a killer is still "out there probably committing other crimes." 

"You want to feel safe going to the mall," MacVeigh added, stressing the importance of finally solving the cases and getting justice for the Gorenberg and Bochicchio families.

The Boca Raton Police Department, Palm Beach County Sheriff's Office and Boca Raton Town Center Mall did not immediately respond for comment. 

Colorado woman worked with stranger she met on a bus to kill boyfriend who questioned if she could land a job

2 February 2025 at 03:44

A Colorado woman was convicted of murder after she and a stranger she met on a bus killed her boyfriend who expressed skepticism about her ability to land a job.

Ashley White, 29, was found guilty of second-degree murder, conspiracy to commit second-degree murder and robbery in the August 2020 death of Cody DeLisa, 28, the 17th Judicial District Attorney's Office said in a press release.

The couple had a "volatile and strained" relationship in the months leading up to the murder, as DeLisa often criticized White for her struggles with finding a full-time job, which contributed to tension between them, prosecutors said.

Prosecutors said White expressed resentment over her boyfriend's criticism, even writing in her diary that she regretted ever meeting DeLisa.

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"Her frustration escalated after an incident in which she attempted to drown and burn DeLisa’s cat, a behavior that raised alarms about her mental well-being," prosecutors wrote.

On the day of the murder on Aug. 13, 2020, White attended a job interview in Denver. After the interview, she texted DeLisa about how it went while she was riding home on a bus.

During the exchange, prosecutors said DeLisa expressed skepticism about her chances of landing the job, which upset her.

White then began talking to a stranger during the bus ride home who said his name was "Scott."

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"Scott asked if she was in a relationship with a man and whether he raped her," prosecutors said. "White responded that he had, and Scott then said they must kill him."

White and Scott exited the bus and spent time together firing Scott’s gun before walking to White's home, where Scott introduced himself to DeLisa as White's brother from Texas, prosecutors said.

DeLisa was then shot twice in the head and his wallet was stolen, and his body was found the next day during a welfare check.

White and Scott spent the next few days together before Scott left, and they never saw each other again. White was later identified as a suspect and arrested and charged in DeLisa's death.

Three years after the killing, a woman came forward saying her boyfriend Michael Stratton may have been "Scott." He was in custody for a separate killing of a man in Pueblo that happened after DeLisa's murder, according to prosecutors.

The woman's description of Stratton's confession matched White's account of the crime, prosecutors said. But he was deemed incompetent to stand trial in the Pueblo murder case and has not been charged in DeLisa's case.

"This was a tragic and senseless murder and Ashley White bears significant culpability for it," District Attorney Brian Mason said in the press release. "Her callous actions led to the victim’s death, and now she will pay a significant price."

White is scheduled for sentencing on April 4.

Wall Street firm banker found dead in apartment complex

1 February 2025 at 10:00

The death of a 28-year-old Jefferies Group investment banker in Dallas, Texas, has prompted a police investigation into the "unexplained death."

The body of McIntosh, who was assigned to the firm's team covering technology, media and telecommunications companies, was found in a residential apartment building on Jan. 27, according to records from the Dallas County Medical Examiner's office. It was not immediately clear whether the apartment was McIntosh's.

"Based on the date, approximate time and location, this incident is being investigated as an unexplained death," Dallas police officer Michael Dennis, a public information officer for the department, told Fox News Digital.

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Medical documents reviewed by Fox News Digital showed that McIntosh was found around 11 a.m. at the Dallas apartment complex. The cause of death is still not known.

Jefferies Group CEO Richard Handler, along with the firm's president Brian Friedman, confirmed McIntosh's death in a message sent to employees Tuesday. 

"It is with tremendous sadness that we report we learned yesterday that Carter McIntosh, one of our talented associates in Dallas, has passed away," a copy of the memo obtained by Business Insider said. "Our most sincere condolences go out to his family, friends, and colleagues. We are in touch with Carter's family, who know we stand ready to support them in any way we can."

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Fox News Digital has reached out to the Jefferies Group for comment.

Prior to joining Jefferies, McIntosh worked as an analyst for multiple companies, including Goldman Sachs, beginning in August 2018, according to his LinkedIn profile. He graduated from Seton Hall University, a private Catholic college in New Jersey, in 2018 with a bachelor's degree in finance.

McIntosh was at least the third young banker to die in the last 12 months. 

Adnan Deumic, a 25-year-old Bank of America trader, unexpectedly died in May 2024 while playing soccer. 

BANK OF AMERICA EMPLOYEE, 25, DIES SUDDENLY WEEKS AFTER 35-YEAR-OLD COLLEAGUE'S DEATH

Deumic was based in the United Kingdom and had been with the organization as a credit portfolio and algorithmic trader since July 2022, according to his LinkedIn profile. 

His death came just a couple of weeks after Leo Lukenas, 35, who was in the bank’s investment banking group in New York City, died of an acute coronary artery thrombus, according to the New York City Office of the Chief Medical Examiner. 

Lukenas had been working more than 100 hours a week and wanted to leave his job at the time of his death, a recruiter who had talked to him about a new job told Reuters. 

The three deaths have brought into focus the grueling hours that bank workers are known for putting in, but none of their deaths has been officially linked to working long hours.

Fox News Digital's Brie Stimpson contributed to this report. 

South Carolina executes man convicted of murder in state’s third execution since September

1 February 2025 at 05:11

A South Carolina inmate was executed on Friday, the third time in four months the state has carried out the death penalty as it goes through a backlog of inmates who exhausted their appeals when the state was unable to obtain lethal injection drugs.

Marion Bowman Jr., 44, was executed by lethal injection at 6:27 p.m. for his murder conviction in the shooting death of his friend, 21-year-old Kandee Martin, whose burned body was found in the trunk of a car in 2001.

Bowman has maintained his innocence since his arrest. He said at the beginning of his final statement: "I did not kill Kandee Martin."

