Brazen vagrant allegedly punches California mayor, city official in 'random' attack on street with police chief nearby



A homeless man took a swing at a California mayor and then punched a city councilman in the head in broad daylight, the city councilman told Fox News Digital.

On August 22, Mayor Chris Branscum, Councilman Dom Belza, and Police Chief Christian Sachs as well as a pair of congressional staffers were walking along the streets of Marysville, California, a city of some 12,000 residents about 40 miles north of Sacramento.

'I thought I was hit by a car. I was hit so hard.'

The group was examining a historic building that had recently been ravaged by a fire when suddenly a homeless man came up and slugged Mayor Branscum in the back without provocation, Belza told Fox News.

"We were standing on the sidewalk near the site having a casual conversation. An individual was crossing at the crosswalk. And right as he got to the mayor, who had his back turned, the individual reached back and swung and hit him right square in the back," Belza explained, according to the New York Post.

"There was no communication, no altercation. There was nothing that instigated the punch. It was just a complete random act of violence."

Belza said his "instincts kicked in," and he then chased the suspect — later identified as 36-year-old Derek Hopkins — down the street.

Once Belza caught up with the assailant, the man turned and took a swing at him, making contact with the side of his head, he said.

"After that, I engaged him and took him down to the ground and restrained him until the chief of police was able to get there. We held him in custody until he was officially arrested," Belza continued.

Hopkins, who is described as homeless, has been assessed eight charges, including felony assault of a public official and felony elder abuse. His bail has been set at $50,000, the Post reported. As of Wednesday afternoon, Hopkins was still in custody at the Yuba County Jail, records showed.

In a statement to Blaze News, Belza confirmed that he did not personally recognize the suspect but heard that local law enforcement was familiar with him.

Mayor Branscum, 75, expressed gratitude that his younger companions apprehended his alleged attacker, who apparently struck with some force. "I thought I was hit by a car. I was hit so hard," Branscum recalled. "The next thing I know, there's this guy sliding by me, running, and I yelled an expletive at him."

"He's a bada**," Branscum said of Belza, according to KCRA. "So is the chief of police. Dom took him down, and the chief was right there, right behind him. They did a heck of a job."

Belza said that the incident is part of a much larger problem throughout the state of California. "This attack is really a result of the soft-on-crime policy that California has implemented over the last 10 years," he told Fox News.

Belza also views Democratic presidential candidate Kamala Harris, who once served as the attorney general of California, as partially responsible for the decline regarding public safety in his state since she once lobbied hard in favor of Proposition 47, which reclassified six minor felony offenses as misdemeanors.

"As AG she titled the proposition the Safe Schools and Safe Communities Act. What it really did was lower the penalties for retail theft, hard drug possession, and drug dealing down to misdemeanors," Belza told Blaze News.

Belza also told Blaze News that Proposition 36, which is on the ballot this November, is a possible solution to the rise in crime.

"The State is just going to have to suck it up. Rather than spending taxpayers ($26 Billion) on useless homeless programs, and a bullet train to nowhere, they are going to have to spend those dollars on dealing with criminals if Prop 36 passes in November," he told Blaze News.

"Situations like this are proof that California is not a safe state and that these small, rural communities aren’t safe anymore," he added on Fox News.

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Cori Bush Becomes Second ‘Squad’ Member To Lose Reelection This Year

'Squad' member and Democrat Rep. Cori Bush lost her reelection bid during Missouri's primary elections on Tuesday.

DA rips Gavin Newsom for 'soft-on-crime policies' after thugs charged with murdering 68-year-old woman at posh shopping mall



The district attorney of Orange County, California, blasted far-left Gov. Gavin Newsom and state lawmakers for their "soft-on-crime policies" after a trio of thugs were charged murdering a 68-year-old woman at a posh mall in Newport Beach last week.

The DA's office said New Zealand tourist Patricia McKay and her husband were waiting for a ride after finishing shopping at the Fashion Island mall Tuesday when a white Toyota Camry pulled up next to the couple and two masked males jumped out and attacked McKay’s 69-year-old husband, putting a gun to his head and demanding his watch as they forced him to the ground as bystanders ran away.

'Our shopping centers and malls have become hunting grounds for criminals who are stalking innocent shoppers to rob them blind because our Governor and our Legislature refuse to hold anyone accountable for their actions.'

When the suspects — later identified as Malachi Darnell and Jaden Cunningham, both 18 — couldn't get his property, Cunningham is accused of throwing McKay to the ground, stealing her shopping bags, and dragging her into the street in front of the getaway car, which 26-year-old Leroy Ernest Joseph McCrary was driving, the DA's office said.

