Viral video: Toddler falls from mom's moving SUV, lands in Southern California city intersection, cops say. Mom out on bail.



A Southern California mother has been released from custody after her child endangerment arrest in connection with a viral video that police said shows her toddler falling from her moving SUV in a Fullerton intersection, KNBC-TV reported. Fullerton is just minutes north of Anaheim.

The video shows a black SUV making an eastbound turn onto West Malvern Avenue from southbound North Euclid Street, police said, adding that as the SUV enters the intersection and completes the turn, the front passenger door opens, and a small child falls to the ground and into the roadway.

'I felt a mixture of emotions anywhere from anger to worry to shock.'

The SUV immediately stops, nearly causing a traffic collision with the vehicle behind it, police said.

An adult female is then seen running from the driver’s side of the SUV, picking up the child, and returning to the vehicle before the video ends, police said.

The incident occurred Jan. 20, but police said no one reported it until witness Natalie Quintanilla — a mother of four children — reached out to law enforcement over the weekend, KNBC said.

"I felt a mixture of emotions anywhere from anger to worry to shock because it’s something that could have easily been avoidable," Quintanilla added to the station Tuesday.

Police said a witness came forward Saturday, reported observing the incident, and provided identifying information related to the vehicle involved. Police said officers conducted a follow-up investigation, which led them to a residence in the city of La Habra. Police said officers located the vehicle, the child, and the female involved in the incident seen in the video.

RELATED: Toddler dies after being found submerged in container of water on front porch; mother accused of negligence: Cops

The 19-month-old child suffered injuries consistent with the fall and was transported to an area hospital for treatment, police said, adding that the child is expected to make a full recovery.

The female — identified as Jacqueline Hernandez, the 35-year-old mother of the child — was placed under arrest and booked at the Fullerton City Jail for felony child abuse, police said.

Hernandez was soon transferred to the Orange County Jail; an Orange County Sheriff's Office official told Blaze News they aren't releasing Hernandez's mugshot "at this time."

Orange County Jail data Blaze News accessed indicated Hernandez was set for release Tuesday.

Indeed KNBC said Hernandez posted $100,000 bail at 1:30 a.m. Tuesday.

The station, citing police, added that Hernandez's 19-month-old boy was treated and released from the hospital, but it wasn't immediately clear if the toddler is back in the care of Hernandez.

A neighbor of Hernandez, who declined to be identified for privacy, defended the mother, telling KNBC that "sometimes we do make mistakes."

"I can almost guarantee you there’s no way that will happen again with her. No way," the neighbor noted to the station.

KNBC said the Orange County district attorney's office hadn't yet officially charged Hernandez but is reviewing the case.

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Texas Army sergeant arrested after video of 3-year-old boy being brutally beaten goes viral



A Texas Army sergeant stationed at Fort Hood was arrested after video showing a 3-year-old boy being brutally beaten went viral on social media.

Waco Police said Paul Thames, 29, is the male seen in a Ring doorbell camera video beating the child, KWTX-TV reported, adding that the clip was recorded at the Legend Apartments and shared with law enforcement.

'Are you going to stop playing?'

Thames is being held on a federal detainer at the McLennan County Jail, the station said.

A spokesperson with the 1st Cavalry Division confirmed to KWTX in an email that Thames is a sergeant stationed at Fort Hood.

“We are aware of the arrest of Sgt. Paul Thames for abuse of a child. The 1st Cavalry Division is in communication with law enforcement. We are disgusted by the video that has been posted,” the official told the station. "The behavior of Sgt. Thames does not reflect the values of the 1st Cavalry Division or the U.S. Army.”

RELATED: Woman admits to beating to death boyfriend's 3-year-old son after horrific abuse, court records show

The video shared with KWTX shows the male picking up the toddler and hitting him at least five times in the torso with a clenched fist, the station said.

The boy is heard crying as the man pulls him up by the face and asks, “Are you going to stop playing?” KWTX reported, adding that the male then walks away with the child.

Police were dispatched around 5:20 p.m. Friday to the apartment complex located at 2400 Corporation Parkway to investigate the incident, the station said.

