Subway rider fights back after 'much bigger' passenger slaps him in face, sends his glasses flying



Alexander Rakitin told the New York Post he's been commuting from Brooklyn to Manhattan on the subway for almost three decades — but in the last couple of years he's noticed the danger factor increase.

“I think everyone who takes the subway feels scared and nervous,” Rakitin, a father who works in finance, told the Post. “There’s a degree of nervousness all the time. Scanning my surroundings, seeing irate, angry people. People just not following the rules, antisocial behavior, criminal behavior, and aggression.”

'Everybody that gets on the subway in the morning knows they're going down into a dangerous place. That's just the reality we live in.'

Rakitin experienced all of that dialed up several notches earlier this week in a dangerous encounter captured on cellphone video.

Just after 8:30 a.m. Monday, Rakitin was aboard the N train when another passenger became upset, WABC-TV reported.

The Post noted that Rakitin, 42, accidentally nudged the knee of 34-year-old Timothy Barbee.

"He's being aggressive that apparently I sat too close to him, even though I wasn't in an adjacent seat," Rakitin told the station. "It's just he felt that's his personal space, and he was being very aggressive. I told him to just chill out. Like, just chill. It's 8:30 in the morning. Just going to work. Nobody needs this. Just chill out. And he just escalated."

Video shows the pair jawing at each other with apparent expletives when Barbee tells Rakitin to "make me chill" and repeatedly orders him to "shut the f*** up." Rakitin tells Barbee that "you started it," and the pair stare each other down.

With that, Barbee tells Rakitin, “I ain’t got time to go to jail today" and to "stop staring at me" — and then slaps Rakitin in the face, causing Rakitin's glasses to fly off his head.

Rakitin told WABC that while he's had previous encounters on the subway, this was the first time it escalated into physical violence.

But Rakitin said he fought back.

"I got on top of him, and I just grabbed ahold of him," he told the station. "And I was thinking, like, 'Just don't let go because he's much bigger than me.' I don't know what's on his mind, so I was just holding him until the cops came."

Rakitin added to WABC that Barbee started calling out for help. What's more, Rakitin told the Post that Barbee — and other passengers — actually began telling Ratikin to let Barbee go.

“The only way I can explain it to myself is that the people that saw it start, how it started, they just ran away," Rakitin told the paper. "Most people just ran away into a different train car. And then the people that didn’t see it start only paid attention when I wrestled him to the ground.”

The Post said Barbee was arrested after the train pulled into the next stop; he was charged with third-degree assault. WABC said Rakitin wasn't seriously hurt.

Barbee declined to comment on the incident after his Tuesday arraignment, the Post reported.

"Everybody that gets on the subway in the morning knows they're going down into a dangerous place," Rakitin told WABC. "That's just the reality we live in."

You can view WABC's video report here about the incident. The Post's video shows the argument, the slap — and then Barbee being led off the train in handcuffs.

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Girl, 8, fights would-be kidnapper who entered her bedroom wearing clown mask in middle of the night, cops say



Police in Colorado said an 8-year-old girl fought a would-be kidnapper who entered her bedroom wearing a clown mask in the middle of the night last week.

Sterling Police were called around 2:30 a.m. Oct. 15 to a home on Walnut Street for a reported home invasion and kidnapping attempt, KUSA-TV reported, citing an arrest affidavit.

The victim's mother told police the suspect was in her home the previous weekend to help install a washer and dryer.

The suspect entered the home sometime between 1 and 2 a.m., the station said, adding that police said the suspect likely entered and exited through the back door, which may have been unlocked.

The victim told police the suspect came into her room, put a blindfold over her face, and grabbed her out of bed, KUSA reported. The affidavit says she started fighting back, after which the suspect hit her on the head, leaving her unconscious, the station said.

When the victim woke up, she ran into her mother's room to tell her what happened, KUSA said.

The suspect was wearing a cloth clown mask during the assault, the station said, citing the affidavit. The mask, along with a pair of gloves, were left in the child's room, KUSA noted.

Police said the suspect also took the victim's phone, the station reported. The affidavit says location data from the phone was used to help identify the suspect, according to KUSA.

The suspect — 56-year-old Thomas Gallegos — lives in the neighborhood, the station said, citing the affidavit. The victim's mother told police the suspect was in her home the previous weekend to help install a washer and dryer, KUSA reported.

