True Crime and News of the Weird from around the Globe

15-Year-Old Charged in Carjack Murder of Retired Chicago Firefighter

December 18, 2020 By HardBoiledNews Staff

These carjackers fatally shot retired firefighter Dwain Williams

CHICAGO — A 15-year-old boy has been charged with murder in the carjacking slaying of a retired Chicago firefighter earlier this month outside a Chicago popcorn shop.

Prosecutors say the teen, who is not being identified because he is charged as a juvenile, was part of a carjacking crew that had been working the area. On Dec. 3, the gang set their sites on 65-year-old Dwain Williams, following him in a stolen car to Let’s Get Poppin’.

“The time it took to follow and lay in wait for the victim shows a calculated plan,” said Assistant State’s Attorney Sophia David.

Surveillance camera video showed Williams walking toward his Jeep with a bag of popcorn in his hand, when is approached by two people with guns, authorities said.

Williams then retreats behind his car as one suspect rushes toward him with a gun. Williams pulls out his own gun and fires. The suspect falls to the ground, fires off a shot and jumps back in the car and flees.

In the altercation, Williams was shot in the stomach. He later died at a local hospital.

Authorities say the teen was unarmed at the time of the shooting and doesn’t appear to be the gunman who killed Williams. Police, however, have recovered a weapon and are testing it to see if it was used in the shooting.

The judge ordered him held in custody.

The gang’s stolen vehicle was found abandoned two days later. Prosecutors said DNA and fingerprints recovered from the car, as well as witnesses who identified him in still photos taken from surveillance footage, eventually led to the teen’s arrest.

He faces multiple counts of first-degree murder, as well as a count of armed robbery, officials said. No charges against any other suspects have been announced.

Cops say detectives are interviewing an adult, allegedly involved in the murder, and were still searching for two other adults.

Williams was a Chicago Fire Department lieutenant and retired about two years ago, officials said. He was about to return to work as a civilian employee at the Office of Emergency Management and Communications.

Filed Under: Gangs + Drug Lords, Heroes, Illinois, Sad, STORY OF THE DAY

Santa and His Elves Go Undercover, Bust Several Thieves at California Mall

December 14, 2020 By HardBoiledNews Staff

RIVERSIDE, California — This gives a whole new meaning to SantaCon.

Undercover cops dressed as Santa and his elves made several busts of shoplifters and suspected car thieves at a shopping mall in California.

The Riverside police say they had assigned officers from their property crimes unit to work with store detectives at the Target store in the busy Canyon Springs shopping center last week. 

Dubbing the operation, “Santa’s intervention,” in a matter of hours, the cops made several arrests, including one where Santa tackled a suspect to the ground.

“As the suspects exited the store with merchandise they just stole, Santa and his elf were waiting to take them into custody for the theft,” the department wrote on its Facebook page.

In one bust, the officers nabbed a woman walking out of the store with a shopping cart full of stolen items. They also found illegal narcotics in her pockets.

A second arrest involved a local transient who cops say is a habitual thief at this particular store. Store detectives recognized him as he entered the store but stopped him before he could steal again. He was subsequently arrested for trespassing and being in possession of illegal narcotics.

The third arrest involved 55-year-old Patrick Seilsopour who allegedly stole expensive Lego toy sets totaling $1,000. He was arrested outside the store by Santa and his elf for grand theft. Cops say Seilsopour is believed to have committed similar retail thefts at several Target stores in the region.

Toward the conclusion of the operation, detectives received information about three suspicious men casing vehicles in the shopping center parking lot.  One of the undercover detectives spotted the men in the act of stealing an older white Honda CR-V. 

Two of the suspects saw the detective and ran off but were quickly apprehended by the other officers.  One suspect resisted arrest but was taken into custody with the help of the undercover Santa, who tackled him to the ground. 

Another suspect was detained by the undercover elf, who held him at gunpoint. The third suspect who actually stole the Honda, managed to get away but the vehicle was found abandoned nearby. Cops say they know who the man is.

Filed Under: California, Heroes, STORY OF THE DAY, Wait, what?

California Cop Does Pizza Duty for Busted Delivery Driver

December 14, 2020 By HardBoiledNews Staff

Anyone hungry?

MURRIETA, California — Call it law and deliver the order.

A California cop went beyond the call of duty by transporting a pizza to a hungry customer after the delivery driver was arrested during a traffic stop.

The Murrieta Police Department says Officer Datil was working a traffic enforcement shift when he spotted a pizza delivery man driving recklesslyon his way to deliver a pie. After pulling the driver over, the officer discovered the motorist had an outstanding felony warrant for his arrest.

After slapping the cuffs on the driver, Officer McCarthy stepped in to fill the delivery driver’s shoes and get the pizza to its destination.

“The smile on the hungry citizens face was all the “tip” needed to know we are doing our job,” the department said.

Filed Under: California, Crazy, Featured Story Right, Heroes

Shocking Video Shows Cop Shot in Traffic Stop, Then Bravely Fire Back and Give Pursuit

December 8, 2020 By HardBoiledNews Staff

LAGUNA, New Mexico — This shocking video shows the moment a New Mexico state police officer is shot during a traffic stop, but miraculously survive and fire back at the fleeing gunman before giving pursuit.