Police added to KWTX that the child was taken by ambulance to a local hospital, where medical personnel evaluated him, and he was later released.

Thames surrendered to authorities and was booked into the McLennan County Jail late Friday night, the station said, adding that he was charged with injury to a child, a third-degree felony.

Thames' bond was set at $200,000, but KWTX said the county jail confirmed that he was being held on a federal detainer.

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Special education aide drags autistic elementary school student by arm 30 feet down hallway, police say



A Las Vegas special education aide is accused of dragging an autistic elementary school student by the arm 30 feet down a hallway.

Clark County School District Police on Friday arrested 21-year-old Zachary May at J.E. Manch Elementary School, the Las Vegas Review-Journal reported.

The arrest report said the student stood up after being dragged and attempted to kick May in the shin, the paper added.

May faces one felony count of battery on a vulnerable person and one felony count of child abuse or neglect, the Review-Journal noted, citing North Las Vegas Justice Court records.

Police said school surveillance video showed May dragging the student from a classroom doorway into a hallway shortly after 11 a.m. Thursday, the paper said.

The student has limited verbal communication abilities and had entered an open classroom and greeted students before May arrived and attempted to get the student to leave, the paper said, citing the arrest report.

Police said a person who witnessed the incident indicated that the student fell to their knees before May “aggressively grabbed (them) by the arm and dragged (them) out of the classroom while (the student) was still on the floor,” the Review-Journal reported.

The witness didn't hear May say anything to the student, but he showed frustration on his face, the paper reported, citing police.

About five minutes later, video showed the student running away from May and turning a corner in the school's hallway, the Review-Journal said, citing the arrest report. May turned the corner, grabbed the student, and again dragged the student down the hallway — this time for about 4 feet, the paper said, citing the arrest report.

The teacher's assistant also was seen hovering over the student at one point, KVVU-TV reported.

RELATED: Florida classroom assistant jailed after 'knee-jerk' physical reaction to 6-year-old autism student's behavior: Cops

Two of the elementary school's assistant principals told police they reviewed the school's surveillance video and saw May grab the student by the arm and drag the student for about 30 feet, the Review-Journal reported.

The arrest report said the student stood up after being dragged and attempted to kick May in the shin, the paper added.

More from the Review-Journal:

Police said they visited the student’s house for a wellness check following the incident and took photos of the student’s arms. The arms did not show any fresh injuries, bruising or marks, the arrest report said.

Police placed May into handcuffs on Friday morning and briefly spoke to him inside a conference room at Manch Elementary, according to the arrest report. When asked about Thursday’s incident, May told police that he placed a minor restraint on the student after they escaped him.

May's felony arraignment is scheduled for Feb. 9, the paper said, citing court records.

A separate KVVU report said May has been employed with the district since January 2025 and was last assigned to Manch Elementary School as a specialized programs teacher assistant.

Police told the station he will be placed on unpaid leave after negotiation.

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DHS gives stern warning after foreign-born sex felon who recently worked for Walz's Minnesota nabbed by ICE



The Department of Homeland Security has issued a stern warning after a foreign-born sex offender in Minnesota who recently worked for the state Department of Education was picked up by Immigration and Customs Enforcement.

Earlier this summer, news broke that Wilson Tindi, a 43-year-old native of Kenya, was working as the director of the Internal Audit and Advisory Services division of the Minnesota Department of Education despite pleading guilty to felony criminal sexual conduct in 2015.

'It is a privilege to be granted a green card to live in the United States of America.'

In June, just three months ago, Tindi was arrested for allegedly driving under the influence and refusing a field sobriety test. He has been charged with three misdemeanors.

Within hours of the initial report from Alpha News about Tindi's troubling history, Blaze News learned Tindi was no longer employed at MDE.

Now Tindi is back in the news for yet another arrest — this time by immigration officers.

