Former Florida sheriff's deputy arrested, accused of armed robbery of bank: 'Oh, my God! What is going on?'



A former Florida sheriff's deputy was arrested Saturday morning and accused of armed robbery of a bank, WKMG-TV reported.

Ocala police responded around 9:30 a.m. to a robbery at TD Bank on Southeast 17th Street, police said.

Thagard handed the bank teller a note stating, 'This is a robbery, I have a gun and will shoot if any alarms or dye packs are inclosed [sic]. Fill this bag with ... at least [$]50K. Big bills only. Wait 2 mins to call police.'

The suspect had fled the scene with more than $5,000 before officers arrived, police said.

Police learned that the suspect had handed a note to the bank teller stating that it was a robbery and that she was armed with a gun, police said.

Within 11 minutes, officers found the suspect — Christina Gates Thagard — driving westbound on Southwest College Road, near the College of Central Florida, police said.

Police dashcam video recorded Thagard's arrest, as she is ordered out of a car, puts her hands above her head, and asks officers, "Oh, my God! What is going on?"

Image source: Ocala (Fla.) Police Department

Thagard was taken into custody and questioned at police headquarters, cops said, adding that evidence tied to the bank robbery — including clothing, a medical glove, the stolen money, and other items — was found in her vehicle.

Surveillance video and witness descriptions confirmed Thagard's involvement, police said.

She was seen on surveillance video wearing a hoodie, sunglasses, a medical mask, and a glove on only one hand, WKMG said. Thagard handed the bank teller a note stating, "This is a robbery, I have a gun and will shoot if any alarms or dye packs are inclosed [sic]. Fill this bag with ... at least [$]50K. Big bills only. Wait 2 mins to call police," WOFL-TV reported.

More from WOFL:

Thagard initially denied involvement, claiming two acquaintances had borrowed her car and may have committed the robbery without her knowledge. However, detectives noted several physical similarities between her and the suspect on video, including unique fingernail patterns and clothing.

A detective established probable cause, and Thagard was charged with robbery with a firearm and taken to the Marion County Jail, police said.

Police told WKMG they have not yet located a firearm.

The Marion County Sheriff’s Office confirmed on Monday morning that Thagard, 40, previously worked for the agency as a deputy, WKMG reported. The sheriff's office said it last employed Thagard in April 2016.

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Florida creep, out on bond after allegedly exposing privates to girl, masturbating, saying 'It's big, isn't it?' caught again



A 32-year-old Florida male who had been out on bond after a 2023 incident during which he allegedly exposed his privates to a 13-year-old girl, masturbated, and said, 'It's big, isn't it?" has been arrested after what authorities said was a similar incident this week.

What's the background?

About a year and a half ago, Lauderhill police said a 13-year-old girl was walking to school when she said a male in a vehicle told her, "It's big, isn't it," while he pleasured his exposed privates, WTVJ-TV reported.

Records show Davis remained in the Broward County jail Thursday afternoon.

The girl gave officers a description of the male, as well as his vehicle, and detectives identified the suspect as Travis Davis, officials told the station.

Detectives arrested Davis on charges of lewd and lascivious exhibition and indecent exposure of sexual organs, WTVJ said in a separate story, which added that police said they received additional calls from others describing similar accounts.

Prosecutors at the time said Davis admitted to driving around schools and approaching underage girls, WSVN-TV reported.

A judge ordered Davis to have no contact with minors and to stay at least 100 feet away from all public and private schools in the area, WSVN said, adding that records show Davis was released on bond while awaiting trial.

Another accusation

A 16-year-old girl told Fort Lauderdale police that she was walking to school Monday morning near the 2100 block of Northwest 20th Street when a male in a gray Dodge Charger approached her at the intersection, WTVJ said.

The girl said the male rolled down his window, exposed his genitals, and made inappropriate gestures and movements before fleeing the scene, the station said.

Detectives later identified the male in question as Davis, and he was arrested Tuesday on charges of exposure of sexual organs (second offense) and violation of pretrial release, police added to WTVJ.

Records show Davis remained in the Broward County jail Thursday afternoon.

