Pregnant woman allegedly struck in head several times, slammed into wall over seating — at kindergarten graduation: Cops



One would be inclined to consider a kindergarten graduation ceremony a joyful and fun occasion — the polar opposite of dangerous, in fact.

But in Philadelphia on Monday, one such ceremony at John Wister Elementary Mastery Charter School in the city's Germantown neighborhood was anything but.

'There was a carjacking in the neighborhood for which police were called separately.'

Police responded to the charter school after 10:15 a.m. over a disturbance involving seating arrangements between two parents, WPVI-TV reported.

Police told the station one of the parents allegedly struck the other parent — a 31-year-old pregnant woman — in the head several times and slammed her into a wall.

Witnesses told WPVI they saw the victim bleeding.

RELATED: 30-year-old thug accused of shooting Philly cop amid brawls near HS: 'You're a damn adult. You're supposed to know better.'

Photo by Kyle Mazza/Anadolu via Getty Images

Medical personnel took the pregnant woman in an ambulance to a hospital where she was treated for her injuries, the station said, citing police.

Police said the attacker — a female wearing a gray hoodie and black pants — took off from the scene and hadn't been arrested, WPVI reported.

However, WTXF-TV reported that a letter from the principal was sent to the school community about "an altercation between two of our parents" that indicated police "arrived quickly to remove the parents from the scene. Contrary to online rumors, the only injuries were between the two parents involved, and no weapons were drawn or involved in the incident."

In addition, the letter added that "there was a carjacking in the neighborhood for which police were called separately. This incident did not involve anyone in the Wister community, and the suspect was apprehended."

Blaze News on Tuesday spoke to an employee of a business near the school who said the incident didn't faze him because such violence "happens quite a bit." The employee added to Blaze News that "there are some really rough areas in Germantown" and that the neighborhood his business shares with the school is "semi-rough but getting better" — however, it's "not somewhere I'd send my kids to school."

RELATED: Fistfight between 2 boys ends when 45-year-old relative of one boy shoots the other kid — a 13-year-old — and runs away: Cops

WPVI said Northwest Detectives are heading up an investigation into the matter and that those with information should contact them at 215-685-3353.

WPVI's video report Monday evening indicated that the school wouldn't make any other statements about the incident and that the victim — according to her family — was still hospitalized.

Police on Tuesday didn't immediately respond to Blaze News' inquiries regarding if the the female parent accused of carrying out the attack had been arrested or identified, if there was any word on the condition of the pregnant victim, or if there is video of the attack.

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Road-rage suspect uses hatchet to repeatedly smash windows of crashed car — and the act is ​caught on cellphone video



Cellphone video caught the moment when a road-rage suspect repeatedly smashed the windows of a crashed car in Boston — and the unhinged fellow carried out the act with a hatchet, of all things.

Police said the aggravated assault took place just after 11:40 p.m. Friday in the 1000 block of Commonwealth Avenue in the city's Brighton neighborhood.

The victim added that he felt disoriented after the crash but recalled that the suspect approached him and began smashing his vehicle windows with a hammer or axe.

Police said the suspect reportedly chased the victim in his vehicle at a high rate of speed, causing the victim to crash. Police said the suspect then exited a gray pickup truck, assaulted the victim, and used a hatchet to break the windows and windshield of the victim's vehicle after the victim fled.

You can view video here of the hatchet attack.

RELATED: Boston judge holds ICE agent in contempt for depriving illegal alien of due process by detaining him in the middle of his trial

Photo by Stan Grossfeld/The Boston Globe via Getty Images

Police said the suspect fled on Babcock Street in the direction of Brookline.

What else do we know?

According to WBTS-TV, a preliminary investigation revealed that the victim was driving a Toyota Prius south on Commonwealth at a high rate of speed, veered to the right, jumped the median separating the road from the bicycle lanes, and crashed into a tree on the sidewalk.

Police told the station the Prius sustained extensive damage and that the airbags had deployed.

The Prius driver told police that the pickup truck driver chased and forced him off the road, WBTS reported.

The victim added that he felt disoriented after the crash but recalled that the suspect approached him and began smashing his vehicle windows with a hammer or axe, the station said, adding that the suspect also swung the hatchet at him and chased him down the street for a short distance.

More from WTBS:

Witnesses told police they saw the suspect chasing the victim along the sidewalk armed with an axe. One witness showed police clear cellphone video showing the suspect smashing the victim's vehicle repeatedly with a small hatchet.

The victim suffered a hand injury in the crash and was treated at the scene but refused transport to a hospital.

