9-year-old boy arrested for bringing loaded gun onto school bus: Police
Police said a 9-year-old student was arrested after bringing a loaded gun onto a school bus. Ocala Police Department.
(OCALA, Fla.) — A 9-year-old boy in Florida was arrested and faces multiple charges for allegedly bringing a loaded revolver onto his school bus, police said.
No one was injured in the incident, which unfolded on a school bus Monday morning while students were being transported to an elementary school in Ocala, police said.
Officers responded to the bus for a report of a student in possession of a firearm, after students had alerted the bus driver, who then called 911, the Ocala Police Department said.
Several students directed the officers to a 9-year-old boy on the bus believed to be in possession of a gun, police said.
“The juvenile was safely detained after initially resisting officers,” the Ocala Police Department said in a statement. “A loaded .38 caliber revolver was recovered from the floor near the juvenile’s seat.”
The gun was taken without permission from the “secured bedroom” of the child’s relative, police said.
The student allegedly admitted to taking the gun on Sunday and then bringing it onto the bus concealed in his clothing, police said.
“He also admitted to showing the firearm to other students but stated he did not intend to harm anyone,” police said.
The child was arrested and faces multiple charges, including possession of a firearm on school property, possession of a firearm by a minor, carrying a concealed firearm, armed burglary, grand theft of a firearm, resisting arrest without violence and disruption of a school function, police said.
The bus was en route to College Park Elementary School, in Marion County, police said. ABC News has reached out to Marion County Public Schools for comment.
Police commended the students for alerting their bus driver.
“This incident shows why staying vigilant and reporting concerns quickly is critical,” the Ocala Police Department said. “We will remain committed to supporting our schools and community while we pursue justice.”
Police said they will not be releasing any further identifying details due to the child’s age.
The investigation remains ongoing. Authorities did not say if anyone else may be arrested in connection with the incident.
Smoke from the Rosa Fire rises in Riverside County, California, Aug. 4, 2025. Cal Fire
(SOLVANG, Calif.) — The Gifford Fire, a wildfire burning in Central California that has destroyed over 83,000 acres in six days, continues to rage and is now the largest blaze in the state this year, according to Cal Fire.
Since it started on Friday afternoon, the Gifford Fire — which is situated within the Los Padres National Forest in Solvang, California — has burned 83,933 acres and has only reached 9% containment, prompting evacuation orders for those in the Santa Barbara and San Luis Obispo counties, officials said.
While the flames have been centered around thick brush and rugged terrain, officials said over 1,000 structures are threatened by this wildfire.
Nearly 2,000 personnel have been dispatched to help fight the flames, with “great progress made on the west, north and east flanks of the fire” on Monday, according to Los Padres National Forest officials. Winds could potentially reach 20 mph on Tuesday, which could “test lines already constructed,” officials said.
On Wednesday, officials sad they would focus on improving “contingency and constructed containment fire lines.”
Warmer weather on Thursday and Friday could increase the “fire behavior” and pose a threat to the already raging flames, officials said.
On Tuesday, officials said they will deploy helicopters to “deliver very significant water drops” and will establish two new base camps to allow personnel to “more efficiently access the fire perimeter.”
An air quality alert in Cuyama, California, and an air quality watch for the rest of Santa Barbara County continues to remain in place “until conditions improve,” according to the Santa Barbara County Air Pollution Control District.
The fire is also impacting those outside of California, with smoke from the flames filtering into the Las Vegas Valley, “reducing visibility and air quality,” according to the National Weather Service Las Vegas.
Officials expect smoky conditions in the Las Vegas area “for at least another couple of days.”
Along with the Gifford Fire, firefighters are now also battling two additional flames in Central California that began on Monday — the Rosa Fire and the Gold Fire, according to Cal Fire.
The Rosa Fire, which is situated within Riverside County, has prompted evacuation orders and has destroyed 1,658 acres as of Wednesday, according to Cal Fire. The Gold Fire, which is located in San Bernardino County, is centered around “steep, rugged terrain in the northern area of the Mountaintop Ranger District” and has burned 991 acres, Cal Fire said.
As of Wednesday, the Rosa Fire is 18% contained and the Gold Fire is 5% contained, officials said.
The cause of all three fires remains under investigation, officials said.
(MEMPHIS, Tenn.) — A man accused of trespassing at the home of the Memphis, Tennessee, mayor has been charged with attempted kidnapping and stalking, according to police, who said the suspect had a Taser, gloves, rope and duct tape in his vehicle at the time of his arrest.
The suspect — 25-year-old Trenton Abston — allegedly admitted to going to the mayor’s home to confront him about crime in Memphis, according to the complaint affidavit, which alleged that he took “substantial steps toward the commission of a kidnapping” involving the city’s mayor.
The suspect was apprehended and charged after police investigated “suspicious activity” in Mayor Paul Young’s neighborhood, the Memphis Police Department said Wednesday.
“On Sunday night, around 9:30 pm, a man jumped a wall leading into our subdivision,” Young said in a statement. “We now know that he walked straight to our home, knocking on the door with gloves on, a full pocket, and a nervous demeanor.”
