Friday, April 3, 2015

17-Year-Old Falls Six Stories During Police Chase In New York

NYPD officers were chasing two black teens suspected of smoking marijuana in a building lobby.

A teenager fell six stories from a rooftop in the Bronx while fleeing New York Police Department officers on Thursday night.

The teen fell off the building while he was being chased by two officers, Eduard Solano and Edmundo Rivera, for allegedly smoking marijuana in the lobby, the NYPD said.

The incident occurred around 7:35 p.m. ET on Thursday when a man informed four officers on foot patrol in the Bronx that a large group of teens (16-19 years old) was smoking marijuana in a building lobby.

One of the group's members tried to block the entrance of the building giving the others a chance to escape, police said. Two officers stayed in the lobby, while Solano and Rivera chased several members of the group up to the building's roof.

The officers saw two of the group's members running away and commanded them to stop. One of the teens, described by police as a 17-year-old black male, climbed over a two to three foot wall to escape while another tried to support him but lost his footing.

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Madison Police Release Records Of Officer And Teen Involved In Fatal Shooting

On March 6, Officer Madison, Wisconsin police officer Matt Kenny shot and killed unarmed black teen Tony Robinson, sparking protests. On April 3, police released documents pertaining to both men. Check back here for updates.

Kenny's personnel, discipline and traning files:

The report into Kenny's 2007 officer-involved shooting:

The Madison police's use of force policy and Kenny's past uses of force:

Previous calls to police for service at the scene of the shooting:

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Here Are The Racist Emails Between Ferguson Police And Court Officials

“We shouldn’t worry about him being president very long because what black man holds a steady job for four years.”

Ferguson city officials on Friday released the full racist emails over which two police officers and one court official lost their jobs in March.

Mary Ann Twitty

Facebook / Via buzzfeed.com

Mary Ann Twitty, an assistant court clerk at Ferguson's municipal court, was fired in March for sending emails described in the scathing Department of Justice report about racist practices in the city's police department as "derogatory, dehumanizing, and demonstrative of impermissible bias."

Rick Henke, the former Ferguson police captain, and William Mudd, a former police sergeant – both involved in the email exchanges with Twitty – resigned last month.

Their emails, obtained in full by BuzzFeed News through a public records request, include racist references to President Obama and First Lady Michelle Obama, comparisons of racial minorities to dogs, and derogatory and bigoted jokes concerning black people and Muslims.

In a 2011 email, Mary Ann Twitty forwarded of photo of Ronald Reagan feeding a monkey with the caption: "Rare photo of Ronald Reagan babysitting Barack Obama in early 1962."

In a 2008 email, Henke, referring to then president-elect Obama, wrote, "We shouldn't worry about him being president very long because what black man holds a steady job for four years."

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A Mom And Daughter With Autism Just Started A Dating Site For People On The Spectrum

Both being on the spectrum, they thought it was time to start a dating site for people with autism, by people with autism.

Cantu researched autistic communities online, but was disappointed by how many of them were made by non-autistics.

"These sites either portrayed autism in a negative light, or grouped us together without showing that each of us is different," she told BuzzFeed News.

Via spectrumsingles.com

"We wanted to create a website that brought together people on the spectrum for dating and friendships, but also be able to differentiate people's spectrum traits," Cantu said, adding that she often saw online communities separating those with Asperger's and autism, and felt that none were "inviting to everyone."

SpectrumSingles.com

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West Chester University Fraternity Member Charged With Rape

Mauricio Sanjuan-Martinez, a member of Kappa Delta Rho, allegedly raped a female student Sunday. He was arrested Thursday.

nbcphiladelphia.com

A 19-year-old West Chester University student and member of the Kappa Delta Rho fraternity was arrested Thursday and charged with rape, sexual assault and other offenses, the executive director of the national fraternity said.

Mauricio Sanjuan-Martinez allegedly raped a female student around 4 a.m. Sunday, at a house rented by several students, some of which are members of Kappa Delta Rho, said Joseph Rosenberg, Kappa Delta Rho executive director.

"Consistent with our principles and the rules of our fraternity, both the local chapter and the national fraternity immediately commenced expulsion proceedings against the individual involved in the alleged assault," Rosenberg said. "Those proceedings are ongoing."

