Reality TV stars targeted in road rage incident caught on video in Hollywood

By Liz Nagy

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    LOS ANGELES, California (KABC) — A violent case of road rage was caught on video in the heart of Hollywood over the weekend, and now, the two reality TV stars who were targeted are sharing their story.

Patrik Simpson and Pol’ Atteu are fashion experts who co-host the show “Gown and Out Beverly Hills” and the “Undressed” podcast.

Now, they’re speaking about what happened to them on Sunday in hopes that their attacker will be caught.

The incident happened at Melrose Avenue and Vine Street. The couple said the driver of a Toyota 4Runner blocked their vehicle at the intersection before getting out of his vehicle.

Atteau and Simpson sat stunned in sheer terror as the man approached them.

“He gave me this death glare, like, literally, I thought he was going to kill us,” Simpson, who recorded the video, said.

The reality stars say the violent interaction came without warning as they sat at the intersection around 9:20 a.m.

“Drove on the wrong side of the road, pulled in front of us diagonal, and trapped our car,” Simpson recalled. “We couldn’t turn left. We couldn’t turn right. We couldn’t go forward. We did not know what was going on.”

“Lock the door. Lock the door. Call the police!” Simpson exclaims in the video as the man is seen punching and kicking their driver’s side window and door.

“I thought, ‘If this man is going back to the car, he’s going to get something… I’m dead. I’m literally… dead.’ This is that moment where I’m faced with that fear of, ‘I’m just going to die here. This is it,'” Atteu, who was driving at the time, said.

Unable to smash through their glass window, the man returned to his 4Runner and took off.

“He punched the window… blood on the car. His hand was bleeding. That’s how hard he hit the car,” Simpson said.

The couple followed the escaping assailant for several miles, against the advice of a 911 dispatcher who told them not to follow the driver.

“I wanted the license plate because if we did not have the license plate, we would not be able to find this man, so we can make him be accountable for what he did,” Simpson said.

The couple says they still can’t figure out what triggered the man in the first place.

“It’s got to be mistaken identity, because I don’t know who this person is. I don’t know where this person came from,” Atteu said. “It just didn’t make sense, like, 9:20 in the morning, and when I’m looking in through the window, as much as I could see, there was someone in the passenger seat holding a baby.”

Now, still shaken by the violent punch and kick to their car, the design stars are desperate to hold the man accountable.

“This guy has so much rage in him. He doesn’t care who he is doing this to, why he’s doing it,” Atteu said.

So far, the couple says they have not been able to identify the driver. They passed his license plate number to investigators when they filed the police report. Los Angeles police said they did not have an update on the case.

Please note: This story was provided to CNN Wire by an affiliate and does not contain original CNN reporting. This content carries a strict local market embargo. If you share the same market as the contributor of this article, you may not use it on any platform.

Pink tutus popping up in parks across Birmingham surprise and delight residents

By Bryce Oselen

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    BIRMINGHAM, Alabama (WVTM) — Pink tutus have mysteriously appeared on statues in Birmingham parks, including Avondale Park, English Village, and the Redmont Park Historic District, sparking curiosity among residents.

Wade Merrit, who frequently visits Avondale Park with his dog, was surprised to see the park’s elephant statue, “Miss Fancy,” sporting a pink tutu.

“It’s funny, it’s going to bring attention to the neighborhood,” Merrit said.

Christian Jackson, another Birmingham resident, expressed his curiosity about the decorations.

“I like it, I’d like to know why it’s there,” Jackson said.

Jackson speculated that the tutus might be an effort to beautify the city.

“Well, I think somebody is trying to make the city a little more prettier, you know, you never really know nowadays,” he said.

Jackson also suggested that the decorations could be the work of students celebrating Easter.

“Some little girls were probably trying to decorate the city, man, you never know,” he said.

Merrit hopes to uncover the reason behind the tutus.

“I’ve heard about the tutus going up on statues around town, and obviously I can see the ones in the park, but I haven’t heard anything. I don’t know why they’re there or who’s doing it,” he said.

Local artist Renne Plata has been identified as the person responsible for placing the pink tutus on multiple statues in the Birmingham area. Plata declined an on-camera interview but said the project is intended to promote community.

