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Hero Cop ‘Ran Toward the Danger,’ Kills Gunman Who Opened Fire at Municipal Building

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By The Blaze. A gunman allegedly scheduled for a domestic violence hearing next week opened fire at a western Pennsylvania magistrate’s office Thursday afternoon, police told KDKA-TV.

The man entered the lobby of the Masontown Municipal Building around 2 p.m., police told the station, and added that the shooting took place inside the office of Magisterial District Judge Daniel Shimshock.

But officers from Masontown and German Township entered the lobby and engaged the shooter, KDKA said, adding that the unnamed German Township officer fatally wounded the suspect.

“The German Township police officer ran toward the danger, not away,” District Attorney Richard Bower said in a separate story from the station. “He protected over 30 to 40 people from injury or death.”

Bower added to KDKA that “there were four heroes: [Sgt. R. Scott Miller, German Township Police Chief Dave Hromada, Officer Thomas Obarto], and the officer who engaged the actor and killed him.” (Read more from “Hero Cop ‘Ran Toward the Danger,’ Kills Gunman Who Opened Fire at Municipal Building” HERE)

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Police Shoot, Fatally Wound Fayette Co. Magistrate’s Office Shooting Suspect

By CBS Pittsburgh. Police were called to a shooting at a magistrate’s office in Fayette County Wednesday afternoon.

According to police, the shooting happened inside the office of Magisterial District Judge Daniel Shimshock on East Church Avenue in Masontown.

Five people were shot, including the shooter. One police officer was also among those wounded.

Dozens of people were inside the building at the time, but Shimshock and members of his staff were not injured.

According to police, a male entered the lobby of the Masontown Municipal Building around 2 p.m. and opened fire. (Read more from “Police Shoot, Fatally Wound Fayette Co. Magistrate’s Office Shooting Suspect” HERE)

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Dashcam Video Shows What Fired Cop — Accused of Using Excessive Force — Did to Shoplifting Suspect

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By The Blaze. Dashcam video just released by a Mississippi police department shows what a now-fired officer — accused of using excessive force — did to a shoplifting suspect. . .

Meridian police on July 16 pursued a vehicle in connection with a shoplifting report from a Walmart and stopped the vehicle about 50 yards from the store, the Meridian Star reported.

In the video, an officer exited his patrol car and drew his weapon as he approached the driver’s side door. Chief Benny Dubose told WTOK-TV it was within the officer’s rights to draw his gun before placing it back in his holster. . .

Things were proceeding according to protocol until Officer Daniel Starks pulled up in another patrol car and walked toward the suspect, who was still being handcuffed and not resisting, WTOK reported.

Starks then walked away from the suspect before turning around, walking back toward the suspect and striking the suspect in the neck with his forearm, WTOK reported. (Read more from “Dashcam Video Shows What Fired Cop — Accused of Using Excessive Force — Did to Shoplifting Suspect” HERE)

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Video: Meridian Police Video Shows Excessive Force That Led to Officer’s Firing

By The Meridian Star. The Meridian Police Department on Wednesday released the dash cam video of a police officer using excessive force against a shoplifting suspect.

The video shows officer Daniel Starks pushing the suspect and tasing him while the suspect was in handcuffs. Starks has been terminated for the incident.

“[Starks] just said he knew he did wrong,” Meridian Police Chief Benny Dubose said Wednesday.

Dubose said Starks had been with the department for about a year and had a clean record “that we know of.”

Dubose said the July 16 incident began as a shoplifting report at the Walmart on Highway 19. Upon arrival, Starks attempted to arrest the suspect, who got away and fled in his van. Other officers were able to stop the van about 40 to 50 yards away. Starks pulled up moments later. (Read more from “Video: Meridian Police Video Shows Excessive Force That Led to Officer’s Firing” HERE)

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Teens Arrested After Car Chase Leaves Officer Dead

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Three teenage suspects are now in custody in connection with a police chase that led to a suburban Seattle officer being struck and killed by a pursuing officer in a patrol car.

Kent Police Chief Rafael Padilla said at a news conference Monday that a passenger in the suspect vehicle was arrested with the help of a police dog after the incident early Sunday that killed Officer Diego Moreno.

Two other suspects, including the 16-year-old driver, have since been arrested, he said.

