Hero grandmother and Cracker Barrel manager fatally shot saving an employee from an armed mugger



A 59-year-old Texas woman is being hailed a hero after valiantly saving the life of one of her employees who was targeted by an armed robbery suspect.

What are the details?

Robin Baucom, the 59-year-old manager of a Houston-area Cracker Barrel, was inside the restaurant in the early hours of Saturday morning when she saw two men in a Dodge Charger pull up in the front of the store and attempt to rob an employee who was trying to get inside the store.

Baucom immediately jumped into action and ran to unlock the door for the employee while shoving one of the male suspects, who was trying to force his way into the restaurant.

Harris County Sheriff Ed Gonzalez said that it was that moment that the suspect pulled out his firearm and shot Baucom in the chest. She was rushed to a local hospital and sent directly into surgery, but she succumbed to her injuries.

The two suspects fled the scene in a grey Dodge Charger believed to be from the model's 2018 line. The suspect accused of shooting Baucom is described as wearing a black hoodie, black pants, and black shoes.

Baucom worked at the Cracker Barrel location for 34 years before her untimely death.

In a statement on her death, Baucom's daughter Tina said that her mother "would have done anything in the world to protect her employees or any of us."

“When I was starting kindergarten, she started at Cracker Barrel part-time. She would buy me back-to-school clothes,” Tina recalled. “It was supposed to be a couple of months. Thirty-four years later, a heartache, and here we are.”

Baucom's sister Gail added, "She is our hero, and we hope she will be remembered as a hero because she lost her life trying to protect her employees and Cracker Barrel."

Her brother Billy said, "The greatest love a person can have is giving their life for another person — and that’s exactly what she did. ... She was a protector. Not only with her family but with the ones she worked with. She protected the workers and gave her life for them."

In a statement on Baucom's death, a spokesperson for Cracker Barrel said that the company is solely focused on "supporting our manager's family, her fellow employees, and local law enforcement as we grapple with this tragedy and grieve."

Anyone with information on the incident has asked to reach out to the Harris County Sheriff’s Office Homicide Unit at (713) 274-9100 or Crimestoppers at (713) 222-8477.

Wild surveillance video captures the moment a pizzeria owner tries to break up a brawl, ends up knocked unconscious and stomped



Surveillance video captured the moment a fight broke out at a Winston-Salem, North Carolina, pizzeria and its owner was knocked out and stomped on when he tried to intervene.

What are the details?

Brothers Pizza owner Mike Scotto di Frego said that it was business as usual early Sunday morning — up to the point where a brawl broke out among at least five people.

In a Facebook post's thread, Scotto di Frego recalled the moment that he tried to intervene in the melee in order to evacuate the restaurant.

He wrote, "Still trying to get the story all together but I was breaking up a fight between two girls and three guys got involved and I got jump and stomped out till I was unconscious, I have 2 boys I’m a single dad I don’t need this in my life."

The restaurateur added, “Thank you everyone for reaching out. I greatly appreciate it. I’m doing a lot better your [sic] just going to have look at my ugly face for the next couple weeks but I will look forward to seeing everyone back at Brothers."

Scotto di Frego made the remarks in a thread announcing reduced hours for the eatery.

The original post said, "I’m sorry to announce this, but do to recent incidents in the store we will no longer be open late nights. This will be our permanent schedule for now Wednesday,Thursday open from 11am-10pm Friday and Saturday 11am-12am Sunday 11am-10pmThank you and Happy Holidays!!"

He told WGHP-TV that he suffered several punches to the head, which rendered him unconscious. Video shows at least one of the suspects repeatedly stomping on Scotto di Frego as he was slumped on the ground and up against the wall.

Sergeant Kevin Bowers of the Winston-Salem Police Department explained that the fight initially broke out between patrons at two different tables.

“There were two different patrons with tables in there and somehow an argument started and then, from the argument, a fight began, and then the business owner tried to break things up and he was assaulted,” Bowers told WGHP-TV.

Authorities ask anyone with information on the brawl or those involved to contact the Winston-Salem Police Department at (336) 773-7700.