Though the date of his arrest is unclear, Alpha News reported on Monday that members of ICE and other law enforcement agencies arrested Tindi at his residence in Plymouth, Minnesota, just outside the Twin Cities. Tindi did not seem surprised to see the officers — according to reporter Liz Collin, who rode along with St. Paul ICE field director Sam Olson — and was placed in handcuffs in his garage, standing next to his BMW.

RELATED: 'Despicable': DHS unloads on left-leaning outlet for suggesting illegal alien pedophiles had a 'cultural misunderstanding'

Footage of the arrest shows that Tindi was afterward processed in a detention center, but the status of his case remains unclear. A major complication with the case is that Tindi is not in the U.S. illegally. He became a lawful permanent resident in 2014, even though he reportedly overstayed the six-month visa issued to him in 2005, had a previous application for permanent residency denied, and later spent 18 months in ICE custody following his aggravated felony conviction.

"We really have to go through, work with our legal team to make sure that the conviction would qualify for removability from the U.S. So it did take us kind of a long time and a lot of research with help from our legal team, who are amazing. We did come up with [an] immigration charge because of his criminality," Olson told Collin. "We do have a warrant of arrest for him."

"We’re law enforcement officers, here to get the worst of the worst off of the streets and back to their country," he added.

Whether Tindi is slated for deportation is unclear. A search of his information in the ICE detainee database did not yield any results.

Tindi and the office of Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz (DFL), who oversees the two state departments that employed Tindi, did not respond to a request for comment from Blaze News.

In addition to deporting those who broke the law to enter the U.S., it seems DHS Secretary Kristi Noem and the rest of the Trump administration are taking a stand against foreign-born legal residents who commit non-immigration crimes while they are here.

"It is a privilege to be granted a green card to live in the United States of America. When you break our laws, that privilege should be revoked, and you should not be in this country," Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin said in a statement to Blaze News.

"President Trump and Secretary Noem have been clear: Criminal aliens are not welcome in the United States."

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Florida teen mom allegedly endangers her crying 2-year-old so she can watch 'Smurfs' movie in peace



An 18-year-old Florida mother took her younger siblings and her 2-year-old daughter to see the "Smurfs" movie at Regal Cinema 90 in Lake City last Saturday, WFOX-TV said.

During the movie, the daughter kept crying, so the mother took her into the lobby a few times to get her to calm down — and finally took her to their car, the station said.

'It's horrible.'

Lake City Police said the mother, Tipora Merriex, put her child inside the vehicle — locked and unattended — and returned to the movie theater.

A theater employee allegedly told investigators that Merriex appeared "very annoyed with her daughter's crying," Law & Crime reported.

RELATED: 3-year-old girl dies after being found in hot car with unconscious mom during 104-degree day, police say

Image source: Lake City (Fla.) Police Department

According to WFOX — which said it accessed a police report in connection with the incident — Merriex indicated that she closed the passenger side door and was going to the driver's side when she realized she locked herself out of the car.

However, the station added that a witness said Merriex "closed the door and went back inside the movie theater several times, leaving her child alone in the heat."

Police said officers responded to the theater just before 6 p.m. over reports of a child locked in a vehicle and found the 2-year-old "visibly distressed inside" the car. Police added that the outside temperature was 94 degrees with a 107-degree heat index at the time.

Police said they broke the driver's side window and removed the child, who "appeared flushed" and was "sweating and crying." Police said the child was taken to a medical facility for treatment.

Merriex was arrested and taken to the Columbia County Detention Center, police said.

RELATED: 'Break it!' Bodycam video shows moment cops save crying little kids locked in dangerously hot car for nearly an hour

Law & Crime said it obtained Merriex's arrest report and noted that it outlines her "very nonchalant demeanor as her child was in the locked vehicle." The arrest report said Merriex periodically exited the "Smurfs" movie showing to go outside and check on the victim, Law & Crime noted, before allegedly having her siblings perform the task.

According to jail records, Merriex was charged with felony child neglect, her bail was set at $50,000, and she was released Tuesday.

"I raise kids, and I never leave my kids in a car for more than a minute," Lake City resident Debbie Spencer told WFOX in the wake of the incident. "It's horrible."

Spencer also told the station, "I can't believe people do stuff like that. Yeah, it's bad."

