Police officer steps in to help woman struggling to mow lawn
YORK COUNTY, Pa. — A Pennsylvania police officer is being praised after a video showing her going above and beyond the call of duty was shared recently on social media.
West York Borough Police Officer Bridgette Wilson didn’t hesitate when she saw a York County woman struggling to mow her lawn on July Fourth, according to WPMT.
“She got out of the car and she started to come towards me and I didn’t know what she was going to do!” said Sharon Markle. “She said, ‘I’m taking over’ and she grabbed the mower and started mowing the grass,” said Markle.
Markle says she was struggling in the heat before Wilson jumped in to help.
“I’m like, ‘Wow,’ I couldn’t believe it and I said ‘are you sure?’ and she said ‘yeah, go sit down! Your face is all flushed,'” Markle recalled. “I’ve never had anybody really do anything like for me just come in and take over, she’s awesome.”
Markle says it was a blessing in disguise.
“I have like 75 percent arthritis in this knee that’s really been bothering me lately and some days are easier than others,” she added.
“I thanked her and said ‘do I owe you anything’ and she said ‘just a smile’ and then she got in her car and drove away,” said Markle. “There are good people out there that are willing to help, I’ll always be thankful to her.”
Officer Wilson was out of town and wasn’t able to speak with WPMT on camera, but she said she believes protecting and serving takes many forms, adding this was just one that was needed that day.
Ryan Brunner, the man who took the video, was inspired by the story and has offered to take care of mowing Markle’s grass for the rest of the summer.
Photo Credit: pix11.com
Man wanted for pepper spraying transgender woman in apparent hate crime
ACKSON HEIGHTS, Queens — Police are looking for a man they say attacked a transgender woman in Queens in June, authorities said Tuesday.
Police said that on Saturday, June 29, around 4:15 a.m., a 29-year-old trans woman was sprayed in the eyes with pepper spray in Jackson Heights by a man making transphobic statements.
The attack, which is being investigated as a hate crime, happened near Roosevelt Avenue and 82nd Street, police said.
The victim was transported to a nearby hospital with burning in her eyes, according to authorities.
Police said David Gonzalez, 34, is wanted for questioning in connection with the attack, describing him as 6 feet tall and weighing about 170 pounds. Officials have released the above photo of Gonzalez.
Submit tips to police by calling Crime Stoppers at 1-800-577-TIPS (8477), visitingwww.nypdcrimestoppers.com, or texting 274637 (CRIMES) then entering TIP577. Spanish-speaking callers are asked to dial 1-888-57-PISTA (74782).
Photo Credit: pix11.com
Caught-on-Video Fight Breaks Out at Disneyland’s Toontown as Children Watch
A family fight that turned violent in Mickey’s Toontown at Disneyland over the weekend is being investigated by Anaheim police on Monday after video of the brawl was posted to social media.
The Anaheim Police Department said everyone involved in the fight belonged to the same family and that they were uncooperative when officers responded to the scene.
Those who participated in the melee were removed from the theme park and turned over to police, according to Liz Jaeger, a spokeswoman for the Disneyland Resort.
“Any type of violence is inexcusable and will not be tolerated,” Jaeger wrote in an emailed statement.
The incident apparently began with an argument between a brother and sister, Anaheim police Sgt. Daron Wyatt told the Associated Press.
The family members were standing near Goofy’s Playhouse on Saturday when a man and a woman pushing a stroller with two children in it became embroiled in a heated argument, according to the nearly 4 1/2-minute video posted to YouTube on Sunday.
The posting of the video online is what spurred detectives to continue the investigation, police said.
The verbal altercation turned physical when a woman in a white tank top appeared to spit at a man in a red T-shirt, who then took a swing at her, the widely viewed footage showed.
They could be seen hitting each other before a man in a white T-shirt intervenes, and the two men trade blows. A woman wearing a tan tank top comes forward and starts yelling at them before becoming a part of the fracas.
While this is happening, a crowd of stunned bystanders watches, among them children whose loud cries can be heard in the background. Others try to usher their young ones quickly past and away from the escalating scene.
Family members as well as a park employee try to intervene and defuse the situation, but the melee continues for several minutes.
A woman in a motorized scooter – apparently the mother of one of the men – tries to break up the fight, and later is seen being inadvertently knocked over when two other women start throwing punches at each other. One of those women is also knocked to the ground after being slapped in the face and grabbed by her tank top by the man in red.
“I’m ready to go to jail tonight!” he says as several parkgoers try to help the woman.
The woman in tan shouts something, and then the man – who can be heard saying something about the woman hitting his mother – goes over and starts beating her, the video shows.
That’s when several bystanders step in and take the man down.
At that point, roughly 3 1/2 minutes into the video, Disneyland security personnel arrive at the scene.
It’s unclear how much time elapsed between the time the incident was reported and when they got there.
A spokesman for the Anaheim city attorney’s office said a decision on whether to file charges in the case will come after police finish their investigation, AP reported.
