Video: Thug throws Molotov cocktail at man in wheelchair, setting him on fire — right in front of police headquarters
Oklahoma City Police this week released video recorded around 8 a.m. July 2 showing a suspect throwing a Molotov cocktail at a victim in a wheelchair — and authorities said the "terrifying incident unfolded right across the street" from police headquarters.
"What happened next showed the absolute best of our community and our first responders," police said.
'These are people, these are our neighbors, these are our fellow Oklahomans. These are people with hopes and dreams, just like any of us.'
Police department detectives and a "quick-thinking bystander immediately rushed into danger to help the victim and take the suspect into custody on the spot," police said, adding that the city's fire department "was also quick to the scene to provide crucial medical aid."
Police said, "Thanks to this rapid, heroic response, the victim is expected to recover, and the suspect is behind bars."
The Oklahoman reported that a city police officer wrote in a court affidavit that the perpetrator was walking westbound on Main Street when he saw the victim — who was in a wheelchair — crossing the street. The perpetrator turned around and approached the victim, then ignited a Molotov cocktail and threw it directly at the victim, which set him on fire, the paper noted.
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The Oklahoman said the video shows the victim wheeling himself out of the fire — but the suspect who threw the Molotov cocktail then appears to try to push the victim back into the flames.
Two Oklahoma City police detectives exited a vehicle at the intersection and took a 38-year-old suspect into custody, the paper said.
The victim was treated for minor injuries, including burns on the back of his neck and arms, the Oklahoman said, citing court documents.
More from the paper:
According to the court affidavit, the suspect told investigators he was "looking for marks" and intended to kill the victim because he thought he saw a "mark" and believed the victim was a child molester. He also told investigators he made two Molotov cocktails but was only able to use one before detectives stopped him.
After the attack, the suspect was booked into the Oklahoma County jail on complaints of first-degree arson, assault and battery with a deadly weapon, assault with intent to kill and two counts of possessing, using, manufacturing or threatening to use an incendiary device or explosives.
KOCO-TV identified the suspect as Alexander Emery, adding that authorities said Emery has a lengthy criminal history, including charges of trespassing, burglary, drug offenses, breaking and entering, and assault and battery — with cases dating back about a decade.
Jail records indicate Emery's bond amount is $200,000.
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KOCO said a news crew from the station found the Molotov cocktail attack victim, who is homeless, in his wheelchair near the scene of the attack. The station said he declined to go on camera but told the news crew he's OK, feels grateful, and believes God was with him during the harrowing incident.
The victim also told KOCO he was treated at the scene but declined to go to the hospital. He also told the station he doesn't know the attacker or the reason behind the assault.
Meghan Mueller, president and CEO of the Homeless Alliance, told KOCO the video of the attack is "absolutely horrific."
"The fact that this happened is something that should shock the community," Mueller added to the station. "These are people, these are our neighbors, these are our fellow Oklahomans. These are people with hopes and dreams, just like any of us."
Mueller also told KOCO that "the really important thing to remember is that we all need to take better care of each other."
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Life can be hard, but don't forget to laugh
This week, I sat down to pay a medical bill. It wasn’t the entire bill, but just my portion.
It came to about $5,300.
That’s the co-pay for my wife’s new prosthetic legs. And that’s after insurance did what insurance does, which is a separate conversation best handled with prayer, patience, and possibly a therapist (who also requires a deductible and co-pay).
On top of that, I’ve had a few medical issues myself lately. A biopsy this week, an MRI last month. More bills trickling in. You don’t even wait for the mail any more. They find you online now.
If what we believe is true, then suffering is not meaningless or random, and it is not final.
So I did what I have done for 40 years of caregiving. I paid what I could and planned the rest while waiting for the insurance payments to sort out.
In four decades, with nearly a hundred surgeries for my wife, every provider — and in a medical journey like hers, there have been many — has always worked with me. Particularly when I showed the initiative and talked with the provider first.