With McKay lying in front of the Camry, McKay’s husband jumped in front of the vehicle in an effort to stop his wife from being run over, but McCrary is accused of accelerating forward with Darnell in the vehicle, pushing McKay’s husband out of the way, and running over McKay and dragging her body 65 feet, the DA's office said.

While McCrary was dragging McKay under the car, Cunningham was running to try to catch up to the getaway car, the DA's office said, adding that a good Samaritan tried to stop Cunningham from getting back into the vehicle. Darnell is accused of shooting from the getaway car at the good Samaritan, the DA's office said, adding that McCrary is accused of slowing down to allow Cunningham to jump back into the getaway vehicle, after which McCrary drove away.

Cunningham was arrested after bailing out of the vehicle in Cypress, the DA's office said, adding that McCrary and Darnell were arrested in South Gate after a police pursuit; all three defendants were being held without bail.

Orange County DA Todd Spitzer did not hold back in his comments against Newsom and state lawmakers.

“Our shopping centers and malls have become hunting grounds for criminals who are stalking innocent shoppers to rob them blind because our Governor and our Legislature refuse to hold anyone accountable for their actions," he said in a Friday statement. "Actions have consequences, and it shouldn’t have to result in the death of an elderly woman just enjoying a day of shopping with her husband for our elected leaders in Sacramento to realize that this is the product of their soft-on-crime policies which encourage criminality while sacrificing public safety. This is Orange County, and we refuse to accept this is the new normal. Criminals will be held accountable and violence will never be acceptable.”

The DA's office said the three suspects are eligible for the death penalty if they are convicted of the special circumstances murder charges in the commission of a robbery with a felony enhancement for causing the death of an elder over the age of 65.

McCrary faces additional felony charges of attempted second-degree robbery and evading while driving recklessly, the DA's office said, adding that McCrary has prior felony convictions for residential burglary in 2018, criminal threats in 2020, and robbery in 2023, all in Los Angeles County.

Darnell has also been charged with second-degree attempted robbery, attempted murder, and felony enhancements of personal use of a firearm and personal discharge of a firearm, the DA's office said, adding that Cunningham also been charged with one felony count of attempted second-degree robbery.

You can view a video report about the incident here.

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Memphis pastor shot in face unlikely to see proper justice thanks to leftist DA's office



Rev. Clemmie Livingston Jr. is the 71-year-old pastor of New Zionfield Baptist Church in Memphis, Tennessee. On Feb. 25, Livingston attempted to stop thugs from stealing a car just feet away from the doors of his church. One of the thugs shot him in the face while driving away, leaving the pastor for dead.

After multiple surgeries, Livingston told WREG-TV, "Laying there, I kept saying to myself that I'll be dead in a little while. Well, what would a person say when they bleeding in the manner that I was bleeding?"

"While I was down on my knees, let me tell you what [God] said. He said to me, 'Stop trying to die and start back living,'" said the pastor. "In my spirit and in my heart, I know that Jesus brought me through this."

Gwendoline Livingston, the pastor's wife, indicated Friday that Livingston is still wearing a face brace and may have to either undergo a bone graft or have a metal plate inserted in his jaw.

"I am still not able to eat like normal people, and, of course, my bone is still shattered down there," he told WHBQ-TV.

The Shelby County District Attorney's Office has given the pastor one more thing to be sore about.

R'Shunio Greer, 18, was arrested in May in connection to unrelated car theft and aggravated assault cases. WHBQ reported that investigators found photos of Greer in the victim's 2019 Corvette. He allegedly admitted to being at the scene of the robbery when the pastor was shot and driving one of two Camaros spotted at the scene by witnesses. The same Camaro was later wrecked during a police chase.

Greer was slapped with various charges including aggravated robbery and theft of property.

However, the Shelby County District Attorney’s Office — helmed by Steve Mulroy, a Democrat with a reputation for being soft on criminals who has reportedly received donations from Soros-linked organizations — dropped all but the theft charge against Greer in Livingston's case.

'I don't let things disappoint me such as this.'

Mulroy's office tried to blame the dismissal of the charges on witnesses failing to show up in court, but the pastor insisted that was simply not true, reported WHBQ.

"I was stunned when they said there were not any witnesses there, knowing that we were there," said the pastor. "That was the thing that shocked me."

"I don't let things disappoint me such as this," said Livingston. "I feel like the judicial system, they do what they want to do anyway."

After the pastor refuted the claim about witnesses showing up in the press, Mulroy's office effectively confirmed it had misled the public, indicating the aggravated robbery charge had been dropped despite witnesses having been present for the hearing.

Livingston indicated he will continue to pray about the situation, holding out hope that the accomplices referenced in Greer's statement will be brought in. The pastor expressed an interest in the rehabilitation of his attackers while in custody.