Officials have not identified anyone in the video.
via: https://ktla.com/2019/07/08/caught-on-video-fight-breaks-out-at-disneyland-as-children-watch/
Photo Credit: ktla.com
Saint Louis man murdered after accidental bump into an apartment door
FLORISSANT, Mo. — Police say an accidental bump into a man’s door led to a murder at a north St. Louis County apartment complex.
Court documents state that Larry Neal Jr, 31, tripped on a barbecue while walking in the apartment complex’s breezeway and bumped into a door. He started walking up the stairway when Thomas Clement, 30, opened his door with a gun in his hand. He yelled something at Neal while displaying his weapon.
Police say Neal turned around and headed down to the stairwell landing. Investigators say that Clement fired eleven shots at Neal. He was unarmed.
St. Louis County Officers were called to the 6800 block of Chesapeake Drive at around 12:20am Sunday for a report of a shooting. They found Larry Neal Jr, 31, suffering from several gunshot wounds. He was taken to the hospital where he was later pronounced deceased.
Clement has been charged with murder in the second degree and armed criminal action. He is being held without bond. Court documents state that police believe he is a danger to the community.
via: https://fox2now.com/2019/07/08/man-charged-with-murder-after-accidental-bump-into-apartment-door/
Photo Credit: fox2now.com
Video shows boy beg his father not to call 911 to report black man ‘trespassing’
SAN FRANCISCO – Video posted to Facebook shows a boy pleading with his father to not call the police on a black man for “trespassing” in a San Francisco condo building on July 4th.
The recording reportedly happened after software engineer Wesly Michel tried to enter the building as the two walked out. When the man stopped him, Michel explained that he was there to visit a friend and didn’t have to answer to him.
“Can you please call your friend on the call box and have them come down,” the man says.
When Michel replies, “They don’t have to do that, and you can just walk away,” the father says, “I’m going to call the police.”
The man’s son can be heard saying, “Daddy don’t, don’t, don’t!”
Michel, who says he’s had people call the police on him in his own condo building before, warns that he’s recording and the video will go viral. He urges the father to listen to his son, saying he’ll delete the recording.
“I agree with him daddy,” the boy says, starting to cry. “I don’t like this, let’s go, please.”
His father can be heard speaking into the phone, “He appears to be African-American” while Michel laughs and offers other identifying information such as his age and occupation.
At the end of the video Michel’s friend appears to drive up and park across the street. “Hi Cathy, I love you baby, it took you so long to get here,” Michel says. A woman can be heard off camera confirming that they are friends.
“Daddy, look what you’ve gotten us into!” his son says. “Let’s go!”
The father can be seen hanging up the call before Michel stops recording.
Photo Credit: Getty Images
A Detroit festival charged white people $20 and black people $10, then they got hit with backlash
(CNN) — An Afrofuturist group says it reversed its decision to charge white people more for tickets to its Detroit festival than black and brown people because they received threats, an artist dropped out and a ticketing website threatened to unpublish their event.
The Eventbrite page for “AfroFuture Fest,” hosted by Afrofuture Youth, advertised an “Early Bird POC Ticket” for $10 — with POC meaning “people of color” — and an “Early Bird NONPOC Ticket” for $20. The group defined “NONPOC” as white people.
News of the group’s charging practices hit social media last week when rapper Tiny Jag said she was unknowingly added to the August event ” but agreed to support and perform. Once the rapper caught wind of the prices, she said she was “triggered.”
“A non-POC friend of mine brought to my attention that AfroFuture is requiring non-people-of-color to pay twice the amount to attend the festival as POC,” she tweeted on July 2. “This does not reflect the views of myself or the Tiny Jag team. I will not be playing this show. I apologize for anyone who may have been triggered or offended.”
Eventbrite said in a statement to CNN they don’t “permit events that require attendees to pay different prices based on their protected characteristics such as race or ethnicity.”
“In this case, we have notified the creator of the event about this violation and requested that they alter their event accordingly,” their statement read. “We have offered them the opportunity to do this on their own accord; should they not wish to comply we will unpublish the event completely from our site.”
The group says its reasoning for doubling ticket prices for white people was because white people have the privilege to attend festivals in “POC populated cities.” In other words, the group says, white people can afford tickets to any event in any city, while black and brown people cannot.
“This cycle disproportionately displaces black and brown people from enjoying entertainment in their own communities,” the group said on Eventbrite.
Afrofuture Youth’s website says they are a youth program that looks to uplift black children “through the lens of Afrofuturism,” which is a philosophy looking at the intersection of African culture and technology.
After all the backlash, the group tweeted Sunday night that they had reversed their decision on ticketing prices because they “received threats from white supremacists” and children were “subjected to seeing racist comments” on social media.
The ticketing formula they came up with included a $20 general admission fee and a “suggested donation for nonPOC.”