But this week, I didn’t just plan a payment; I accidentally paid the whole thing. All of it. In one click.
There’s a special kind of silence that fills the room when you realize what you have just done. It’s not panic or fear, but that slow, sinking realization that you have just made a very enthusiastic financial decision you did not intend to make.
I immediately called the provider. The person I spoke with voided the payment, set me up on something more manageable, and reassured me that I was not the first person to make such a mistake. Since it was caught on the same day, everything would be fine.
I thanked the reassuring person, hung up, sat there for a moment, and then laughed.
I laughed because it brought to mind a PSA I helped put together years ago during National Caregiver Awareness Month. We riffed on the comic “you might be a redneck …” routine and did it about family caregivers.
Caregiving gives you plenty of material for that sort of routine.
If a hospital bed has ever hampered your love life … you might be a caregiver.
If you’re the one asking for a price check on suppositories … you might be a caregiver.
If you’ve ever hooked up your dog to your wife’s wheelchair just to see if it would work … you might be a caregiver. (It does work — but watch out for squirrels.)
And after that phone call, I laughed because I could add another one: If you’ve ever financed your wife’s prosthetic legs … you might be a caregiver.
This is how we have learned to shoulder the immensity of what we carry.
We live in a culture where outrage is currency and perspective is in short supply. Outrage and victimhood are easy to perform. Caregiving isn’t. When someone you love is suffering, she doesn’t need a performance.
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Caregiving chips away at those cultural indulgences. Bills still come, and bodies still break. Responsibilities don’t pause so that you can craft the perfect complaint. You either learn to carry it, or it crushes you.
If you’re going to endure this, you also learn to laugh. Not because things are easy, but because this isn’t the end.
Scripture tells us there is a time to weep and a time to laugh.
We weep in hospital rooms. We weep in quiet moments when the weight of it all settles in. We weep while watching helplessly as someone we love struggles.
But we also laugh because we are refusing to let the pain define us.
And for the Christian, that refusal is not rooted in being naturally strong or optimistic, but in what we believe to be true. That truth requires something of us, especially in our darkest moments.
If what we believe is true, then suffering is not meaningless or random, and it is not final.
God is not absent from it. If He is Lord at all, then He is Lord of all. The promise of the gospel is not that we learn to cope better, but that Christ redeems completely.
Right now, my wife uses prosthetic legs. Right now, we deal with bills, setbacks, and the daily logistics of a body that has endured more than most people can imagine. But a day is coming when all that will change. No prosthetics, pain, or co-pays. No fragile bodies that wear out under the strain of this world.
Until then, we live here. So yes, we weep. But we also laugh — sometimes right after accidentally trying to pay $5,300 we don’t have. For now, we still crack a smile, even with tears on our cheeks.
“Ten more payments … and you can walk anywhere you want, baby!”
I reach for her hand and help her stand. She chuckles. Not because it’s easy, but because it’s not the end.
Heartless: Male accused of stealing from paraplegic's apartment — and right in front of defenseless victim
A paraplegic man in Oklahoma City said he's been robbed twice in the space of a month and fears for his safety, KWTV-DT reported.
Alan Prudhome noted to the station he believes those who stole from him did so believing that his disability makes him an easy target.
'I wake up to somebody trying to take my bag off me that I keep everything in.'
"Someone had pried the door open, went in and stole my TVs, my laptop, my computer," Prudhome told KWTV regarding what went down at this apartment. "Took a bunch of random things."
Also stolen were cash and medicine — and even Prudhome's wheelchair, as well as hand controls he used to help him drive it, the station said.
Prudhome filed a police report believing it was a one-time incident, KWTV reported — but just a week later, an even worse incident occurred.
"I wake up to somebody trying to take my bag off me that I keep everything in," Prudhome recalled to the station. "I was like, 'What are you doing?'"
Prudhome told KWTV a second individual later identified as Johnny Johnson walked out of his closet with a box of his belongings.