Please note: This story was provided to CNN Wire by an affiliate and does not contain original CNN reporting. This content carries a strict local market embargo. If you share the same market as the contributor of this article, you may not use it on any platform.

Family turns grief into life-saving mission after 26-year-old dies from skateboarding accident

By Naomi Popa

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    WILLIAMSTON, South Carolina (WYFF) — An Upstate family is turning grief into a life-saving mission after a man tragically died from a skateboarding accident.

Twenty-six-year-old Troy Link experienced a traumatic brain injury and acute respiratory failure after he fell from his board on W. Main Street in Williamston on March 9.

“We were getting a lot of that. It’s just a skateboarding accident. Just a skateboarding accident. I was like, no, I don’t think you understand. Like, this is significant,” Callie Tayrien, TJ’s sister, said.

Tayrien is a mother, a nurse, a wife, and an older sister to three siblings. She was 12 years older than TJ and was just recently building an even closer relationship with her brother.

“He wanted us to all be closer. And I promised him that we would work on that. And even though it took this for that to happen, he got that wish, you know, we were all together, and I just hope he knows that.”

When TJ fell from his skateboard, he became unresponsive and was E-vaced to Greenville Memorial Hospital. It was there that TJ spent 15 days fighting for his life. According to Tayrien, doctors monitored TJ’s brain for two days before it was determined that he needed surgery. He underwent a craniectomy due to the swelling of his brain. At the time, TJ was also experiencing an impact on his lungs.

“Knowing kind of how he came in was pretty indicative of what his prognosis was. And they’ve just continued to have significant issues with his lungs. And they tried everything. They exhausted every option,” Tayrien said.

Tayrien was joined by her sister Chloe, Kirsti, her mother, and countless other family members at the hospital while TJ fought for his life before he died March 24.

“I wish I could tell him I love him again. And I told him a lot during those 15 days, but I wish I could have said it sooner and more often,” Tayrien said.

TJ loved hockey; he was a fan of the Dallas Stars and liked watching the Greenville Swamp Rabbits as well. Tayrien told WYFF 4 that TJ was an avid music listener, was full of life, funny, and determined to make people smile.

“I can’t stress that enough. Like he was just the sweetest and kindest person,” Tayrien said.

Tayrien wants people to hear her brother’s story and be reminded of the importance of wearing a helmet and taking preventative safety measures seriously.

“A helmet with padding could have, you know, like I said, I don’t think it would have necessarily prevented a head injury, but maybe not one not as severe. And he would still be here with us,” Tayrien said.

When TJ’s diagnosis was getting worse, his family was approached by staff at the hospital about his decision to be a donor. His mother knew firsthand how important that was to him, and according to Tayrien, was even encouraging his mother to become a donor.

TJ donated three vital organs, his kidneys and heart. Among those three are countless others that TJ was willing to donate after his passing. Tayrien said it’s been comforting knowing that someone has a piece of TJ, specifically, his heart.

“My mom’s like, I hope I can bring a stethoscope and just listen. I just want to hear it again,” she said.

Tayrien’s two children were never able to meet their uncle, but Callie promises to remind them how selfless and kind he was. She said she will continue to advocate for helmets and safety prevention with her own children in hopes that it could save a life one day.

“I think he would give you the shirt off his back. So, the fact that he literally was able to give somebody his heart is, you know, more than he could have ever asked. And to us, his family,” she said.

Before TJ moved to Anderson County, he lived in Tennessee, where he advocated for a multi-use sports pad/skate park in November 2025. While the idea wasn’t passed by the city of LaFollette then, his mother plans on advocating for the park in the future, with hopes it can be named after him and ensure that helmets are mandatory.

Please note: This story was provided to CNN Wire by an affiliate and does not contain original CNN reporting. This content carries a strict local market embargo. If you share the same market as the contributor of this article, you may not use it on any platform.

Karate school pleads for help after theft of priceless family heirloom

By Cecil Hannibal

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    SACRAMENTO, California (KCRA) — Zen Martial Arts in East Sacramento was broken into over the weekend, resulting in the theft of a valuable Japanese sword and family heirloom.

Sacramento police responded to 48th and J streets around 9 a.m. Saturday morning.