The footage shows Officer Sharron Duran get hit as she approaches the vehicle of Robert Benjamin Nelson, 28, of Scottsdale, Arizona for tailgating on the highway in September.

As Duran approached the passenger side of the truck, Nelson opens fire without warning, Nelson, squeezing off three rounds through his tinted, rolled-up passenger side window, police said..

After being struck in the hands and her bulletproof vest, Duran manages to return fire at the suspect as he pulls away. “I fell back because he hit me,” she explained. “I aimed at the headrest and started to fire my weapon.”

Robert Benjamin Nelson faces attempted murder charges

Despite her injuries, Duran returned to her vehicle and gave chase, bloodied hands on the wheel. A brief pursuit followed.

“I’m in pursuit,” you can hear her saying on the radio, “I’ve been hit, I’ve been hit.”

A short time later, Nelson pulls over on the side of the highway and gets out of his truck, but this time the officer kept her distance. “I want you to walk towards me with your hands up,” she yelled at Nelson. “You move, I will [expletive] shoot.” 

A federal search warrant said Nelson pulled over and gave himself up because he had called his parents while fleeing to tell them what had happened. His dad had told him to pull over. Nelson was taken into custody without further incident. 

As officers searched Nelson’s truck, they found the gun, along with his cat in a crate right under the line of fire. Meanwhile, Nelson’s father, who had circled back to the scene, said he couldn’t believe what his son had just done. “I’m just thankful the officer is OK,” he said. “Stupid, stupid kid.”

Duran was treated and released from a local hospital. Later on, she said her motivation for fighting her way through the pain was that, “I’m not going to let this person take me away from the family and the people that I love.”.

Nelson faces charges of attempted murder, aggravated battery on a police officer, shooting from a vehicle, and resisting, evading, or obstructing an officer.

Filed Under: Crazy, Dumb + Dumberer, Heroes, New Mexico, STORY OF THE DAY

Domestic Abuser Fatally Stabbed, Beaten With Golf Club by Vic’s Mom, Sis

November 30, 2020 By HardBoiledNews Staff

SOUTH PASADENA, California — Don’t mess with this family.

A California man who broke into his ex-girlfriend’s house to attack her was stabbed and beaten to death with a golf club by the woman’s mother and sister, police said.

The man, identified as 40-year-old Justin Goss, of Glendale, had thrown a concrete block through the window of the home in South Pasadena on Saturday morning, according to the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department.

Goss then ran inside and began punching and choking his ex, police said. That’s when her mother and sister jumped in and stabbed Goss with a kitchen knife and beat him with a golf club.

South Pasadena police officers responding to a domestic violence call at the house, found the front window shattered and heard a screaming woman inside. When they went inside they found the bleeding Goss stabbed and beaten.

He  was pronounced dead at the scene. 

His former girlfriend, described by police as being in her 30s, was hospitalized for facial lacerations and contusions and later released. Investigators believe her mother and sister acted to save her life, and they have not been arrested following the incident, cops said.

“They were well within their rights to defend her by using deadly force against him,” Lt. Barry Hall with the Sheriff’s Department said.

Filed Under: California, Crazy, Featured Story Right, Heroes, Sad

Boater Missing For Days Off Florida Coast Found Alive

November 30, 2020 By HardBoiledNews Staff

OFF THE COAST OF FLORIDA — A boater missing for nearly two days off the east coast of Florida was miraculously found alive Sunday, clinging to his prow of his capsized boat about 86 miles from shore.

The US Coast Guard said the crew aboard the motor vessel Angeles found 62-year old Stuart Bee bobbing in the water after an exhaustive search.

Bee had departed from Cape Marina in Port Canaveral around 4 p.m. Friday on his 32-foot craft, the Stingray. He was reported missing Saturday by a member at the marina who said Bee typically never stays out overnight on his boat, the Coast Guard said.

“Saving lives at sea is our highest calling. This is a truly incredible outcome that demonstrates the bond among all mariners and our community,” said Capt. Mark Vlaun, commanding officer of Coast Guard Sector Jacksonville. “Thank you to our mission partners that launch into action and to all who got the word out to find and rescue Mr. Bee.”

The Coast Guard said it dispatched a C-130 Hercules aircrew to look for Bee and notified mariners in the vicinity to keep a lookout for his vessel. US Customs and Border Patrol also assisted in the search, the Coast Guard said.

Filed Under: Florida, Heroes, STORY OF THE DAY

Tech-Savvy Samaritan Uses Drone to Help Family Find Pup Lost for 10 Days

November 26, 2020 By HardBoiledNews Staff

Debbie and Gary Morgan were overjoyed to be reunited with Meadow

CAIRO, New York — A lucky puppy that had been lost for over a week was reunited with its owners after a resourceful neighbor tracked her down in the woods by using a drone.

Brian James, of Cairo, New York spotted a notice online about one-year-old Meadow, a Golden Retriever who had disappeared in the woods in nearby Andes, New York. 

“I’m realizing that it might be easy to see her from the air if we find her before snow falls,” James, who is a licensed hiking guide and drone pilot, told ABC News.

So he drove a few miles to where Meadow was last spotted 10 days earlier and put his drone up into the air.

He quickly spotted a patch of white among the trees.

