11-year-old among 3 arrested in string of armed robberies: Seattle police
Douglas Sacha/Getty Images
(SEATTLE) — An 11-year-old is among three suspects who’ve been arrested in connection with a string of armed robberies at convenience stores and gas stations in the Seattle area, police said.
The 11-year-old, a 21-year-old and a 19-year-old are accused of four robberies committed within two hours early Friday morning and a fifth robbery Friday night, Seattle police said.
The suspects, who wore face masks and were armed with guns, demanded merchandise and cash before fleeing in stolen cars, police said.
No one was hurt, police said.
After the fifth robbery on Friday night, the suspects led several law enforcement agencies on a car chase that spanned multiple jurisdictions, police said.
The suspects eventually stopped the car and fled on foot, and were then taken into custody without incident, police said Saturday.
The adults were booked into King County Jail and the 11-year-old was taken to the Judge Patricia H. Clark Children & Family Justice Center, police said.
(MEMPHIS, Tenn.) — Attorneys for two of the three former Memphis police officers facing charges in the January 2023 beating death of Tyre Nichols rested their cases on Monday.
Demetrius Haley’s and Tadarrius Bean’s lawyers said they wouldn’t call any more witnesses to the stand, according to WATN-TV. The two ex-officers did not testify at the trial, but Justin Smith, the third defendant, might be called to the stand. Martin Zummach, Smith’s attorney, said in opening arguments that the former officer will testify, according to WATN.
Smith, Bean and Haley were charged on Sept. 12, 2023, with violating Nichols’ civil rights through excessive use of force, unlawful assault, failing to intervene in the assault and failing to render medical aid. These charges carry a maximum penalty of life in prison if convicted, according to the U.S. Department of Justice. The officers have pleaded not guilty to all charges.
Emmitt Martin III and Desmond Mills Jr., the two other officers who were also charged in this case, have pleaded guilty to some of the federal charges.
Mills pleaded guilty to two of the four counts in the indictment — excessive force and failing to intervene, as well as conspiring to cover up his use of unlawful force, according to the DOJ. The government said it will recommend a maximum penalty of 15 years in prison, based on the terms of Mills’ plea agreement.
Martin pleaded guilty to excessive force and failure to intervene, as well as conspiracy to witness tamper, according to court records. The other two charges will be dropped at sentencing, which has been scheduled for Dec. 5, according to the court records.
Michael Stengel, Haley’s lawyer, and John Perry, Bean’s attorney, each called for the testimony of police-use-of-force experts in previous days attempting to justify the officers’ actions during the encounter with Nichols.
Zummach called Jared Zwickey, who had been in law enforcement for 50 years, to the stand as an expert witness, according to WATN. Zwickey testified that the actions of Smith, who was characterized as the unit’s team leader, were consistent with Memphis police and national policing standards and training.
“Hit him,” Smith could be heard saying on police body camera video during the beating, according to WATN.
“It’d be appropriate if the officer needed help,” Zwickey said when asked if Smith’s statement was appropriate during the Nichols’ encounter.
Body-camera footage shows that Nichols fled after police pulled him over on Jan. 7, 2023, for allegedly driving recklessly, then shocked him with a Taser and pepper-sprayed him.
Officers allegedly then beat Nichols minutes later after tracking him down. After the police encounter, Nichols was transferred to the hospital in critical condition.
Nichols, 29, died in the hospital on Jan. 10, 2023. Footage shows the officers walking around, talking to each other as Nichols was injured and sitting on the ground.
Memphis Police Chief Cerelyn Davis said she has been unable to substantiate that Nichols was driving recklessly. The incident triggered protests and calls for police reform.
After the police encounter, Nichols was transferred to the hospital in critical condition. The medical examiner’s official autopsy report for Nichols showed he “died of brain injuries from blunt force trauma,” the district attorney’s office told Nichols’ family in May 2023.
The prosecution told ABC News earlier this month that they will not have any statements until after the trial. The defense attorneys did not immediately respond to ABC News’ request for comment.
The five former officers charged in this case were all members of the Memphis Police Department SCORPION unit — a crime suppression unit that was disbanded after Nichols’ death. All of the officers were fired for violating MPD policies.
Photo by Pennsylvania Department of Corrections via Getty Images
(NEW YORK) — Luigi Mangione, who is accused of second-degree murder for allegedly gunning down UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson in New York City, could face additional charges, according to Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg.
Asked why Mangione was charged with second-degree murder, Bragg told ABC News that prosecutors wanted to bring charges quickly and first-degree murder “has a number of delineated circumstances.”
“Murder 2 is the intentional killing of a person, punishable by 25 years to life under New York law,” Bragg said Wednesday.
“Murder 1 has a number of delineated circumstances, including, for example, a serial murder, murder of a witness, murder of a police officer,” he explained.
“As we learn more about motives and other things like that … there may be additional charges,” Bragg said.
Mangione is also charged in New York with criminal possession of a forged instrument and several counts of criminal possession of a weapon.
Mangione, a 26-year-old Ivy League graduate, is accused of shooting Thompson outside a Midtown Manhattan hotel on Dec. 4 while the CEO was heading to an investors conference.
Thompson’s murder ignited online anger at the health insurance industry and some people online have celebrated the suspect.
“Celebrating murder is abhorrent,” Bragg said. “I sit across the table from families who’ve had a loved one killed. And to think of people celebrating that … is beyond comprehension to me.”
“What I would say to members of the public … [who are] celebrating this and maybe contemplating other action: We will be vigilant and we will hold people accountable,” Bragg said.
The ghost gun allegedly in Mangione’s possession when he was arrested has been matched to three shell casings recovered at the murder scene, according to the NYPD.
Bragg, who has focused on cracking down on ghost guns during his time as DA, stressed, “They are lethal in the same way as a traditional gun. What is so scary about them is you can buy a 3D printer and you can print them right from your kitchen table.”
“[It’s] something we’re seeing more and more in use,” he said.
Fingerprints recovered from a water bottle and a Kind bar near the crime scene have also been matched to Mangione, police said.
Mangione was apprehended in Altoona, Pennsylvania, on Monday after nearly one week on the run. He’s also facing charges in Pennsylvania, including allegedly possessing an untraceable ghost gun.
Mangione plans to challenge his extradition to New York.
The Manhattan District Attorney’s Office said it will seek a governor’s warrant to try to force Mangione’s extradition. New York Gov. Kathy Hochul said in a statement that she’ll sign a request for the governor’s warrant “to ensure this individual is tried and held accountable.”
Bragg said, “We will get the defendant here and bring him to justice through our court proceeding.”
“We’re prepared to go forward,” he said. “We’re on the path to accountability and justice.”
(EL SEGUNDO, Calif.) — Mattel has apologized after boxes for some of its new dolls from the movie “Wicked” included a link to a pornographic website.
The packages for the dolls were printed with a web address to an adult film site with the same name as the upcoming movie musical starring Ariana Grande and Cynthia Erivo.
Customers who noticed the mistake shared images of the toy boxes on social media.
Mattel has apologized for the boxes, describing the link as a “misprint.”
“Mattel was made aware of a misprint on the packaging of the Mattel Wicked collection dolls, primarily sold in the U.S., which intended to direct consumers to the official WickedMovie.com landing page. We deeply regret this unfortunate error and are taking immediate action to remedy this,” the toy company said in a statement.
“Parents are advised that the misprinted, incorrect website is not appropriate for children. Consumers who already have the product are advised to discard the product packaging or obscure the link and may contact Mattel Customer Service for further information,” the company added.