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UCLA Police Arrest Three Anti-Israel Agitators Over Unauthorized Anniversary Screening of Documentary Glorifying Encampments

UCLA police arrested three protesters Wednesday, including one who slapped an officer, as they tried to stage an unauthorized screening of a documentary glorifying last spring’s anti-Israel encampments that gripped campuses nationwide.

The post UCLA Police Arrest Three Anti-Israel Agitators Over Unauthorized Anniversary Screening of Documentary Glorifying Encampments appeared first on .

Noncitizen charged with rape became California cop despite domestic violence arrest, thanks to Gavin Newsom: Report



Democratic Governor Gavin Newsom (Calif.) ratified legislation in September 2022 scrapping the requirement that police, highway patrol, and corrections officers in California have to be U.S. citizens or permanent residents. The law went into effect on Jan. 1, 2023.

Felipe Gomes, one of the foreign nationals who took full advantage of Newsom's law, was arrested last week on suspicion of rape, reported the Palo Alto Daily Post.

Redwood City Police arrested Gomes at the Belmont Police Department headquarters on April 22, according to RCPD Sgt. Victor Figueroa. Gomes was reportedly charged under penal code 261 (a) (1), which concerns knowingly having sexual intercourse with an individual incapable of giving consent because of a mental disorder or developmental or physical disability.

The Brazilian national was booked into the San Mateo County Office Main Jail then later released on a $100,000 bail bond.

Belmont Police Lt. Pete Lotti indicated that Gomes was terminated the following day.

The foreign national took his oath of office on Dec. 10 during a Belmont City Council ceremony. When introducing his new recruits, Belmont Police Chief Ken Stenquist noted, "He was in the Brazilian Air Force and part of their air force police. He was a full-time police soldier and left that position when he moved to the United States. He enjoys practicing jiu jitsu and attending church when he's not working."

According to KGO-TV, prior to hiring Gomes, Chief Stenquist received warnings from the San Mateo County Sheriff's Office and the East Palo Alto Police Department that they had both rejected the Brazilian national on account of his 2017 domestic violence arrest.

'You don't want someone who in a family setting, you know, violence is a place they can escalate to.'

The charging affidavit reviewed by KGO alleged that one year into his marriage, Gomes — who is not an American citizen but apparently has a U.S. work permit — brutally beat his wife, striking her repeatedly in the face and stomach. Gomes had allegedly done so after seeing text messages on his wife's phone from her ex-boyfriend.

An officer reported at the time seeing a "large bruise that covered most of (his wife's) left cheek and scratches to her right cheek."

The state attorney reportedly factored in Gomes' claims that his wife hit and scratched him first, charged both husband and wife with battery/domestic violence, and ultimately dropped the charges.

Chief Stenquist told KGO's Dan Noyes, "Past law enforcement contact that does not result in charges are not disqualifying in of itself under policies or applicable law."

Former San Francisco Police Department commander and head of recruitment Rich Corriea noted that in such circumstances, the charges are often dropped, and that the incident should still be disqualifying.

"You don't want someone who in a family setting, you know, violence is a place they can escalate to," Corriea told KGO. "You want just the opposite. You want natural de-escalators."

In addition to casting doubt about whether Stenquist made the right call to hire Gomes, Corriea suggested that the recruitment of foreign nationals is a risky business as American-style justice and civil rights may be alien to them.

"You better make sure that you ... are hiring people that get the many nuances of the role of a police officer," said Corriea. "There's no one else, as far as I know, in our entire society that carries a gun and has the authority to shoot you under certain circumstances."

The Brazilian national will reportedly return to the San Mateo County Superior Court for an arraignment on May 21.

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54-year-old repeat offender accused of fatally stabbing woman, 25, after first spitting on her in Chicago



A 54-year-old male is accused of fatally stabbing a 25-year-old woman last week, Chicago police said, adding that Willie Holmes was charged with first-degree murder.

Holmes was arrested just after 1:00 p.m. Thursday in the 300 block of North Central Avenue, police said, adding that he was identified as the offender who stabbed the victim minutes earlier.