"I said, 'Why are you [doing] this to me?'" Prudhome noted to the station. "He said, 'It happened to me,' and I said, 'You're not paraplegic; you can do for yourself.'"
After Prudhome called police, officers arrested Johnson in the area but never located the second suspect, KWTV reported.
Prudhome told the station the two suspects from the second burglary live in the same apartment complex as him, but he wasn't sure if they were involved in the first break-in.
Johnson was charged with one count of first-degree burglary and remained in custody Tuesday at the Oklahoma County Detention Center, jail records show. His bond is $15,000, and his next court date is Oct. 23, jail records also indicate.
Prudhome set up a GoFundMe to help him make up for his losses, and it's raised just over $11,000 of a $16,000 goal.
Then over the weekend, more good news came his way.
After hearing Prudhome’s story, Stacy Reddig — owner of Wheelchairs for Veterans — told KFOR-TV, “I just cannot believe that somebody would steal this man’s medical equipment, so we jumped all over it."
Redding's organization donated a brand-new manual wheelchair to Prudhome, which will help him get around easier, KFOR reported.
“I can go where I need to go, and I don’t have to worry about not being able to get to appointments,” Prudhome added to KFOR.
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Man in wheelchair grabs gun during home invasion — then shocks crook with rare physical feat
Police in Albuquerque, New Mexico, told Blaze News that a male was suspected of having committed a string of crimes Monday morning.
Police said Michael Salas broke into a home, led police on a car chase, and then fled on foot before arriving at an apartment on the southeast side of the city, KRQE-TV reported.
'Please don't touch me. Please get out of my house.'
Suddenly, Salas barged into the unit — and encountered wheelchair-bound Anthony Nichogi, who was in the residence with his young son, the station said.
Nichogi's wife had left the front door unlocked when she departed, KRQE said, adding that Salas burst inside only a minute later.
"I was in fear for my life and my son," Nichogi told the station, adding that Salas "reached for me, and I told him, 'Please don't touch me. Please get out of my house.'"
KRQE said Salas has a long rap sheet full of burglary arrests and convictions.
Burglaries are nothing new for Nichogi, who told the station his neighborhood has suffered many of them — and he was prepared: "You know, I have video footage of all the five years' worth of incidents, and I'm expecting it."
Nichogi repeatedly told Salas to get out, KRQE said, adding that he soon motored on his electric wheelchair to the bedroom to get mace.
But it wouldn't be so easy.
"I turned my chair around, and as I went into the bedroom to go unlock it and retrieve it, he followed me into the bedroom," Nichogi explained to the station.
With that, Nichogi opted for a more powerful means of self-defense. He instead grabbed his gun, KRQE said.
And that wasn't all.
Describing what happened next as a rush of adrenaline, Nichogi told the station he performed a rare physical feat: He got up from his wheelchair and commanded Salas to leave.
Indeed, video shows a clearly unnerved Salas putting up his hands and retreating to the front door as Nichogi points a gun at him and walks after him, even following Salas out of the apartment.
"I never expected to have to defend my home like that," Nichogi added to KRQE. "This is a first for me."
The medical condition that necessitates his wheelchair use is not clear.
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Police told the station that officers had been following Salas after deploying a GPS dart on his car and then pursued him on foot.
Police added to KRQE that Salas was found on a roof next door and arrested.
According to jail information police provided to Blaze News, Salas on Wednesday remained incarcerated in Bernalillo County's Metropolitan Detention Center on no bail. Salas, 40, was charged with aggravated burglary with a deadly weapon, burglary, reckless driving, and resisting, evading, or obstructing an officer. He also has a warrant for burglary from an automobile.
Police told KRQE that Salas had an accomplice with him — Christina Herrera — who is facing a residential burglary charge.
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Biden aides reportedly considered putting him in wheelchair due to 'physical deterioration' — but had one condition
President Joe Biden's physical decline was reportedly so rapid that his team discussed putting him a wheelchair if he was re-elected, especially if he suffered another fall.