(H/T: New York Post)

Actor Bradley Cooper reveals he was held at knifepoint in NYC while picking up toddler from school: '[I'd] gotten way, way too comfortable in the city'



Actor Bradley Cooper recently revealed his personal harrowing experience of being held at knifepoint while on his way to pick up his child at her New York City school.

He was unhurt in the incident.

What are the details?

Cooper told fellow actor Dax Shepard during a recent "Armchair Expert" podcast that he was traveling the subway system of New York City en route to pick up his daughter from her downtown school when he was accosted by a stranger and held at knifepoint.

Citing his complacency as a reason for not being more aware, Cooper said that he simply had "gotten way, way too comfortable in the city" prior to the incident.

"My guard was down," he admitted.

"I used to walk around New York City all the time with [headphones] on — this was pre-pandemic," Cooper recalled. "I was on the subway, 11:45 to pick Lea up downtown at Russian school, and I got held up at knifepoint."

Cooper said that he "felt somebody coming up" and approaching him, and he initially believed it to be a fan requesting a photo.

"I'm up against the post like it's 'The French Connection' or some s**t and then I, like, turned," he said. "I looked down and I see a knife. ... I remember thinking, 'Oh, it's a nice knife.'"

Cooper said that he was still wearing his headphones when he felt the person approach him.

"I’m just listening to music," he said. "So it's scored, the whole thing is scored. ... I see the person's eyes and I'm taken by how young they are."

At that point, Cooper was able to get off of the subway and began running away from the suspect.

"I jumped over the turnstile, hid around the white, tiled foyer entrance to the subway, took my phone out," he recalled. "He jumped over, running away, and I took a photo of him. Then I chased him up the stairs. He started running up Seventh Avenue. I took two more photographs of him."

Cooper said that he was able to grab the attention of two nearby police officers and told them of his experience on the subway.

"I ran down two police officers in an SUV, showed them the photograph, and I’m, like, talking to them, and the guy kept saying — it was so interesting — he’s like, 'Are you stabbed?' I was like, 'No, no, no.' And he goes, ‘No, check to see if you’re stabbed,’" he continued. "What happens is people gets stabbed and they're in shock. I looked to see if he was right. It was crazy."

Man allegedly brutally rapes woman on train as passengers stand by and do nothing at all



Passengers stood by and watched as a suspect raped a female passenger on a Philadelphia-area train, according to reports, and did nothing to stop the heinous act.

What are the details?

According to a Sunday report from the New York Times, the alleged attack took place on Wednesday night when a male suspect approached a female passenger on a train and was reported to have touched her several times.

Though the woman reportedly attempted to stop the man from touching her, he tore off her clothing and raped her on the train, officials said. The alleged assault, according to reports, played out over a period of eight minutes.

The purported attack took place on a Southeastern Pennsylvania Transportation Authority train on the Market-Frankfort line, a spokesperson for SEPTA told the outlet, calling the incident a "horrendous criminal act."

One of its employees, the transit authority spokesperson noted, immediately phoned authorities to report the crime.

“The assault was observed by a SEPTA employee, who called 911, enabling SEPTA officers to respond immediately and apprehend the suspect in the act," a portion of the statement read. "There were other people on the train who witnessed this horrific act, and it may have been stopped sooner if a rider called 911."

Upper Darby Township police arrested the suspect — 35-year-old Fiston Ngoy, a homeless man — on charges of aggravated indecent assault without consent and rape and sexual assault. He is being held in the Delaware County Jail in lieu of $180,009 bail and did not have a lawyer as of Sunday afternoon, the outlet reported.

In a statement on the incident, Timothy Bernhardt, superintendent of the Upper Darby Township Police Department, said that there were enough passengers present to stop the incident from taking place.

Bernhardt added that anyone on the train who failed to intervene could be criminally charged in connection with the incident if they recorded the attack.

Upper Darby Township Police are working with the SEPTA Transit Police on the investigation.

“I'm appalled by those who did nothing to help this woman," Bernhardt said. “Anybody that was on that train has to look in the mirror and ask why they didn't intervene or why they didn't do something."