His lawyers raised questions about his conviction, noting that he was convicted on the word of several friends and relatives who received plea deals with prosecutors in exchange for their testimony.

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When the curtain to the death chamber opened, Bowman briefly looked at his attorney on the other side of the glass in the witness room before looking back up at the ceiling and closing his eyes, opening his eyes once or twice as he looked up.

After Bowman's attorney finished reading his final statement and poem, his breathing became heavy, and he puffed his lips as he exhaled. In less than a minute, his breathing stopped. Twenty minutes later, a doctor with a stethoscope listened to his chest and placed a hand on his neck, patting him as she finished.

Bowman said in his final statement that death row inmates might be viewed as the worst of the worst, but they have all grown and changed from what "they were when they had their moment that cost them everything."

"I know that Kandee’s family is in pain, they are justifiably angry," Bowman said. "If my death brings them some relief and ability to focus on the good times and funny stories, then I guess it will have served a purpose. I hope they find peace."

For his final meal, Bowman had fried seafood, including shrimp, fish and oysters, as well as chicken wings and tenders, onion rings, banana pudding, German chocolate cake, cranberry juice and pineapple juice.

Bowman was offered a plea deal for a life sentence but instead went to trial because he said he was not guilty.

His execution was the third in South Carolina since September, when the state – once one of the busiest for executions – ended a 13-year pause in carrying out the death penalty. The pause was caused in part by the state having difficulty obtaining lethal injection drugs after its supply expired because of pharmaceutical companies' concerns that they would have to disclose they had sold the drugs to state officials. The state legislature then passed a shield law allowing officials to keep lethal injection drug suppliers private.

SOUTH CAROLINA SCHEDULING EXECUTIONS AGAIN AFTER A PAUSE FOR THE HOLIDAYS

In July, the state Supreme Court cleared the way to resume executions. Freddie Owens was put to death on Sept. 20 and Richard Moore was executed on Nov. 1, with both men choosing to die by lethal injection.

This was the first execution in the U.S. this year after 25 were carried out in the country last year. The court will allow an execution every five weeks until the other three inmates who have run out of appeals are put to death.

South Carolina has executed 46 inmates since the death penalty was resumed in the U.S. in 1976. In the early 2000s, the state was carrying out an average of three executions per year. Only nine states have killed more inmates.

Bowman did not ask Republican Gov. Henry McMaster for clemency, but the governor's office still released a letter denying clemency, noting that he received informal requests and petitions to spare Bowman's life.

No governor in the state has ever reduced a death sentence to life in prison without parole in the modern era of the death penalty.

Bowman's lawyer, Lindsey Vann, said his client did not want to spend additional decades in prison for a crime he did not commit. He had already spent more than half his life on death row.

"After more than two decades of battling a broken system that has failed him at every turn, Marion’s decision is a powerful refusal to legitimize an unjust process that has already stolen so much of his life," Vann said in a statement Thursday.

Bowman was convicted in Dorchester County in 2002 in connection with Martin's death the year before. Several friends and family members testified against him as part of plea deals with prosecutors.

One friend said Bowman was upset because Martin owed him money, while a second testified that Bowman believed Martin was wearing a recording device to have him arrested.

Bowman said he sold drugs to Martin, who was a friend of his for years, and sometimes she would pay with sex, but he said he did not kill her.

The final appeal from his current lawyers argued that Bowman's trial attorney was not prepared and had too much sympathy for the white victim and not Bowman, who is black. The South Carolina Supreme Court rejected the argument.

Bowman's lawyers also raised concerns about his execution due to his weight. An anesthesiologist said he feared South Carolina's secret lethal injection protocols did not take into account that Bowman, listed as 389 pounds in prison records, was heavier, as it can be difficult to properly insert an IV into a blood vessel and determine the dose of the drugs needed in people with obesity.

His lawyers were concerned that the drug used to put Moore to death in November required two large doses more than 11 minutes apart.

An anesthesiologist involved in reviewing Moore's autopsy records said they showed fluid in the lungs, leading lawyers to believe he "consciously experienced feelings of drowning and suffocation during the 23 minutes that it took to bring about his death."

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

Bodycam footage shows moment Florida officers' attempt to restrain suspect goes horribly wrong

1 February 2025 at 04:00

Newly released body camera footage shows the moment a Miami Beach Police officer shot a fellow officer in the leg while struggling with a man on a busy Florida roadway.

Officer Shenaqua Stringer was responding to a 911 call reporting a suspicious person possibly carrying a gun while walking on Venetian Causeway shortly before 12:30 p.m. March 2, according to the Miami-Dade State Attorney's Office. 

The suspect reached into his pocket to grab an "unknown object" as Stringer approached him, investigators said.  

Stringer drew her gun and began struggling with the man, ordering him to the ground as fellow officer Fabio Balanos arrived. Balanos ran toward the struggle, and Stringer accidentally fired, striking Balanos in his left leg. 

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Stringer’s body camera was not rolling at the time of the shooting, which was not directly recorded on Balanos' camera. But, moments later, a growing puddle of blood appeared beneath him. 

"Why’d you do that?" the man can be heard asking as he is wrestled to the ground. "Ain’t nobody do nothing. You f---ed up his leg. He’s bleeding a lot."

Stringer then handcuffed the suspect as she called for help. 

"Hurry up, because I need a tourniquet," Balanos said.

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Balanos’ bodycam captured the moment more officers arrived and wrapped a tourniquet around his leg as he wailed in pain and they loaded him into the back of a police cruiser. 

During the ride to the hospital, Balanos asked another officer if he could borrow a phone to call his wife. 

"I’m OK," Balanos told her. "I got shot in the leg. I'm OK though. They’re taking me to Ryder Trauma right now. I’m OK, though. All right, babe? I love you."

The bodycam continued rolling as Balanos arrived at the hospital, showing officers frantically banging on the doors to alert medical staff that they needed help. 

"Open up, let's go," one officer can be heard yelling as they knocked on the hospital doors.

