Congressman Max Miller said he was run off the road by driver waving Palestinian flag
Tom Williams/CQ-Roll Call, Inc via Getty Images
(ROCKY RIVER, Ohio) — Republican Congressman Max Miller says that he was run off the road by a man waving a Palestinian flag in Ohio — an incident that comes amid a heightened environment of political violence.
“The deranged hatred in this country has gotten out of control,” Miller said on social media Thursday. “Today I was run off the road in Rocky River, and the life of me and my family was threatened by a person who proceeded to show a Palestinian flag before taking off. I have filed a police report with Capitol Police and the local police department. We know who this person is and he will face justice.”
“As a Marine, a proud Jewish American and a staunch defender of Israel, I will not hide in the face of this blatant anti-Semitic violence,” Miller continued.
This incident comes amid a disturbing increase in political violence nationwide and in the immediate aftermath of Minnesota State Representative Melissa Hortman and her husband being fatally shot in their home. State Sen. John Hoffman remain in critical condition after he was shot nine times along with his wife Yvette, who was shot eight times. She has since been released from the hospital and is recovering at home.
“As a Marine, a proud Jewish American and a staunch defender of Israel, I will not hide in the face of this blatant anti-Semitic violence,” Miller continued.
This incident comes amid a disturbing increase in political violence nationwide and in the immediate aftermath of Minnesota State Representative Melissa Hortman and her husband being fatally shot in their home. State Sen. John Hoffman remain in critical condition after he was shot nine times along with his wife Yvette, who was shot eight times. She has since been released from the hospital and is recovering at home.
The suspect was apprehended and charged after police investigated “suspicious activity” in Mayor Paul Young’s neighborhood, the Memphis Police Department said Wednesday.
The suspect — 25-year-old Trenton 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.
“Let’s make something abundantly clear to anyone who needs to see this, which, apparently, is a lot of people,” Miller said in his social media post. “If you have an issue with a legislator, your city councilman, your mayor, anyone like that. The appropriate thing to do is to reach out to them for a phone call to set up a meeting at one of our district offices. What is not okay is to assault anyone, whether you are a member of Congress or anybody else within our district when you are driving to work.”
(NEW YORK) — A hotel security guard on Tuesday told the jury in Sean “Diddy” Combs’ sex-trafficking and racketeering trial that the rap mogul paid him $100,000 in an attempt to secure his silence and bury a video that is now the central piece of evidence in the criminal case that threatens to send him to prison for life.
In the video captured in 2016 by security cameras at the Intercontinental Hotel in Los Angeles — and shown to the jury during the testimony of three different witnesses — Combs is seen kicking and dragging his ex-girlfriend Cassie Ventura. Ventura, a musician who testified as the government’s star witness, said she was trying to escape Combs and one of his drug-fueled orgies, called “freak-offs.”
“When I chose to leave, I grabbed what I could and I got out,” Ventura testified during the second week of the trial. “Sean followed me into the hallway before the elevators and grabbed me up, threw me on the ground, kicked me, [and] tried to drag me back to the room.”
Combs has pleaded not guilty to the charges in the case. His lawyers have said that Combs takes “full responsibility” for the domestic violence captured in the video but argue that the rap mogul has not committed the sex trafficking, racketeering conspiracy and prostitution alleged by federal prosecutors.
Hotel security guard Eddy Garcia testified Tuesday that Combs frantically worked to make sure the CCTV video never saw the light of day, paying $100,000 to obtain what Combs thought was the only copy of the recording.
“He was concerned this video would get out and it would ruin his career,” Garcia testified. According to Garcia, Combs promised “he would take care of me” and ended up paying $100,000 in cash to the man he later referred to as “Eddy my angel.”
When the video was obtained by CNN last year, the condemnation was swift and led to Combs offering a public apology, saying he was “truly sorry” for his conduct and that he “sought professional help” after the incident.
Prosecutors have argued that Combs’ $100,000 payment to Garcia was a bribe and one of the underlying crimes at the heart of their allegation that the hip-hop superstar is guilty of racketeering conspiracy. They allege that Combs realized the episode could reveal years of criminal conduct and might pull back the curtain on how the mogul used his business empire to coerce women into sex, threaten them into silence, and protect his public reputation.
The trial is set to resume Wednesday when three more witnesses are expected to take the stand.
Frank Piazza, a video expert, is expected to be the first witness followed by Bryana Bongolan, who has alleged Combs threatened to kill her by dangling her over a balcony in the presence of Ventura. Bongolan made similar allegations in a civil case, which Combs has denied.
A woman being called “Jane” is expected to take the stand on Wednesday afternoon and to testify for as long as five days, according to prosecutors. Jane is expected to be the third and final alleged victim to testify against Combs.
Security guard testifies about Combs’ alleged effort to bury assault video
Garcia testified Tuesday that he heard about the assault shortly after he clocked in for his shift at the InterContinental Hotel on March 5, 2016. Garcia told the jury he understood law enforcement was not contacted at the time because Ventura did not request medical or police attention.