Gallegos was taken into custody Saturday on suspicion of the following charges, police told the station: first-degree burglary, second-degree attempted kidnapping, second-degree assault, third-degree assault, and child abuse.

The next court appearance for Gallegos is set for Nov. 4, KUSA said.

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Twisted Texas love triangle: Couple allegedly plot ambush, kidnapping, murder of wife's alleged former lover — over dishonor



A Texas husband and wife allegedly attempted an ambush, kidnapping, and murder of the wife's alleged former lover over the weekend.

The victim — who did not want to be named due to fears for his life — allegedly had been having an affair with 35-year-old Hana Ahmad Alolaimi. Both the victim and Alolaimi reportedly were married to other people.

The victim said the angry husband told him he had to die because he had dishonored his wife.

Citing court records, KRIV-TV reported that the two would meet at a Chick-fil-A in West Houston and then would drive behind a nearby Target to be alone.

While court documents say the victim broke off the adulterous relationship three months ago after his wife found out, the victim and Alolaimi allegedly met Saturday in the parking lot at the same Chick-fil-A from their past meetings.

According to court documents, Alolaimi parked her vehicle and gestured to the victim to enter her vehicle.

When Alolaimi started to drive away, the victim — a 36-year-old DoorDash delivery driver — reportedly told her that he had to make a delivery and could not leave. She allegedly continued to drive from the Chick-fil-A.

The victim was unaware that 48-year-old Omar Mahmoud Bishtawi — the husband of Alolaimi — reportedly was hiding in the back seat of the vehicle.

"Your husband jumped out from under a curtain that was in the back seat of the vehicle, put the complaining witness in a chokehold, then pressed a firearm against the complaining witness' head," the prosecutor told Alolaimi at her hearing, according to KHOU.

The victim said the angry husband told him he had to die because he had dishonored his wife.

"With his left hand, he grabs me like this and says: 'You made fun of her,'" the victim told KHOU.

"I pulled the door handle, and thank God it opened in a matter of seconds," the victim said.

The prosecutor added, "The complaining witness tried to get away, and your husband shot the complaining witness two times."

The victim managed to get away, call for help, and then he was rushed to a hospital.

Court documents note that the victim was shot in the thigh and right foot, and he could have died from the shooting if he had not been taken to the hospital in time.

The victim told KHOU he still can't feel anything below one knee.

The suspects reportedly drove away but later surrendered to the Houston police who said Alolaimi and Bishtawi provided investigators with conflicting statements about the nearly fatal incident.

Bishtawi and Alolaimi are both charged with aggravated kidnapping and aggravated assault.

Bishtawi's bond was set at $200,000 while Alolaimi's was set at $150,000.

Bishtawi and Alolaimi have three children ages 13, 10, and 7, according to court documents.

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NYC Amazon driver: 'Cops arrested me after I defended myself from 'pervert' migrant running at me, trying to steal from my van'



An Amazon delivery driver in New York City said police arrested him after he defended himself from a "pervert" migrant who first tried to steal from his van and then ran aggressively toward him, the New York Post reported.

What are the details?

Police sources said Yeison Sanchez, 26, was allegedly visibly drunk and holding a beer bottle when the Amazon driver said he caught him trying to take packages he was delivering in Brooklyn around 4:45 p.m. Sunday, the paper said.

The driver, who asked the Post to identify him only as Abu, told the paper Monday he noticed "a guy — he was like a pervert, he had his penis out."

“He’s in the corner of the street [masturbating], and I told him, ‘Hey, what are you doing?’” Abu added to the Post. “And he went into my van where all my mail and everything was at, and I pushed him away, and he ran toward me like he was going to aggressively hit me.”

Abu told the paper he picked up a piece of ice from the ground and "socked him with it" after which the male "went down on his butt.”

“I really had to protect myself," Abu added to the Post.

Abu recounted to the paper that his attempt to get nearby police officers to help him backfired badly: “[Sanchez] was telling [the cops] in Spanish that I punched him in the face. I told them there’s cameras around, you can probably find something. They said there were no cameras. After a while it turned into a ‘he said, she said’ thing, and that’s how it went.”

Wheels of justice going flat?

The Post, citing police and sources, said Sanchez — who lives at a shelter on Hall Street just blocks away from the scene of the incident — was charged with petit larceny and public lewdness.