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As Balanos was being treated for his injuries at a hospital, officers discovered the suspected handgun the man reached for was a metallic cigarette lighter.

The man was not charged with a crime, and authorities determined he was a missing person from nearby Collier County. 

The situation remains an active internal investigation, and Stringer is still employed by the agency, the Miami Beach Police Department confirmed to Fox News Digital.

The district attorney determined there was not enough evidence to bring criminal charges against Stringer. 

The South Florida Police Benevolent Association did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital's request for comment. 

Balanos, a Coast Guard veteran with a combined 18 years of experience working as a law enforcement officer, has made a full recovery and returned to work, according to reports.

Fugitive on FBI's 10 Most Wanted List for killing his bride in Illinois captured in Mexico

1 February 2025 at 02:23

A fugitive on the FBI's 10 Most Wanted list for allegedly killing his wife on their wedding night in Illinois more than 12 years ago was captured in Mexico, according to FBI Chicago.

Arnoldo Jimenez was taken into custody without incident on Thursday in Monterrey, Mexico, in connection with the 2012 death of 26-year-old Estrella Carrera.

On May 13, 2012, Carrera was found dead in the bathtub of her apartment in Burbank, Illinois, less than 48 hours after her marriage to Jimenez.

DOJ DIRECTS FBI TO FIRE 8 TOP OFFICIALS, IDENTIFY EMPLOYEES INVOLVED IN JAN. 6, HAMAS CASES FOR REVIEW

Jimenez was charged with first-degree murder, and a state warrant issued for his arrest on May 15, 2012. A federal warrant was issued two days later after Jimenez was charged federally with unlawful flight to avoid prosecution.

FBI Chicago, FBI San Antonio, FBI LEGAT Mexico City and the U.S. District Court of the Northern District of Illinois collaborated in the investigation to locate Jimenez. Agents with the Fiscalía General de la República, in conjunction with the International Criminal Police Organization, arrested him.

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"The FBI is extremely appreciative of the Burbank Police Department, our law enforcement partners in Mexico, and the public for their tremendous investigative efforts and collaboration in the capture of Ten Most Wanted Fugitive Arnoldo Jimenez," Douglas S. DePodesta, special agent in charge of the FBI’s Chicago Field Office, said in a statement "The FBI will use all of its available resources to bring criminals to justice, no matter how much time has passed or where they may be in the world."

Burbank Police Deputy Chief William Casey said: "The apprehension of Arnoldo Jimenez was the result of the tireless teamwork by the FBI and Burbank Police Department, and we would like to commend the professionalism and dedication of everyone involved. The FBI and Burbank Police Department were committed to bringing justice for Estrella Carrera and her family."

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Jimenez will remain in custody pending extradition proceedings.

He was the fourth-most wanted fugitive in the U.S. when he was taken into custody.

DOJ directs FBI to fire 8 top officials, identify employees involved in Jan. 6, Hamas cases for review

31 January 2025 at 20:57

Acting Deputy Attorney General Emil Bove sent a memo to the acting FBI director Friday evening directing him to terminate eight FBI employees and identify all current and former bureau personnel assigned to Jan. 6 and Hamas cases for an internal review, Fox News has learned. 

Bove's memo to acting FBI Director Brian Driscoll, which was obtained by Fox News, asserts the Department of Justice cannot trust the FBI employees to carry out President Donald Trump's agenda.

The subject of the memo is "Terminations."

JUSTICE DEPARTMENT FIRES MORE THAN A DOZEN KEY OFFICIALS ON FORMER SPECIAL COUNSEL JACK SMITH'S TEAM

"This memorandum sets forth a series of directives, authorized by the Acting Attorney General, regarding personnel matters to be addressed at the Federal Bureau of Investigation," Bove wrote. 

Bove, a former Trump defense attorney, directed Driscoll to fire eight specific FBI employees by Monday, Feb. 3, at 5:30 p.m. 

"I do not believe that the current leadership of the Justice Department can trust these FBI employees to assist in implementing the President’s agenda faithfully," Bove wrote in the memo. 

Bove cited comments made by President Trump on his first day back in office, in which Trump accused the Biden administration's law enforcement and intelligence agencies of going after Biden's political adversaries.

"The American people have witnessed the previous administration engage in a systemic campaign against its perceived political opponents, weaponizing the legal force of numerous Federal law enforcement agencies and the Intelligence Community against those perceived political opponents in the form of investigations, prosecutions, civil enforcement actions, and other related actions," Bove's memo noted. "This includes the FBI."

ANTI-TRUMP FBI AGENT RESPONSIBLE FOR OPENING JACK SMITH ELECTOR CASE AGAINST PRESIDENT: WHISTLEBLOWER

Bove said the FBI’s "prior leadership actively participated in what President Trump appropriately described as ‘a grave national injustice that has been perpetrated upon the American people over the last four years’ with respect to events that occurred at or near the United States Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021.

"The weaponization of the FBI’s security clearance process is similarly troubling," Bove continued. "So too are issues relating to the FBI’s reticence to address instructions and requests from, among other places, the Justice Department." 

Bove said the problems "are symptomatic of deficiencies in previous leadership that must now be addressed."

Bove wrote that he "deem[s] these terminations necessary, pursuant to President Trump’s January 20, 2025 Executive Order, entitled ‘Ending the Weaponization of the Federal Government’ in order to continue the process of restoring a culture of integrity, credibility, accountability, and responsiveness to the leadership and directives of President Trump and the Justice Department." 

Beyond the terminations of the eight employees, Bove directed Driscoll to identify by noon Tuesday, Feb. 4, "all current and former FBI personnel assigned at any time to investigations and/or prosecutions" relating to "the events that occurred at or near the United States Capitol on January 6, 2021" and United States v. Haniyeh, a terrorism case against six Hamas leaders charged with planning and carrying out the Oct. 7, 2023, attack in Israel. 

The defendants in that case include Ismail Haniyeh and Yahya Sinwar, high-level Hamas leaders believed to have been assassinated in 2024 by Israeli operatives.