The sword is an heirloom of the George family, whose son has been a student at the dojo for years.

The item, which dates back to the 1600s, was passed down from his great-grandfather, Chitoshi Yanaga, who was one of the first Asian Americans to receive tenure at an Ivy League school and helped the U.S. intercept messages from Japan during World War II. Yanaga bought the sword in Japan at an antique shop in a subway station in the 1950s.

The family said the plan was for Sensei Mike Oliver to present the sword to their son once he becomes a black belt.

The dojo has a security system, but it didn’t capture the suspect’s face. Mike Oliver, the owner, said he didn’t get any notifications from the system until police were already at the scene.

He’s now pleading with the public to find the person responsible, saying, “We’re trying everything we’ve contacted, of course, pawn shops, antique dealers, sword groups, anywhere where it might turn up, ” said Mike Oliver.

The sword is appraised to be worth $4,000 to $6,000, but the George family emphasized that it’s not about the money, saying it’s about what the sword means to their family.

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South Carolina woman accused of making threats toward Trump online; Secret Service investigates

By Zach Rainey

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    GREER, South Carolina (WYFF) — The Secret Service is investigating after a South Carolina woman allegedly threatened to harm President Donald Trump and his supporters in a post on social media.

On Wednesday, March 25, the York County Sheriff’s Office was made aware of multiple social media posts made by a woman from her home in Greer.

According to the sheriff’s office, in the aforementioned social media posts, the woman appeared to threaten Trump and members of MAGA.

York County detectives immediately launched an investigation and worked to verify the credibility of the information.

On Monday, March 30, investigators determined that there is no credible threat. The individual, who deputies say previously lived in Fort Mill, SC, recorded the video in Greer.

We are told that out of an abundance of caution, Secret Service members have been notified and are actively investigating the posts.

In the original post on TikTok, which has since been deleted, the woman allegedly told Trump supporters to “count their days.” She continued by threatening to harm the president himself if she was given the opportunity.

She later deleted the original post and addressed it in a post on Facebook, stating that the “threats were made in a rage-baiting gesture.” She also claimed that she had taken down most of her accounts on social media after receiving phone calls and emails of death threats.

No charges have currently been filed. No other details have been released at this time.

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Father accidentally shoots 5-year-old son in chest with AR-style rifle, officials say

By Jonathan Ayestas

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    OAKLEY, California (KCRA) — A five-year-old boy underwent surgery after being accidentally shot in the chest by an AR-15-style rifle while his father was cleaning his guns, Bay Area officials said Monday.

Officers with the Oakley Police Department in Contra Costa County went to the 1700 block of Hemlock Court near Empire Avenue around 9:25 p.m. Sunday after a report of a man who accidentally shot himself. While on the way, police said the call was updated to reflect that it was a child who was shot in the torso.

Oakley police said officers arrived at the home at 9:28 p.m., and fire department and medical personnel arrived shortly afterward. The father was holding his child and applying pressure to the wound.

The child was airlifted to a hospital, and police said he is expected to recover.

Investigators learned that while cleaning his guns, the father retrieved his rifle from a gun case and accidentally pulled the trigger, police said. The father told investigators that he thought the rifle was empty.

“This was a very tragic event that occurred,” a statement from Oakley Police Chief Paul Beard read. “As we have learned more about what happened, we now know the gunshot wound suffered by the five-year-old boy was a grazing wound and not a penetrating wound. Even a graze however, from a rifle-fired bullet can cause devastating injuries. We are very thankful the injuries sustained by the boy are not worse than they are; an inch of difference of where the bullet struck the boy would have been a different, and more tragic, outcome. Even though we believe this to be an awful accident, some crucial errors of negligence were made. Firearms should always be treated as if they are loaded and one should never put a finger on the trigger of a firearm unless there is an intent to shoot it.”

Following the shooting, police said officers seized all weapons and other pieces of evidence from the home.

Once investigators complete their investigation, the police department said it will turn over its findings to the Contra Costa County District Attorney’s Office, which will determine whether it will file criminal charges.

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Security video captures Alice the elephant’s great escape

By Peyton Spellacy

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    ALBUQUERQUE, New Mexico (KOAT) — BioPark Zoo staff addressed the elephant, not in the room, but on the public walkway. The 52-year-old Asian elephant, Alice, escaped from her habitat Sunday morning, spending time in a public area before safely returning to her enclosure.

