Tree limb fatally injures child at Southern California summer camp
KABC
(CALABASAS, Calif.) — A large oak tree limb fell on a group of kids attending summer camp in Southern California, fatally injuring one child, officials said.
The incident occurred at King Gillette Ranch in Calabasas on Wednesday afternoon, authorities noted. Children attending Camp Wildcraft — an art and nature camp based in Los Angeles — were gathering at the end of the day under a large oak tree for shade when they “heard cracks and suddenly a very large branch fell on top of them,” according to the L.A. County Sheriff’s Department.
Five people were injured during the incident — an 11-year-old girl with a broken leg, a 5-year-old boy with cuts and a head laceration, a 22-year-old man with abrasions to his head and a 73-year-old man who sustained a concussion, the sheriff’s department said in a statement. An 8-year-old boy who was critically injured was transported to a local hospital and later pronounced deceased, according to the department.
The branch, which officials estimate fell on up to nine kids, was around 25 to 30 feet long, the department said.
The Mountains Recreation and Conservation Authority, the operators of the land where the incident occurred, said in a statement they are “devastated by the tragic loss” and they are closely working with the L.A. County Sheriff’s Department and other officials to “understand exactly what happened, and we are fully committed to supporting a thorough and transparent investigation.”
“Words cannot express the depth of our sorrow,” the recreation and conservation authority said.
It remains unclear how the oak tree branch fell.
“My heart is with everyone impacted by the tragic situation at King Gillette Ranch. We are actively working to provide all possible support. We hold everyone involved in our thoughts and pray for their safety,” L.A. County Supervisor Lindsey Horvath said in a statement on X.
Officials said they will continue to look into the incident, which they noted is now an accidental death investigation.
Oak trees are protected in the city of Calabasas due to the Oak Tree Ordinance, which requires “reforestation, registration and preservation of all healthy oak trees, unless reasonable and conforming use of a property justifies the removal, transplanting, altering and/or encroachment in the oak tree’s protected zone,” according to the city’s website.
The ordinance also states that any person or entity that “owns, controls or has custody or possession of any real property within the city shall maintain all oak trees and scrub oak habitat located thereon in a state of good health pursuant to the Oak Tree Preservation and Protection Guidelines.”
ABC News’ Jennifer Watts and Kayna Whitworth contributed to this report.
Maddy Marr/Miami Herald/Tribune News Service via Getty Images
(NEW YORK) — Sean “Diddy” Combs was the Michael Jordan of drug-fueled sex parties — at least, according to himself.
That revelation was included in another day of testimony from Combs’ ex-girlfriend, who alleges she was forced to participate in degrading sex with male prostitutes for Combs’ voyeuristic gratification.
Testifying under the pseudonym “Jane,” the ex-girlfriend has spent four days walking a federal jury in Manhattan through a life that was funded by Combs and centered on his sexual appetites. She said she spent so much time participating in sexual encounters that Combs compared her, himself and a male escort to well-known sports stars.
A male escort they frequently hired was, to Combs, “Shaquille O’Neal.” Jane was compared and labeled “Kobe Bryant.” Combs considered himself to be “Jordan,” Jane testified.
The athletic comparisons capped off the 24th day of the rap mogul’s sex-trafficking and racketeering conspiracy trial, as defense attorneys tried to cast doubt on Jane’s claims that she was coerced to participate in the sex parties. Jane is a critical part of the authorities’ case against the onetime cultural icon, who has been locked up since his arrest last September.
Prosecutors have argued that Combs used his wealth and influence to pressure women like Jane into sex, then used his money and violence to keep them quiet to protect his reputation. Combs has pleaded not guilty and claims he has never coerced anyone into sex.
After three days of testimony about the trauma she said she endured during her relationship with Combs, Jane was challenged during a full court session Tuesday by Combs’ defense team. They repeatedly tried to highlight Jane’s apparently loving messages sent to Combs and her apparent willingness to engage in his sexual fantasies.
“I wish you were here. We can play our videos on tv and lock each other in the room all day,” Jane texted Combs. “I never c— so hard like that in my life.”
The cross examination took on a sharper tone as defense attorney Teny Geragos argued the lavish gifts undercut Jane’s allegations of trauma, coercion and force.
“No, I only got trauma,” Jane fired at Geragos when asked about Combs’ giving another girlfriend a Chanel handbag.
When Geragos asked about another luxury handbag Bottega Veneta, Jane fired at the attorney, “I’m sure you have one,”
“How much do Bottega bags run?” Geragos asked Jane.
Jane snapped: “How much does my body cost?”
The testimony is set to resume on Wednesday afternoon with additional questioning by Combs’ lawyers. Defense attorneys told the judge overseeing the case that they would likely conclude their questions for Jane on Thursday.
Jane said she believed Combs was a ‘cuckold’
Jane told jurors that she was regularly jealous of Combs for spending more quality time with other women. She said she believes Combs was “polyamorous.”