Oh, and he was released without bail Monday, the paper added.

Abu, however, was charged with third-degree assault and released on a desk appearance ticket, the Post said, citing police. Fox News said the NYPD confirmed the charge against the Amazon worker.

“He was trying to aggressively hurt me, and I just protected myself and my property from my job,” Abu added to the paper Monday. “That’s it. I ended up being taken in, and now I have an open case about this. It’s ridiculous because I asked the cops for help. I ran to the cops and said, ‘Hey, can you please get this guy? I don’t want to hurt him. I already hit him with a snowball, and he was pretty hurt.’”

Abu also noted to the Post that he didn’t want to use his hands to “do him damage,” which is why he asked police for help.

“I didn’t want to lose my job. I did things the right way, by the books, and I wound up going to jail,” Abu added to the paper.

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Black Lives Matter livid over off-duty cop's acquittal after he hit woman; cop said she interfered in arrest. Cop, woman were also political rivals at the time.



Black Lives Matter is angry over the acquittal of an off-duty Providence, Rhode Island, police officer who hit a black woman during a protest in June following the overturn of Roe v. Wade.

Thing is, the officer said the woman was physically interfering with his attempt to arrest a man who was attacking a journalist.

Oh, and the cop and the woman he hit? They were political rivals at the time of the incident.

What's are the details?

Officer Jeann Lugo, 35, was acquitted of a simple assault charge Wednesday.

Lugo hit Rhode Island Political Cooperative co-founder Jennifer Rourke during the rally outside the state house, WPRI-TV reported.

However, Lugo said he was trying to apprehend a suspect who assaulted self-described independent journalist Josh Mello, and Rourke was physically preventing him from doing so, WPRI reported. Lugo said he applied a pair of “police-trained open-handed distractionary strike techniques” on Rourke to “get her off” him, the station added.

Image source: WPRI-TV video screenshot

The judge found Lugo’s actions justified as they were in line with keeping public order, WPRI said. Video of the incident shows it took place at night.

A judge dismissed a disorderly conduct charge against Lugo in late August, the station said.

Lugo’s attorney, Daniel Griffin, told WPRI that his client "never should have been arrested. He’s a kid who wanted to serve the city, who wanted to serve his community, and he was railroaded. He’s acquitted now, and we just hope that the city of Providence does the right thing and puts him back to work.”

A Providence police spokesperson said the department still wants to terminate Lugo — who's been on paid suspension since the altercation — despite his acquittal, the station said. Lugo can’t be fired outright due to the Law Enforcement Officer Bill of Rights, WPRI said, adding that it's unclear when the LEOBOR hearing will occur.

Lugo, a Republican, dropped out of the state Senate race shortly after the incident. Rourke, a Democrat, lost to another Republican as the seat held by retiring Majority Leader Michael McCaffrey was up for grabs.

What did Black Lives Matter have to say?

The executive director of the Black Lives Matter RI Political Action Committee told WPRI he was at the pro-abortion rally, that Rourke only was trying to deescalate things, and that the justice system failed her.

“It’s a really disappointing decision today,” Harrison Tuttle added to WPRI. “This is unacceptable. We cant have people, but most importantly police officers, punching women in the face.”

Image source: WPRI-TV video screenshot

WPRI said it hadn't heard back from Rourke after asking her to comment.

Here's the full statement on the ruling from the local Black Lives Matter outfit:

Today, Jeann Lugo, a Providence Police officer and former candidate for RI Senate District 29 was acquitted on assault charges brought against him by Jennifer Rourke, stemming from an altercation at an abortion rights rally at the State House on June 25, 2022.

We at BLM RI PAC want to extend our deepest condolences to Jennifer Rourke, the alleged victim of this assault. No person, let alone a political candidate should have to fear or face physical violence, based on their political views. Along with her alleged physical assault, which was captured on camera, her rights to free speech and public demonstration were robbed from her, by an officer who swore an oath to protect those rights for all citizens. Jennifer had her day in court and had to face her alleged abuser, as daunting and stressful as that is. Unfortunately the justice system failed her, and we know at this time, her grief and trauma is indescribable.