“I was able to get a visual on Meadow from the air,” he said.

He then rushed to the spot where he found the pup, who was uninjured, and reunited her with her family soon afterward.

Meadow’s family was overjoyed to have her back.

“We’re just so grateful for Brian for showing up when he did and being able to rescue her,” said Debbie Morgan. 

James says anybody can pitch in as needed.

“Everybody’s got the capability to help,” he said. “You never know what will come of it.”

Filed Under: Animals, Featured Story, Heroes, New York

Lucky Lotto Man Wins Double Jackpot After Accidentally Playing Same Numbers Twice

November 10, 2020 By HardBoiledNews Staff

The man had been playing the same numbers every week when he struck gold twice

BORONIA, Australia — Luck sometimes does strike twice.

An Australian man scored double the jackpot in the lottery when he accidentally bought the same winning ticket twice.

The man, whose name was not made public, took home about $1.5 million as a result of his mistake.

“It’s the best mistake ever! I’d be happy to make a few more mistakes like this one,” the man said, according to TattsLotto.

“I didn’t realize I had bought the same ticket twice,” he said. “That’s so funny! I play every week and I usually just press ‘play it again.’ I didn’t realize I had pressed it twice.”

The winner said the set numbers, which he plays every week, had been hand-picked by his family.

“We put all of the numbers in the box, and then I asked each of my immediate family members to choose one,” he said. “So they are special numbers, but not birthdays or anything, just special because my family helped me choose them.”

Filed Under: Hard Boiled News Around the World, Heroes, STORY OF THE DAY

78-Year-Old Punches Out Bear in Terrifying Back Yard Attack

November 12, 2018 By HardBoiledNews Staff

Sonny Pumphrey wasn’t going to take no guff from some bear

WHITE OAK, North Carolina — Really, don’t mess with this guy.

A tough-as-nails 78-year-old punched out a bear that attacked him outside his North Carolina home, suffering only some cuts and bruises before driving the beast off.

Sonny Pumphrey said he was walking down his driveway in White Oak, when the mother beat wandered by with her two cubs. The cubs bolted, but the mother was ready to fight.

“She made a charging dead run at me. That sucker was eyeball-to-eyeball to me,” he told WLOS-TV.

But before it could get to him, Pumphrey says he punched the bear in the nose, casing the creature to duck down and bite his hip.

“She kind of shook me a little bit, and I’m still … I’m hitting her steady on the top of the head just as hard as I could swing, man, for dear life,” he said. “I just continue pounding and pounding and pounding and she’s continuing trying to bite me.

“And like I said, she got a hold of me and then shook me a little bit, then she let go and she took a swat at me. And when she took a swat at me she knocked me about eight feet over on the concrete,” he continued.

Hearing screams, his wife Betty ran outside with their Yorkshire Terrier and was shocked to see her husband trading blows with the angry beast.

“I saw her stand up and rear her paw back and all I seen was a mouthful of teeth,” she said. “And I just knew he was going to be gone.”

But between their dog barking and the two of them yelling, the bear got scared and ran off. Betty then got a shotgun and fired a shot in the woods to make sure the animal didn’t decide to return.

Wildlife officers tracked the bear but were unable to locate it. They say food has been scarce at higher elevations, so bears have been foraging lower.

Pumphrey had to get rabies shots, but was otherwise okay.

“I could have been dead. I could have been really cut up bad,” he said.

“We have a lot to be thankful for because we were both very, very lucky,” Betty said.

Filed Under: Animals, Crazy, Featured Story Right, Heroes, North Carolina

Handcuff Key in Cop’s Pocket Saves His Life in Police Shooting

August 6, 2018 By HardBoiledNews Staff

The bullet struck an officer’s handcuff keys, redirecting them into his bulletproof vest

VAN BUREN, Arkansas — It was the key to life.

An Arkansas police officer narrowly escaped death when a bullet fired at him struck his handcuff keys in his shirt pocket, deflecting the slug into his bulletproof vest, authorities said.

The chilling episode unfolded during a domestic dispute call in Van Buren between a husband and wife.

Two Van Buren Police officers arrived at the house and began speaking to the husband,  Johnny Fisher, 68, and asked him to step outside, but he refused, the Arkansas State Police said.

Fisher, who was standing with one of the officers, then pulled out two guns. When the second officer entered the room. Fisher pointed the guns at him and fired, prompting both cops to return fire, killing Fisher.

One of the bullets Fisher fired struck one of the officers in the chest, but the handcuff key in his pocket miraculously save his life, according to KHBS-TV.

The officer was taken to a local hospital and was later released with bruising to his chest. The second officer was unhurt.

Both officers have been put on administrative leave as the state police investigates the fatal shooting.

 

Filed Under: Arkansas, Featured Story, Heroes, Truly Weird, Wait, what?

Two Cops Hurt in Accidental Shooting By Fellow Officer at Police Funeral

August 3, 2018 By HardBoiledNews Staff

Two officers were hurt at the funeral of Massachusetts police officer Michael Chesna who was killed in the line of duty

BRAINTREE, Massachusetts — Two cops were injured at the funeral of a slain police officer when a butter-fingered sergeant’s gun went off after he accidentally dropped it, officials said.