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Bove ordered that the lists of employees Driscoll should compile "should include relevant supervisory personnel in FBI regional offices and field divisions, as well as at FBI headquarters." 

"For each employee included in the list, provide the current title, office to which the person is assigned, role in the investigation or prosecution, and date of last activity relating to the investigation or prosecution," Bove directed. "Upon timely receipt of the requested information, the Office of the Deputy Attorney General will commence a review process to determine whether any additional personnel actions are necessary." 

Fox News also obtained the letter Driscoll sent to bureau employees Friday evening after receiving Bove’s memo. In it, Driscoll notified employees he was directed to fire the specific employees Bove identified "unless these employees have retired beforehand." 

"I have been personally in touch with each of these impacted employees," Driscoll wrote. 

As for the directive to compile a list of FBI employees involved in the Jan. 6 and Hamas cases, Driscoll said that request "encompasses thousands of employees across the country who have supported these investigative efforts." 

"I am one of those employees, as is acting Deputy Director Kissane," Driscoll wrote. "As we’ve said since the moment we agreed to take on these roles, we are going to follow the law, follow FBI policy, and do what’s in the best interest of the workforce and the American people — always.

"We will be back in touch with more information as soon as we can. In the meantime, stay safe, and take care of each other." 

The FBI declined to comment on any personnel matters, including names, titles or numbers.

The DOJ directive comes after Acting Attorney General James McHenry earlier this week fired more than a dozen key officials who worked on special counsel Jack Smith’s team prosecuting Trump. Fox News Digital exclusively reported the action Monday. 

A DOJ official Monday used similar language to that seen in Bove's letter, telling Fox News Digital McHenry "does not trust these officials to assist in faithfully implementing the president’s agenda." 

The directive also comes a day after Fox News Digital exclusively reported that whistleblower emails were shared with Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Chuck Grassley, revealing that a former FBI agent, Timothy Thibault, allegedly broke protocol and played a critical role in opening and advancing the bureau’s original investigation related to the 2020 election, tying President Donald Trump to the probe without sufficient predication. 

Bove's memo also comes a day after President Trump's nominee to lead the bureau, Kash Patel, testified during his confirmation hearing before the Senate Judiciary Committee. 

Trump and allies have maintained the law enforcement agency was weaponized against him and conservatives across the nation. 

The House Judiciary Committee, for months, investigated the FBI for the creation of a memo targeting Catholics and parents at school board meetings during the COVID-19 pandemic. 

President Trump on Friday evening denied any involvement in the DOJ directive. 

"We have some very bad people over there," Trump said Friday. "They came after a lot of people like me, but they came after a lot of people. No, I wasn't involved in that.

"I'll have to see what is exactly going on after this is finished," he added. "But if they fired some people over there, that's a good thing, because they were very bad. They were very corrupt people, very corrupt, and they hurt our country very badly with the weaponization. They used, they used the Justice Department to go after their political opponent, which in itself is illegal. And obviously it didn't work."

Manhunt underway for woman linked to killing of Vermont Border Patrol agent: report

30 January 2025 at 20:48

A manhunt is underway for a 32-year-old woman suspected of buying the handguns used in the killing of a Vermont Border Patrol agent last week, according to a report. 

Law enforcement agencies in several states are searching for Michelle J. Zajko, who is considered "armed and dangerous," Albany’s Times Union reported, citing police records. 

U.S. Border Patrol Agent David "Chris" Maland was gunned down near the Canada-Vermont border Jan. 20, and, four days later, Teresa Youngblut, 21, was taken into custody.

"The United States Attorney’s Office District of Vermont has charged Youngblut with assault on a federal law enforcement officer," the FBI’s office in Albany said at the time. "Our hearts remain with our partners at U.S. Border Patrol Swanton Sector as they mourn this tremendous loss." 

GUN USED IN VERMONT BORDER AGENT SHOOTOUT LINKED TO DOUBLE MURDER SUSPECT, PROSECUTORS SAY

Maland was shot and killed during a traffic stop of Youngblut between Newport and Orleans, Vermont. Her passenger, Felix Bauckholt, was also armed but was fatally shot by federal agents after Youngblut opened fire. 

Zajko allegedly bought .40-caliber and .380-caliber handguns in February 2024 in Mount Tabor, Vermont, that were used in Maland’s shooting, the Times Union reported, citing court documents. 

GERMAN NATIONAL SUSPECT IDENTIFIED IN KILLING OF US BORDER PATROL AGENT IN VERMONT

Zajko is also considered a "person of interest" in a double murder in Pennsylvania and another murder in California, prosecutors revealed, without naming her. 

Maland, a Minnesota native and U.S. Air Force veteran, worked as a Border Patrol agent at the U.S. Customs and Border Protection’s Newport Station. He spent nine years in the military and 15 working for the federal government. 

He was also a K-9 handler and previously served as a Border Patrol agent in Texas near the southern border, Maland's family told The Associated Press. 

"On January 20, 2025, at approximately 3:00 pm, an on-duty, uniformed United States Border Patrol (USBP) Agent initiated a stop of a blue 2015 Toyota Prius Hatchback with [a] North Carolina license plate ... to conduct an immigration inspection as it was driving southbound on Interstate 91 in Coventry, Vermont," an FBI criminal complaint obtained by Fox News states.

"The registered owner of the vehicle, Felix Baukholt, a citizen of Germany, appeared to have an expired visa in a Department of Homeland Security database. Youngblut was driving the Prius, and Baukholt was the lone passenger in the Prius.  

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"Between approximately 3:00 pm and 3:15 pm, agents reported gunshots at the scene," the affidavit added. "Supervisory Border Patrol Agent Cameron Thompson was notified of the incident and responded to the scene of the stop, arriving at approximately 3:35 pm. 

"He spoke with two of the Border Patrol Agents involved in the incident. They described that both Baukholt and Youngblut possessed firearms and that Youngblut drew and fired a handgun toward at least one of the uniformed Border Patrol Agents without warning when outside the driver's side of the Prius." 