The unnamed victim was transported to a local hospital. She is expected to recover.

Bernhardt added, "What this woman endured at the hands of this guy, what she's been able to provide for us, it's been unbelievable."

Woman pepper-sprays maskless mom and child over COVID-19 fears: Report



Authorities arrested a 32-year-old woman after she reportedly pepper-sprayed a woman and her child while the three rode in an elevator Monday, the Seattle Times reported.

The woman and her child, according to reports, were not wearing masks, which is said to have prompted the response from the 32-year-old suspect, who claims to be in a "high-risk category" for COVID-19-related illness.

What are the details?

Officers responded Monday afternoon to Pike Place Market for a report of assault, where they found the unnamed suspect, who was reportedly "pushing a stroller containing a bottle of bleach and carrying a can of pepper spray."

The suspect reportedly told police that she sprayed the victim out of COVID-19 fears.

KIRO-TV reported that the suspect — identified by KOMO-TV as Czarina Lee Slape — told investigators that the woman was "yelling at her" in the elevator, and so she took out the pepper spray and "accidentally" sprayed the woman and her child.

The King County Prosecutor's Office also reported that Slape insisted she was defending herself because of the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.

According to Newsweek report, authorities were able to arrest Slape and take her into custody without incident. She was booked into King County Jail on felony charges of assault and assault of a child and is being held on a $1,000 bond.

Seattle Fire Department first responders treated the adult and child victims at the scene.

The adult victim told authorities that she and her child were riding in an elevator with the woman when the suspect reportedly began swearing to herself.

When she asked Slape if everything was OK, the suspect then reportedly told the victim, "If you talk to me again I'm going to mace you."

KOMO reported that the victim reportedly responded by telling Slape that she and her son would have to pass Slape to get off the elevator, which reportedly prompted Slape to pull out a can of pepper spray and fire it at the victims.

The mother, according to the station, admitted to hitting Slape following the attack before the suspect fled from the elevator.

Casey McNerthy, a spokesperson for the King County Prosecutor's Office, told the station, "We understand that people are concerned about the [Delta] variant, but you can't attack people who aren't wearing a mask."

The station reported that Slape has an "extensive criminal history," including at least 21 other arrests ranging from disorderly conduct to theft.

Two teens will not receive jail sentences after attack kills 13 year old boy



The two boys behind a deadly school campus attack that killed a 13-year-old California boy will not receive jail sentences, a judge ruled on Friday according to KTTV-TV.

What are the details?

In 2019, 13-year-old Moreno Valley, California, student Diego Stolz died after two of his teenage classmates assaulted him on school property.

The attack took place at Landmark Middle School.

According to video footage of the incident, "one boy [is] standing in Diego's face, while the victim stood with his hands at his side."

"The boy then backed up before punching Diego in the mouth," the station added. "The second assailant then blindsided Diego with another punch, causing him to fall and strike his head on a concrete pillar."

Diego suffered "major trauma" and was pronounced brain dead. He was taken off life support a week later.

In November, both teens "made admissions" in Riverside Juvenile Court to involuntary manslaughter and assault with force likely to cause great bodily injury. The two previously faced charges of voluntary manslaughter, a more serious charge.

What else?

The Riverside District Attorney's Office said that, instead of jail time, each juvenile is sentenced to 150 hours of community services and that they will be required to "participate in various programs specifically tailored toward their rehabilitative needs."

KTTV reported, "The judge said he believed the probation department, who was pushing for jail time, was basing its terms and conditions on public outrage rather than rehabilitation."

Defense attorney David Wohl, who represented one of the teens, said, "The idea that they didn't go to youth prison shouldn't be seen as giving them a slap on the wrist, actually they're going to have a lot of work to do to complete their probation, which probably won't end until their 18th birthday. The probation wanted them to be sent to DJJ, which is the youth prison, which was not appropriate for 13-year-olds."

Defense attorney Rickson Dakanay, who represented the other teen, added, "It was an incident that occurred when they were 13 years old. They couldn't really process what was going on at the time. During some self-reflection, some therapy, they've actually come to grips with what occurred. They've showed some empathy, remorse."