Boston police on Sunday released photos of the alleged suspect and asked the public for help in identifying him, the station said.

RELATED: Far-left Boston mayor blasted for 'condolences' to family of thug shot dead by cop; suspect tried to stab 2 people: Police

Image source: Boston Police Department

Blaze News on Monday afternoon spoke to an employee of a business near the location of the incident, and the employee — who wished to remain anonymous — said things were back to normal, except for some pieces of broken glass on the ground and reporters and TV cameras roaming in the area.

Police said the suspect was described as a white male, approximately 25 years old, with a slight build, brown medium-length hair, and a short beard. The suspect was wearing a white T-shirt with a plain front and lettering on the back as well as blue jeans and brown sneakers, police said.

Police said they are actively reviewing the facts and circumstances surrounding the incident, and those with information are strongly urged to contact detectives at 617-343-4256. Community members who wish to provide anonymous information can call the CrimeStoppers Tip Line at 800-494-TIPS, text “TIP” to CRIME (27463), or visit Boston Police CrimeStoppers, the department said.

RELATED: Horrifying viral video shows male body-slamming woman headfirst on road after fender bender; suspect released on $2,500 bail

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Woman curses out, punches 8-year-old in face because kid was 'looking' at her on bus; child's mother fights attacker: Cops



A woman cursed out and punched an 8-year-old in the face because the kid was "looking" at her on a bus, after which the child's mother fought the attacker, Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department said.

Police said the physical attack took place Feb. 15 after the suspect boarded a bus at Lake Mead Boulevard and H Street and sat near the child, KLAS-TV reported.

'She wouldn't have made it off the bus had it been me and mine.'

Police released a video Thursday of the woman as she entered and left the municipal bus. Police on Friday afternoon told Blaze News the suspect has not been apprehended:

Police told KLAS the suspect began using profanity toward the child who was looking at her and then punched the child in the face. The station said the child's mother got into a physical fight with the suspect.

KLAS said the unidentified suspect got off the bus at Lake Mead and Lamb Boulevards and was last seen wearing a black sweatshirt, black pants, tan boots with white fur, and large hoop earrings.

The station said police are asking those who know the woman or have information about the incident to contact detectives at 702-828-4173 or send an email to j13525r@lvmpd.com. To remain anonymous, police told KLAS responders can contact Crime Stoppers at 702-385-5555.

Las Vegas Metro police have requested the community's help in identifying a woman accused of punching a minor, KVVU-TV reported.

How are people reacting?

More than a few commenters offered their thoughts on the city police department's Facebook page in regard to the incident:

  • "She wouldn't have made it off the bus had it been me and mine," one commenter wrote.
  • "Someone knows that dirtbag POS," another user noted. "Hope that kid is OK. Lock em’ up!"
  • "How horrific!! That poor child I'm sure is traumatized and will need counseling," another commenter said. "But I'm surprised that others didn't help the mother and hold this person down until the police came!! SMH."
  • "She would have needed a stretcher if that was my child," another user predicted. "Matter of fact, she would not have been walking off that bus."

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Wife of slain UnitedHealthcare CEO says he had been receiving 'threats'



The wife of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson — who was fatally shot outside a Manhattan hotel Wednesday morning in a "brazen" and "premeditated, preplanned targeted attack," according to police — said he had been receiving "threats."

Paulette Thompson told NBC News in a phone call that "there had been some threats. Basically, I don’t know, a lack of coverage? I don’t know details. I just know that he said there were some people that had been threatening him."

'The shooter then walks toward the victim and continues to shoot. It appears that the gun malfunctions as he clears the jam and begins to fire again.'

She added to NBC News that police told her it appeared that the shooting was "a planned attack."

The New York Post, which cited NBC News, reported that Paulette Thompson also said, “I can’t really give a thoughtful response right now. I just found this out, and I’m trying to console my children."

What else do we know?

New York City Police Commissioner Jessica Tisch said at a news conference that Thompson was struck at least once in the back and at least once in the right calf and that that the suspect was "lying in wait for several minutes," NBC News reported.

"Many people passed the suspect, but he appeared to wait for his intended target," Tisch added, according the news network.

Chief of Detectives Joseph Kenny said the suspect arrived at the scene about five minutes before the shooting and fired a shot at Thompson’s back, NBC News noted.

"The shooter then walks toward the victim and continues to shoot. It appears that the gun malfunctions as he clears the jam and begins to fire again," Kenny added, according to the news network.

Three live 9mm rounds and three discharged 9mm shell casings were found at the scene, NBC News said, adding the police recovered a cell phone near the scene.