The chase began around 2 a.m. Sunday after a red truck was seen leaving a restaurant parking lot where gunshots were fired, according to Padilla.

Moreno had deployed spike strips at an intersection Sunday to slow the suspect vehicle, police said. He was on foot when he was struck by the patrol car that had been pursuing the suspects.

Authorities haven’t said what specifically led to that collision. Washington State Patrol District Commander Ron Mead on Sunday blamed the suspect for Moreno’s death.

The fleeing suspect’s truck landed on a spike but continued on for another mile before striking a barrier and coming to rest on its hood.

The patrol car also ran into an SUV that spun into two other vehicles. Padilla said three bystanders were provided medical care and that they were all doing OK.

The officer driving the patrol car was hospitalized in critical condition but had improved by Sunday night. He remained in a Seattle hospital Monday with serious injuries, Padilla said.

That officer has been with the department for 18 years and is one of their best, Padilla said. Police said they would release his name at a later time.

Padilla said Moreno made significant contributions during his eight years on the force, and described him as an “incredible human being.”

The Venezuela native was honored last year by the city with a Lifesaving Medal for saving someone from an opioid overdose. In 2016, he was praised for rescuing an elderly woman from a fire.

Kent Mayor Dana Ralph said Moreno’s efforts went above and beyond in the department’s Shop with a Cop holiday event. Ralph said last year Moreno pulled out his own wallet to cover extra costs for the things a child wanted.

“That was the type of person he was, the public servant he was,” Ralph said. “He leaves a huge hole in our hearts.”

Moreno is survived by a wife and two young children.

Community members added Monday to a memorial of flowers, candles, drawings and other items outside the Kent Police Station.

A vigil will take place Wednesday evening at Kent Town Square. (For more from the author of “Teens Arrested After Car Chase Leaves Officer Dead” please click HERE)

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Drunk Man Attempts to Punch Police Officer Outside Bar. It Was a Huge Mistake.

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A drunk man was arrested in Memphis last week after he pushed, and then attempted to punch, a Memphis police officer. . .

According to WHBQ-TV, employees at a popular restaurant off Beale Street flagged down officers to deal with a drunken and disorderly man around 11 p.m. last Wednesday. Court records said Joseph Pszczola was yelling and causing a scene.

When police arrived, they asked Pszczola, who reportedly smelled of alcohol and was slurring his words, to vacate the premises. Pszczola failed to comply and continued to cause a scene.

The confrontation escalated when officers escorted Pszczola to a parking lot outside, WREG-TV reported. That’s when Pszczola shoved and then attempted to punch one of the officers. However, it was a grave mistake — and the officer fought back.

The officer struck Pszczola in the face, causing him to hit the ground. His arrest photos show how hard the officer punched him. According to WHBQ, the officer and Pszczola were transported to a local hospital and were OK.

(Read more from “Drunk Man Attempts to Punch Police Officer Outside Bar. It Was a Huge Mistake.” HERE)

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Alleged Cop Killer Should Have Been in Jail for Other Charges

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Last week, Townhall reported the senseless killing of Weymouth, MA police officer Sgt. Michael Chesna on July 15th. More than 3,000 people attended a vigil held in Chesna’s honor this past week, but it turns out his alleged killer, Emanuel Lopes, should have been in jail due to violating the conditions of his bail on a drug-dealing charge from October 2017.

The Boston Herald reports that Emanuel Lopes was arrested in October 2017 for dealing cocaine to minors. As part of his bail conditions, Judge Jeanmarie Carroll required that Lopes refrain from all drugs, including legal medicinal marijuana, and be subjected to pre-trial probation drug testing. The bail was set at $500 and was supposed to be revoked if Lopes failed to comply. In February 2018, Lopes failed a drug test, but claimed that he had a medicinal marijuana card at a court appearance in April. But, Lopes’ prosecutors did not recommend bail revocation.

“I tested Mr. Lopes. He was positive for marijuana. He reports to me that he has a THC card,” probation officer Michael Walsh informed the court Assistant Norfolk District Attorney Arthur Czugh ultimately decided against recommending his bail be revoked.

Thus, Lopes was able to roam Weymouth freely. Three months later, he was pulled over by Sgt. Chesna for driving erratically. Lopes exited his vehicle and attacked Sgt. Chesna with rocks, knocking the officer to the ground. The suspect then allegedly stole the officer’s gun and fired at him, which led to the officer’s death. Authorities say that Lopes then shot and killed a nearby 77-year-old neighbor, Vera Adams, who witnessed the event from her porch.