The incident occurred as thousands of cops gathered to lay Weymouth, Massachusetts Police Officer Michael Chesna to rest on July 20 after he had been fatally shot while investigating a car crash.

As Cranston, Rhode Island Police Sgt. Michael Patnaud, was removing his honor guard uniform aboard a police bus, his .40 caliber Glock 22 fell from his holster and went off when he tried to catch it, cops said.

“It was accidental,” Braintree Police Chief Paul Shastany told the Patriot Ledger.

The bullet passed through the side of the bus and ricocheted off the asphalt on the street below, sending debris flying which stuck two officers with the Massachusetts Institute of Technology police force.

One officer was hit on the hand and the other just above the eye, although neither was seriously hurt. Both refused medical attention.

Because no one was hurt, Patnaud remains on duty, the Cranston police said.

“Obviously, we feel terrible. I know he does, too,”  Cranston Police Col. Michael J. Winquist told the Providence Journal. “He’s a person that’s never had an incident like this, ever. He’s very proficient with firearms and has had a lot of training over the course of his career.”

Filed Under: Dumb + Dumberer, Heroes, Massachusetts

Cop and Bystander Fatally Shot After Fleeing Crook Steals Officer’s Gun

July 16, 2018 By HardBoiledNews Staff

Officer Michael Chesna was killed with his own gun

WEYMOUTH, Massachusetts — A cop and an innocent bystander were killed after a man fleeing a car crash stole the officer’s gun and opened fire, authorities said.

Officer Michael Chesna, of the Weymouth Police Department in Massachusetts, was chasing after  Emanuel Lopes, 20, early Sunday after he ran from the scene of a car wreck.

But as Chesna drew close, Lopes allegedly bashed him on the head with a stone, knocking him to the ground. Lopes then grabbed Chesna’s gun and opened fire, hitting the officer multiple times on the head and chest, the Boston Globe reported.

As other officers gave chase, Lopes allegedly squeezed off three more rounds, fatally striking an unidentified elderly woman who was sitting inside her house.

Chesna, a 42-year-old Army veteran and father of two, later died at South Shore Hospital.

Lopes was caught soon after. He was hospitalized with a gunshot wound to the leg and will be arraigned on two counts of homicide Monday.

Emmanuel Lopes

“This is an awful day for Weymouth and for Massachusetts,” said District Attorney Michael W. Morrissey.. “Our hearts are very much with the surviving families of these victims.”

Lopes has had several prior run-ins with the law. In September last year, he was arrested in Weymouth for vandalizing a dry cleaner. The following month he was arrested in North Weymouth for allegedly selling cocaine to minors. During that arrest, Lopes reportedly attempted to flee from cops before being caught in the woods by a police dog.

 

Filed Under: Heroes, Massachusetts, Sad, STORY OF THE DAY

Missing Woman Found 7 Days After Plunging Down 200-Foot Cliff in California

July 15, 2018 By HardBoiledNews Staff

Angela Hernandez survived by drinking water from her radiator after plunging down a 200-foot cliff

BIG SUR, California — A woman who had been missing for seven days was miraculously found alive at the bottom of a 200-foot cliff where her car had landed after plunging off of a windy and remote stretch of coastal road.

Angela Hernandez, 23, had sat injured and dazed for a week on a small craggy beach at the bottom of a steep cliff along Central California’s picturesque coastline. She had survived by drinking water from her wrecked Jeep’s radiator.

She was finally found on Friday when a pair of hikers spotted her Jeep, which was partially submerged in the Pacific Ocean. When they came down for a closer look, they discovered Hernandez alive.

“My sister is alive, she’s talking, and she’s still trying to come to understand everything,” Angela’s sister Isabel Hernandez wrote on Facebook early Saturday. “She’s a fighter and she fought this long and she will continue to. It’s not going to be an easy recovery. I hope everyone will have patience for her and her recovery.

Hernandez’s disappearance had triggered a wide search. She had last been seen leaving a gas station in Carmel on July 6 as she drove from Portland, Oregon to visit her sister near Los Angeles.

Her family had offered a $10,000 reward for information leading to her whereabouts as authorities searched on the ground and by air. Fog in the area had limited visibility for several days which likely slowed finding Hernandez.

She told rescuers that she had lost control of her Jeep Patriot along Highway 1 after swerving to avoid hitting an animal that morning and then plunged 200 feet over a cliff

After being found, crews worked for hours to hoist her back up the cliff face to the roadway.

Rescuers said Hernandez was found to be in fair and stable condition and was treated for a concussion and an injured shoulder. She was then airlifted to Twin Cities Community Hospital in San Luis Obispo County.

 

Filed Under: California, Featured Story Right, Heroes

Lion Pride Eats Rhino Poachers in Attack on South African Game Reserve

July 6, 2018 By HardBoiledNews Staff

The rhino poachers didn’t stand a chance when they stumbled onto a pride of hungry lions

KENTON-ON-SEA, South Africa — Mother nature takes care of her own.

A group of rhino poachers was eaten by a pride of lions as they attempted to break into a South African game preserve to hunt for the endangered species, officials said.

At least three poachers made their way into the Sibuya Game Reserve sometime late Sunday, amed with a high-powered rifle and silencer, an axe, wire cutters, gloves and food supplies for several days.

