Nine dead, one injured after vehicle crashes into canal
(NEW YORK) — Nine people are dead and one other has been injured after a vehicle crashed into a canal in Palm Beach County, Florida, on Monday evening, authorities said.
At approximately 7:30 p.m. on Monday, authorities began receiving calls reporting a car in a canal on Southwest Conners Highway near Belle Glade, Florida, Palm Beach County Fire Rescue Capt. Tom Reyes said in a statement to the media. Once at the scene, authorities found one vehicle upside down with only the wheels visible, Reyes continued.
“Last night in Belle Glade, a tragic crash occurred at the 5800 Block of Hatton Highway, resulting in multiple fatalities. Tragically, Fire Rescue confirmed 4 victims were pronounced deceased on the scene, and 6 were transported to a local hospital where 5 additional victims passed away,” according to the Palm Beach Sheriff’s Office. “We have one survivor for a total of 10 victims including babies. Our thoughts and prayers are with the families during this heartbreaking incident.”
Fire rescue personnel, including divers, along with the Palm Beach Sheriff’s Office, responded to the crash, officials said.
The scene has been turned over to the Palm Beach Sheriff’s Office who will determine the cause of the crash, Reyes said, and the investigation by the Palm Beach County Sheriff’s Office remains open.
(NEW YORK) — An Arizona man pleaded guilty to making threats against federal officials on Tuesday, having repeatedly urged fellow social media users to shoot FBI agents and attack politicians, authorities said.
Michael Lee Tomasi, 37, of Rio Verde, Arizona, leveled a series of threats against FBI agents, elected officials and the judge overseeing right-wing conspiracist Alex Jones’ defamation case, according to the U.S. Department of Justice.
Tomasi posted the graphic threats over a more than two-year period between May 2021 and November of 2023, primarily on the social media platform ‘www.patriots.win‘, which describes itself as the “community of choice for President Donald J. Trump.”
Tomasi — who was living in Colorado and Arizona at the time of the offenses — pleaded guilty to making threats against federal officials, per a Department of Justice press release. He is scheduled to be sentenced on Oct. 23, and faces a maximum penalty of 10 years in prison.
Among the offenses detailed in the original indictment were a November 2021 threat to sexually assault a congresswoman.
Tomasi also called for the execution of another member of Congress in March 2022, declaring: “He’s one of them. Kill every corrupt politician.”
The defendant repeatedly threatened FBI agents, writing in November 2021: “FBI has no legal ability to enforce anything. Shoot on site.” In an August 2023 post, Tomasi called for “instant death” for FBI agents. “Shoot the FBI first ask questions later,” he wrote. “They are terrorists that deserve nothing but to be shot on site.”
Tomasi also posted a video of him dancing with two guns in a post titled, “My Let’s Go Brandon dance,” a reference to a derogatory meme about President Joe Biden.
In a Department of Justice press release, U.S. Attorney Gary Restaino for the District of Arizona said the “disgruntled defendant” was “prepared to carry out his threats: when arrested he had a loaded handgun in his vehicle, as well as other firearms and body armor in his home.”
(UVALDE, Texas) — A former Uvalde, Texas, school district police officer pleaded not guilty to the 29 counts against him on Thursday as families of the Robb Elementary School victims looked on.
Two teachers and 19 students were killed in the May 24, 2022, mass shooting. Law enforcement waited some 77 minutes at the scene before breaching a classroom and killing the gunman.
Former Uvalde school district police officer Adrian Gonzales faces 29 charges of abandoning and failing to protect children: 19 for the 19 children killed and 10 for the children who survived in classroom 112.
The indictment alleges that despite having time to respond to the shooting, Gonzales failed to act to impede the gunman and failed to follow active shooter training by not advancing toward the gunfire.
Over 30 survivors and victims’ families watched in the courtroom on Thursday as Gonzales pleaded not guilty.