Livingston's case is far from the only one in Shelby County in which Mulroy's office has sought to let off criminals lightly. Mulroy recently indicated he would lean toward rehabilitation as opposed to incarceration for felons caught with illegal firearms, citing the need to address racial disparities.

Tennessee state Sen. Brent Taylor (R) told WMC-TV in a statement, "In a city plagued by gun violence, the thought that our DA will not aggressively prosecute felons in possession of a firearm is not only nonsensical, but it is dangerous. Our county is being targeted by restorative justice scheming groups because they know our DA is weak, compliant, and acquiescent. Not only is it harming our community, but it's harming law enforcement across the state."

Taylor notified Tennessee Lt. Gov. Randy McNally (R) last month of his intent to remove Mulroy.

"Public welfare demanding it, causes for such removal will be set forth in the Senate Joint Resolution, but shall include 'dereliction of duty' for failing to properly prosecute convicted felons in possession of a firearm," Taylor said in his letter.

McNally responded with words of encouragement, indicating he "wholeheartedly" supports the removal effort, reported the Tennessee Lookout.

"DA Mulroy's record of refusal to prosecute laws he does not personally care for is long-standing and clear. I believe it is time for him to go," said McNally.

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DC judge drops murder charge against woman who allegedly stole car with passenger inside and crashed it; passenger later died



A woman is dead after a female suspect allegedly stole the car in which the woman was sitting and crashed it into a federal building in Washington, D.C.

At around 12:15 p.m., 55-year-old Leslie Marie Gaines was finishing up a physical therapy session at MedStar National Rehabilitation Hospital near the campus of Howard University in Washington, D.C. Gaines' daughter was then going to drive her home, but Gaines suddenly experienced blurry vision and problems with her legs.

'She didn’t harm nobody. Never had an enemy. You couldn’t find a better person.'

First responders determined that Gaines had not suffered a stroke and that her vital signs were normal except for some elevated blood-sugar levels. They offered to take Gaines to the emergency room entrance in an ambulance, but her daughter claimed she could drive her over since it was in the same medical complex.

Once the daughter arrived at the emergency room entrance, she exited her vehicle and left it running, ostensibly because Gaines was still sitting inside, awake and alert, her daughter later claimed. The daughter then went into the hospital to find a wheelchair for her mother.

After speaking briefly with a nurse, the daughter turned to look outside and discovered with horror that her car — and her mother — were missing. She immediately called 911 to report the apparently stolen vehicle.

Just after 1:30 p.m., a Metro Police captain happened to be in the area when he spotted a white SUV speeding and otherwise barreling erratically down 6th Street NW. He then watched as the SUV crashed into the building that houses a local U.S. Attorney's Office.

The driver of the SUV, later identified as 22-year-old Kayla Kenisha Brown, allegedly attempted to flee the area on foot, but she was quickly apprehended.

Afterward, the captain realized that there was a passenger still inside the crashed vehicle. The woman was later identified as Gaines, and her condition at that point was described as "unconscious" and "unresponsive." The captain attempted to render aid and eventually transported her to George Washington Hospital, where she was later pronounced dead.

Brown was likewise taken to George Washington Hospital for treatment for possible injuries suffered during the crash, but that was not her first trip to a hospital that day. Several hours earlier, someone from her residence had called 911 and asked for help before the call was disconnected.

When officers arrived at the residence, Brown's parents claimed that she had been "acting crazy" for the past three days after meeting up with a man from Instagram. They believe she took "some sort of drug."

First responders then evaluated Brown and found she had a heartrate and blood pressure that were both much too high for someone her age. At about 12:40 p.m. that day, they transported her to MedStar Washington Hospital Center, the same medical complex where Gaines' daughter's car was stolen about a half-hour later.

Surveillance images from court documents seem to show Brown, wearing a coffee-colored sweatsuit and yellow Crocs, approach Gaines' daughter's car and then drive away in it.

Officers initially charged Brown with felony murder, kidnapping, and unarmed carjacking. However, D.C. Superior Court Judge Heide Herrmann dropped the murder and kidnapping charges, claiming that prosecutors had probable cause to support only the unarmed carjacking charge.

Prosecutors claimed they will present their case for the kidnapping and murder charges against Brown to a grand jury.

Brown's attorney, Sylvia Smith, noted in a hearing on Friday before a different D.C. judge, Judge Renee Raymond, that her client had apparently not taken the car violently as it had been left running. She also argued that Gaines' cause of death still remains unknown at this point and that she may have died before the crash.

Raymond ordered Brown to be held without bond, claiming that Brown's "behavior demonstrated … a dangerous series of actions."

Meanwhile, Gaines' loved ones are devastated by their sudden loss.

"She’d give you the clothes off her back, the food out of her kitchen if you need, three daughters that loved her to death," Erica Gaines said of her deceased sister, Leslie Marie. "She didn’t harm nobody. Never had an enemy.