The group had “all the hallmarks of a gang intent on killing rhino and removing their horns,” the reserve’s owner, Nick Fox, said in a post on Facebook.

At some point early the next morning a dog trained to sniff out poachers alerted her handler that something was amiss. But when the handler heard a “loud commotion coming from the lions,” she didn’t think much of it as it is not unusual to hear them hunting at night.

But what had really happened was that “they strayed into a pride of lions.”

“It’s a big pride so they didn’t have too much time,” Fox said. “We’re not sure how many there were – there’s not much left of them.”

It took until Tuesday for a field guide to discover what remained of the group, when he stumbled upon human remains, the gun and the poachers’ gear.

Officials had to tranquilize the lions in order to get to the remains.

“Clearly, the poachers had walked into a pride of six lions and some, if not all had been killed,” he said.

Officials used helicopters to see if anyone had gotten away and were hiding in the bush, but they found no sign of others.

In parts of Asia, rhino horn is erroneously believed to have aphrodisiac qualities and there has been a rise in poaching in Africa in recent years.

Nine rhinos have been killed by poachers in Eastern Cape province, where the reserve is located, this year alone. More than 7,000 have been killed in South Africa in the past decade.

 

Filed Under: Animals, Hard Boiled News Around the World, Heroes, STORY OF THE DAY

Quick-Thinking Good Samaritan Lays Gunman Flat for Cops to Pick Up

May 6, 2018 By HardBoiledNews Staff

The brave bystander was happy to lend a leg to trip up a gunman cops were pursuing

COLUMBUS, Ohio — That’s some fancy footwork.

A Good Samaritan is being credited by cops with helping take an armed gunman off the streets when he stuck his leg out and tripped up the crook as he fled from police.

The brave bystander, identified only as Bill, was standing outside a public library in Columbus, Ohio when the suspect darted by with cops giving hot pursuit.

“I figured OK, this is a chase,” Bill said of watching officers chasing the man and yelling, “Gun, gun, gun!”

“I saw who you guys were chasing and I could see he was holding something in his waistband but he had a pretty good lead,” Bill said. “So I got in his way to slow him down.”

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aXK4Re7VS2Q

As the man passed, Bill craftily stuck out his leg, which sent the teenage suspect flying and allowed cops time to catch up.

Police said the teen was armed with a Glock 9mm pistol with an extended clip, which he dropped as he fell to the ground. The department thanked Bill “for sticking your leg out for us” and added that the move may have saved the 18-year-old’s life in the process.

“Community involvement, be it by courage, bravery and/or fancy footwork, helped take a criminal off the streets of Columbus,” said the Columbus police, according to WCMH-TV.

 

Filed Under: Heroes, Ohio, STORY OF THE DAY

Slain Baltimore Cop Died Just Before Testifying in Corruption Case Against Other Cops

November 23, 2017 By HardBoiledNews Staff

Sean Suiter was shot with his own gun last week

BALTIMORE — A Baltimore homicide detective who was gunned down last week, died just before he was set to give grand jury testimony in a corruption case against eight other officers, authorities said.

Sean Suiter was shot once in the head with his own gun on Nov. 15 after stopping a man acting suspiciously while he and his partner were conducting a follow-up investigation of an earlier triple homicide, police said. The shooter has not yet been identified.

Baltimore Police Chief Kevin Davis said there was no evidence to suggest that the killing was anything but random and that nothing had surfaced to connect Suiter’s death to the corruption case.

“The [Baltimore Police] and FBI do not possess any information that this incident is part of any conspiracy,” he said.

Davis also said that Suiter was no under investigation in the corruption probe and there was no evidence that he “was anything other than a stellar detective, great friend, loving husband and dedicated father.”

Eight officers of Baltimore’s Gun Trace Task Force, which aims to get illegal guns off the streets, were indicted earlier this year on federal racketeering charges, alleging that they shook down ordinary citizens and conspired with drug dealers. Four have pleaded guilty and the others are scheduled to go on trial in January.

Davis said Suiter was scheduled to testify in the case related to an incident that occurred several years earlier, but would not elaborate.

 

Filed Under: Creepy, Heroes, Maryland, Sad

Mexican Cartel Hit Men Convicted in ‘Fast & Furious’ U.S. Agent Slay

July 28, 2017 By HardBoiledNews Staff

WASHINGTON — Two drug cartel hit men have been convicted of gunning down a U.S. immigration agent and wounding his partner in a roadside ambush in Mexico in 2011.

Jose Emanuel Garcia Sota, 35, known as “Safado,” and Jesus Ivan Quezada Piña, 29, known as “Loco,” were members of Los Zetas cartel hit squads and had been on a mission to steal cars the day of the shooting, prosecutors said.

On Feb. 15, 2011, the two men were among a group that spotted an armored Chevrolet Suburban bearing diplomatic plates driven by Immigration and Customs Enforcement Special Agents Jaime Zapata and Victor Avila.

The agents were on their way to Mexico City on official business, when the cartel members opened fire with AK-47s and AR-15s on a busy highway south  of San Luis Potosi. Zapata, 32, was fatally shot, and Avila was wounded. Investigators later found approximately 90 shell casings at the scene, according to the trial evidence.