Fox News Digital has reached out to the FBI's Albany office. 

Fox News' Greg Norman contributed to this report. 

Illegals get more than they bargained for as FBI joins Trump DHS' criminal alien crackdown: photos

30 January 2025 at 19:05

EXCLUSIVE: The FBI is on the ground working alongside agents from the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and other law enforcement bodies conducting a nationwide crackdown on criminal aliens ordered by President Donald Trump, photos obtained by Fox News Digital reveal.

"I've talked to every single one of our special agents in charge of all 55 of our divisions," acting FBI Director Brian Driscoll told Fox News Digital on Thursday. "I know that every single one of them has reached out to their DHS counterparts to offer assistance and support. So we here at the FBI are really leaning forward to assist DHS the best that we can, to stand shoulder-to-shoulder."

The FBI's presence bolsters Immigration and Customs Enforcement, Customs and Border Protection and other partner agencies with the bureau's vast resources, including tactical teams and its intelligence network. 

VP VANCE DOUBLES DOWN ON WHITE HOUSE GOAL TO GET CRIMINAL MIGRANTS OFF THE STREETS

Those resources worked alongside DHS agents in New York City earlier this week, helping identify and capture dozens of "the worst of the worst" suspects, including a 25-year-old suspected Tren de Aragua gang member.

He is believed to have been involved in a violent incident in Colorado before police found him Monday in a Bronx apartment across the street from a school.

MIGRANT TDA GANG MEMBER BREAKS OFFICER'S ARM AS 10 INDICTED IN MASSIVE GUNS, DRUG RUNNING OPERATION: POLICE

And they extend across the country.

In El Paso, Texas, the FBI, Homeland Security Investigations, ICE and agents from its Enforcement Removal Operations wing were seen on the ground as part of a mission that led to the capture of a suspect accused of running a stash house for human smugglers.

CHINESE MIGRANTS FLOOD SOUTH FLORIDA VIA BOAT AS AUTHORITIES SEEK HELP WITH CUBAN SMUGGLERS

"Our best chance to protect Americans, whether it's from the threats posed by groups like ISIS or in our efforts to dismantle groups like Tren de Aragua, the best way to do that is to put our heads together, our tools together, our efforts together with DHS, but also with all of our United States intelligence community and law enforcement partners around the country," Driscoll said.

In a series of targeted raids in Chicago, the FBI provided not just intelligence and tactical SWAT team members, but also legal experts to help round up illegal immigrants with suspected criminal ties.

In New York, they provided "advanced tactical support" and helped set up a crisis management coordination center covering the whole city.

"We are and will remain postured to support DHS the best that we can over here at the FBI," Driscoll said.

Operations across the country over the past seven days have netted roughly 5,500 suspected criminal aliens, according to figures released by ICE.

Chicago mayor improperly accepting designer gifts like Hugo Boss cuff links, Gucci bag and more: OIG report

29 January 2025 at 21:30

Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson has been accused of not properly documenting designer gifts while also blocking access to the City Hall "gift room," according to a report from the City of Chicago Office of the Inspector General (OIG).

The OIG released the report Wednesday, accusing the Chicago mayor’s office of accepting gifts, including Hugo Boss cuff links, a personalized Montblanc pen, a 2023 U.S. National Soccer Team jersey, a Gucci tote bag, a Kate Spade red purse and Carrucci size 14 shoes from Feb. 2, 2022, through March 20, 2024.

The report notes that almost 70% of the 380 logged gifts received from Feb. 2, 2022, to March 20, 2024, do not list the identity of the donor.

The city received the national soccer team jersey June 16, 2023, from a representative from Nike. On Oct. 3, 2023, the city received Airpods, a tote bag and a notepad from an executive with the U.S. Conference of Mayors.

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But other entries, like the Hugo Boss cuff links and personalized Montblanc pen received June 12, 2023, and a Gucci tote bag and crossbody bag received March 18, 2024, fail to include information on the identity of who provided the gift.

Personnel from the OIG went to the fifth floor of City Hall Nov. 8, 2024, to request access to the gift room, unannounced, to conduct an inspection of the manner in which gifts to the city are stored and to audit the gifts and review controls for access to the gift room.

Instead, the OID was met by Chicago Police officers, the report noted. After explaining the OIG’s request to view the gift room, OIG personnel were told to wait in a lobby by an elevator.

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While waiting, the OIG spoke with senior members of the mayor’s office regarding the request, then presented a written request to access the room.

After further delay, the mayor’s office said it spoke to counsel, who said OIG would not be granted access to the gift room that day. To access the room, the OIG was told it would have to make an appointment, the report said.

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Once the OIG was denied, it engaged in further conversations with the Department of Law for access to the gift room, and it was it was told it not be granted access.

The OIG said in its report that gift disclosures required by the Governmental Ethics Ordinance (GEO) promote transparency and accountability.

"When gifts are changing hands — perhaps literally — in a windowless room in City Hall, there is no opportunity for oversight and public scrutiny of the propriety of such gifts, the identities and intentions of the gift-givers, or what it means for gifts like whiskey, jewelry, handbags, and size 14 men’s shoes to be accepted ‘on behalf of the City,’" the report noted.

Some of the gifts were accepted while former Mayor Lori Lightfoot was in office, while others were accepted after Johnson took the oath of office.

Johnson told reporters during a press conference Wednesday the OIG’s report was a mischaracterization of what happened.

"These are gifts to the city. They’re logged," Johnson told reporters. "The characterization of how this report came out is misguided, and, again, we’ll make sure that our team gives you the access that you need so that you can see the gifts that are given to the city."

The mayor said there is a process everyone must go through, adding that nobody is above the law, not even the OIG.

As for the gifts, Johnson said there are times he will go to a community function and receive a gift bag as a token of appreciation.