Young was home at the time, according to the affidavit. After someone knocked on his door, the mayor looked at his Ring doorbell video and saw an unknown man “wearing a hoodie and gloves standing at his door with a lumpy bulge in his hoodie pocket,” the affidavit stated.
“Paul Young reported that he did not know the male and his presence at his door at a late hour wearing a hoodie and gloves put him, his wife and children in fear for their safety,” the affidavit stated.
The man fled when no one answered the door, according to the affidavit.
Surveillance footage showed that the individual went directly to the mayor’s residence upon scaling the wall and did not approach any other home in the neighborhood, according to the Memphis Police Department. His face was “clearly captured” in the Ring footage, according to the affidavit.
Police identified Abston as a person of interest in the case on Tuesday through law enforcement databases, and Abston’s employer positively identified him in the footage from the night of the incident, according to the affidavit. Abston’s vehicle was also captured in video systems near Young’s residence “on multiple occasions between May and June 2025, including the night of the incident,” the affidavit stated.
Officers detained Abston at his place of employment without incident and found a hoodie and gloves in his vehicle matching what was seen in the Ring footage, according to the affidavit. A Taser, roll of duct tape, and white rope were also found in the vehicle, police said.
After waiving his Miranda rights, Abston allegedly admitted to researching Young’s address and going to the mayor’s residence Sunday night to “confront Paul Young about crime in the city of Memphis and stated that he was angry at Paul Young and was armed with a Taser when he went to the residence,” the affidavit stated.
Abston has been charged with attempted kidnapping, stalking and aggravated criminal trespass, police said. He is detained at the Shelby County Sheriff’s Office jail and is scheduled to appear in court on Friday, online jail records show. It is unclear if he has an attorney at this time.
The Memphis Police Department credited the “rapid response” of its officers and the surveillance footage throughout the neighborhood with quickly identifying, locating and arresting the suspect.
“We understand the concerns raised by this incident and want to reassure the public that the Memphis Police Department remains fully committed to the safety of all residents, including our city’s elected officials,” the department said in a press release. “We take any potential threat seriously and will continue to act swiftly and thoroughly.”
The incident comes amid heightened concerns over violence against elected officials, after two Minnesota lawmakers and their spouses were shot on Saturday in what prosecutors called “political assassinations.” Democratic Minnesota state Rep. Melissa Hortman and her husband, Mark, were killed, and Democratic state Sen. John Hoffman and his wife, Yvette, were wounded in the attacks.
Young, who has served as Memphis’ mayor since January 2024, cited the Minnesota shootings while making a plea that political violence “cannot become our norm.”
“In today’s climate, especially after the tragic events in Minnesota and the threats my wife and I often receive online, none of us can be too careful,” Young said in a statement on Instagram while sharing a photo of him and his family. “The link between angry online rhetoric and real-life violence is becoming undeniable.”
“Let’s do better,” he added. “Let’s raise our discourse, reduce the hate, and protect one another — no matter our beliefs. Let’s reclaim our strength as one community. Let’s choose love.”
Jay L. Clendenin / Los Angeles Times via Getty Images
(NEW YORK) – The Powerball jackpot is expected to climb to $750 million for Monday’s drawing, a prize that ranks as the 10th largest in the lottery’s history, after no single player matched all numbers drawn on Saturday, Powerball said early Sunday.
Monday’s drawing has an estimated cash value of $338.6 million, the lottery said in a press release.
The winning numbers for an estimated $700 million jackpot were drawn Saturday night. The white balls were 11, 14, 34, 47, 51, and the red Powerball 18. Tickets sold in Maine and Massachusetts matched the five white balls, winning $1 million each, the lottery said.
“A third ticket sold in South Dakota also matched all five white balls, and because the ticket included the Power Play option for $1 more, it doubled the winnings to $2 million,” Powerball said early Sunday.
There had been no winner after the last drawing on Wednesday, which marked the 36th consecutive round without a grand prize winner since a $204.5 million ticket was claimed in California on May 31. The numbers drawn on Wednesday were 31, 59, 62, 65, 68, and Powerball 5.
While nobody matched all six numbers, Wednesday’s drawing produced several other winners, according to Powerball. A Tennessee player matched five numbers and included the Power Play option, securing a $2 million prize. Two other tickets matched five numbers for $1 million each.
Additionally, 30 tickets won $50,000 by matching four numbers plus the Powerball, with eight of those winners doubling their prize to $100,000 through the Power Play option.
The current jackpot towers above other 2025 prizes, though it hasn’t reached the heights of 2024’s staggering $1.3 billion jackpot claimed by Cheng “Charlie” Saephan in Oregon last April. The second-highest prize this year was a $526.5 million jackpot won by a California ticket holder.
Players can purchase $2 tickets in 45 states, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, and the U.S. Virgin Islands. Some states offer online purchasing options through official channels or licensed services. The drawing is scheduled for 10:59 p.m. ET on Saturday.
For an additional dollar, players can add the Power Play option, which multiplies non-jackpot prizes by up to five times. In select states, a separate Double Play option allows participants to enter a second drawing for up to $10 million.