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Federal judge just dealt some bad news to Wisconsin judge who allegedly helped illegal alien evade ICE



Milwaukee County Circuit Judge Hannah Dugan was indicted by a federal grand jury in May on charges of concealing a person from arrest and obstruction of the law.

Dugan — who has been characterized by Democratic lawmakers both as a courtroom hero and as a victim of the Trump administration — is desperate to avoid going to trial for allegedly helping Eduardo Flores-Ruiz, an illegal alien from Mexico charged with three misdemeanor counts of battery, get away from U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement.

Dugan, whose actions on April 18 were largely caught on courthouse cameras, evidently figured the Supreme Court's ruling in Trump v. United States condemned by Democrats last summer was her ticket out of trouble.

'This, however, is not a civil case.'

Citing the court's determination that the president "may not be prosecuted for exercising his core constitutional powers, and he is entitled, at a minimum, to a presumptive immunity from prosecution for all his official acts," lawyers for the Milwaukee judge claimed in a May 14 motion to dismiss the case that "the government cannot prosecute Judge Dugan because she is entitled to judicial immunity for her official acts." Dugan's lawyers suggested further that her prosecution violates the limits of federal power under the 10th Amendment.

A federal judge suggested otherwise this week.

U.S. Magistrate Judge Nancy Joseph recommended on Monday that Dugan's motion to dismiss be denied and torpedoed the Milwaukee judge's arguments for dismissal one by one.

RELATED: Courthouse footage spells trouble for Wisconsin judge accused of helping illegal alien evade ICE

Photo by Scott Olson/Getty Images

"It is well-established and undisputed that judges have absolute immunity from civil lawsuits for monetary damages when engaging in judicial acts," wrote Joseph. "This, however, is not a civil case. And review of the case law does not show an extension of this established doctrine to the criminal context."

'Trump says nothing about criminal immunity for judicial acts.'

"Does judicial immunity shield Dugan from prosecution because the indictment alleges she violated federal criminal law while performing judicial duties? The answer is no," wrote Joseph.

The federal judge underscored that there is "no firmly established absolute judicial immunity barring criminal prosecution of judges for judicial acts."

Joseph also made mince meat out of Dugan's attempt to use Trump to avoid criminal prosecution for alleged improper conduct within her courtroom.

— (@)

"While Dugan asserts that Trump simply extended to the president the same immunity from prosecution that judges already have, this argument makes a leap too far. Trump says nothing about criminal immunity for judicial acts," wrote Joseph.

"And in Fitzgerald, while the Supreme Court looked to the historical jurisprudence regarding civil judicial immunity, the Court was clear that the grant of absolute immunity for civil damages for 'outer perimeter' acts of the president was due to the 'special nature of the president's constitutional office and functions,'" added Joseph.

Joseph further recommended that the court declines Dugan's invitation to dismiss the indictment on the canon of constitutional avoidance.

RELATED: Trump fighting 'unconstitutional power grab' by Obama judge who reopened the floodgates

Photo by Scott Olson/Getty Images

While the U.S. magistrate judge made abundantly clear that Dugan's motion to dismiss has no legs to stand on, the decision rests with U.S. District Judge Lynn Adelman.

As Blaze News previously reported, Adelman is a Clinton-appointed U.S. district judge and a former Democratic state senator with a history of attacking President Donald Trump, claiming, for instance, that the president makes no effort "to enact policies beneficial to the general public" and behaves like an "autocrat."

Dugan, relieved of her duties as a judge in April by the Supreme Court of Wisconsin, was originally scheduled to go to trial later this month, but Adelman took the trial date off the calendar last month pending the outcome of her motion to dismiss.

"We are disappointed in the magistrate judge's non-binding recommendation, and we will appeal it," Dugan attorney Steven Biskupic said in a statement obtained by the Associated Press. "This is only one step in what we expect will be a long journey to preserve the independence and integrity of our courts."

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Punch a cop, get a charge — even if you’re in Congress



With a recent assault on the very federal law enforcement officers they are charged with overseeing, Democrats haven’t just embraced criminals; they’ve become them.