According to a new book from CNN's Jake Tapper and Axios' Alex Thompson, Biden aides discussed the president's serious physical decline, with others in his inner circle reportedly concerned about the degeneration of his spine.
The 46th president's "halting walk" was of particular concern to his staff, as was the potential of Biden suffering a devastating fall. The fears reportedly came after Biden tripped over a sandbag at the Air Force Academy in June 2023, which resulted in increased precautions over his walking paths and stage layouts.
According to Axios, Biden's team tried to implement shorter walking routes for the president, increasingly had him wear sneakers, and insisted on the installation of handrails up to the stage for his appearances. These changes were coupled with visual briefings to ensure that the president knew his particular path for each event. The situation was reportedly so dire that the briefings were described as an effort to ensure that Biden knew every step he was expected to take.
Biden's doctor, Kevin O'Connor, allegedly even had concerns that another fall could necessitate a wheelchair for the president.
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Staff and O'Connor's concerns over Biden's "severe" levels of "physical deterioration" inspired internal discussions about the use of a wheelchair, but staff reportedly did not want to put the president's health first and were willing to wait "until after the election."
The president's team reportedly said it was politically untenable to have him use a wheelchair during the re-election campaign.
The president's physician expressed even more concerns, believing that if Biden suffered another fall, it would be a "difficult recovery."
The doctor was so worried that he reportedly joked at times that he was the only one trying to keep the president alive, whereas Biden's staff was trying to kill him. O'Connor allegedly wanted Biden to have more rest than presidential aides were allowing, and his diagnoses were even at odds with what Biden staffers were saying about his health.
For example, White House aides said the president's poor gait was a result of a foot fracture, but O'Connor had said that "both small fractures of his foot are completely healed" and that "this injury has healed as expected."
As well, O'Connor said publicly that Biden's posture problems were from "significant spinal arthritis."
An anonymous Biden spokesperson told Axios that his "medical exam made clear that he had a stiffened gait caused, in part, by wear and tear to his spine — but that no special treatment was necessary and that it had not worsened."
"He was transparent about this, and it was far from 'severe,'" the statement continued. "Yes, there were physical changes as he got older, but evidence of aging is not evidence of mental incapacity."
The spokesperson concluded, "We are still waiting for someone, anyone, to point out where Joe Biden had to make a presidential decision or make a presidential address where he was unable to do his job because of mental decline."
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'Those who claimed nothing was wrong are politically and perhaps literally blind.'
Corporate and liberal media are "wholly guilty" of "failing to show courage to report out what was happening before our very eyes," said Curtis Houck, managing editor of MRC NewsBusters.
Houck told Blaze News, "Those who claimed nothing was wrong are politically and perhaps literally blind, and those who knew but bowed to political pressures are guilty of the highest order of cowardice."'
CNN's Tapper, who wrote the book — "Original Sin: President Biden's Decline, Its Cover-Up, and His Disastrous Choice to Run Again" — has been criticized for on-air confrontations in which he accused others of lacking a medical background when pointing out the president's deterioration.
In October 2020, Tapper accused Lara Trump of mocking Biden's "stutter" when she attempted to refer to a "cognitive decline."
Houck added that without a media "cover-up," Vice President Kamala Harris likely would not have been the Democratic nominee in 2024.
"The criticism will be of Tapper and Thompson and their sources withholding key anecdotes that would have further accelerated Biden’s exit and allowed for a longer runway for whoever the Democratic nominee would have been, because it certainly wouldn't have been Kamala Harris."
Blaze News reached out to the Office of Joe and Jill Biden regarding claims made in the upcoming book. This article will be updated with any applicable responses.
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Jasmine Crockett mocks paralyzed Texas Gov. Greg Abbott as 'Governor Hot Wheels' during Human Rights Campaign speech
Outspoken far-left U.S. Rep. Jasmine Crockett (D-Texas) mocked paralyzed Texas Gov. Greg Abbott (R) as "Governor Hot Wheels" during a speech at a Human Rights Campaign event in Los Angeles over the weekend.