Five other cartel members have already pleaded guilty to murder and conspiracy charges in the shooting. All are awaiting sentencing and face up to life in prison.

Slain ICE agent Jaime Zapata

A jury found Sota and Piña guilty on counts of murder, attempted murder and firearms charges. The judge scheduled a hearing for Aug. 29 to select a sentencing date in order to accommodate for when Avila and Zapata’s family would be able to attend. The hit men also face up to life in prison.

The gang members have said they believed the vehicle was being driven by members of a rival cartel, apparently not noticing the diplomatic plates. The shooting has proven to be exceedingly damaging to the Los Zetas cartel, leading to the arrest of over 100 of its top bosses.

Zapata’s family has filed a wrongful death suit against the U.S., alleging that ICE sent the men into Mexico with inadequate security, and that some of the weapons used in the shooting were trafficked by suspects under ATF surveillance, but who had not been arrested as part of the controversial “Operation Fast & Furious.”

Filed Under: District of Columbia, Gangs + Drug Lords, Hard Boiled News Around the World, Heroes, Sad, STORY OF THE DAY

Hero Teddy Bear Saves 2-Year-Old Boy From Fall Out of Window

June 23, 2017 By HardBoiledNews Staff

This teddy was just cuddly enough to save the boy

CHELSEA, Massachusetts — Here’s a good reason to let a kid cling on to a favorite stuffed animal for just a bit longer.

A 2-year-old Massachusetts boy was miraculously saved from serious injury after tumbling out a second-storey window when his beloved stuffed cow broke his fall.

“God saved him,” the boy’s great uncle Luis Estrada told the Boston Globe. “The cow helped.”

Authorities say the boy, Luis Eduardo Gomez, was jumping up and down on a bed in a room on the second floor of the family house in Chelsea when an energetic bounce sent him flying out an open window.

But fortunately, the boy was clinging to his favorite stuffed animal, a 2 ½ foot long cow, which went tumbling with him and broke his fall.

All the boy suffered were a few bruises and scrapes from the 16-foot drop.

Estrada says he believes “God was watching over us.”

 

Filed Under: Featured Story, Featured Story Right, Heroes, Massachusetts

Hero Driver Leaps into Action to Save Motorist Having Seizure

June 8, 2017 By HardBoiledNews Staff

DIXON, Illinois — A hero driver was caught on tape leaping into action to save a fellow motorist having a seizure behind the wheel from a nasty accident at a busy Illinois intersection.

Police say the terrifying episode unfolded late in the afternoon last Friday when the stricken driver ran a red light and began drifting into oncoming traffic in downtown Dixon.

That’s when Randy Tompkins, who was sitting behind the wheel of his pickup truck with his wife beside him in the opposite lane, sprang into action, with the whole thing being captured on the dashboard camera of a nearby police car.

 

At approximately 4:06 p.m. yesterday afternoon, one of our squad cars was on routine patrol approaching the intersection of 4th Avenue and North Galena Avenue.

Officers observed a blue passenger car traveling north on North Galena Avenue and had disobeyed the red traffic signal at that intersection. The car proceeded through the intersection, almost striking several vehicles. Our squad car activated its emergency lights in an attempt to conduct a traffic stop on the car. The car proceeded north at a low rate of speed and began traveling into the oncoming lanes of travel.

A truck, that was southbound in the 1300 block of North Galena Avenue, had to back up to avoid being struck by the car. The driver of the truck could see the driver of the car and observed that something looked medically wrong. The driver of the truck (later identified as Dixon resident Randy Tompkins) exited his vehicle, ran up to the car and without hesitation jumped into the car through the passenger side window in an attempt to stop it. Tompkins was able to get the car in park just as officers approached the vehicle as well. The driver of the vehicle was found to be having a seizure.

Tompkins and the two officers stood by until Dixon City Fire arrived and transported the driver to KSB Hospital. We want to thank Tompkins for his heroism and for coming to a complete stranger’s aid!
#DixonProud

Posted by Dixon, Illinois Police Department on Saturday, June 3, 2017

First, Tompkins backed his vehicle up and out of the way of the oncoming motorist and then raced out of his car and dove headlong through the passenger window of the sick driver’s car and pulled the parking brake.

“I saw him come out from behind the traffic, and he almost hit me in my lane,” the 39-year-old Tompkins told the Northwest Herald. “I knew something was wrong, but I didn’t realize he was having a seizure until he got to the intersection.”

The quick-thinking Tompkins said it all happened in a blur, but that he “just did what had to be done”.

“He was in danger himself, and he was a danger to others,” Tompkins said. “My adrenaline was pumping, and I just reacted.”

Police say the driver, who was described as a man in his 20s or 30s, had indeed had a seizure and was taken to a local hospital and later released.

“We want to thank Tompkins for his heroism and for coming to a complete stranger’s aid!” the Dixon Police wrote on Facebook.

Filed Under: Heroes, Illinois, STORY OF THE DAY

Girl Shot in Head and Left to Die Says: ‘I Am Tougher Than a Bullet’

April 21, 2017 By HardBoiledNews Staff

Deserae Turner miraculously survived being shot in the head

SALT LAKE CITY — A 14-year-old girl said “I am tougher than a bullet,” as she walked out of a Utah hospital nine weeks after being shot in the head and left in a ditch to die.