Sanjuan-Martinez was held on $25,000 bail and has a preliminary hearing scheduled for April 16, according to NBC10. Rosenberg said members of the fraternity are cooperating with local law enforcement authorities in this matter.

West Chester University spokesperson, Pam Sheridan, said the university's Judicial Affairs office is investigating the incident to determine what sort of disciplinary action will be taken. This is the second reported rape on campus in two weeks. A rape was reported in a dormitory on March 20, according to Philly.com.

Messages to local police and the university's chapter of Kappa Delta Rho were not immediately returned.

The Kappa Delta Rho chapter at Penn State University was suspended after photos of unconscious, naked women appeared on a private Facebook page. The fraternity was suspended for a year while university and law enforcement officials investigate the incident.

Screenshots via NBC10.com.

LINK: Penn State Suspends Fraternity For Posting Photos On Facebook Of Unconscious Naked Women

LINK: Criminal Charges For Penn State Fraternity’s Facebook Page Could Hinge On Victims Coming Forward

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FBI Arrests Philadelphia Woman For Trying To Provide Support To ISIS

Keonna Thomas has been charged with “attempting to provide material support and resources” to ISIS after the FBI found a number of Tweets and e-mails referencing her allegiance to the Islamic State.

Iraqi security forces and allied Shiite militiamen celebrate as they hold a flag of the Islamic State group they captured in Tikrit.

Khalid Mohammed / AP

A 30-year-old Philadelphia woman, Keonna Thomas, was arrested Friday and charged with trying to provide material support to ISIS and attempting to travel overseas to fight with and martyr herself on behalf of the terrorist organization, FBI officials said.

Thomas' case was investigated by the FBI's Joint Terrorism Task Force and the Philadelphia Police Department. The FBI began monitoring Thomas' behavior in 2013, after she tweeted a picture of a child soldier with the caption: "Ask yourself, while this young man is holding magazines for the Islamic state, what are you doing for it? #ISIS"

According to the criminal complaint, Thomas, also known as "Fatayat Al Khilafah" and "YoungLioness," posted several other tweets in support of the militant group, including pictures of U.S. currency with captures about donating money to ISIS. She also emailed with ISIS fighters both in the United States and abroad.

In January 2015, Thomas sent an email to a radical Islamic cleric in Jamaica, the FBI's criminal complaint alleges. Her email read: "I don't want to say much here ... as of now im still here in the states but will be leaving soon." She later Tweeted that she would be deactivating her Twitter account so she didn't draw attention to herself while applying for a passport.

Thomas deactivated her Twitter account, but continued to email with ISIS militants who told her they could make her wish of partaking in Istishadee [martyrdom operations] with ISIS "come true," according to the complaint.

On March 26, Thomas bought plane tickets to fly to Barcelona, Spain, a route the FBI believes would have led her to Turkey, where she could have easily moved into the neighboring country of Syria.

Thomas was charged on Friday with "attempting to provide material support and resources, including herself as personnel, to a designated foreign terrorist organization" and for attempting to travel overseas in order fight with ISIS. If convicted, she will face up to 15 years in prison.

Her case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Jennifer Arbittier Williams of the Eastern District of Pennsylvania and Trial Attorney Paul Casey of the Justice Department's National Security Division.

Last week, two Illinois men were also charged with attempt to provide material resources to ISIS.

Read the entire criminal complaint here:

LINK: Two Illinois Men Arrested For Conspiring To Help ISIS

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Long-Awaited Report On The Boston Marathon Bombing Due Friday

A report on the law enforcement response to the April 2013 attacks in Boston is set to be published.

A long-awaited report on law enforcement’s response to the Boston Marathon bombing is expected to be released Friday, MassLive.com reports.

Police officers search for suspects in Watertown, Massachusetts in 2013.

Brian Snyder / Reuters

Officials told MassLive.com that they expect to have the report — originally slated to be published in March 2014 — online by noon.

The report, which is co-authored by Virginia-based contractor TriData, is expected to cover the April 2013 attacks at the Boston Marathon, the shooting of MIT police officer Sean Collier, and the shootout between the Tsarnaevs and police in Watertown, Mass.

Closing statements in the trial of Dzhokhar Tsarnaev are scheduled for Monday, April 6.

Jane Flavell Collins / AP

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