"You couldn’t find a better person."

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Blaze News original: Check out these 12 infuriating decisions by trio of prominent, ultra-progressive district attorneys



Three ultra-progressive district attorneys in major urban centers — Manhattan DA Alvin Bragg, Los Angeles County DA George Gascon, and Philadelphia DA Larry Krasner — arguably are the most prominent and powerful among the soft-on-crime crowd.

Leftists love them. Critics, however, repeatedly argue that their actions amount to pro-criminal sentimentality.

He 'doesn’t value my life or the life of my child, or any other victim out there and would rather reward the monsters.'

Bragg is well-known for his recent prosecution of former President Donald Trump, but he's also known for things like downgrading 52% of felony cases to misdemeanors. Several times he was forced to change course amid public anger, such as when he dropped what many saw as an unfair murder charge against 61-year-old deli worker Jose Alba who fatally stabbed an attacker in 2022; and a year later when he dropped criminal charges against a parking garage attendant who allegedly shot a man in self-defense; and earlier this year when he indicted seven migrants accused of attacking NYPD officers — only after critics torched him for their no-bail release.

George Soros-backed Gascon has had his share of embarrassing moments, too — such as when he refused to file felony charges against an alleged sex offender, only to move forward with them following public outcry. In addition, a murderer in 2022 vowed to tattoo Gascon's name on his face in appreciation of the DA's policies that lightened his sentence. Gascon also allegedly used "mafia tactics" to intimidate a prosecutor who exposed his woke policies. Yet, the DA has managed to defeat two recall attempts against him.

Krasner — also Soros-backed — had some of his authority stripped late last year due to his failed "liberal, woke" policies. In 2022, Pennsylvania Republicans moved to impeach Krasner for being soft on crime and allowing "chaos" in streets.

Here's a look at a dozen infuriating decisions by the trio:

DA Gascon refuses to jail thug accused of slashing man's neck; same suspect later accused of murdering woman who was shot 19 times


Stefen Sutherland allegedly slashed a construction worker's neck in November 2020 after a noise complaint and was charged with assault with a deadly weapon, law enforcement sources said. Instead of giving him prison time, which a probation official recommended, the office of Los Angeles County District Attorney George Gascon gave Sutherland a mental health diversion, Fox News reported. Sutherland was then accused of gunning down Jennifer Gomez on May 23, 2023, over a noise complaint, sources with knowledge of the investigation said. The victim was shot 19 times in her home.

Trans child molester, who was given lenient sentence thanks to DA Gascon's policies, later charged with first-degree murder


— (@)

Hannah Tubbs, a biological male, made national headlines in January 2022 after getting sentenced to two years in a juvenile detention facility for molesting a 10-year-old girl in 2014. Tubbs was two weeks shy of turning 18 at the time of the sexual assault, and since one of the policies of Los Angeles County District Attorney George Gascon barred juvenile offenders from adult prosecution, Tubbs at 26 years of age was tried as a juvenile — and was caught laughing and bragging about his light sentence. Then in May 2022, Tubbs was charged with first-degree murder in connection with a separate 2019 case. Gascon's office said it didn't know about Tubbs' murder allegations when the juvenile-facility sentence was handed down earlier in the year. Gascon subsequently changed his controversial policy after outcries, noting that juvenile offenders now may be transferred to the adult court system "in the most egregious cases that warrant a state prison commitment." Amazingly, Gascon in early 2023 suspended a prosecutor for "deadnaming" and "misgendering" Tubbs, who later that year was sentenced to 15 years in prison for manslaughter.

Teen female stabs girl multiple times, resulting in serious wounds, hospitalization — but due to DA Gascon's 'restorative justice' policy, suspect gets only probation 


Video captured the 2021 knife attack in an Inglewood, California, park. The mother of the victim said the attacker punctured her daughter's liver, kidneys, diaphragm, and pericardial sac, and the victim suffered internal bleeding and required an immediate operation to save her life. The attack was over a boy, and afterward the suspect reportedly posted a message on social media and tagged the boy in question, asking him, "Would you love me more, If I killed someone for you?" The office of Los Angeles County District Attorney George Gascon said the accused had no prior criminal record, and getting her treatment was the best option.

DA Gascon gives teen just a few months in juvenile detention after his caught-on-video hit-and-run against mother, baby in stroller; soon after freed teen is shot to death


KABC-TV said the hit-and-run took place in 2021 in Venice, California. Fox News' Bill Melugin said that the suspect was on probation at the time of the horrific incident caught on video and had been convicted previously of spiking a girl's drink at a high school. The teen's light sentence — courtesy of Los Angeles County District Attorney George Gascon — was reported in June 2022. The mother who was hit blasted the DA in an impact statement: "George Gascon doesn’t value my life or the life of my child, or any other victim out there and would rather reward the monsters like [the juvenile suspect] by demonstrating to them that their actions have no consequences." In January 2023, the teen was shot to death after flirting with a girl at a restaurant. The mother, who ripped Gascon for the light sentence against the teen who hit her and her baby, had this to say about the teen's murder: "The universe delivered the justice we weren’t given in court, but a much harsher punishment than he’d have been dealt in a court of law."