Deserae Turner was shot in February after being lured to canal in the town of Smithfield in northern Utah by two 16-year classmates with the promise of selling her a pocket knife. But instead, the boys shot her in the back of the head, stole her belongings and left her for dead.

She was found hours later by friend who had gone looking for her. She eventually identified her attackers after awaking following weeks in a medically-induced coma.

The two boys have been charged with attempted murder. Prosecutors are seeking to have them tried as adults and a decision on whether to move the case out of juvenile court is expected next month.

Wearing a white T-shirt with the word “Happy” scrawled on the front, the teen said Thursday that her clothing reflected how she felt: Happy to go home. Happy to soon see the horses that she loves. Happy to be alive.

“I am so thankful to be here today — to be alive,” Turner said at a news conference Thursday, ahead of her released from Primary Children’s Hospital in Salt Lake City.

Wearing a T-shirt that read “Happy,” Turner said she still has a long way to go with her recovery from the shooting which left a piece of the bullet permanently lodged in her head.

“I told my dad that I am tougher than a bullet,” she said. “[The bullet] is still with me today. But I am here, and I get to go home today.”

Filed Under: Heroes, Sad, STORY OF THE DAY, Utah

Hero K-9 Cop Scores Hat Trick, Nabbing Three Suspects in 90 Minutes

March 25, 2017 By HardBoiledNews Staff

Spencer made quick work of these three suspects

CLACKAMAS, Oregon — Give that dog a treat!

An extremely busy police dog is being credited with a high-speed hat trick — nabbing three separate suspects in the span of just 90 minutes, cops in Oregon say.

Spencer, a 9-year-old Dutch shepherd who works for the Clackamas County Sheriff’s office began his eventful day around 10:20 a.m. Sunday morning when he tracked and captured stolen vehicle suspect Austin Kollas as he tried to get away from cops.

Just over an hour later, Spencer sprang into action again, tracking down parole violation suspect Timothy Elmore as he tried to hide from police inside a trailer.

And less than 10 minutes after that, Spencer played hero once again, chasing down Lonette Denison, who had warrants for her arrest on theft and drug charges and tried to get away from police by hiding in a thick holly bush.

“It’s a rare feat for a Sheriff’s Office K9 to get that number of captures in such a short time frame,” said Spencer’s veteran handler, Sgt. Don Boone. “For Spencer and I, that was a new record — three in 90 minutes.”

Spencer has been on the force for six years.

 

Filed Under: Featured Story, Featured Story Right, Heroes, Oregon, STORY OF THE DAY

Motorist Survives Miracle 210-Foot Leap Over Minnesota Lake

March 15, 2017 By HardBoiledNews Staff

This is where James Sundby’s car came to rest

ALEXANDRIA, Minnesota — A man miraculously survived when his car vaulted off an embankment over 210 feet of open water and landed safely on an ice floe on a lake in northern Minnesota.

Alexandria police say they aren’t sure exactly how James Sundby, 38, of Wadena, managed the spectacular crash early Saturday morning, but say they don’t believe drugs or alcohol were involved.

“That fact that guy is even alive is a miracle,” Police Chief Rick Wyffels told the Echo Press.

After landing safely, Sundby waded through the frigid water back to land and proceeded to knock on the doors of several lake houses trying to find someplace to warm up, cops said.

At one point, Sundby made his way into one home, where he took off his shoes and started watching TV.

“I was awoken by the bedroom light being turned on,” homeowner Andy Armstrong told the newspaper. “He was in my house and had been there some time. My TV was on and he’d flipped through the channels because it wasn’t on the same channel as when I went to bed. The living room lights were on, kitchen lights, bathroom lights, he even took his shoes off when he came in the house.”

Sundby was apologetic and then left, Armstrong.

Meanwhile, police had been called and told a man covered in blood had been pounding on people’s doors near Lake Lake L’Homme Dieu. They soon found Sundby back near the lake.

Filed Under: Featured Story, Featured Story Right, Heroes, Minnesota, Real Weirdos, STORY OF THE DAY

Tourists Narrowly Avoid Being Crushed By Cruise Ship in Florida Harbor Mishap

March 13, 2017 By HardBoiledNews Staff

Police yanked the women to safety just moments before a giant cruise ship swept past

PORT CANAVERAL, Florida — A quick-thinking sheriff’s deputy swooped in and saved two jet-skiers from being crushed under a 130,000-ton cruise ship after they had capsized in its path.

The Brevard County Sheriff’s office said the two tourists on Spring Break from West Virginia, Skylar Penpasuglia, 19, and Allison Garrett, 20, were riding in Port Canaveral on Saturday when one of them fell into the water.

As she tried to climb back aboard the Jet Ski, it flipped over and as the two women frantically tried to right the water craft, the wind blew them out into the channel and into the path of an outgoing cruise ship, the Carnival Magic.

As the towering ship bore down on them, SeaPort Security Marine Deputy Taner Primmer, who was escorting the cruise ship, leapt into action, and steered his patrol boat into the ship’s path and pulled the women to safety.

Garrett (far left) and Penpasuglia (far right) were on Spring Break from W. Virginia.

Harbor Pilot Capt. Doug Brown, who was steering the Magic out to sea, also spotted what was going on and managed to turn the giant ship just enough to not strike the women.