To Officer Lugo and the Providence Police Department: The actions committed on that day and the resulting trial and decision are abhorrent. Today is a clear example of how policing in our state and capital city needs to be examined under heavy scrutiny. To have an officer of the law, sworn to protect the rights of citizens in our community, attack a political figure exercising their right to free speech and public demonstration is a contradiction and stain on the validity of this officer’s employment and the Providence Police Department as a whole. We strongly urge the city of Providence and the Providence Police Department to think carefully, if and when they decide to reinstate Officer Lugo.

As we continue to fight for the rights of the people in our state, another day goes by and another alleged victim of police brutality is left to fend for themselves. The justice system has again failed to protect those who are victims. We were left waiting and wondering what the outcome of this trial would be, as we were not allowed to receive any substantial information on the matter from Mayor Elorza or any high ranking officers at the Providence Police Department, due to active LEOBOR statutes that don’t allow them to speak on investigations of officers, even when criminal charges are being brought upon the officer. We wait for the day this is no longer. We wait for the day that victims of police brutality receive the justice they deserve. We wait for the police in our cities and towns are held accountable for their actions and remain transparent.

(H/T: The Police Tribune)

Female student, 16, knocks out principal with punches to her head; student's mother threatened principal the previous night, police say



A 16-year-old female student knocked out her principal with punches to her head after dismissal at a Boston school Wednesday afternoon — and a police report said the student's mother threatened the 61-year-old principal the previous night.

What are the details?

Police said an officer assigned to a safety post outside the Upper Campus of the Dr. William W. Henderson K-12 Inclusion School was alerted around 2:30 p.m. to a "very violent attack" under way inside the school, WCVB-TV reported.

The officer found Principal Patricia Lampron unconscious on the ground with staff members attending to her, the station said, adding in its video report that witnesses told police Lampron was unconscious for four minutes. Sources told WBZ-TV that Lampron is 61 years old.

Witnesses told police the student told Lampron and a staff member to stop following her, after which the student threw closed-fist punches at Lampron's head while grabbing her hair, WCVB said, adding that the student also attacked the staff member.

Two school safety officers were holding the student by the time a Boston police officer arrived inside the school, the station said.

What happened to the principal?

Lampron suffered a concussion and possible rib fracture as well as swelling to her face and the back of her head, WCVB said, citing a police report. Her injuries are serious but not considered life-threatening, police added to the station.

The principal was taken to an area hospital, WCVB reported, citing Boston Public Schools Superintendent Brenda Cassellius, who added that the district is in contact with Lampron's family and said many students, staff, parents, and caregivers witnessed the assault.

Police said the unnamed staff member the student also attacked suffered injuries but is expected to be OK, the station said.

What happened to the student?

Boston police said the student faces one count of assault and battery on a victim over the age of 60, one count of assault causing serious bodily injury, and two counts of assault and battery on a public employee, WCVB said.

WCVB reported later that the student was released into her mother's custody. The station noted that the student will be arraigned Thursday in Dorchester Juvenile Court.

In addition, WCVB said a police report indicated the student's mother threatened the principal the night before the incident.

Anything else?

"This incident is disturbing and completely unacceptable," Cassellius said in a message sent to students' families, the station said. "We want to be clear: Violence of any kind is not tolerated and will not be tolerated in the Boston Public Schools."

Thursday classes are canceled for students at the Henderson Upper Campus, the superintendent added her message, WCVB noted, adding that the Lower Campus is open for classes Thursday.

Cassellius also said members of the BPS Safety and Crisis teams, as well as other support personnel, will be available for students and staff as long as needed when students return Friday to the Upper Campus, the station said.

The Dr. William W. Henderson K-12 Inclusion School serves children from diverse ethnic, linguistic, and ability backgrounds, WCVB reported, adding that students who have disabilities learn in general education classrooms with their non-disabled peers.

Student in Massachusetts assaults principal, knocks her unconscious, police sayyoutu.be

Staten Island bar co-owner who defied lockdown order allegedly hits sheriff's deputy with car, gets arrested again



The co-owner of Mac's Public House — the Staten Island bar that has gained national attention for defying COVID-19 lockdown orders — was arrested over the weekend for allegedly hitting a New York City sheriff's deputy with his car, KABC-TV reported.

What are the details?

Two deputies followed Danny Presti to his vehicle after he left the bar — which had welcomed customers once again — shortly after midnight Sunday, officials told the station.