LA county sheriff reveals grim consequences of DA Gascon's justice reform in connection with child porn case


Then-Los Angeles County Sheriff Alex Villanueva said in January 2021 that Los Angeles County District Attorney George Gascon's progressive reform policies resulted in a lighter sentence for a child porn suspect. The sheriff said his department's special victims bureau investigated a male for possession of child pornography with a previous sex crime conviction — after which he pleaded no contest. But Villanueva added that "pursuant to the DA's new directives, both of the defendant's previous strike convictions for sex crimes with a child were stricken," which resulted in a sentence of just two years in state prison. Finally, the sheriff said, "The defendant who has been in custody since his arrest in October 2020 has earned approximately 253 days credit toward his required half time to be served and will likely be released from custody in about 112 days."

Grieving mother blasts DA Bragg for granting plea deals to thugs involved in slaying of her son — an Army vet, husband, and father of 3


Madeline Brame's son, Sgt. Hason Correa, was killed in a 2018 Harlem stabbing, Fox News said, and the grieving mother during an early April 2023 panel discussion mocked Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg's infamous "no one is above the law" declaration related to charges he had just brought against former President Donald Trump. "If no one is above the law, then I don't understand how Alvin Bragg could dismiss murder and gang assault indictments against two of the people involved in the murder of my son," she told the cable network. Brame added that New Yorkers are seeing rising crime "out of control every single day" and that Bragg is doing "absolutely zero" about it, the cable network said.

DA Bragg's soft-on-crime Day One memo 'emboldened' crooks — and then 2 cops were fatally shot, angry NYC police union head says


In the days following his Jan. 1, 2022, swearing-in, Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg issued a so-called Day One memo to his staff in which he told prosecutors to seek pretrial detention only in "very serious cases" and added a list of low-level offenses his office would no longer prosecute — such as resisting arrest, skipping subway fare, prostitution, marijuana offenses, minor traffic infractions, and operating without a license, the New York Post reported. Later that month, NYPD Officers Jason Rivera and Wilbert Mora were gunned down. That prompted Paul DiGiacomo — president of New York City's Detectives' Endowment Association — to tell Fox News that Bragg's "message was sent to the criminal element," and that's why the officers got killed. DiGiacomo added to the cable news network that Bragg sent "a message out there that there are no consequences for committing crimes, and there are no consequences for resisting arrest." Rivera's widow at his funeral service also blasted Bragg: "The system continues to fail us. We are not safe any more, not even the members of the service. I know you were tired of these new laws, especially the ones from the new DA. I hope he’s watching you speak through me right now."

DA Bragg knocks down felony robbery charges to misdemeanors for career criminal with nearly 90 arrests on his rap sheet


The office of Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg knocked down felony robbery charges to misdemeanors for career criminal — 53-year-old Rodney Johnson — who has nearly 90 arrests on his rap sheet, law enforcement sources told the New York Post in 2023. Both alleged robberies took place March 24 at pharmacies in New York City's Chelsea neighborhood, but the paper said prosecutors with Bragg's office reduced the charges to menacing and petit larceny — both misdemeanors.

Soros-funded DA Krasner made sweetheart plea deals with violent crooks whom donors to his campaign legally represented: Report


The Washington Free Beacon, citing city financial records, reported in 2021 that Philadelphia District Attorney Larry Krasner made sweetheart plea deals with violent criminals who donors to his campaign legally represented. The paper said five months after Krasner took office, he reached a plea agreement with two career criminals who murdered a Philadelphia cop, which let them avoid the death penalty — and that defense attorneys Michael Coard and Daniel Stevenson oversaw the deal after donating a combined $2,700 to Krasner's 2017 campaign. Later, Krasner reached a plea deal with a career criminal who shot a Philadelphia deli owner with an AK-47 during an armed robbery, the Free Beacon said, adding that Krasner campaign donor Philip Steinberg represented the shooter — who received "as little as three-and-a-half years in prison for aggravated assault, a step below the attempted murder charge the DA's office initially pursued." The paper said Krasner's campaign did not return a request for comment.