"I don’t want people to think there’s some room in city government where there’s just a wall full of belts and socks and shoes and fancy hats," Johnson said, noting he has actually received hats. 

"With all due respect, sometimes I believe that people chase down a wall with nothing on it. There’s a log. It’s there. It’s been there for years."

Johnson also said he has never seen the gift room that the OIG referred to.

"I don’t think there’s a room, [but] if people want a tour of this room, I’ll sign up because I’ve never been to it myself," he said.

Migrant TDA gang member breaks officer’s arm as 10 indicted in massive guns, drug running operation: police

29 January 2025 at 20:27

Ten alleged members and associates of the bloodthirsty Venezuelan gang Tren de Aragua (TdA) have been indicted in a massive arms and drugs-running operation spanning at least six states and prosecutors said they had plans to expand on an international level to Colombia.

In New York City on Wednesday, police said that one of the accused violent migrant gangbangers broke an NYPD officer’s arm after he got into a scuffle during his arrest.

Authorities seized a cache of 34 illegal guns, including AR-15 assault rifles and a Glock 9mm with a trigger modification making it an automatic, tied to the suspects, Queens District Attorney Melinda Katz said. 

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Katz said the TDA gang members were also peddling deadly drugs including pink cocaine, a designer street drug that includes a mixture of ketamine, MDMA and ecstasy.

All ten are migrants – including two women – are from Venezuela and entered the country illegally via the southern border, police said. 

This subset of the gang was spearheaded by two Venezuelan nationals who came to New York City two years ago and established a gun-running crew that was also comprised of other foreign nationals. 

Enyerbert Blanco, 24, the alleged ringleader, has been in custody in Florida since October after being charged in connection with a human trafficking case involving a 15-year-old girl, Katz said.

"We allege that as members and associates, they trafficked weapons and made money in furtherance of TdA’s agenda and as they seek to establish themselves in New York City, we are individually dismantling them," Katz said. 

Katz said the investigation, dubbed Operation Train Derail, began more than a year ago and was carried out by her office and the NYPD.

Five of the 10 are charged with two counts of criminal sale of a firearm and face up to 25 years in jail if they are convicted. 

The remainder are variously indicted on firearm possession charges and other crimes. They face a maximum of 15 years in prison. All ten of them are charged with conspiracy to possess and sell illegal firearms in New York City. 

NOEM SAYS 'WORST OF THE WORST' ARRESTED IN NYC RAID TARGETING CRIMINAL ILLEGAL IMMIGRANTS

Four are now in custody in New York City, while four others are behind bars outside the state, including two in Texas and two in Florida. The others are still on the loose. Their illicit operation also spanned Connecticut, Pennsylvania and Colorado, Katz said.

Katz didn’t say whether ICE would be deporting the suspects, insisting she was treating the operation as a gun-running case.

She said that the group were brazen in gun dealings.

"In one instance, the defendant transported an AR-15 wrapped in a black garbage bag for sale in the Bronx County. This buy occurred at 3:45 p.m. in front of a residential building."

Five other firearm buys – between Oct. 30 through Dec. 10 - took place inside a Target car park in College Point, in Queens.

The going rate for an assault weapon is $2,500 to $2,800, while loaded operable handguns sold between $1,200 and $1,800, she said. 

"This group was very entrepreneurial. They really made sure that this business was run like a clock," Katz said. "They stole firearms that were proceeds of burglaries and car break-ins from other states. They relied on use of rental vehicles to come up the iron pipeline and sell them to people in the city of New York. They were aware that they could make money in the city of New York, and they even discussed potentially smuggling them into Columbia due to the success of this investigation."

NYPD Commissioner Jessica Tisch said that the injured officer is set to have surgery after this week and separate charges will be filed. 

"TDA is a dangerous transnational gang that has specialized in murder, trafficking, and mayhem," NYPD Commissioner Jessica S. Tisch said. "The NYPD will always work with our federal and our local partners to take down international gangs like TDA, who would wreak havoc on this city."

Some of the TDA members indicted include Wrallan Meza, 27; Leoner Aguilera, 21; Brayant Aguilar, 21; Rosemary Sanchez, 24; Enyerling Zambrano, 29; Alejandro Rondon, 19, and Oscar Sosa, 31.

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The bust in Queens came a day after immigration raids in the Bronx which saw gang member Anderson Zambrano-Pacheco, 26, picked up by Drug Enforcement Administration and U.S. Homeland Security Investigations.

Zambrano-Pacheco is wanted by police in Aurora, Colorado, for first-degree burglary and menacing with a firearm from an Aug. 18, caught-on-camera incident where police say he and five other armed men are accused of breaking into an apartment at gunpoint.

Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem tells Fox News that Zambrano-Pacheco is also wanted in part of a gun weapons exchange and was trying to buy grenades. Police say he’s also been charged with kidnapping, extortion, and menacing.

Trump looks to enforce trans inmate crackdown as new acting federal prisons chief tapped

27 January 2025 at 13:25

A new interim director has been tapped to lead the Federal Bureau of Prisons (BOP) as President Donald Trump looks to enforce a crackdown on transgender inmates in facilities that do not match their biological sex. 

William W. Lothrop was named the new BOP director after Colette Peters resigned on Inauguration Day. It's unclear when the Trump administration will appoint someone to permanently fill the role. 

"As we face ongoing challenges, including staffing shortages and operational issues, I am committed to working alongside you to find real solutions that strengthen our facilities," Lothrop said in the statement. "We will continue collaborating with our law enforcement partners and stakeholders to maintain robust programming and support services for inmates."

TRUMP'S 'TWO SEXES' EXECUTIVE ORDER COMES ON HEELS OF SCOTUS ACCEPTING ANOTHER CHALLENGE TO LGBT AGENDA

On his first day in office, Trump announced a temporary hiring freeze for federal positions and reversed former President Joe Biden’s ban on private prisons. His executive order, "Defending Women from Gender Ideology Extremism and Restoring Biological Truth to the Federal Government," defines sex strictly as male or female, based on biological characteristics, and mandates that federal agencies adopt this definition in their policies and practices.