About an hour into his shift, Garcia explained to jurors that he got an unexpected call on his work phone from Combs’ assistant Kristina Khorram, who requested a copy of the security video. Despite telling her she would need to contact hotel management or get a subpoena to view the footage, Garcia testified Khorram arrived in the hotel lobby an hour later to watch the recording.
“She was asking about the video and if there was any way she could see it,” he said. “She wanted to know what they were dealing with.”
Garcia said he apologized and said he could not show it to her, though he testified he warned her, “Off the record: it’s bad.”
That evening, Garcia testified he once again received a call on his personal cell from Khorram. He told the jury within seconds, a noticeably “nervous” Combs came on the other end of the line, trying to explain his actions.
“He asked me if I knew who he was. I said yes,” Garcia said. “Mr. Combs sounded very nervous. Just was talking really fast. Was just saying that he had a little too much to drink and that I knew how things was with women when one thing led to another.”
Garcia testified, “He stated that I sounded like a good guy, that I sounded like I wanted to help, that something like this could ruin him. He was concerned this video would get out and it would ruin his career.”
He said he also remembered Combs telling him, “he would take care of me.” After Garcia informed Combs that he would accept $100,000 in exchange for the video, Garcia testified that Combs “sounded excited” and “referred to me as ‘Eddy my angel.'”
“He wanted the video as soon as possible,” Garcia told the court. He explained he was then given an address about a 20-minute drive from the InterContinental Hotel, where he was to make the trade.
Security guard recounts getting $100,000 in cash from Combs
Once he got to the designated location with a thumb drive containing what he said was the only copy of the video, Garcia told the court that someone who introduced himself as Combs’ bodyguard brought him up to an apartment. He testified he recalled seeing Combs “smiling, excited” and looking happy.
“Eddy my angel, he was smiling. He said ‘come in,’ making me feel comfortable,” Garcia testified Combs told him, adding that Combs instructed Khorram to make him a cup of tea.
After Garcia assured Combs the drive had the only copy of the video, the rap mogul allegedly contacted Ventura on FaceTime so she could communicate that she, too, wanted the video to go away.
She was wearing a hoodie, and the lighting wasn’t that great,” Garcia said of Ventura. “Before he passed the phone over to me he said, ‘Let him know that you want this to go away too.'”
“And how did Cassie respond?” prosecutor Mitzi Steiner asked.
“When I got passed the phone, I said, ‘Hi’, she said ‘Hi’ and she said she had a movie coming out and it wasn’t a good time for this to come out and she wanted it to go away,” Garcia responded.
Garcia told jurors that Combs demanded he sign a nondisclosure agreement, agree to a certification that there was only one copy of the video, and hand over his ID as well as the identifications of his supervisor and coworker. Garcia then testified Combs left the room and returned with a brown bag and a money counter, which Combs fed “stacks of $10,000 at a time.”
“In total, at the end it was $100,000,” he testified.
Garcia testified Combs and a bodyguard then accompanied him out of the suite and walked him to the valet where his car was parked.
“He asked me how I would spend the money, and I said I didn’t know,” Garcia testified. “He said not to make any big purchases.”
A few weeks later, Garcia testified he received a message from Combs. “Happy Easter, Eddy my angel. God is good,” Garcia remembered the message, saying Combs “proceeded to ask if anyone had asked about the video.” He said he had heard nothing.
Jury sees alleged paper trail of 2011 extortion payment
Following Garcia’s testimony about accepting a $100,000 payment from Combs, prosecutors called Combs’ longtime employee Derek Ferguson to drill down into the financial structure of Combs’ business empire. Prosecutors have argued that Combs’ companies doubled as a criminal enterprise that allowed the rap mogul to commit crimes for years with few repercussions.
Ferguson, who worked as the chief financial officer for Bad Boy Entertainment for 12 years, walked the jury through Combs’ bank accounts, financial arrangements, how the businesses managed cash and how employees were reimbursed for expenses charged to their corporate cards. Several of Combs’ personal assistants testified about being tasked with purchasing supplies for freak-offs, including gallons of baby oil, sexual lubricant, drugs and alcohol.
Jurors also saw documents showing a series of wire transfers in 2011 to and from Cassie Ventura’s mother. While Ferguson said he did not know the reason for the $20,000 payment, jurors last month heard directly from Regina Ventura, who testified that she and her husband took out a home equity loan to fund the payment. She testified Combs demanded to “recoup” money he had spent on Cassie Ventura “because he was angry that she had a relationship with Scott Mescudi.” Mescudi is also a well-known rapper, performing under the name Kid Cudi.
The jury saw a Dec. 14 transfer from an account set up to manage Combs’ home in Alpine, New Jersey, to Cassie Ventura for $20,000. On Dec. 23, the same account took in $20,000 from Ventura’s father. Four days later, on Dec. 27, the account transferred $20,000 for “return of funds.”
Regina Ventura testified that she decided to send the money because she feared for her daughter’s safety after Combs threatened to release explicit videos of her. Combs ultimately returned the money, she said.
During his cross examination, Combs’ attorney Marc Agnifilo tried to use Ferguson’s 19 years of experience working with Combs to cast doubt on the way the prosecutors have described Combs’ business empire. .