US attorney accuses DA Krasner of keeping cop killer out of prison


— (@)


Blaze News senior editor Daniel Horowitz noted in March 2020 that William McSwain — U.S. attorney for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania — accused George Soros-backed Philadelphia District Attorney Larry Krasner of keeping a cop killer out of jail. When a Philadelphia SWAT team was trying to serve a warrant to Hassan Elliott, the suspect allegedly fired multiple rounds through his apartment door, which fatally wounded 23-year veteran Cpl. James O’Connor IV, Horowitz said. McSwain said in a press release that "Elliott was on the street for one reason: because of District Attorney Krasner’s pro-violent defendant policies. Those policies — which include permissive bail conditions for violent offenders, failing to pursue serious probation and parole violations by violent criminals, offering lenient plea deals for violent offenses, and outright withdrawing cases against violent felons — put dangerous criminals like Elliott on the street.”

DA Krasner withdraws armed carjacking case when victim doesn't show; suspect later accused of killing Philly college student


The officer of Philadelphia District Attorney Larry Krasner's office withdrew a summer 2021 case against an accused carjacker because the victim failed to appear in court, KYW-TV reported. But just months later that same suspect was accused of killing Samuel Collington, a Temple University student who was fatally shot while unloading his vehicle after returning from Thanksgiving with his family. The suspect in Collington's killing — then-17-year-old Latif Williams, who turned himself in to police — also was believed to have been involved in other uncharged carjackings in the area where Collington was fatally shot, sources told the station.

DA Krasner declines to file charges against 4 pro-Palestinian protesters accused of assaulting UPenn police


Philadelphia District Attorney Larry Krasner said his office declined to file assault charges against four pro-Palestinian protesters whom Penn cops arrested in May 2024 as the protesters allegedly attempted to occupy a campus building, the Philadelphia Inquirer reported. Krasner said although his office approved misdemeanor charges against three protestors — for resisting arrest or defiant trespass — prosecutors declined to approve more serious charges that police recommended, the paper reported. Krasner added, according to the Inquirer, that law enforcement should “tread lightly and be careful before we act like every kind of protest is a crime. It is not."

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Blaze News original: When thugs victimize leftist, soft-on-crime, defund-the-police Democrats, cops suddenly aren't so awful



While Democrat U.S. Rep. Henry Cuellar of Texas voted in favor of the George Floyd Justice in Policing Act, he also has family in law enforcement and, of course, supports police.

Those opposing forces were at play when three armed thugs carjacked Cuellar in Washington, D.C., last October. The congressman wasn't hurt, and his vehicle was recovered — but soft-on-crime approaches to law enforcement took a beating. Fox News said conservatives reacted to Cuellar's scary encounter with calls to confront rapidly rising crime in D.C.

'This chaos is the result of Democrat-led soft-on-crime policies, no different than their Open Border debacle.'

"Rep. Cuellar was carjacked near my same DC apartment building," GOP U.S. Rep. Burgess Owens of Utah posted at the time, according to Fox News. "This chaos is the result of Democrat-led, soft-on-crime policies, no different than their Open Border debacle. It's time for Democrats to start taking the safety of Americans seriously."

What's more, the National Republican Congressional Committee in March 2023 said 173 House Democrats supported reduced sentences for violent crimes.

Cuellar hardly can be called anti-cop, but plenty of Democrats are. Many are soft on crime, have pushed for defunding the police, and are far left in many respects.

What's particularly revealing is what often happens when thugs victimize leftist, soft-on-crime, defund-the-police Democrats. And wouldn't you know it? In those instances, cops suddenly aren't so awful after all. The following are but a handful of examples:

Democrat congresswoman who voted to defund the police gets carjacked, robbed at gunpoint in broad daylight


Democrat U.S. Rep. Mary Gay Scanlon of Pennsylvania was carjacked around 2:45 p.m. December 21, 2021, in Philadelphia. Police said Scanlon was walking to her vehicle after attending a tour with other members of Congress when two armed men demanded the keys to her blue 2017 Acura MDX; they also made off with her personal cell phone, her government cell phone, her purse, and her identification. Fox News said Scanlon cosponsored legislation to make it easier for state and local governments to replace police officers and defund police by instead employing mental health specialists. But she sure was grateful for the quick response from police when she was carjacked.

Progressive member of Seattle City Council who voted to defund the police turns to cops after her home is targeted in rock attack


In December 2020, a progressive Democrat on the Seattle City Council — who had voted to cut the city police budget and supported effectively legalizing certain misdemeanor crimes — turned to cops for help after a rock was thrown at her house. Lisa Herbold reportedly told police "she was on the west side of the living room near the kitchen when she heard a loud noise that sounded like a gunshot and dove into the kitchen for cover." When city council voted in August 2020 to defund police, only one member voted against the measure, and it wasn't Herbold. She also proposed amending the city code to allow a so-called "poverty defense" when people commit petty crimes like trespassing or shoplifting, KOMO-TV reported. In fact, Herbold told the council's Public Safety Committee just days before her home was attacked that such amendments would result in "giving people an opportunity to tell their stories and giving judges and juries the opportunity to hear those stories and make a decision based on the values of our city." Herbold declined to run for her seat in 2023.