But, Republican Gov. Charlie Baker defended the court’s decisions, saying, “As I understand this, this is a decision that ultimately belongs to the courts. Her decision was made within the bounds of the discretion that she has. For me the question is whether or not we’re doing enough to put enough tools in the toolbox for district attorneys to make decisions about dangerousness and to pursue hearings about dangerousness. That’s where the opportunity I believe rests. (Read more from “Alleged Cop Killer Should Have Been in Jail for Other Charges” HERE)

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Numerous Male Officers Accuse Female Sheriff of Sexual Harassment

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By The Daily Wire. Three male police officers from California have come forward to accuse the state’s first female sheriff of past acts of sexual harassment and retribution.

According to a report from ABC 7 News’ I-Team, two of the male accusers, who have revealed their identities, say they are not seeking any monetary compensation but merely want to have their stories heard and for the sheriff to be held accountable. The third accuser, a 30-year veteran officer, has remained anonymous out of fear of retribution against his children.

Santa Clara County Sheriff Laurie Smith, who was praised for breaking barriers for women as California’s first female sheriff, claims the accusations against her are fabricated. “It’s all false, absolutely false,” she told the news team.

Retired Sgt. Gary Brady says Smith sexually harassed him some 20 years ago and later retaliated against him when he spurned her advances. When Brady came forward to file a gender discrimination grievance with the county’s Equal Opportunity Department at the time of the alleged harassment, he says he was denied.

Both married at the time, Smith “undressed and she got on top of me and she wanted me to do some things that I’m embarrassed to talk about now,” recalls Brady of an alleged encounter in 1991. The officer says he cut the incident short and told her, “It’s time to go.” (Read more from “Numerous Male Officers Accuse Female Sheriff of Sexual Harassment” HERE)

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First Female Sheriff in State Faces Complaints of Past Sexual Harassment

By ABC 7. She broke barriers as the first female sheriff in the state, and now Santa Clara County Sheriff Laurie Smith faces accusations of past sexual harassment. . .

Laurie Smith has had a long career at the Sheriff’s Department — 45 years. And tonight, three men are coming forward to claim that, as she climbed the ladder, she abused her position of power. . .

Through a spokesman, Sheriff Smith released a statement saying, “These false narratives are nothing more than an orchestrated attack on the integrity of the Sheriff’s Office and my personal reputation,” and she declined to be interviewed. So, Dan Noyes found her Wednesday evening outside a campaign event that she wound up not attending. . .

Albanoski has his own story saying that he was a deputy sheriff on lunch break at Elmwood Women’s Jail in the late ’80’s when Smith came onto him. “And she had her uniform shirt unbuttoned down to like the third button, not wearing a T-shirt, not wearing a bra, and kind of exposing herself to me,” he said. . .

The officers agreed to sign waivers, but the sheriff and her staff have not provided anything from the personnel files that would call into question the officers’ credibility. Albanoski and Brady tell us they have no plans to sue and are not after money, but they wanted their stories heard before this week’s election. (Read more from “First Female Sheriff in State Faces Complaints of Past Sexual Harassment” HERE)

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Here’s the Bodycam Footage of What Led to Viral Video of Cop Punching Female on Beach

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New Jersey police have released the bodycam footage of what led up to and followed an incident captured in a viral video of a police officer punching a female beach-goer in the head. . .

In the nine-minute clip of bodycam footage released by Wildwood police Wednesday, police officers are seen asking the woman featured in the video, Emily Weinman, 20 — who was on the beach with her 18-month-old daughter, the girl’s father and a friend — to breathe into a breathalyzer after finding alcoholic iced tea drinks near her.

The drinks, she tells the officers, are her aunt’s. When the officer asks where her aunt is, Weinman says she’s allowed to carry alcohol underage, just not consume it. The officer cites both “possession and consumption” as potential offenses. When Weinman refuses to give the officer her last name, the situation unravels.

“You thought we were drinking, so now you’re mad because your breathalyzer came up negative,” Weinman said as an officer is apparently writing a citation. “You don’t need my last name.” . . .