Crockett was telling her audience about being "out front fightin'" for her constituents when she noted that "we in these hot-ass Texas streets, honey," which drew laughter from the crowd.
'I don’t use this word often, but Jasmine Crockett truly is wicked.'
Crockett then looked up from her notes with a smile and remarked, "Y'all know we got Governor Hot Wheels down there, come on now!" while pounding the lectern with her palm.
"And the only thing hot about him is that he is a hot-ass mess, honey!" she added.
Both remarks were met with hoots, hollers, laughter, and applause. You can view the clip here.
You also can view Crockett's full speech here. Her remarks about Abbott begin just after the 4:30 mark and conclude around the 4:50 mark. The Human Rights Campaign posted Crockett's speech on YouTube on Monday.
Abbott, 67, has been paralyzed from the waist down since he was 26, after a tree fell on his back when he was jogging. The Republican has been wheelchair-bound as a result.
Crockett as of early Tuesday afternoon did not bring up her remarks about Abbott on either of her X accounts.
However, Crockett did repost a Thursday dig at Abbott from "comedian and model" Stacy Cay — who notes in her X bio that she doesn't like Republicans. Cay focused on a photo of Abbott in his wheelchair, with the governor noting that he was visiting the White House to talk to President Donald Trump about returning "education back to the states — where it belongs."
Cay mocked, "Rolling up to the White House to cheer on the president destroying the agency that makes sure kids in wheelchairs have equal access to education is wild."
Abbott as of early Tuesday afternoon did not address Crockett's remarks about him in her Human Rights Campaign speech.
Others did, however.
- Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp (R) called Crockett's remarks "shameful" and added that "if this is who Democrats are turning to for leadership, they’ve got a tough road ahead."
- Activist Scott Presler said of Crockett's remarks, "I don’t use this word often, but Jasmine Crockett truly is wicked. To call Greg Abbott 'Governor Hot Wheels' is cruel, contemptible & speaks to your lack of character. ... If Jasmine Crockett represents the Democrat party, I want nothing to do with Democrats. Despicable."
- TPUSA's Charlie Kirk called Crockett "trash" and said she "continues to embarrass herself, the state of Texas, and the US Congress by referring to Governor Greg Abbott as 'Governor Hot Wheels.'"
- CNN pundit Scott Jennings pointed out Crockett's "insult" while dubbing her the "unquestioned leader of the Democratic Party."
Crockett of late has been particularly critical of Republicans and the Trump administration. Last week she urged an anti-Tesla activist group to have Elon Musk "taken down" on her birthday. After Trump's address to a joint session of Congress earlier this month, Crockett said, "What is happening? Like, this is not America! This is a terrible nightmare! Somebody slap me and wake me the f**k up, 'cuz I'm ready to get on with it!"
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Catholic priest from order that serves the homeless gets carjacked at gunpoint while he's unloading wheelchair from vehicle in Philly
A Catholic priest from an order that provides services for the homeless was carjacked at gunpoint in Philadelphia over the weekend — while he was unloading a wheelchair from the vehicle's trunk.
What are the details?
Police said the deed took place in the 2100 block of East Somerset Street in the city's Kensington neighborhood around 8:45 p.m., KYW-TV reported.
Four men approached the priest while he was unloading the wheelchair from his blue 2013 Hyundai Sonata, authorities told the station — and one of them pulled out a gun.
Police said a man pulled an individual out of the vehicle who had been in the passenger seat, KYW added.
The other three men entered the vehicle and fled southbound on Frankford Avenue toward Lehigh Avenue, the station said.
The priest and the passenger were not injured, authorities told KYW. It isn't clear whether the passenger who was pulled from the vehicle required the wheelchair.
The priest is with the Arrupe Jesuit Community, which provides services to the homeless, the station said, adding that the community also owns the vehicle. There is an Arrupe Jesuit Community on North 18th Street in Philadelphia.