Prosecutors said the stab wound punctured the victim's aorta, the Daily Herald reported, and that she recently had given birth.

Prosecutors said 25-year-old Emily Carlson was sitting on the outside exit steps at the Central Avenue Green Line station when Holmes reportedly walked past and spat on her, the Daily Herald reported.

Carlson’s boyfriend confronted Holmes, prosecutors told the paper, after which Holmes pulled out a knife with a locking blade and chased after the boyfriend.

Authorities said the boyfriend used a bicycle to shield himself from Holmes, the Daily Herald said, adding that Holmes soon turned his attention back to Carlson.

Court documents indicate Carlson attempted to flee, but Holmes plunged the knife into her back, the paper added.

The Daily Herald noted that Holmes tried to run away, but several unarmed witnesses gave chase and cornered him in a convenience store until officers arrived.

Carlson was transported to Mount Sinai Medical Center, where she was pronounced dead around 7 p.m. following unsuccessful surgeries, the paper said.

Prosecutors said the stab wound punctured the victim's aorta, the Daily Herald reported, and that she recently had given birth.

The paper, citing records, said police recovered the knife at the convenience store and took evidence from Holmes that showed Carlson's blood was present.

The attack and chase both were captured on surveillance cameras, the Daily Herald said, adding that court records indicate multiple witnesses identified Holmes as the attacker.

The Chicago Sun-Times reported that Holmes has a lengthy arrest record "including drug charges, battery, traffic violations, and shoplifting mostly in the 1990s and early 2000s."

The Sun-Times said Holmes was scheduled for a Saturday detention hearing, but the case was continued because he couldn't appear due to being hospitalized.

Holmes was denied pretrial release at a Sunday detention hearing, the Daily Herald said, citing officials with the Cook County state’s attorney’s office.

Holmes was due in court Tuesday for a status hearing, the Daily Herald added.

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Video: Massive brawl among Carnival cruise ship passengers leads to dozens getting placed on 'Do Not Sail' list



Dozens of Carnival cruise ship passengers reportedly were placed on a "Do Not Sail" list after they engaged in a massive brawl while disembarking from the vessel in Galveston, Texas.

The fight erupted as passengers left the Carnival Jubilee cruise ship after it docked Saturday following a week-long Caribbean voyage with stops in Mexico and Honduras, according to CruiseMapper.

'We will not tolerate such behavior.'

Video obtained by NBC News shows fists flying and pushing and shoving inside the cruise terminal.

“It went down this morning,” wrote Trelle Ray, who posted video of the fight on Facebook.

People are seen throwing punches and throwing fellow cruise passengers to the ground, who appear to get stomped.

Several security guards are seen on video running toward the melee, but they were not immediately able to stop the violence.

Multiple open suitcases could be seen on the video strewn around the terminal in the aftermath of the massive brawl.

In total, 24 people were placed on the "Do Not Sail" list and have been banned from Carnival Cruise Line.

Carnival Cruise Line issued the following statement to KPRC-TV: “The incident occurred in the debarkation area under the authority of U.S. Customs and Border Patrol. The matter was turned over to law enforcement. We will not tolerate such behavior, and 24 people have been placed on our Do Not Sail list.”

Authorities informed USA Today that the Port of Galveston Police Department responded to "an altercation" at Cruise Terminal 25.

U.S. Customs and Border Protection agents "detained several individuals," and police arrested one person who allegedly played a role in the brouhaha.

Police did not specify charges against the arrested person.

It was unclear what sparked the brawl among the Carnival Cruise Line passengers following their vacation.

Authorities did not specify if there were serious injuries or if any travelers were hospitalized.

U.S. Customs and Border Protection did not immediately respond to a request for comment from USA Today.

This wasn't the first time cruise ship passengers have engaged in fights:

  • As Blaze News reported in July 2022, a huge melee exploded on a Carnival cruise liner involving roughly 60 passengers.
  • In December 2022, multiple fights broke out on the MSC Meraviglia cruise ship. During the cruise, a 36-year-old female passenger fell overboard and died off the coast of Florida.
  • In June 2024, a fight erupted on board the Carnival Paradise cruise ship near the buffet section.