Anti-cop New York City councilmembers want police protection after receiving death threats: Report


Sources told the New York Post last month that anti-cop New York City council members Chi Osse, Yusef Salaam, Shahana Hanif, and Carlina Rivera — all Democrats — want police protection after receiving death threats. All four have been vocal critics of the NYPD and pushed the “How Many Stops Act” that buries police officers in paperwork, the Post said, adding that they've also angered pro-Israel New Yorkers for publicly supporting pro-Palestinian protesters. None of the four council members immediately responded to the paper's requests for comment.

Soft-on-crime, Soros-funded district attorney carjacked at gunpoint — and soon changes his tune about crime and punishment


A pair of armed suspects carjacked New Orleans District Attorney Jason Williams last October in the city's Lower Garden District; the Democrat's 78-year-old mother was in the black Lincoln Navigator at the time of the crime. The masked thieves didn't get very far since Williams kept the vehicle’s key fob in his pocket. Police said his SUV was recovered at an undisclosed location, but crooks stole some of his mother’s belongings, including her wallet and phone. George Soros gave a Williams PAC $220,000 leading to his successful election in December 2020 on a criminal justice reform platform. But just a month after the carjacking, Williams told WWL-TV he changed his thinking about crime and punishment, with the station saying he's "even reversed his positions on some of his strongest campaign promises." He recused himself from working on the carjacking case.

Democrat who backed dismantling police left bloody after violent carjacking in front of her children, leading her to call for tougher treatment of criminals


The vice chairwoman of the Democratic-Farmer-Labor Party in Minnesota — who had previously called for dismantling the police — last September was violently carjacked in front of her children and left bloody. Shivanthi Sathanandan said she suffered a broken leg, deep lacerations on her head, and bruising and cuts all over her body. She also demanded the increase of criminal penalties to deter violent crimes: “We need to get illegal guns off of our streets, catch these young people who are running wild creating chaos across our city and HOLD THEM IN CUSTODY AND PROSECUTE THEM,” she wrote on Facebook.

'Anti-police king' congressman called out for hypocrisy after requesting enhanced police patrols at his home


A progressive Democrat congressman who voted to defund Austin police as a city council member in 2020 and then blasted the department in December 2023 for alleged racist practices, even asking the Justice Department to investigate it, actually requested a patrol of his home from the same department, Fox News reported. "It’s come to our attention that Anti police king of the defund movement in Austin [Greg Casar] who only last week called APD an agency with racist practices has requested enhanced patrols around his house for the next week," the Austin Police Retired Officers Association posted on X, according to the cable news network. Casar was arguably the loudest proponent of defunding Austin police in 2020 while he was a city council member, Fox News said, adding that it led to an officer shortage and retirements from which critics said the Texas capital has not recovered. Casar's office added to Fox News Digital it does "not comment on active security matters related to the Congressman."

Left-wing thugs punch, scream at left-wing Portland mayor during his restaurant dinner


The eventful dinner took place in January 2021 and featured far-left militants barging past restaurant staff to confront Wheeler. One of the thugs made physical contact with the Democrat mayor. No arrests were made. Angry residents at the time accused Wheeler of not supporting police enough while militants said the opposite, even though months before the dinner showdown he said he was willing to defund the police but only to an extent. In July 2020 — the hottest month of the George Floyd summer — Portland rioters threw objects at Wheeler and endlessly berated him after he showed up on the streets for what he called a "listening session."

Democrat who once employed anti-cop staffer blasts soft-on-crime policies she says led to physical attack against her


It wouldn't be fair to categorize Democrat U.S. Rep. Angie Craig of Minnesota as soft-on-crime or anti-cop — but one of her top staffers most definitely was in favor of defunding the police, the Washington Free Beacon reported in February 2022. A year later Craig was violently attacked in the elevator of her Washington, D.C., apartment and soon spoke out against the lack of prosecution of violent crime repeat offenders. "I got attacked by someone who the District of Columbia has not prosecuted fully over the course of almost a decade, over the course of 12 assaults before mine that morning," she told CBS News, adding that "we have to think about how in the world can we make sure we're not just letting criminals out." Just hours after the attack, Craig voted against the new D.C. criminal code that would significantly soften criminal penalties in the nation's capital.


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NYC judge sets free thug accused of sucker-punching woman, breaking her jaw — then judge retires to Florida: Report



A New York City judge set free a suspect accused of sucker-punching a woman and breaking her jaw — then the judge retired to Florida days later, the New York Post reported.

Image source: YouTube screenshot

What are the details?