The police department has defended the actions of the officer. “From what I see on the video and only on the video, from not even talking to the officers, I think they did a decent job,” Wildwood Police Chief Robert Regalbuto said of the bodycam footage released Wednesday, NJ.com reports. “I think we could have done a better job at trying to explain to her, but it didn’t appear Ms. Weinman wanted to hear what we had to say.”​

(Read more from “Here’s the Bodycam Footage of What Led to Viral Video of Cop Punching Female on Beach” HERE)

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Woman Claims Cop Raped Her, Body Cam Reveals a Totally Different Story

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A woman who claimed that a Texas Highway Patrol Trooper raped her after she was placed under arrest for driving while intoxicated, might want to rethink her story now that the Texas Department of Public Safety has released the body cam footage from the arrest.

The Texas Highway Patrol Trooper pulled over 37-year-old Sherita Dixon-Cole after she allegedly committed a traffic violation. They arrested her and took her to the Ellis County Jail, where she was formally charged with DWI. In a press statement, the Texas Department of Public Safety wrote:

Following the arrest, spurious and false accusations related to this traffic stop were made against the Texas Trooper. Upon learning of those allegations, the Texas Department of Public Safety immediately took action to review the video in connection with this traffic stop and arrest. The video shows absolutely no evidence to support the egregious and unsubstantiated accusations against the Trooper during the DWI arrest of the suspect. The Department is appalled that anyone would make such a despicable, slanderous and false accusation against a peace officer who willingly risks his life every day to protect and serve the public.

The allegations were published in The Root and by far-left activist Shaun King, who appeared to add even more allegations to those made by Dixon-Cole, saying that she was “kidnapped” and was “being held hostage.” . . .

These claims are in no way supported by any part of the nearly two hours of body cam footage that was released by the Texas Department of Public Safety. Several other allegations made by King in his Facebook post also appear to be blatantly false. King also reposted many of the allegations to his Twitter account, where they got tens of thousands of retweets.

(Read more from “Woman Claims Cop Raped Her, Body Cam Reveals a Totally Different Story” HERE)

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Footage: Police Officer ‘Kidnapped’ by Gang Members During Traffic Stop

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A Georgia police officer was caught on dash cam video allegedly being kidnapped after gang members attempted to flee the scene by driving away during a traffic stop last week — making it more than a mile in rush-hour traffic before being stopped.

Marietta Police Officer Brian Wallace was conducting a traffic stop around 7:30 a.m. Thursday in Cobb County when he had the driver of the vehicle step out because he noted “his body language seemed odd.” Two other people were also in the vehicle at the time . . .

Another officer, Sgt. Brian Honea, arrived at the scene as a backup. Dash cam video released on Friday showed the suspect sprinting back to the driver’s side of the car and attempting to flee as Wallace wrestled with them. The passenger put the car in drive, pinning Wallace inside the vehicle while Honea was knocked to the ground.

“The suspects wrestled with Officer Wallace inside their vehicle at speeds up to (71) mph through congested traffic, muddy dirt roads and rough terrain,” the department said. “Officer Wallace stated that roughly halfway into the more than 1 mile kidnapping he decided to pull the driver door closed in order to keep from being thrown out onto the roadway in traffic.” (Read more from “Footage: Police Officer ‘Kidnapped’ by Gang Members During Traffic Stop” HERE)

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Cop Beat, Chocked, Tased Suspected Jaywalker

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A western North Carolina police officer who resigned after a body camera video shows him hitting and using a Taser on a man suspected of jaywalking will face preliminary charges of assault, the Buncombe County District Attorney’s Office said Thursday.

Senior Police Officer Christopher Hickman, 31, was removed from patrol duty a day after the incident last August and resigned from the Asheville Police Department in January, the same day he was to be terminated, according to a timeline of the case released by the Asheville City Council . . .

The release of body cam video in late February caused outrage in this North Carolina city in the Blue Ridge Mountains. The video shows Hickman and an officer in training stopping Johnnie Jermaine Rush, then 32, for allegedly jaywalking in the early morning hours of August 25, 2017 . . .

The officers catch Rush and tackle him. As Rush is being restrained on the ground, Hickman punches him in the head several times, shoots him with a stun gun and chokes him. (Read more from “Cop Beat, Chocked, Tased Suspected Jaywalker” HERE)

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