Month: September 2025

By Suzanne Phan

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    CROCKETT, California (KGO) — A teenager watching a sideshow in the East Bay died after falling off an overpass early Saturday morning, California Highway Patrol said.

CHP said the 16-year-old tried to jump across a gap between freeway ramps near I-80 and the Carquinez Bridge in Crockett.

Drone video captured the commotion — spinning cars, smoke from tailpipes, crazy crowds. From the ground, cellphone video captured the chaotic scene, the burning, the screeching and the fireworks.

“I was standing up here, in my window, watching the thing for an hour,” said Crockett resident Jim Delisle.

Delisle said it happened again: another sideshow in his quiet neighborhood.

“It woke me up about 3 o’clock in the morning, (maybe) 3:30 in the morning,” he said.

Early Saturday morning, more than 100 vehicles blocked the roads near the intersection of Pomona and Merchant Streets for a sideshow, according to the CHP.

“There were fireworks. It’s really common when they get cars going in circles, and everyone gets fired up, and you can see people shooting those up in the air,” Delisle said.

Authorities got word that a 16-year-old spectator climbed over a concrete safety barrier at an elevated portion of the Pomona Street on-ramp to westbound I-80. CHP said the teen fell about 75 feet to the ground below.

“Yeah, I think he was trying to jump from one side of the on-ramp to the other,” Delisle said.

Scott Cranston saw and heard some of the commotion from his deck.

“The police cars were there. I didn’t know what exactly had happened,” he said.

When he learned about the teen’s death…

“I was shocked,” Cranston said. “But the sideshow is just a matter of there would be a fatality. They’re hanging out of cars, they are recklessly driving.”

Giovanni Morales was out walking the area on Sunday afternoon.

“This is my walking path right here,” he said.

We showed him video of the investigation scene where the teen had fallen.

“That’s crazy,” Morales said. “I think it’s horrible. I think the younger generation needs to be more responsible–be aware of their surroundings and watch what they do.”

Authorities have not formally identified the teen killed.

As the investigation continues, those who live in the area say they’re beyond frustrated by the sideshows and reckless activities.

Law enforcement is reminding the public that sideshows are not only illegal, but dangerous, and that spectators as well as participants can be penalized.

CHP is asking for witnesses to come forward as it investigates. If anyone witnessed the incident or the events leading up to it, they are asked to contact CHP’s Contra Costa Area office in Martinez at (925) 646-4980 or email your contact information to 320Investigations@chp.ca.gov to be contacted by the investigating officer.

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By Tara Campbell

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    EL SOBRANTE, California (KGO) — People gathered on Friday to protest the detention of a longtime East Bay resident.

Harjit Kaur, a 73-year-old undocumented grandmother from El Sobrante, showed up to a regular immigration appointment this week in San Francisco, and ICE would not let her go.

“It’s been a total nightmare to find out she’s been detained. We didn’t expect it. She’s been doing ICE check-ins for 13 years,” said Manjit Kaur, her daughter-in-law.

“They just said we are detaining your grandma and didn’t give me any other information, didn’t let me see her. And after that, we didn’t hear from her for hours and when we did hear from her, she was crying and begging us for help,” said Sukhmeet Sandhu, her granddaughter.

Manjit said, “She was a mess when she called us. We just waited until we heard something from her. We were just shocked and devastated.”

“We are making sure that she is released, and if she wants to self-deport, she will have that opportunity,” said Hapreet Sandhu, Richmond office representative for Congressman John Garamendi.

Congressman John Garamendi’s office is getting involved, demanding for the grandmother’s release.

Harjit Kaur is currently being held hours away in Bakersfield.

TARA CAMPBELL: “Have you been able to contact or have any communication with ICE?”

HAPREET SANDHU: “The first process is to file the letter, which we did on behalf of the family this (Friday) morning, so we are hoping for communication to come back and then follow through after that point.”

In the meantime, the Indian community is getting behind the family.

“We’ve known Harjit for 25 – 30 years of our lives. My parents own a store in Berkeley, she’s worked there all her life as a tailor, and it’s women like her who come to work, and work hard everyday that women like me can exist,” said Puga Thakkar, a family friend. “It’s on the back of women like her that I’m able to be a doctor.”