“What was hard for me was the imbalance in treatment,” Jane said. “I didn’t sign up to date a man who was in a public relationship.”
Though she said she was frustrated that the majority of her time with Combs was dominated by prolonged sexual encounters with other men that Combs observed, Jane told jurors that she sought to understand why Combs enjoyed watching her have sex with other men.
Jane explained to the jury, “I was trying to deep-dive on all the reasons why they drew such pleasure watching their woman with other men.”
She told the jury she came upon the word “cuck,” which she described as a “man who is in a relationship and is turned on by watching a woman have sex with another man.”
Geragos asked, “What did that word mean to you?”
Jane answered, “I was just like this is spot on.”
The testimony about Combs’ sexual desires comes as defense attorneys seek to highlight what they argue is Jane’s willingness to participate in sex acts with Combs by learning what he liked sexually, potentially undercutting the prosecution’s claim that she was coerced into the drug-fueled encounters she called “hotel nights.”
Jane also testified that there were parts of the orgies she enjoyed and that the evenings satisfied Combs’ sexual desires.
“I loved when we would make love and said he wanted me,” Jane said. “He would say things like he never wanted me to leave and so many nice, loving things.”
Jane distances Combs’ employees from alleged sex trafficking
Defense attorney Geragos peppered her cross examination with questions about the role of Combs’ employees during their three-year relationship, seemingly trying to distance the rap mogul’s assistants and security from the alleged illegal acts at the center of the prosecution’s case.
“It was important that none of his employees knew about the entertainers from these nights?” Geragos asked about the male escorts Combs hired for “hotel nights.”
“Right,” Jane said, emphasizing how Combs began hosting the sex parties in private residences insead of hotel rooms to ensure the events would be secretive.
Despite testifying that Combs’ chief of staff Kristina Khorram functioned as Combs’ “right brain” and was generally apprised of his activities, Jane told the jury that Combs tried to keep her out of the process for booking and paying escorts for the sexual romps.
“Did [Khorram] have any knowledge that escorts were joining the hotels?” Geragos asked.
“I don’t think so,” Jane answered.
By distancing Combs’ employees from the rap mogul’s alleged crimes, the testimony could help defense attorneys as they try to cast doubt on the prosecutors’ allegation that Combs used his business empire to carry out his crimes. To convict Combs on racketeering conspiracy, jurors would need to find that Combs relied on others, like his security guards or assistants, to commit at least two related crimes.
(TEXAS) — A federal judge in Texas has ruled that the family of the man charged in the deadly Molotov cocktail attack in Boulder, Colorado, can be deported, dismissing a challenge to their removal filed last month.
Hayam El Gamal, the wife of Mohamed Sabry Soliman, was apprehended following the attack and was initially slated for expedited deportation.
The deportation case involving Soliman’s wife and five children was transferred to Texas. Last month, a judge issued a temporary order halting the family’s deportation, which remained in place until now.
Dismissing the family’s legal challenge, U.S. District Judge Orlando Garcia wrote, “Upon review of the parties’ advisories, the record, and the applicable law, the Court finds that it lacks jurisdiction to grant Petitioners the relief they seek and must dismiss this case without prejudice.”
Soliman has been hit with several state charges, including first-degree murder, attempted first-degree murder and assault. A preliminary hearing in the state case is set for July 15.
Soliman, who is being held in federal custody, has pleaded not guilty to federal hate crime charges.
Authorities said Soliman threw Molotov cocktails at a group of marchers who were advocating for the release of the Israeli hostages outside the Boulder courthouse on June 1, yelling “Free Palestine” during the attack.
(BOULDER, Colo.) — An 82-year-old woman hurt in the Molotov cocktail attack in Boulder, Colorado, has died, prosecutors announced, as they updated an attempted murder charge to a murder charge.
Karen Diamond “died tragically as a result of the severe injuries that she suffered” on June 1, the Boulder County District Attorney’s Office said.
She is the only person to die from the attack, prosecutors said.
“Our hearts are with the Diamond family during this incredibly difficult time,” District Attorney Michael Dougherty said in a statement. “Our office will fight for justice for the victims, their loved ones, and the community.”
The district attorney’s office also said it has found 14 more victims during the investigation and added 66 counts to the state indictment against Mohamed Soliman.
On June 1, Soliman allegedly threw Molotov cocktails at a group of marchers who were advocating for the release of the Israeli hostages outside the Boulder courthouse, prosecutors said. More than a dozen people were injured, officials said.
Soliman allegedly yelled “Free Palestine” during the attack, which he told police he was planning for one year, according to court documents.
Soliman allegedly told police “he wanted to kill all Zionist people,” court documents said. He also allegedly said “this had nothing to do with the Jewish community and was specific in the Zionist group supporting the killings of people on his land (Palestine),” documents said.
State charges against Soliman include first-degree murder, attempted first-degree murder and first-degree assault, prosecutors said. Soliman’s preliminary hearing in the state case is set for July 15.