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Virginia town backtracks on dissolving police force after public fury, criminal probe



Residents in Purcellville, Virginia, appeared to successfully pressure the town council on Tuesday to backtrack from its plan to dissolve the local police force.

Purcellville Town Council members voted on April 9 to eliminate the police department, citing multiple reasons, including staffing issues. They argued that the move would save the town more than $3 million after falling into $50 million of debt to construct a wastewater treatment plant.

'The four of you snuck agenda items in at the end of the meeting and took away my lawful right to comment on them.'

The town council hinged its support for the department's elimination on the fact that Purcellville is rated as one of the safest towns in the state, and the Loudoun County Sheriff's Office already patrols the town from 1 a.m. to 6 a.m. The sheriff's office also manages school resource officers.

However, locals felt that the town council concocted the plan to dismantle the police force behind closed doors and failed to seek input.

"The four of you snuck agenda items in at the end of the meeting and took away my lawful right to comment on them," one resident told the council, according to WJLA.

The sheriff's office released a statement that appeared to support residents' concerns.

"Loudoun Sheriff Mike Chapman has neither been consulted about nor agrees with the representations in the document published in the Purcellville Town Council meeting packet describing the dissolution of its Police Department and replacement with services provided by the Loudoun County Sheriff's Office," the statement read. "Unfortunately, nothing in the published document has been discussed with Sheriff Chapman or the LCSO's Leadership Team."

"While the LCSO is willing to provide law enforcement support and services to the Town of Purcellville, the Town Council has no jurisdiction to place conditions or requirements on the LCSO should its Police Department be dissolved," the sheriff's office added.

Outraged residents packed the town council's Tuesday meeting to express their disapproval of the plan. Locals also launched a recall effort to remove several council members and Vice Mayor Ben Nett.

During the meeting, the council members seemed to cave under the community's pressure, voting instead to fund the police force through next year. However, members plan to hold a full budget session to consider the department's future.

The vote to keep the police force followed news on Monday that the Office of Attorney General authorized the state police to open a criminal investigation into Nett over a potential conflict of interest — while serving as vice mayor, Nett was also employed with the Purcellville Police Department. He was terminated from the force earlier this month.

Commonwealth's attorney Bob Anderson stated that Nett has been "prevented from accessing all police department records, voting on all matters involving the PPD and attending all meetings involving discussions about PPD."

Anderson claimed that Nett's support of disbanding the department appeared to be a "retaliation" over his recent termination and "a blatant conflict of interest."

Nett did not respond to WTTF's request for comment.

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'Honey, I'm a woman': Mom says she, her 7-year-old girl saw naked male in YMCA female locker room who brushed off her protest



A mother said she and her 7-year-old daughter encountered a naked male with his genitals exposed in a female locker room at a north Kansas City YMCA earlier this month, WDAF-TV reported.

The mother told the station that she and her daughter had just finished swimming lessons, where she estimates hundreds of children were present, and had entered the women’s locker room to change.

'This is an issue of somebody showing their body parts to my child in a room where she should be safe from such things.'

The mother added to WDAF that she soon heard a man’s voice — and that as she and her little girl were leaving a stall, they saw a naked man with his genitals exposed.

When the concerned mom asked the male what he was doing in a female-only space, the mother recalled to the station that the male replied with something to the effect of, “Honey, I’m a woman.”

The mother and her daughter sprinted out of the locker room, WDAF said.

The mother — who spoke to the station Monday — added to WDAF that she and her daughter weren't the only ones who witnessed the incident.

Angela Bush — a YMCA member — told the station that "my 11-year-old does use that locker room, especially after we go to the pool. In there, you either have to use the closed-off showers or try to change as quickly as possible. It’s definitely shocking and something we’ll be looking out for a little bit more."

The YMCA of Greater Kansas City, the North Kansas City Police Department, and the Clay County Prosecutor’s Office have launched investigations, WDAF said.

The YMCA offered the following statement, the station said:

The YMCA of Greater Kansas City is aware of a reported incident in the locker room at the North Kansas City YMCA on April 12, 2025. We continue to investigate the incident and are unable to provide further details at this time. We also are cooperating with the North Kansas City Police Department as they conduct their investigation. The safety and well-being of all of our members is a priority, and we take this concern seriously.