“When we got news of this, we were horrified. How can the federal government be taking a 73-year-old woman who has medical issues into custody when she’s been doing everything that’s been required of her for the past 13 years,” said Chris Mathias, a protester.

ABC7 News reached out to ICE for more details and are waiting to hear back.

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By Rob Hayes

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    LOS ANGELES (KABC) — The family of a 13-year-old boy from the San Fernando Valley who was murdered earlier this year has filed a legal claim against the city and county of Los Angeles.

The boy’s body was found on the side of a road in Oxnard in April after he had been reported missing.

The alleged killer, 43-year-old Mario Garcia Aquino, who was the boy’s soccer coach, has been charged with one count of murder with the special circumstance allegation of murder during the commission or attempted commission of lewd acts with a child.

Garcia Aquino killed Oscar on March 28 in Lancaster and dumped his body in Ventura County, prosecutors allege.

The boy’s family held a press conference Monday to discuss the claim, which states Oscar was “subjected to grooming and sexual abuse” at the hands of Garcia Aquino because “the city and county of Los Angeles failed to do a thorough background check” on the coach.

“I want justice for my little brother,” said the boy’s brother Daniel Hernandez Bautista, who held back tears as he spoke to the press.

The boy’s mother also spoke out, sending a message to her son’s alleged killer.

“I ask for justice,” she said. “May the full weight of the law fall on this monster who did so much harm to an innocent child who was unable to defend himself.”

In May, Eyewitness News learned a backlog of cases at the district attorney’s office may have led to Garcia Aquino being free rather than facing charges for two other alleged sexual assaults.

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By Sera Congi, Phil Tenser

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    LAWRENCE, Massachusetts (WCVB) — Numerous armed federal agents used armored equipment in a dramatic arrest of an alleged gang member and drug dealer in Lawrence on Monday.

Sky5 arrived overhead at approximately 10:35 a.m. as one of the armored vehicles with a battering ram was used to break a window of the house at 2 Roberta Lane. Within minutes, officers tossed something through the window, which was followed by a burst of smoke.

Soon after, a man exited the home and put his hands in the air.

While he was escorted down the street, a column of other armed officers was seen entering the house.

The FBI initially said that agents and “partners” were conducting “court-authorized activity” at the address. Later, a spokesperson confirmed the agents were working to arrest Luis Jose Nivar Cabral, in connection with a drug case filed in U.S. District Court in Maine.

A criminal complaint filed with the court indicates that Cabral is believed to be a member of the Trinitario street gang and was based in Massachusetts but frequently traveled to Maine for drug deals. The document also contains allegations that Cabral “has perpetrated at least three home invasions in Maine, as well as a high-speed chase with police, during which Cabral and his associates repeatedly fired on pursuing officers.”

According to the complaint, agents were surveilling a home on Easton Hill Road on Aug. 15, in Rumford, Maine, when they saw a Dodge Charger leave the property. An officer attempted a traffic stop, but a chase followed, reaching speeds in excess of 90 mph.

Two marked cruisers followed the Dodge but realized they were being fired upon by people in the car. One rifle was thrown out of the vehicle and another was recovered about a week later, after the abandoned Dodge was found.

The complaint indicates that officers arrested one suspect along Route 232, near where the Dodge was abandoned, on Aug. 16. That co-conspirator provided the name of the driver and told investigators one of the other men in the car was named Jose.

Investigators said the suspect also gave them access to his cellphone, which contained records of his communications with Jose.

Two others were arrested after vehicles drove through a roadblock in Rumford early on the morning of Aug. 16. According to the complaint, they sought to buy drugs and followed directions from Jose on Aug. 15. Both of them identified Cabral from a photograph and one allowed investigators access to his phone, containing their communications about drug purchases.

The federal complaint also indicates that Cabral was arrested on a warrant by Massachusetts State Police on Aug. 31 following a traffic stop. At that time, he was carrying eight pieces of identification for others, including the ID for one of the men arrested in Rumford and a relative of a cooperating witness.