Security video captured Alice taking a calm Sunday morning stroll down Main Street, sniffing the map and playing tourist at home for the day, and stopping too much on the trees.

Alice escaped through a welded pillar gate in the water pond section of her habitat, which is currently off-limits as welders repair it. She then trampled another bamboo fence to reach Main Street.

Brandon Gibson, director of the BioPark, said, “The 8,000-pound elephant somehow squeezed through this opening, knocking down this fence, just to take a stroll down Main Street. She’s over 8,000 pounds. She’s definitely able to use some force.”

Officials said the section of fence Alice escaped through hadn’t been updated in nearly 20 years.

“Not only has that section been repaired, it’s also been reinforced. So we’ve added some more pillars and steel,” Gibson said. “We’ve also reassessed the perimeter, looking for any more areas that may be weak points. So it’s something that we’re monitoring daily.”

Zoo staff continues to inspect other habitats for weak spots, using Gross Receipts Tax money to modernize them.

Staff responded to Alice’s escape in just 10 minutes, using the same recall method she’s trained with.

Gibson said, “We were able to secure the perimeter, have our zookeepers come and start recalling her back. It has been a very long time since any animal has escaped a perimeter containment at the BioPark. I think it’s looking back decades and decades. I think the BioPark is a very safe place to be, and I think this incident shows that all of our measures and tools worked. Staff was safe, the public was safe, and Alice the elephant was safe.”

After her adventurous Sunday morning stroll, Alice spent the rest of the day relaxing. Zoo staff said her behavior is back to normal Monday.

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4-year-old superhero saves day in Marblehead, receives Make-a-Wish’s 11,000th wish

By Jimmy Celaya

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    BOSTON, Massachusetts (WCVB) — Marblehead was in need of a superhero, and the community knew just who to call — meet Super JJ.

Jackson “JJ” Weiss, 4, stepped in when the city needed him most to defeat the evil villain Triple Z.

JJ has an aggressive brain tumor, but did not let that slow him down. Thanks to his good friends at Make-A-Wish for their 11,000th wish, he donned his cape and tights to save the day.

Throughout his journey, JJ’s family has always seen him as a superhero – affectionately calling him “Super JJ.” When he was too weak to play, JJ created and listened to superhero stories, developing his own Super JJ character.

What began as simple bedtime stories became a meaningful part of his medical journey and a powerful coping tool during difficult moments. During procedures, Super JJ heads out on a rescue mission, always saving the day.

JJ was diagnosed with an aggressive brain tumor in late 2024 after a visit to his local emergency room for persistent headaches. He was airlifted to Boston, where he began treatment immediately and underwent an 11-hour brain surgery just three days later.

During the past 15 months, JJ has endured intensive treatment, including high-dose chemotherapy, a stem cell transplant and radiation. Following complications from surgery, he was mute for 6 weeks and needed to regain use of his arms and legs.

Now, even as he continues with intensive treatment, JJ is strong and active. On his good days, he can be found biking and riding scooters with his twin brother, Luke.

Please note: This story was provided to CNN Wire by an affiliate and does not contain original CNN reporting. This content carries a strict local market embargo. If you share the same market as the contributor of this article, you may not use it on any platform.

Children find skeletal remains in South Carolina while playing near a creek, investigators say

By Haley Rimmel

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    ANDERSON COUNTY, South Carolina (WYFF) — Officials in Anderson County are investigating after a group of children found a skull while playing near a creek.

Deputies say the skeletal remains were found in the Homeland Park area Sunday afternoon.

Several agencies responded to Lawrence Road and after investigators did some digging, 40 to 50 bones were found.

The coroner said the bones’ may have been in this location for five to 10 years.

The investigation is still in its early stages, but an anthropologist will walk the creek bank with officials on Monday, according to the coroner.

Please note: This story was provided to CNN Wire by an affiliate and does not contain original CNN reporting. This content carries a strict local market embargo. If you share the same market as the contributor of this article, you may not use it on any platform.