Prosecutors on Wednesday upgraded charges against 33-year-old Franz Jeudy in connection with the highly publicized, unprovoked March attack against 57-year-old Dulche Pichardo, a mother of three, the Post said.

The paper initially said Jeudy was charged with third-degree assault — a misdemeanor, which means he's not bail-eligible — and he was released.

District Attorney Eric Gonzalez said in a separate Post story that a grand jury soon returned an indictment for felony assault against Jeudy.

Prosecutors asked for bail-eligible second-degree assault and requested $25,000 cash bail or $50,000 bond for Jeudy — but Brooklyn Supreme Court Justice Matthew Sciarrino rejected the request and let the suspect go, the paper said.

Image source: YouTube screenshot

Sciarrino on Friday told the Post he followed state law when releasing Jeudy, noting that "you can't set bail on someone” who “is a not flight risk.”

The judge — a Republican with more than 18 months left on his mayoral appointment — then retired Friday to Florida, the paper said, adding that a court spokesperson said Sciarrino filed his retirement papers in January and insisted the move south “has nothing to do with the bail decision in this case.”

Councilman Robert Holden — a moderate Queens Democrat in favor of tougher bail laws — told the Post he's glad Sciarrino is headed out of New York: "Good riddance to this soft-on-crime judge! We need judges with the backbone to put bad guys behind bars, not ones that let out the entire world and then flee to Florida, where the laws are tougher.”

Prior to the brutal punch Pichardo endured in March, Jeudy was arrested seven times on assault charges, WABC-TV reported. A previous Post story, citing police, said one of those priors took place in 2018 when Jeudy was charged with second-degree assault for an attack on a cop. The paper, citing sources, added that Jeudy also was collared for punching a security guard in 2019.

The Post reported that Jeudy was charged with misdemeanor assault in both cases, but prosecutors said the charges were later dismissed because Jeudy — with an apparent history of schizophrenia — was declared unfit to stand trial.

What else?

The attack against Pichardo came in the wake of a Blaze News report about multiple women saying they were randomly punched in the face and head on New York City streets.

Pichardo told WABC the suspect randomly punched her in the face around 5 p.m. March 26 while she was walking down Grand Avenue near Dean Street in Brooklyn.

“He just punched me on the right side here, very strong,” Pichardo told WPIX-TV, adding, “I was surprised. I said, ‘What’s going on? Why did you hit me? Why did you do it?’ I didn’t do anything. No reason to hit me."

Image source: WABC-TV video screenshot

She told WPIX her attacker never said a word.

WABC reported that Pichard's face was fractured in several places, her mouth was wired shut, and she was scheduled to drink food from a straw for six weeks. WABC added that Pichardo sustained permanent damage to her lower lip, three of her teeth were knocked out, and surgery might be necessary.

WABC said Pichardo is a school bus aide and was returning from work — just steps from home — when the attacker punched her.

More from WABC:

Her brother owns a restaurant across the street from where she lives. He and an employee chased the suspect down.

Yohan Flores says the suspect was standing cold and emotionless when they confronted him. The suspect denied attacking Pichardo.

Pichardo's brother and the employee followed the suspect for several blocks and stopped him from fleeing until police arrived.

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Eric Swalwell blasts 'soft on violent-crime prosecutors' for allowing people to endanger children



Democratic Rep. Eric Swalwell of California suggested in a post on X that "soft on violent-crime prosecutors" are allowing people to endanger children.

He made the comments in response to a news story about an Oakland carjacking. A young child had been in the vehicle when it was taken. Video footage showed an individual emerge from the vehicle with the child and leave the young boy alone outside. The child was later reunited with his mother and the vehicle was recovered.

"My wife and I play these scenarios over in our head all the time. We’ve practiced going out through the back seat to get our kids out of our car if we are carjacked. This is not normal. Soft on violent-crime prosecutors are letting too many dangerous people threaten our kids," Swalwell tweeted.

— (@)

The left-wing congressman has been serving in the U.S. House of Representatives for more than a decade.

"And what political party do those soft on crime prosecutors belong to? Who funds campaigns for them? DEMOCRATS. Your party is behind all of this Eric. For the sake of your family I hope you get a gun and get trained so you can protect them in these far left crime zones," Robby Starbuck tweeted in response to Swalwell's post.

"Well, of course I agree, but what party do virtually all of those 'soft on violent-crime' prosecutors belong to?" Jeremy Carl wrote to Swalwell.

"Yet again we see that the most predictable outcome in the world is progressive politicians being outraged at the consequences of their own policies and ideology," Ian Miller wrote.

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‘GlitterBomb’ Creator Mark Rober Is Doing More To Foil Crime Than Democrat Cities Like San Francisco

Unless punishment ensues, thieves will keep stealing goods and praying that they don't stumble across Rober’s latest retaliatory invention.