Diego's family did not publicly comment on the sentencing hearing.

David Ring, his family's attorney, stated that the two boys consistently bullied Diego beginning in seventh grade in 2018. The family said they filed "multiple complaints" at the school in connection with the bullying, but said the concerns went unaddressed.

By 2019, the treatment reportedly escalated to the point where just days before the fatal attack, one of the boys "cornered and punched Diego in the chest and threatened to inflict further physical harm."

Though Diego reportedly went to a teacher — identified as campus Vice Principal Kamilah O'Connor — with his concerns, nothing was done, the family said.

Ring added, "This teacher saw his emotional state and knew there was something wrong, but there was nothing done."

The next day, Diego and a member of his family said they spoke with the vice principal, who said that the teens would be suspended for three days in connection with the assault. She also reportedly said that the teens' class schedules would be rearranged so that the boys' contact would be reduced.

"However," the station reported, "come Monday morning, the boys were still at school and later that day, two boys confronted Diego and threw punches that ultimately claimed his life."

Following the fatal attack, Ring said, "I don't believe the bullies were ever talked to. My information is that the assistant principal did absolutely nothing with that information — ever. You had a school who knew he was targeted and really did nothing to protect him."

The station reported that O'Connor and the former principal, Scott Walker, were replaced six weeks after Diego's death.

Two Moreno Valley Teens Avoid Jail Time in Beating Death Of Classmate Diego Stolz www.youtube.com

80-year-old man dies after mask dispute. Now authorities are charging a 65-year-old with homicide.



A 65-year-old man has been charged with criminally negligent homicide after he reportedly pushed an 80-year-old man to the ground.

What are the details?

Rocco Sapienza, 80, was visiting a bar in West Seneca, New York, on Sept. 26 when he approached 65-year-old Donald Lewinski, another bargoer.

According to CNN, Sapienza confronted Lewinski about not wearing a mask and about treating bar staff poorly during some of the evening's interactions at Pamp's Red Zone Bar and Grill.

"Sapienza allegedly confronted Lewinski at a West Senca bar near Buffalo on September 26 about how he spoke to the bar staff and for not regularly wearing a mask as Lewinski brought out buckets of beer to a band playing outside," the outlet reported.

When Lewinski came back inside the bar, he reportedly shoved the 80-year-old man to the ground.

Erie County District Attorney John Flynn said that Sapienza was "pretty much in an unresponsive condition right away."

"[Sapienza] went into a seizure right away there on the floor of the bar," he added.

First responders rushed Sapienza to a nearby hospital, where he remained unresponsive until he died from his injuries on Sept. 30.

An autopsy concluded that Sapienza died of blunt-force trauma to the head.

Flynn announced Monday that Lewinski had been charged with criminally negligent homicide in the death of Sapienza and pointed out that it seemed the two "just didn't like one another" from the moment they met that evening.

"I get the impression from witness statements that these two just didn't like one another," he said. "[T]hese two were butting heads from minute one there. ... So there were other things besides the mask that were involved here."

If convicted, Lewinski could face four years in prison.

'He was a very friendly man'

Lewinski's attorney, Barry Covert, says his client plans to plead not guilty and is set to appear at West Seneca Town Court on Tuesday.

Covert said, "It's certainly a tragedy that Mr. Sapienza passed away. My client and his family want to express their best wishes and sympathy to the family of Mr. Sapienza."

Sapienza's son, Richard, told KDKA-TV that his father — a retired steelworker — was friendly to all he met.

"He wasn't afraid to call somebody out for being stupid, for acting stupid. If you knew my father, that's the kind of guy he was. And my father could hold a conversation with anybody, he was a very friendly man," he said.

The owner of Pamp's Red Zone Bar and Grill told WKBW-TV that the bar's community is also "deeply saddened" by Sapienza's death.

"We are all deeply saddened by the loss of Rocco. He was a part of our Red Zone family and loved by all. Our deepest sympathies go out to Rocco's family," the statement read.