“Events often designed for marginalized Black and Brown communities can be easily co-opted by those with cultural, monetary, and class privileges,” Afrofuture Youth wrote in its explanation on Eventbrite. The group added that they’re promoting “equity over equality” for black youth.
“Non-POC individuals are encouraged to provide additional donations as acknowledgment of this historical inequity,” the group said.
CNN has reached out to Afrofuture Youth and Tiny Jag for comment, but has not heard back.
Photo Credit: kmov.com
36 year old man was caught on camera licking Blue Bell ice cream in a store – is arrested
Louisiana police say a 36-year-old man was inspired by a viral video of a teenager licking a tub of Blue Bell Ice Cream to seek his own 15 minutes of fame.
Assumption Parish Sheriff’s deputies arrested Lenise Martin III on Saturday after receiving a tip from a grocery store in Belle Rose, Commander Lonny Cavalier told CNN.
Someone recorded Martin pulling a carton of Blue Bell Ice Cream from a freezer, opening it, licking the frozen dessert and poking it with his finger before putting it back on the shelf, Cavalier said.
Detectives found evidence that Martin posted the video on Facebook, suggesting that he was seeking attention for the alleged misdeed, Cavalier said.
Martin is being held on charges of unlawful posting of criminal activity for notoriety and publicity and criminal mischief for allegedly tampering with property — in this case, the ice cream, Cavalier said.
He is in custody until a judge sets bond, Cavalier said. CNN was unable to reach Martin or known relatives under numbers listed for them.
Martin showed detectives a receipt for the purchase of Blue Bell Ice Cream, suggesting that he bought the contaminated ice cream, Cavalier said. But the purchase doesn’t absolve him of wrongdoing, Cavalier said, “because at any rate it’s a terrible thing to do.”
“Taking into consideration that he eventually purchased the same container is one thing,” Cavalier said.
“However he puts it on Facebook to gain this notoriety and at the end of the day, it gives other people ideas that are not the best interest of public health,” Cavalier said.
Based on comments Martin allegedly made to detectives, the sheriff’s office believes he was inspired by a video of a juvenile who opened a carton of ice cream at a Texas Walmart, licked it and put it back, Cavalier said.
“We believe it’s a copy cat incident,” Cavalier said.
“He did it and he did want to create some notoriety for himself by posting it on Facebook and that’s exactly what he did.”
Photo Credit: Getty Images
A woman was trying to shoot someone in a road rage incident, police say, but shot her husband instead
Nicholas Cole is in intensive care after being shot in the head during a road rage incident Saturday.
Unfortunately, police say it was his wife, Erica, who accidentally shot him.
According to the Cullman County Sheriff’s Office, there was a road rage episode on Highway 69 in Dodge City, Alabama, about 6:45 p.m. Saturday. It carried over to a home on County Road 160 in Bremen.
“During the incident, an altercation occurred in which, the offender, Erica Cole, attempted to shoot a second party but shot her husband, Nicholas Cole, striking him in the head,” Cullman County Deputy Brad Williams said in a statement.
Nicholas Cole was taken to the ICU at UAB Hospital, where he remained Monday.
Erica Cole was arrested on charges of attempted murder, second-degree assault and reckless endangerment. Her bail has been set at $30,000, and she is being held at the Cullman County Detention Center.
Photo Credit: Cillman County Sheriff Dept
About 1.3 million workers could lose their jobs if federal minimum wage is hiked to $15 an hour
WASHINGTON — Gradually raising the federal minimum wage to $15 an hour by 2025 would boost pay for as many as 27 million workers, according to a new report.
The nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office also said Monday some 1.3 million workers could lose their jobs with the higher wage.
The analysis came as House Democrats prepare to vote in Congress this month on legislation to raise the wage.
Democratic Rep. Bobby Scott of Virginia is the chairman of the Education and Labor Committee. Scott says the report shows the benefits of raising the wage would far outweigh the potential loss of jobs.
Now at $7.25 an hour, the federal minimum has not been raised since 2009, though several states and municipalities have set their minimum wage above that level.
Photo Credit: Getty Images
Man, woman steal refrigerator and washer from Bronx building
CONCOURSE VILLAGE, the Bronx — Police are searching for a man and woman that they say stole a refrigerator ad washing machine from a commercial building Saturday night.
It happened at 8 p.m. Saturday at 1181 Sherman Avenue in the Bronx. Police say the man and woman entered the building through the side door, and removed the often-heavy appliances using a hand truck.
The man was seen wearing a baseball cap, a black tank top and black pants. The woman was wearing a blue and red shirt and gray sweat pants.
Submit tips to police by calling Crime Stoppers at 1-800-577-TIPS (8477), visiting www.nypdcrimestoppers.com, or texting 274637 (CRIMES) then entering TIP577. Spanish-speaking callers are asked to dial 1-888-57-PISTA (74782).
via: https://pix11.com/2019/07/08/man-woman-steal-refrigerator-and-washer-from-bronx-building/
Photo Credit: pix11.com