The families included the parents of 10-year-old victim Tess Mata, the parents of 9-year-old victim Jackie Cazares and the parents of survivor Khloie Torres.
“It’s not that we want to be here — we just feel like we have to,” Tess’ mom, Veronica Mata, told ABC News after the hearing. “We’re here ’cause we have to be here for Tess.”
Tess’ dad, Jerry Mata, said while he feels more than two officers should have been indicted, he hopes this is the start of accountability.
“The emotions right now are so high,” he said. “We’ve been waiting for this for a long time.”
Gonzales’ defense attorney, Nico LaHood, told reporters, “We have not seen any evidence that would lead us to believe that Mr. Gonzales is guilty of these allegations. … All he did was show up to try to help those children.”
“There was over 370 officers there. We have not seen or even heard of a theory of why Mr. Gonzales is being singled out,” LaHood said.
Gonzales is due to return to court on Sept. 16.
The former school district police chief, Pete Arredondo, who was the on-site commander the day of the shooting, was arrested last month on the same charges as Gonzales. He has also pleaded not guilty.
The indictment alleges that, after hearing shots fired, Arredondo failed to identify the situation as an active shooter, failed to respond as trained, and instead, called SWAT, thereby delaying the response by law enforcement.
The indictment also alleges he chose to negotiate with the gunman instead of engaging; failed to timely provide keys and breaching tools; failed to determine if the classroom door was locked; failed to follow the school district’s active shooter policy; and failed to develop an immediate action plan.
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In a recorded interview with investigators one day after the shooting, Arredondo said he did not view himself as the incident commander, contrary to the active shooter plan he devised.
(NEW YORK) — The San Bernardino County Sheriff’s Department arrested a man Tuesday in connection with the Line Fire ravaging areas east of Los Angeles since Sept. 5.
Justin Wayne Halstenberg, a 34-year-old man from Norco, was identified “as the suspect who started a fire in the area of Baseline Road and Alpin Street in the city of Highland, also known as the Line Fire,” the Sheriff’s Department said in a press release.
Halstenberg was being held on suspicion of arson with his bail set at $80,000, officials said.
The Line Fire — one of three large wildfires tearing through southern California — burned 32,905 acres and was at 14% containment as of Sunday night, with around 65,600 structures threatened, according to the latest update by Cal Fire.
Authorities issued evacuation orders for 13,300 structures with another 52,300 under evacuation warnings.
No structures are confirmed damaged or destroyed. Three firefighters have been injured in the effort to contain the blaze, fire officials said.
“The Line Fire continues to grow in steep terrain with difficult access, especially in the Big Bear area,” Cal Fire said. “Near-vertical slopes make putting in control lines challenging.”
Stronger winds were expected through Tuesday night, “which could lead to drops in relative humidity and greater fire spread,” Cal Fire said. “Towards the end of the week, cooler weather may moderate fire activity.”
California authorities are grappling with two other growing wildfires — the Bridge Fire in Angeles National Forest and the Airport Fire straddling Orange and Riverside counties.
Gov. Gavin Newsom requested Federal Emergency Management Agency aid Tuesday evening to “secure vital resources to suppress the Bridge and Airport fires.”
The Bridge Fire — burning since Sept. 8 — was at 34,240 acres and 0% containment on Tuesday night, Cal Fire said, having seen substantial growth throughout the day.
“High winds and low humidity are aiding the spread of the fire,” Cal Fire’s update said.
The Airport Fire — which began on Sept. 9 — was at 19,028 acres and 0% containment. The blaze is threatening 10,500 structures and has so far injured five firefighters and two civilians, Cal Fire said.
Newsom said in a Tuesday press release that the response effort across southern California includes “thousands of boots on the ground, including firefighters, soldiers, law enforcement and first responders, as well as air assets including 51 helicopters and nine fixed-wing aircraft.”
This week, the governor called in National Guard troops and aircraft to aid the fire containment efforts.