“Did you see anyone help Sean Combs commit crimes?” Agnifilo asked.
“No,” Ferguson answered.
“Did you see anyone help Sean Combs commit acts of violence?” Agnifilo asked.
“No,” Ferguson replied
“Did you see anyone make the company stronger through threats of violence?”
“I was like, ‘Dad, that’s somebody,'” she told the outlet. “He said, ‘Hang up and call somebody.'”
Moments later, Thomas was flagging down a member of law enforcement, she said, and telling them about the man she’d seen out by the culvert. What followed was the arrest of the suspected Minnesota gunman, Vance Boelter, whom local, state and federal law enforcement had been trying to locate for about 43 hours.
Boelter allegedly showed up to their doors in the middle of the night early Saturday impersonating a police officer and wearing a realistic-looking mask, officials said, noting that two other lawmakers were spared the night of the shootings.
Boelter allegedly surveilled his victims’ homes and took notes, Thompson said. In a search of a home in north Minneapolis tied to Boelter, authorities seized a list of public officials that had a notation under Melissa Hortman’s name reading, “married Mark 2 children 11th term,” according to the affidavit. Another notebook included an added notation next to Melissa Hortman’s name reading, “Big house off golf course 2 ways in to watch from one spot,” the affidavit said.
He “stalked his victims like prey” and “shot them in cold blood,” Thompson said.
Boelter is facing federal charges including stalking and firearms charges and state charges including first-degree murder, officials said. He made a brief appearance in federal court on Monday.
A motive remains under investigation. But Minnesota state Sen. Scott Dribble, who worked with Hortman, told ABC News on Monday that he was “very concerned about the nature of the rhetoric that’s occurring with politics, especially among right-wing extremists.”
Dribble pointed to what he saw as a change in recent years for “those at the highest levels to engage in rhetoric of dehumanization, politicizing instruments of government, politicizing our military, and really calling for a violent response rather than really having vigorous policy debates.”
Minnesota Lt. Gov. Peggy Flanagan said “every elected official of every stripe and party has to turn down the temperature.” Elected representatives and government staffers should in difficult times be displaying their “humanity” and reaching across the aisle, Flanagan told ABC News on Monday.
“Our community, our families, you know, taking care of each other, stepping up for one another. And that needs to continue to be the message during this time of divisive rhetoric,” she said.
“The way our nation moves forward is not through hate. It is not through violence,” Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz added in a statement Monday. “It is through humility, and grace, and compassion.”
“I don’t want to call him,” Trump said. “I think the governor of Minnesota is so whacked out. I’m not calling him. Why would I call him? I could call and say, ‘Hi, how you doing?’ Uh, the guy doesn’t have a clue. He’s a mess. I could be nice and call, but why waste time?”
Walz’s spokesperson said in response, “Governor Walz wishes that President Trump would be a President for all Americans, but this tragedy isn’t about Trump or Walz. It’s about the Hortman family, the Hoffman family, and the State of Minnesota, and the Governor remains focused on helping all three heal.”
Meanwhile, Senate Democrats and Republicans on Tuesday received a briefing focused on member safety after it was revealed that a number of members of Congress were included on Boelter’s alleged lists of potential targets — but lawmakers were tight-lipped on the safety details.
Sen. Tina Smith, D-Minn. — who was on the suspect’s list, according to law enforcement sources — said, “I think it’s important for member safety that we don’t talk a lot about what is being done to keep us safe in order to keep us safe.”
Senator Minority Leader Chuck Schumer said there’s a bipartisan push for additional funding to be appropriated for member safety.
“The violence, the threats, against elected officials including people in the Senate has dramatically increased, and that means we need more protection, more money,” Schumer said.
ABC News’ Pierre Thomas, Katherine Faulders, Mike Levine, Alexander Mallin and Brittany Shepherd contributed to this report.
(AUSTIN, TEXAS) — Two juveniles were arrested and charged with capital murder after allegedly shooting a man and striking him with a vehicle during a carjacking, according to the Austin Police Department.
The suspects, a 12-year-old male and a 13-year-old male, were arrested and charged with capital murder by terroristic threat, after allegedly killing 20-year-old Anthony Salas earlier this month, police confirmed to ABC News.
At approximately 2:58 a.m. on May 3, the Travis County Sheriff’s Office received a 911 call from a family “reporting their vehicle had been stolen from their driveway” in Del Valle, Texas, police said in a press release.
Then at approximately 3:21 a.m. the same morning, the Austin Police Department received a call that reported a “person was hit by a vehicle” near the Del Valle Elementary School, police said.
Officials responded to multiple scenes and interviewed multiple witnesses, determining that the victim, Salas, was “shot, hit with a vehicle and killed as he attempted to recover his family’s stolen vehicle near the intersection,” police said.
The juvenile suspects appeared to “burglarize multiple vehicles throughout south and east Austin” late on May 2 into the morning of May 3, police said.
Previously, police issued a reward of up to $1,000 for any information that led to an arrest of the individuals.