We follow all state and local laws, and individuals are allowed to use the locker room or restroom that they identify with. At the North Kansas City YMCA, we also have four private universal changing rooms available, separate from the larger shared locker rooms, for anyone who prefers the privacy they offer.

To ensure all Y members’ standards of privacy are respected and safety is prioritized when using any of our shared locker rooms, members are asked to wear a towel, wrap or other clothes at all times, which is communicated to members when they join in our Member Handbook.

The North Kansas City Police Department confirmed that it's investigating a report of an April 12 indecent exposure at the YMCA but did not share further details, WDAF said.

The mother — who wishes to remain anonymous to protect her family — added to the station that it's not an issue of gender identity: “This is not a case of transitional status. This is an issue of somebody showing their body parts to my child in a room where she should be safe from such things."

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Pro-gangster protesters crash Marjorie Taylor Greene rally. Two get the high-voltage treatment: 'There ya go.'



Several radicals descended Tuesday on a town hall hosted by Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-Ga.) in Cobb County, Georgia. Some protesters fought with police while others repeatedly screamed out in support of Kilmar Abrego Garcia, the Salvadoran MS-13 member deported on March 15 by the Trump administration.

The disruption did not go in the protesters' favor.

The radicals — at least one of whom came from outside the district — not only failed to intimidate Greene, who laughed off their protest and underscored her support for the president, but were unceremoniously shown the way outside or, in some cases, to the ground by police officers who proved unwilling to tolerate leftist violence.

Footage shows one particularly unruly protester violently grab a police officer by the collar near a gaggle of journalists and cameramen. Additional cops can be seen rushing in to help march the protester toward the exit. A second camera captured footage of the same protester thrashing and lashing out at officers until one officer gives the order: "Put your hands behind your back."

An officer can be seen drawing his taser, then lighting up the protester.

'Blessed are the peacemakers.'

Greene, still at the podium, can be heard saying in response to the tasing, "There ya go!" as members of the audience cheered.

One of the protesters who decided to walk out without attacking police repeatedly screamed, "Free Kilmar!" in reference to Abrego Garcia, an illegal alien who was found by more than one immigration court to be a "danger to the community."

Another cried out, "Free Garcia."

Greene noted on X Wednesday morning, "For anyone questioning or criticizing the police at my townhall last night, the GREAT police officers conducted themselves in textbook fashion and protected every single person there by keeping the peace!"

"These protestors were deranged and aggressive and lost control of themselves the second the townhall started," continued Greene. "Police officers should make more money, have better pensions, and deserve everyone's gratitude and respect!!! Blessed are the peacemakers, because they will be called sons of God."

The Acworth Police Department indicated in a release that while preparing for the event, crime analysts discovered posts online indicating that radicals had something planned for the town hall at the Acworth Community Center.

"Sadly, as soon as the Congresswoman began her presentation, several members of the audience became disruptive and created an imminent public safety threat for all in attendance," stated the APD, which worked in conjunction with the Cobb County Police Department, the Cobb County Sheriff's Office, the Kennesaw Police Department, and the Georgia State Patrol. "Their intentions were clear, to place the members of our beloved police department in a no-win situation in front of numerous media outlets."

The APD indicated that six protesters were ultimately removed from the town hall without issue. Another three were arrested, two of whom were subdued with the aid of tasers.

'I'm not intimidated by the Democrats who tried to shut down my town hall tonight.'

Andrew Russell Nelms, 40, of Atlanta and Johnny Keith, 45, of Dallas were both charged with simple battery on a law enforcement officer and obstruction of a law enforcement officer. Kiyana Name Davis of Dallas was cited for vulgar language.

Police indicated that in the process of removing the radicals from the event, officers "were threatened, physically resisted, and harmed."

Greene stated, "I'm not intimidated by the Democrats who tried to shut down my town hall tonight. I refused to tolerate their selfish attempts to disrupt an event that was for all of my constituents, not just the ones who could make the most noise."

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