Court documents detail how John Panicci allegedly stole a device from the Palm Beach County Supervisor of Elections Office

By Rachel Williams, Malcolm Shields

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    WEST PALM BEACH, Florida (WPBF) — Court documents describe how a Lake Worth Beach man allegedly stole sensitive equipment while volunteering with the Palm Beach County Supervisor of Elections Office.

John D. Panicci, 59, was arrested on Saturday and charged with property crimes, taking, damaging computer equipment supplies or electronic device and theft.

On Friday, March 27, the Palm Beach County Sheriff’s Office said it was notified of a delayed theft at the Palm Beach County Supervisor of Elections Office located on Cherry Road in West Palm Beach.

Deputies made contact with the security manager of the supervisor of elections office who told deputies on Thursday, March 19, the elections office hosted training for paid employees and volunteers who registered to assist with the upcoming Tuesday, March 24 elections. But the suspect did not work that election day.

Wendy Sartory Link, Palm Beach County Supervisor of Elections explained in an interview, “I have no idea why he wanted to steal it he had gone through our training, so he was well aware that it was all fake information. Our poll workers on Election Day they have the information are the voters who are in that precinct for that election, on that day. None of the information is confidential. For an example, there’s no social security numbers, drivers’ licenses numbers. But it’s a voter’s name, their address, or political party.”

The March 24 Special General Election featured the Florida State House District 87 and the Village of North Palm Beach Council, Group 4.

After training was completed, it was determined that a component used in conjunction with one of their voter registration kiosks was missing.

The security manager was told of the missing item.

Further investigation led the security manager to determine that Panicci had stolen the component during his time participating in the training.

According to the security manager, he was informed of the missing component on Monday, March 23.

The security manager said that he reviewed facility check-in information and surveillance video when he discovered that Panicci had taken the component.

Sartory Link explained, “Our staff at the end of each training day, they go through and clean everything up and make sure we have everything we’re supposed to have and they noted that one of the sticks were missing. So, after doing some internal investigation to make sure that it wasn’t just one of the trainers moved it to take it to a different location for a different machine or something determined that was not the case, and that it was likely taken by one of our trainees.”

The security manger described the component as an encrypted key. When the key is plugged into the voter registration device, it allows the network to access databases that contain voter registration information.

The security manager said since it was a training day for volunteers who planned to help with confirming voter registrations on the day of the election, the key that was stolen was formatted and encrypted to access a training database.

Supervisor of Elections officials express concern that if the device were to be reverse engineered or tampered with, the key, described as a standard SanDisk brand USB drive with a label noting it was for training, could be used with malicious intent.

“Even if he did… what he’s going to get is a bunch of fake data because it’s really just a training database that’s used. The same database is used across all the country primarily in the state of Florida. But it is fake names with fake addresses, fake voter ID numbers with just different scenarios.” said Sartory Link.

The security manager said Panicci was identified because all visitors were required to check in with an electronic kiosk near the facility entrance.

Before entering, volunteers were required to provide a valid Florida identification and let the kiosk take a picture of their face.

The security manager said although the kiosk deleted images of the identification and the facial view, the system retained names, addresses, dates of birth, and time stamps from the volunteers who enter and leave the facility. That information is recorded.

The security manager was able to use the information to identify Panicci as the person who took the key.

The report says Panicci was seen on surveillance video remove the device from the kiosk next to him and hide the device in his pants pocket.

The security manager said that all training equipment was not allowed to be removed from the training room.

The security manager told detectives that he was told a poll worker manager contacted Panicci on the telephone and confronted Panicci about the stolen device.

Panicci initially denied taking the device but later stated that he did not mean to take the device and had already discarded the device.

The poll worker manager was planning to inform Panicci that he would not be allowed to work the March 24 election because of their findings on the missing device.

The kiosk with the missing key was not able to be used on election day until a replacement key device was received.

The poll worker manager noted that the supervisor of elections office was able to conduct the election without any changes to security protocols.

A deputy with the sheriff’s office reviewed the surveillance video and observed Panicci at some point reach over the kiosk to his right and pull the key device from the kiosk and place the key in his right pocket.

Panicci is seen chatting with elections office officials before he leaves the training session.

As of Monday afternoon, Panicci, a Michigan native, is in the Palm Beach County Jail on $6,000 bail.

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