Image source: WABC-TV video screenshot

The deputies identified themselves, approached Presti, and tried to arrest him for multiple offenses, KABC said, adding that Presti began to flee on foot toward his vehicle. The pursuing officers ordered him to stop, the station said, but Presti entered his car.

Officials said Presti allegedly drove into one of the deputies, who was thrown upon the hood of the vehicle, KABC said, adding that Presti drove about 100 yards with the injured officer clinging to the hood until deputies eventually brought the vehicle to a stop.

KABC said the incident was caught on surveillance video.

What happened to Presti?

Presti was arraigned Sunday on multiple charges — including felony assault — and was released from police custody, the station said. Presti's attorney Lou Gelormino told WABC his client spent the night in jail.

It was the second time Presti was arrested in less than a week, as sheriff's deputies raided Mac's Public House last Tuesday night and led Presti away in handcuffs for defying COVID-19 lockdown orders.

Presti on Monday said he's stepping back for a couple of days out of respect for law and order, the station said — but he and Gelormino maintained his innocence.

"Two big, burly officers came out from in between a parked car, behind him, and yelled, 'Presti! Hey, Presti!' and started running at him," Gelormino said Monday, according to WABC. "That's what started the whole turn of events. It wasn't two officers in uniform, waving badges, saying, 'Hey, can we talk to you?' That's what started the whole event."

Presti also made a statement Monday, the station said: "I have nothing but respect for the NYPD and other law enforcement. I think when you find at the end of the investigation, you will find that I did nothing wrong."

Image source: WABC-TV video screenshot

What happened to the sheriff's deputy?

The injured deputy was taken to a hospital, where he was treated and released, WABC said. A station reporter said during the broadcast that the deputy broke bones in his leg as a result of the incident — but that Presti denies that and insists the deputy only twisted his ankle — and that there's video to prove it.

More from WABC:

Officers made the arrest after conducting surveillance on the bar, which had violated COVID restrictions multiple times.

Officials say officers saw a woman standing in front of the pub who would guide people into the neighboring commercial space.

They were able to observe people enter the space and then disappear into a back room.

Those who were visible through the windows appeared to be drinking alcoholic beverages.

Around 10 p.m., officers saw about 20 people exit the neighboring space, followed by another 10 people.

Gelormino told the station the bar's tables were six feet apart Saturday night, including on the patio in the back, and that all social distancing rules were being followed.

Presti prior to his arrest told KABC that "we're struggling, and a lot of people in these businesses have lost a lot, and in the beginning, we were OK to sacrifice, and we've sacrificed everything at this point. You have to take care of us, the government is supposed to be there to protect you, and that's the opposite of what's happening here."

What did NYC Mayor Bill de Blasio have to say?

"I think his actions are extraordinarily disturbing, I think they are disgusting, I think there's no excuse for someone doing something that might threaten a law enforcement officer, that's what he did," New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio said about the incident, the station reported. "Our sheriff's deputy, his life was in danger because of what this guy did. It's absolutely unacceptable, he should pay very very serious consequences for what he did. I am always concerned we have to make sure consequences are clear. So I respect that the law enforcement system has a way of determining who can get released and who doesn't. But what I care about the most here, is that it be very clear, there are serious serious charges, and this guy did something extremely dangerous, and he needs to suffer the appropriate consequences for what he did."

What did New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo have to say?

"A couple of primary New York values: One of them was, you don't assault a police officer. They are defending a person who drove his car into a law enforcement officer, drove 100 yards with a law enforcement officer clinging to the hood for his life, and that's who they are championing ... Someone who attacked a law enforcement officer," New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo said, according to WABC. "You don't attack the NYPD. You don't do it. They put their life on the line. You don't attack a law enforcement officer who is doing his or her job. And when you have someone who drives their car into someone, could have killed him, hospitalizes him — how dare you? What signal are you sending when you glamorize that type of behavior? ... It's repugnant to the values of any real New Yorker. You never assault a police officer."

Anything else?

After Presti's first arrest Tuesday a large group of protesters hit the street in front of Mac's Public House Wednesday night to show their support for the bar.

And WABC reported that yet another protest is planned for Monday.

CBS News said Staten Island is home to many police officers and firefighters and is usually seen as supportive of law enforcement. The network added that the New York City borough is much more conservative than the rest of the city and is the only one of the Big Apple's five boroughs that voted for President Donald Trump in November.