Based on the results of a search warrant for Cabral’s phone, the FBI told the court that Cabral made at least four “drug-related trips to Maine from Massachusetts” after Sept. 9. They also spotted him driving a rented black Jeep, similar to the one seen in the driveway in Lawrence on Monday morning.

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By Denzen Cortez

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    SACRAMENTO, California (KCRA) — Isis Wharton is contesting the California Department of Motor Vehicles’ decision to revoke her personalized license plate, which she believes is protected under the First Amendment.

On Friday, Wharton received a letter from the California DMV regarding her car’s personalized license plate, “I AM ISIS.”

The letter stated,

“Dear Isis, the Department of Motor Vehicles has reviewed its records, and it was determined that personalized license plates ‘I AM ISIS’ assigned to your 2021 Kia contain a configuration of letters/ and or numbers that are non-compliant with the requirements of Title 13.”

Wharton purchased the $50 license plate back in 2022 and has paid a $50 renewal fee for three years ever since.

“I just did my registration a couple months ago, and they didn’t say anything then either,” she said.

The DMV now says the license plate violates Section 206 of the California Code of Regulations, which allows the agency to refuse plates that associate with anything illegal or violent.

“Regardless of your intention, the configuration ‘I AM ISIS’ can be construed as ‘I AM ISLAMIC STATE OF IRAQ AND SYRIA (ISIS),'” the DMV added.

Wharton expressed her surprise and confusion upon reading the letter.

“I was surprised. My first reaction: I was super surprised. I was confused since I’ve had it for so long. And I was honestly super hurt,” she said.

Leslie Jacobs, a professor at McGeorge School of Law, weighed in on the situation, citing that Wharton’s license plate is protected under the First Amendment.

“The free speech clause protects people saying their own messages on personalized license plates,” Jacobs said. “And so, most likely, the DMV is not going to be able to prevent her from saying that.”

Jacobs referred to a 2020 U.S. District Court decision in a similar case in which a federal judge ruled the DMV’s censorship of personalized license plates was unconstitutional because personalized sayings are protected under the First Amendment as private speech.

“The United States Supreme Court has said that specialty license plates, those are the ones like save Lake Tahoe, can be government speech. And maybe the government can prevent people from having specialty license plates, but these are personal license plates. And so, they’re going to say it’s her own speech,” Jacobs said.

For now, Wharton is unsure of her next steps, but her family is supporting her, much like the nurturing Egyptian goddess Isis she was named after.

“I’m proud of my name. I’m proud that it’s on my car. And I feel like driving around. It looks cool,” Wharton said.

The DMV has given Wharton until Sept. 25 to request a hearing, which she is currently working on drafting. If she does not meet that deadline, the DMV will proceed with revoking the license plates.

Attempts to reach the DMV for comment have not been successful.

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By Spencer Burt

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    GREEN RIVER, Utah (KSTU) — A man was rescued after getting swept up in a flash flood in eastern Utah Saturday afternoon.

The Emery County Sheriff’s Office said they were called around 4 p.m. to the southern part of Green River, where the man became stuck in a “wash” by a flash flood.

The first deputy to respond called for additional help, and eventually, a multi-agency team was there with rope rescue gear, a front-end loader, and several employees or volunteers. A local resident also showed up with a raft and offered to help.

The team tied the raft to the front-end loader as Deputy Josh Opp and Green River resident Kent Nelson paddled out to reach the stranded victim in the fast-moving water. They brought him a life jacket, then those on shore pulled both the raft and the man to safety. He was taken to the hospital with minor injuries, the sheriff’s office said.

“A HUGE thank you to Green River Fire Department, Green River City Public Works crew, Utah Highway Patrol, Classic Air Medical, and any other Green River citizens that jumped in to help at this time of need,” the sheriff’s office wrote. “The actions provided by the citizens were priceless. They put themselves in danger to rescue a perfect stranger. The victim is not from our area and no one knew him, but that did not matter to any of them. They were all cold and wet, working together to rescue to a very scared person that could have been swept away at any second. To all involved, your actions today absolutely saved a life. BRAVO!!!”

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