The USA East Province of the Society of Jesus confirmed to WTXF-TV that one of its priests serving in Philadelphia was carjacked Sunday night but added that additional details are being withheld to keep the priest safe.
Break in the case?
Police added to WTXF that arrests were made in connection with the carjacking Monday night in Camden, New Jersey, but the station said no further details were provided.
Anything else?
WTXF said there have been more than 1,000 carjackings in Philadelphia so far this year, which is a new record.
TheBlaze has reported extensively on the city's carjacking epidemic:
- A carjacker with a flair for the dramatic was caught on surveillance video jumping on a vehicle's roof and pointing a gun at the owner, who was standing by a gas pump. Three other gunmen helped chase the victim into a Philadelphia convenience store — after which the crooks drove off in the vehicle.
- An armed carjacker who targeted a Philadelphia mother and daughter in their own driveway last month was arrested and faces federal charges, the U.S. Department of Justice announced.
- In August a 69-year-old Philadelphia man turned the tables on an armed carjacker, wrestling the crook to the ground, taking his gun, and wounding the suspect with a shot that grazed his abdomen.
- In July a 62-year-old man was punched, kicked, and carjacked by a group of "kids" — two of whom police said were armed — as the victim readied to head home from his Philadelphia workplace.
- In June an armed Philadelphia carjacker picked the wrong motorist to steal from — a 59-year-old off-duty corrections officer who opened fire and apparently wounded the crook.
- Also in June, an off-duty Philadelphia police officer was carjacked at gunpoint and then shot seven times at his own SUV as it sped away. Hours later his SUV was found on fire — and a 15-year-old who was dropped off at a hospital with a gunshot wound to the hand was being held as a suspect.
Thug walks up to 82-year-old man who apparently uses wheelchair, stabs him from behind in reportedly unprovoked attack inside Los Angeles Taco Bell
Surveillance video caught the moment an 82-year-old man was stabbed from behind while eating in a Los Angeles Taco Bell, KTTV-TV reported.
Fox News called it an unprovoked attack.
What are the details?
Los Angeles police said the suspect on Oct. 3 approached the elderly man from behind as he was dining inside the fast-food restaurant in the 12000 block of Venice Boulevard, KTTV reported. Surveillance video showed an empty wheelchair next to the victim, who was seated in a restaurant chair at the time of the attack.
The suspect then stabbed the victim in the neck and shoulder and ran from the scene, KTTV said, citing police, who responded around 7 p.m.
The victim was rushed to a hospital, KTTV said, and remains as of Thursday on the road to recovery. Fox News said he was in critical condition.
What do we know about the suspect?
The suspect is described as a bald man, likely in his 20s or 30s, who stands between 5 feet, 1-inch and 5 feet, 6 inches tall and weighs about 130 pounds, KTTV said.
The suspect also has a large tattoo on the back of his head and a small tattoo next to his left eye, LAPD added to the station.
Anyone with information can call 310-482-6369, KTTV said.
How are folks reacting?
Commenters on Yahoo! News were horrified and angry about the stabbing:
- "Can't get much lower than that," one commenter said.
- "Defund the police they said. No cash bail the said. Empty the jails they said. Any theft under $1,000 is acceptable they said. Now we are dealing with all these upstanding citizens. Congratulations, you've gone and done it, and innocent people are paying the price," one commenter reacted. "Fire every single politician that supports such madness."
- "And when we catch him we will let him go!" another commenter predicted.
- "I have come to believe that all these actions by the various and sundry state and local governments that have led to this enormous escalation in violent crime is being perpetrated for that very reason: to increase instances of violent crime against the citizenry and make them scared," another commenter wrote. "Scared people are easier to lead and control, and when things get so bad as they are becoming, it will be much easier to get the people to accept any solution that's proposed — and those solutions will not be anything that anybody today would be willing to accept."
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Mitch McConnell’s Peace Sign Moment Just Dropped