Last month, three Democratic lawmakers — Reps. Rob Menendez Jr., Bonnie Watson Coleman, and LaMonica McIver, all from New Jersey — led a mob of protesters in storming the Delaney Hall Immigration and Customs Enforcement facility. They waited for a bus full of detainees to arrive, then rushed the open gate and physically clashed with federal officers.

Our republic will not survive if America’s elected leaders are allowed to act like this. They not only committed crimes in public but then hid behind their Article I powers as a shield.

This wasn’t symbolic. This was an elected mob laying hands on law enforcement.

The video tells the story: shoving, punching, and chaos. These three members of Congress — who represent more than two million Americans — assaulted officers doing their jobs. Then, astonishingly, they claimed they were the victims, despite clear footage proving otherwise.

All of this over what turned out to be nothing.

After the chaos, ICE officials offered the lawmakers a guided tour of the facility. The Democrats quietly admitted they found no signs of mistreatment. Their entire stunt, billed as a protest of conditions, collapsed under the weight of reality. They walked in demanding accountability and walked out with nothing but bad footage and a pending felony charge.

Yes, a felony.

Rep. McIver now faces a federal charge of assaulting a law enforcement officer, announced on May 20 by Acting U.S. Attorney Alina Habba. President Trump and Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem have made it clear: This administration backs the rule of law. If you punch a cop, you get charged — even if you have a congressional pin on your lapel.

The left tried to frame the incident as “congressional oversight.” But oversight doesn’t mean storming gates or skipping security checks. ICE policy allows members of Congress to tour facilities — even unannounced. But it does not allow them to create security threats, bypass screening, or lead mobs onto federal property. Those procedures exist to protect staff, detainees, and lawmakers alike.

This was not oversight. It was lawlessness, pure and simple.

RELATED: Memo to Democrats: ‘Oversight’ isn’t a get-out-of-jail-free card

Photo by Andrew Harnik/Getty Images

Since President Trump restored control of the southern border, anti-border Democrats have become unhinged. No longer able to rely on waves of illegal crossings, they’ve begun imitating the tactics of the very criminal aliens they once defended — storming barriers, resisting authority, and attacking officers.

Now, that’s the legacy of the modern Democratic Party.

But legal consequences alone aren’t enough. Congress must act.

The House should censure all three lawmakers involved. Censure is not a punishment; it’s a statement of principle. And lawmakers have been censured for far less than leading an assault on federal agents. The House has a duty to uphold the integrity of its own body. That means sending a message: If you behave like a thug, you’ll be treated like one.

Our republic will not survive if America’s elected leaders are allowed to act like this. They not only committed crimes in public but then hid behind their Article I powers as a shield.

America’s founders warned about this.

In "Federalist 1," Alexander Hamilton posed a choice: Would Americans build a government based on “reflection and choice” — or surrender to “accident and force”? That question remains. If lawmakers now claim the right to break the laws they swore to uphold, we’re no longer living in a constitutional republic. We’re living under mob rule.

And if we let this slide — if Congress fails to hold its own accountable — then we’ll have no one to blame when the next mob storms another federal building under another political banner.

Democrats love to remind us: “No one is above the law.” Fine. Then prove it.

Courthouse footage spells trouble for Wisconsin judge accused of helping illegal alien evade ICE



Milwaukee County Circuit Judge Hannah Dugan was indicted by a federal grand jury last week on charges of concealing a person from arrest and obstruction of the law.

Dugan, relieved of her duties as a judge last month by the Supreme Court of Wisconsin, could land up to six years in prison if convicted for allegedly helping Eduardo Flores-Ruiz, an illegal alien from Mexico charged with three misdemeanor counts of battery, get away from U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement.

Judging from the courthouse footage recently obtained from Milwaukee County by WISN-TV through an open records request, her defense has its work cut out.