The order specifies that individuals should be housed in federal prisons according to their biological sex rather than their gender identity, which will apply to the 2,300 transgender inmates currently housed in federal prisons across the U.S. It also halts federal funding for transgender procedures and treatments for inmates.

"The Attorney General shall ensure that the Bureau of Prisons revises its policies concerning medical care to be consistent with this order, and shall ensure that no Federal funds are expended for any medical procedure, treatment, or drug for the purpose of conforming an inmate’s appearance to that of the opposite sex," the order reads.

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During the Biden administration, several U.S. states implemented policies allowing transgender inmates to be housed in facilities that align with their gender identity. In 2021, California became the first state to enact a policy permitting transgender inmates to request housing based on their gender identity. Since then, the state has seen a significant increase in such requests, with a 234% rise in the transgender inmate population.

In January 2022, New York state revised its policies to allow transgender individuals to choose their prison housing. And Colorado reached a legal settlement to house biological men in women's facilities last year, which was part of a case involving 400 transgender women. 

Fox News Digital has previously reported multiple cases of male inmates, serving sentences for sexual assault, murder and other violent offenses, in federal prisons being transferred to women’s facilities. Many of them have received taxpayer-funded medical procedures to medically transition genders.

Lothrop, who was formerly the BOP deputy director, is replacing Peters, who was appointed by then-Attorney General Merrick Garland in 2022 and touted as a reform-minded outsider tasked with rebuilding an agency plagued for years by staff shortages, widespread corruption, misconduct and abuse.

'SCARED' AND 'TRAUMATIZED' WALZ'S SUPPORT FOR TRANS WOMEN IN MINNESOTA WOMEN'S PRISON ‘ENDANGERING’ INMATES

The agency has nearly 36,000 employees and is responsible for more than 155,000 federal inmates. The BOP director is not subject to Senate confirmation, according to the legal news service Law 360. During her tenure, Peters appeared before the House and Senate Judiciary Committees and spoke about the challenges the BOP faced, but she had trouble getting results. 

During the end of Trump's campaign, he pledged he would crack down on left-wing gender ideology and ran a successful ad campaign attacking his opponent, former Vice President Kamala Harris, for her role in ushering in sex change procedures for incarcerated people in California.

"Kamala is for they/them, President Trump is for you," the narrator of Trump's campaign advertisement said.

Fox News Digital has reached out to the White House and BOP for comment. 

Fox News Digital's Michael Dorgan contributed to this report. 

Tennessee lawmaker reintroduces bill to allow veterans, retired cops to work as School Resource Officers

27 January 2025 at 05:17

A Tennessee state lawmaker reintroduced a bill for the 2025 legislative session that would look to fill a shortage of School Resource Officers by allowing veterans and retired law enforcement officers to be hired.

Republican Rep. Tim Rudd reintroduced the bill for the 2025 legislative session. It was passed by the House during the last legislative session, but it failed to make it through the Senate.

The bill would allow public charter schools to hire honorably discharged veterans and retired law enforcement officers to serve as School Resource Officers.

TENNESSEE SCHOOL SHOOTER 'SIGNIFICANTLY INFLUENCED' BY MATERIAL FOUND ON 'HARMFUL' WEBSITES: POLICE

Applicants must complete 40 hours of basic training in school policy, pass a test to be eligible to purchase and possess a handgun, receive written authorization to carry or possess a firearm on school grounds, undergo a psychiatric evaluation and pass an FBI criminal history check.

"They still have to go through training. The reason why is to try to find more resource officers in these rural areas, especially so we can protect our children," Rudd told WTVC.

"This certainly won't solve the shortage problem, but it will help," he added. "Ultimately, it'd be up to the school system whether they want to use them, and what guidelines and rules they put in place."

Rudd says the proposal would help veterans and retired law enforcement officers, but the main priority is to protect the children.

A man who served in the Navy for more than 20 years said the measure could be an opportunity for veterans to find a renewed purpose and be a role model for students.

"They have all the skills that would be necessary to bring into the environment of a school environment as a resource officer," Mickey McCamish told WTVC.

TENNESSEE SCHOOL SHOOTER WHO KILLED 1, INJURED ANOTHER IDENTIFIED AS TEEN STUDENT: POLICE

The transition from military life to civilian life can be difficult for some, but McCamish says these individuals would be perfect role models for students.

"There just couldn't be a better fit than having veterans as a role model to students in either a resource officer position or just to be a part of the school life," he said.

Missouri man sentenced in attempted White House attack with U-Haul truck

25 January 2025 at 19:41

A Missouri man is facing nearly a decade of jail time after attempting a 2023 attack on the White House with a rented box truck.

Sai Varshith Kandula, 20, of St. Louis, was sentenced Jan. 16 in U.S. District Court to eight years in federal prison for an attempted attack on the White House with a rented U-Haul truck May 22, 2023.

The attack "aimed to overthrow the democratically elected government of the United States in order to replace it with a dictatorship fueled by Nazi ideology," according to a statement from the U.S. attorney's office in Washington, D.C.

CHARGES FILED AGAINST DRIVER OF U-HAUL TRUCK THAT CRASHED NEAR WHITE HOUSE 

Kandula pleaded guilty May 13, 2024, to a charge of willful injury or depredation of property of the United States before U.S. District Court Judge Dabney L. Friedrich. In addition to the prison term, Friedrich ordered Kandula to serve three years of supervised release.

Kandula is an Indian national, according to authorities. At the time of the incident, he was a lawful permanent resident of the U.S. with a green card.

According to court documents, Kandula flew on a commercial flight from St. Louis to Washington, D.C., May 22, 2023, connecting through another airport on a one-way airline ticket. 

Kandula arrived at Dulles International Airport just before 5:30 p.m., rented a truck at 6:30 p.m. and drove to Washington, D.C., where he crashed into the barriers protecting the White House and President’s Park.