"The motive for this murder is currently unknown, but based on the evidence we have so far, it does appear the victim was specifically targeted," Kenny added to reporters, the news network said. "But at this point, we do not know why."

Kenny also said Thompson appeared unaware that he was in any danger and had no security detail around him, according to the New York Times, which also reported that a law enforcement official said surveillance video captured the shooting and that it shows the gunman alone when he fired at Thompson.

The suspect was described as a white male wearing a black hoodie, black pants, black sneakers with a white trim, and a gray backpack who was using a gun with a silencer, an individual familiar with the matter told CNBC.

Tisch said the shooter fled the scene on foot and then on a New York Citi Bike and was last seen in Central Park, NBC News reported. Police said no arrests have been made, the news network noted, adding that Crime Stoppers was offering a $10,000 reward for information.

You can view WNYW's video report here about the fatal shooting, which includes surveillance images of the suspected gunman and the update from police.

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Scary, shirtless thug caught on video trying to sexually assault vape shop worker near midnight — but she bravely fights back



A terrifying scene was recorded on surveillance video earlier this month as a shirtless male posing as a customer at a Florida vape shop tried to sexually assault a woman working behind the counter around midnight.

The brave woman not only fought back, but also she appeared on camera for a WTVJ-TV report on the incident to encourage other females who go through what she endured to speak up and speak out without shame.

'I want every girl to know what happened to me, so that if they ever go through something like that, they are able to speak up and just know that it's not their fault.'

The male entered the Miami Springs shop around midnight Nov. 9, near closing time, and the station said he appeared friendly at first, asking the female clerk questions.

But soon surveillance video caught the moment when the shirtless male very slowly walked around the counter opening and toward the woman behind the counter; she backed away.

He then grabbed both of her wrists and began walking backward, dragging her away from the counter. She resisted as best she could and begged him, "Please get away, sir!"

But the male was significantly taller and stronger, and WTVJ said he dragged her into a back room and put a shirt over her face.

"He was trying, once again, like I said, touching my [expletive], trying to pull my pants off, and I was just asking him not to do it, please not to do anything to me, and fighting back," the woman told the station in the aftermath.

Her fighting back included a moment when she grabbed a toilet plunger and began beating him with it, as her screaming grew louder.

The attack ended back in the main part of the store, video shows, where the male is seen letting the woman go and fleeing from the store.

"The only thing I had in my head, once again, was that I didn't want to ... get raped," the woman told WTVJ. "I just wanted to try to save myself as much as I could."

The station noted that anyone with information is asked to call Miami-Dade Crime Stoppers at 305-471-TIPS.

"I want every girl to know what happened to me, so that if they ever go through something like that, they are able to speak up and just know that it's not their fault," the woman added to WTVJ. "It’s not your fault that you have to go through something like that and that there's people like him out there."

You can view a video report here about the attack.

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Thug swings '5-foot-long tree branch' like baseball bat, bashing man in back of head in horrific, unprovoked attack



An unidentified male took a swing with a "5-foot-long tree branch" like it was a baseball bat, bashing a man in the back of his head in a horrific, unprovoked attack in Dallas over the weekend. You can view surveillance video of the attack here.

The victim, Adam Mercado, and his girlfriend, Taylor Monnet, were in downtown Dallas early Saturday morning and decided to meet friends at City Tavern, KXAS-TV reported.

'I always have my guard up; make sure you keep your head on a swivel — because for 10 seconds, I let my guard down, and this happened.'

“As we were walking up, I noticed a gentleman holding a big stick, kind of looking like a spear,” Mercado told KXAS. “And initially, my senses were going crazy, my intuition was going crazy, so I said, 'You know what, let’s go inside and get a drink.'”

Around 2 a.m., the couple decided to leave and were on the patio outside the tavern when the attack happened, the station said.

“And that’s when I felt it,” Mercado recounted to KXAS. “The sound was loud enough to almost be a gunshot. That’s what scared me.”

Video shows the male walking through the patio and stopping behind Mercado when he took a swing with the stick — which Mercado called a "5-foot-long tree branch" in a YouTube video description. A piece of the stick broke off when the male hit Mercado in the back of his head, after which Mercado fell to the ground.

Video also shows the attacker punching another man — a City Tavern employee, KXAS said — who came over in an apparent attempt to intervene, knocking him to the ground before the suspect took off. Dallas police told the station investigators had not yet identified the suspect.

Monnet is seen on the clip trying to get assistance for her boyfriend, telling KXAS that she was "running into the bar, and I’m screaming, just begging for help from anyone.”