The federal indictment alleges that Dugan committed multiple "affirmative acts" to assist Flores-Ruiz evade arrest following his pre-trial April 18 appearance in her courtroom, including:

  • confronting members of an ICE task force and "falsely telling them they needed a judicial warrant to effectuate the arrest of E.F.R.";
  • directing all members of the task force to leave the public hallway outside her courtroom and to go to the chief judge's office;
  • addressing the illegal alien's criminal case off the record while ICE agents were waiting in the chief judge's office;
  • "directing E.F.R. and his counsel to exit Courtroom 615 through a non-public jury door"; and
  • advising Flores-Ruiz's lawyer that the illegal alien could appear by Zoom for his next court date.

The original FBI charging document goes into far more detail, drawing on witness testimony and other inputs.

The footage appears to corroborate a number of the allegations made in both documents.

— (@)

In the footage, Dugan can be seen confronting federal agents in the hallway outside her courtroom, then directing them away to speak to the chief judge.

The FBI charging document notes that after learning of the presence of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents, Dugan and another judge approached members of the arrest team in the public hallway.

The document notes further that Dugan, who was "visibly upset and had a confrontational, angry demeanor," told the deportation officer to leave the courthouse. After the officer indicated he had an administrative warrant, Dugan allegedly suggested that he instead needed a judicial warrant.

The judge then allegedly ordered the deportation officer and other federal agents to report to the chief judge's office.

'Hannah Dugan should be barred from ever serving as a judge again.'

Seizing upon the distraction, the Mexican national and his attorney can be seen in the video sneaking out of Dugan's courtroom through a jury door not open to the public.

Additional footage obtained by WISN shows Flores-Ruiz take off running upon exiting the building while federal agents gave chase.

RELATED: Dems condemn Trump admin over arrest of judge who allegedly helped illegal alien escape: 'A red line'

Photo by Scott Olson/Getty Images

Despite Dugan's alleged efforts, law enforcement was ultimately able to capture Flores-Ruiz. The illegal alien reportedly remains in federal custody.

The Department of Homeland Security previously told Blaze News, "Judge Dugan intentionally misdirected ICE agents away from this criminal illegal alien to obstruct the arrest and try to help him evade arrest. Thankfully, our FBI partners chased down this illegal alien, arrested him and removed him from American communities."

Dugan pleaded not guilty during her arraignment in federal court on May 15.

After seeing the footage, Republican Rep. Tom Tiffany (Wisc.) stated, "Hannah Dugan should be barred from ever serving as a judge again. A judge who puts criminal illegal aliens above victims has no place in our courts."

RELATED: Tom Homan to Glenn Beck: Tim Walz 'disgusting' for comparing ICE to 'Gestapo' — Eric Swalwell not 'above the law'

Last week, Dugan's attorneys filed a motion to dismiss the indictment, claiming that "the government cannot prosecute Judge Dugan because she is entitled to judicial immunity for her official acts. Immunity is not a defense to the prosecution to be determined later by a jury or court; it is an absolute bar to the prosecution at the outset."

'These plainly were judicial acts for which she has absolute immunity.'

Her attorneys cited the Supreme Court's July 1, 2024, ruling in Trump v. United States, where a 6-3 majority determined that the president "may not be prosecuted for exercising his core constitutional powers, and he is entitled, at a minimum, to a presumptive immunity from prosecution for all his official acts."

Dugan's attorneys noted that even if "Judge Dugan took the actions the complaint alleges, these plainly were judicial acts for which she has absolute immunity from criminal prosecution."

While she had no luck with her motion to dismiss, Dugan landed an anti-Trump judge with an apparent ax to grind.

Blaze News previously reported that Lynn Adelman, the Clinton-appointed U.S. district judge presiding over Dugan's case, is a former Democratic state senator with a history of attacking President Donald Trump, claiming, for instance, that the president makes no effort "to enact policies beneficial to the general public" and behaves like an "autocrat."

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Truckers File Lawsuit Arguing They Shouldn’t Lose Second Amendment Rights Just Because They Cross State Lines

A complaint challenges Minnesota’s refusal to recognize lawfully issued firearms permits of 29 other states.

Nebraska Supreme Court Rules That Felons May Vote

'This decision is a victory for Nebraskans'