Chilling video shot by tourists on the cruise ship’s deck, showed how close the cruise ship came to passing right over the women.

“Were it not for the quick actions of both Deputy Primmer and Port Canaveral Harbor Pilot Capt. Doug Brown , the girls could have been pulled under the ship causing potentially serious if not fatal injuries,” said Sheriff Wayne Ivey.

 

Filed Under: Featured Story, Featured Story Right, Florida, Heroes, STORY OF THE DAY

Cop Killed at Georgia Sperm Bank After Being Overcome by Fumes

February 7, 2017 By HardBoiledNews Staff

Greg Meagher was a 33-year veteran of the Richmond County Sheriff’s office

AUGUSTA, Georgia — A veteran Georgia cop was killed after inhaling liquid nitrogen fumes while trying to save the life of an employee of a sperm bank, authorities said.

Richmond County Sheriff’s Deputy Greg Meagher, 57, responded to Xytex Corp. in Augusta on Sunday afternoon to help the employee who had been sickened by the fumes, when he became overwhelmed, police said.

Three other officers were also stricken by the fumes but were able to get out of the laboratory facility and later recovered, officials said. Liquid nitrogen is used to freeze sperm at the bank.

Meagher and the female employee were later pulled out by firefighters, but Meagher had  succumbed to the gas and was pronounced dead. The woman was hospitalized and is expected to live.

Xytex Corp. said the incident appeared to have been triggered by a surge in pressure in the liquid nitrogen supply to the facility, but that none of the storage containers had been affected. The firm offered condolences to the deputy’s family and said they were cooperating with authorities.

Meagher had been a sheriff’s deputy for 33 years and had a distinguished career marked by stints as a drug investigator. In 2004, he was shot in the face during a drug sting, but survived and later returned to work, the Augusta Chronicle reported.

 

 

Filed Under: Featured Story, Featured Story Right, Georgia, Heroes, Sad

‘Black Hawk Down’ Hero Who Innovated Urban Combat and Won Silver Star Has Died

January 17, 2017 By HardBoiledNews Staff

ARLINGTON NATIONAL CEMETERY, Virginia — Jeffrey Bray,  a hero soldier who was awarded the Silver Star for saving dozens of lives in the famed “Black Hawk Down” battle in Somalia in 1993, has died at age 49.

Bray, an Air Force sergeant, was credited with coming up with a novel defense of the men pinned down by militiamen in Mogadishu, coordinating airstrikes amid close-quarter urban combat and creating methods that would later become a blueprint for U.S. forces in Iraq.

“At the time, there wasn’t a lot of urban warfare and it gave us a really good look at how we conduct operations in an urban environment,” said Tech. Sgt. Tim Wilkinson, who was awarded the Air Force Cross for his role in the battle.

 

Bray was among the soldiers sent to help rescue the crews of two Black Hawk helicopters that had been shot down over the Somali capital. But the rescue teams quickly found themselves surrounded and the a pitched battle ensued that left 18 U.S. servicemen dead and 73 wounded over the course of two days.

The fierce fighting later would become the subject of a book, “Black Hawk Down,” which was adapted into a 2001 film of the same name that starred Josh Hartnett, Ewan McGregor and Tom Sizemore.

While Bray had not had experience with urban warfare, he quickly came up with a system of distinguishing his men’s positions from those of the enemy, enabling helicopter gunships to provide the trapped men cover without accidentally hitting them.

In some of the the fiercest combat, Bray’s system allowed successful air strikes to be delivered to enemy positions just 35 feet from where his men were holed up, driving the militiamen back.

According to an account he gave in a 1994 Airman magazine,  Bray said he sent runners to mark locations with infrared strobe lights only visible to U.S. aircraft. When the runners spotted target positions, they would relay it to Bray, who plotted the locations and called in airstrikes.

In some cases, when airstrikes would miss their target, Bray braved heavy enemy fire to help pinpoint exact enemy locations.

Officials credited Bray’s actions with saving numerous lives and he was awarded a Silver Star by President Clinton.

“Sergeant Bray’s efforts were paramount in the limitation of casualties and safe evacuation of all U.S. soldiers in an intense 18-hour long firefight. By his gallantry and devotion to duty, Sergeant Bray reflected great credit upon himself and the United States Air Force,” the citation read.

Afterwards, Bray became an instructor in conducting airstrikes in such close-quarter urban combat situations.

“In Mogadishu, Jeff saved dozen of lives: men who were able to come home and either return to their families or someday start a family of their own,” said retired Col. Kurt Buller, a former special tactics officer. “As an instructor, he was exceedingly demanding of our technical skills … his training kept us alive in combat, I’m sure of it.

“The majority of the guys Jeff taught went on to fight post 9/11 and were tested the way Jeff was tested,” Buller said. “Besides being a great person and a great operator — his legacy was the training he provided to the scores of guys at the squadron, who would ultimately go on to be successful in combat as well.”

Bray died on Oct. 24 in Asheboro, North Carolina where he lived with his wife. He was buried in Arlington Cemetery on Dec. 30.

Filed Under: Featured Story, Featured Story Right, Heroes, North Carolina, Sad, STORY OF THE DAY, Virginia

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