The couple told the station that they turned down an ambulance ride due to the possible financial cost. “Eventually went to the hospital a few hours later because my head, my ears, everything was ringing, I was sore,” Mercado recalled to KXAS. “And I knew that I had to get checked out.”

The station said Mercado was diagnosed with a concussion, after which he experienced lingering pain and brain fog — along with fears about leaving their apartment in the wake of the attack.

“It’s just been really traumatic, you know, I’ve never had any type of violence done unto me,” he told KXAS. “Very surreal.”

Due to his expectation of a large hospital bill after a number of scans, and because he can't work for a little while, WFAA-TV said Mercado set up a GoFundMe page to help defray costs.

He added a warning to others who are out and about like he was, WFAA noted: "I always have my guard up; make sure you keep your head on a swivel — because for 10 seconds, I let my guard down, and this happened."

You can view video of an interview with Mercado and Monnet here.

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Thug reportedly hits 25-year-old woman over the head with baseball bat in random attack on NYC street



New York City police are looking for a male who reportedly hit a 25-year-old woman over the head with a baseball bat in a random attack earlier this month.

What are the details?

Detectives told WABC-TV the male struck the woman as she walked along 7th Avenue in the Manhattan neighborhood of Chelsea. The attack took place just after 10 p.m. Feb. 8, WCBS-TV reported.

It appears the attack was unprovoked, WABC said, adding that the woman suffered a gash on her head as well as some bruising.

The suspect was last seen wearing a black jacket, gray pants, a blue knit hat, and gray sneakers, WABC added.

How are people reacting?

A number of commenters sounded off under the New York Daily News' Facebook post about the attack:

  • "Every darn day and multiple times a day in NYC!!!" one commenter wrote.
  • "This is one of the reasons why I believe in the Second Amendment," another user declared.
  • "... They just know the elected officials are soft on crime and won’t do anything," another commenter stated. "That is why I’m changing my vote; no more for a group that does nothing but let these nuts go free."
  • "Is something in the water?????" another user wondered. "All this is not mental illness; this is a society of adults who were led to believe for every action, good or bad, there is no action."
  • "Jeez throw hot coffee on his face or karate chop that punk!!!!!!!" another commenter exclaimed.
  • "Keep voting [Democrat] tho," another user mocked. "[Former New York City Mayor] Rudy [Giuliani] kept the streets safer."
  • "That’s why I’m no longer voting Democratic," another commenter said.
  • "Capture. Convict. Execute," another user wrote.

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Hammer-wielding shoplifter bashes head of 70-year-old laundromat worker who tries to stop theft. Crook apparently needed some free bleach.



Surveillance video caught the moments a shoplifter repeatedly used a hammer to hit the head of a 70-year-old Brooklyn laundromat worker who attempted to stop the early-morning theft last week.

What are the details?

The suspect entered the Aqua Wash laundromat on East 98th Street near Livonia Avenue in the New York City borough's Brownsville neighborhood just before 5 a.m. Thursday, police told the New York Post.

Video released late Tuesday shows the suspect heading to the back of the store where police said he grabbed some items — among them apparently a few bottles of bleach — without paying for them, the paper said.

Then the laundromat worker tried to stop the theft, grabbing the suspect and holding on to him even after the suspect grabbed a hammer — which belonged to the store — and repeatedly bashed the worker in the head with it.

The Post said the suspect hit the laundromat worker about four times in the head, dragging the elderly man across the floor before they both fell down.

Video shows the suspect dropped items he was attempting to steal, but he apparently took off with the hammer.

What happened to the worker?

The paper said emergency services treated the laundromat worker at the scene for cuts on his head.

Police are still looking for the suspect who was last seen wearing a light green shirt, dark red shorts, and a yellow cap, the Post said.

Elderly man attacked with hammeryoutu.be

How are folks reacting?

Twitter commenters reacted rather pointedly and sarcastically to the news of the violent attack:

  • "We need common-sense hammer control," one commenter quipped. "3-day waiting period to buy hammers."
  • "Just gonna say it," another user wrote. "If you don't own the place (and even maybe if), just let them walk away. Obviously these thugs don't care if you're elderly."
  • "As New Yorkers, we all know bleach prices are exorbitant, especially at bodegas where it's $7," another commenter observed. "That prospective carpenter isn't in the wrong; circumstances forced his hand. We're all entitled to bleach; it should be free."
  • "This is normal; nothing to see here," another user chirped. "Let’s fix the climate instead."