The crash happened just after 9:30 p.m. at the intersection of H Street, Northwest and 16th Street, Northwest.

He drove onto the sidewalk, sending pedestrians scurrying, according to authorities. After striking the barriers, the truck backed up, then lurched forward, striking the metal barriers a second time.

The second impact disabled the truck, which began smoking from the engine compartment and leaking fluid, officials said. He got out, went to the back of the truck and pulled out a large red and white flag with a swastika in the center and started waving it.

U-HAUL TRUCK CRASHES INTO BARRIERS NEAR WHITE HOUSE, SUSPECT IN CUSTODY, OFFICIALS SAY

U.S. Park Police and Secret Service officers arrested Kandula, according to the attorney's office.

At the time of the crash, he was attempting to gain access to the White House to seize political power, according to the plea agreement. 

"Kandula’s intent was to replace the democratically elected government with a dictatorship fueled by [the] ideology of Nazi Germany and for himself to be put in charge of the United States," according to the statement. 

Kandula planned the attack for several weeks, according to authorities. Prior to renting the truck and crashing it on White House grounds, he made several attempts to gain access to vehicles or armed security guards. 

On April 22, 2023, Kandula unsuccessfully requested 25 armed guards and an armored convoy from a Virginia security company, according to the U.S. Attorney's Office. Weeks later, on May 4, 2023, he attempted to contact several other companies in an attempt to rent a large commercial tractor-trailer truck, a dump truck or another large truck.

"Kandula had attempted to arrange for the services of these security guards and the use of large vehicles in order to carry out his offense against the U.S. government," officials said. "His actions were calculated to influence or affect the conduct of government by intimidation or coercion."

He admitted to investigators that he would have arranged for the killing of former President Joe Biden and others, if necessary, to achieve his objective, authorities noted.

The crash caused $4,322 in damage to the National Park Service, according to prosecutors. The total cost included repairing the metal bollard barriers to their original condition and ensuring structural soundness, oil and chemical removal, spill cleanup and disposal of fluids from the crashed U-Haul.

The case was investigated by the Secret Service, the FBI’s Washington field office, the U.S. Park Police and the Metropolitan Police Department of the District of Columbia.

Florida man arrested for allegedly calling for Trump assassination on Facebook; Secret Service investigating

25 January 2025 at 17:38

The Secret Service is investigating after a Florida man was arrested in West Palm Beach and charged with calling for the assassination of President Donald Trump on Facebook.

Shannon Depararro Atkins, 46, of West Palm Beach, was arrested after allegedly threatening the life of the president, West Palm Beach Interim Police Chief Tony Araujo confirmed during a press conference Saturday.

Atkins is charged with felony intimidation, drug possession and smuggling contraband in a county detention center, according to jail records. 

TRUMP ASSASSINATION ATTEMPT VICTIMS WITH LIFE-ALTERING INJURIES SEEK ACCOUNTABILITY: ‘IT WILL COME TO LIGHT’

A tip was called in to the FBI National Threat Operations Center late Sunday, reporting Atkins was making violent threats against the president on Facebook.

A Palm Beach detective began working the case Monday and found "disturbing" posts, according to Araujo.

Some of the posts included, "Lincoln, JFK, Reagan, Martin Luther King and Trump - unfortunately, one is still alive"; "Bullets, please. Jesus, save America"; and "I've been banned from X because I said 'I hope and pray someone kills him. We haven't had an assassination in years.'"

The department secured a probable cause warrant and began surveillance, arresting Atkins near one of his homes at 7:30 p.m. Friday.

Officers found three bags of cocaine in Atkins' pocket at the time of the arrest, according to Araujo. 

While being interviewed, he admitted to writing the Facebook posts but said he was joking, authorities said.

"Folks, this is not a joke. Nothing of that sort is a joke," Araujo said during the press conference.

The threats came after two assassination attempts on Trump in July and September.

TRUMP SHOOTING: TIMELINE OF ASSASSINATION ATTEMPT

The Secret Service was notified and is reviewing the case to determine whether there will be federal charges, the department said.

"The U.S. Secret Service does not comment on matters involving protective intelligence," the agency wrote in an email to Fox News Digital Saturday. "What we can say is that the Secret Service investigates all threats against our protectees."

Authorities confirmed the FBI was also involved in the investigation.

Araujo said, in today's climate, people cannot make threats, even jokingly.

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"We have incident after incident, example after example, of when these threats become real, and we take these very seriously," he said. "Did we avert something? You never know. I do know that we developed probable cause, we arrested Mr. Atkins and he's going to have to answer the charges."

Atkins' bond was set at $5,000 for the drug charges, but bond was denied for the threats against Trump, according to jail records.

Arizona woman charged with murder of rideshare driver after allegedly using his car to run him over: report

24 January 2025 at 20:33

A 74-year-old ride-hailing driver in Arizona is dead after authorities say a female passenger ran him over multiple times with his own car in Phoenix.

The passenger, Jordan Spalding, 31, is charged with second-degree murder, according to court documents. Spalding's bond was set at $1 million.

Law enforcement responded to a crash involving a pedestrian just after 5 p.m. Tuesday, and they found Samuel Webster with severe injuries, according to a report from affiliate FOX 10 Phoenix

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Webster was later pronounced dead at a hospital.

Authorities spoke with witnesses and reviewed video surveillance, finding Webster and Spalding got into an argument, according to the report.

NYC WOMAN, 81, FEELS ‘LUCKY’ TO BE ALIVE AFTER VIDEO SHOWS MAN BRUTALLY PUNCHING HER IN THE FACE

Both got out of the car, and that's when Spalding allegedly got back into the car and ran Webster over multiple times, FOX 11 reported.

Spalding claimed Webster tried to rape her, but authorities said there was no evidence at the scene, according to the report. 

She also allegedly admitted using fentanyl earlier in the day.

Authorities did not confirm which ride-hailing company Webster worked for, according to FOX 10.

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