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(SALT LAKE CITY) — Minutes after publicly identifying the suspect in the fatal shooting of conservative activist Charlie Kirk, Republican Utah Gov. Spencer Cox condemned social media.

“Social media is a cancer on our society right now,” Cox told reporters during a press conference two days after Kirk was shot and killed during an event at Utah Valley University. “I would encourage people to log off, turn off, touch grass.”

Sen. James Langford, R-Okla., echoed such criticism days later. “Social media is always pushing who’s the angriest, who’s the loudest, who says the craziest thing, that’s what gets repeated over and over and over again,” Langford said during an appearance on CBS’ “Face the Nation.” Rep. Joe Neguse, D-Co., described social media as “deeply corrosive.”

Some experts who spoke to ABC News blamed social media for amplifying public rancor and spreading graphic imagery, but they stopped short of identifying online platforms as a lone, direct cause of political violence. Social media has likely worsened a risk rooted in factors like social discord, inflammatory rhetoric from prominent figures and the availability of firearms, they said.

“Social media is certainly a contributing factor, but it’s like pouring gasoline on a fire — it’s not the fire itself,” Robert Pape, a political scientist and director of the Chicago Project on Security and Threats at the University of Chicago, told ABC News.

On Sept. 10, ​​Kirk was shot and killed while on stage at Utah Valley University for the first stop on his latest speaking tour of college campuses. The alleged gunman, identified by police as 22-year-old Tyler Robinson, was arrested almost 48 hours later and faces several charges, including aggravated murder.

Robinson’s apparent use of the online platform Discord and video games drew attention to whether such online networks may play a role in stoking political violence, though details of their possible impact on Robinson remain limited.

Discord confirmed that two hours before Robinson was taken into custody, he was posting on the platform and allegedly told a small group of friends: “Hey guys, I have bad news for you all … It was me at UVU yesterday. im sorry for all of this.”

FBI Director Kash Patel addressed the Discord message during a hearing before the Senate Judiciary Committee last week, saying that the FBI is investigating “anyone and everyone involved in that Discord chat” with Robinson. Patel said there are “a lot more” than 20 people linked to Robinson on Discord, “and we’re running them all down. … Every single one.”

X did not immediately respond to ABC News’ request for comment. Neither did TikTok. Facebook and Instagram’s parent company, Meta, declined to comment.

A spokesperson for Discord told ABC News the company has not “found or received any evidence that the suspect planned this incident on Discord or promoted violence on Discord.”

“We continue to work closely with the FBI and local authorities, and will continue to deliver prompt responses to their requests for assistance,” Discord added.

Discord forbids “hateful conduct or the use of hate speech” on the platform, the company’s website says. “We define hate speech as any expression that degrades, vilifies, or dehumanizes individuals, incites hostility towards specific groups, or promotes harm based on protected characteristics.”

Last year, a Meta spokesperson told researchers at New York University: “We want our platforms to be a place where people can safely express themselves. That’s why we take action on content, like hate speech, bullying, or harassment, that violates our Community Standards and why we continue to invest in new technologies and methods to help protect people on our services.”

Lisa Hayes, head of safety public policy and senior counsel for the Americas at TikTok, told the NYU researchers the company takes down more than 98% of material posted by hateful organizations and individuals and works with experts “to keep ahead of evolving trends.”

On its website, X says: “We are committed to combating abuse motivated by hatred, prejudice or intolerance, particularly abuse that seeks to silence the voices of those who have been historically marginalized. For this reason, we prohibit behavior that targets individuals or groups with abuse based on their perceived membership in a protected category. “

Video footage of the fatal shooting circulated widely on social media platforms in the immediate aftermath of Kirk’s killing, raising concerns among some observers about the effects that may result from mass exposure to such graphic imagery.

Some experts underscored the elevated risk of political violence created by social media, saying its algorithms favor provocative posts that induce user engagement but exacerbate political division. Additionally, in some cases, social media can largely replace a user’s in-person interactions, leaving them socially isolated, some experts added.

“We are at a very dangerous moment with social media, especially having a large population of highly alienated individuals spending most, if not all, of their time in this virtual space,” Walter Scheirer, a professor of engineering at Notre Dame University who studies online disinformation, told ABC News.

Pape, who regularly conducts surveys on political violence in partnership with NORC, said his research has found heavy users of social media — those who spend six to eight hours on the platforms each day — are more likely to support political violence. However, such individuals are relatively unusual, making up as little as 10% of those who support political violence, Pape said.

Last year, researchers at New York University and Public Circle Research, a private firm, who reviewed 400 studies related to the topic, found social media is “exploited to facilitate political intimidation and violence.”

“These conclusions are quite different from saying that social media alone causes political violence,” the researchers noted, citing other factors like partisan cable news and attackers prone to violence.

Experts who spoke to ABC News also pointed to other factors behind a rise in political violence, such as hostile rhetoric put forward by public figures and access to guns.

“Social media allows for the amplification of a message that’s already happening. If we look at the rhetoric in the U.S. over time, the language politicians are using to describe their domestic political opponents has gotten much harsher and more aggressive. Social media isn’t the cause of that, but it can amplify those voices,” Thomas Zeitzoff, a professor of justice, law and criminology at American University, told ABC News.

Some experts cited previous waves of political violence, such as a spate of assassinations in the late 1960s, which predated online platforms.

Robert Shapiro, a professor of government and public affairs at Columbia University, questioned whether the removal of social media would meaningfully reduce the likelihood of political violence. “There’s more than enough political conflict out there to provoke violence,” Shapiro told ABC News.

The killing of Kirk comes amid a wave of political violence. Over recent months, a gunman fired more than 180 shots at the headquarters of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, a Democratic Minnesota lawmaker and her husband were shot and killed in their home and another Minnesota state lawmaker and his wife were shot and wounded by the same gunman.

During that same period, two staff members at the Israeli embassy in Washington, D.C., were shot and killed after an event at the city’s Jewish Museum.

Over the course of the 2024 presidential campaign, then-candidate Trump survived two assassination attempts.

“This is something we’re not used to seeing in our country,” Pape said. “It hasn’t been our normal, but it’s our new normal now.”

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(DALLAS) — Acting Immigration and Customs Enforcement Director Todd Lyons said he would put all ICE facilities on a higher alert following a shooting at a Dallas field office on Wednesday which killed one detainee and critically wounded two others.

While no officers were injured, the Department of Homeland Security said the shooting was “an attack on ICE law enforcement.”

The suspected shooter has been identified by law enforcement officials as 29-year-old Joshua Jahn, multiple law enforcement sources told ABC News.

The shooter, who was on a nearby rooftop, “fired indiscriminately at the ICE building, including at a van in the sallyport where the victims were shot,” DHS said in a statement.

The shooter died from a self-inflicted gunshot wound, officials said.

DHS previously said two detainees were killed and one was injured; the agency later issued a correction saying one died and two were shot but survived.

One of the wounded is a Mexican national, according to Mexico’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

Law enforcement and Republican politicians suggested a political motive for the shooting, which comes amid ramped up ICE deportation efforts throughout the country. The DHS said in a statement that ICE officers have faced a more than 1,000% increase in assaults against them.

Two Texas facilities were targeted this July: a police officer was shot at an ICE detention facility in Alvarado and a gunman opened fire at the entrance of the Border Patrol sector annex in McAllen.

The FBI said Wednesday’s shooting is being investigated “as an act of targeted violence.”

FBI special agent Joe Rothrock said it appeared that rounds “found near the suspected shooter contain messages that are anti-ICE in nature.”

FBI Director Kash Patel released an image of recovered bullets, including one engraved with the phrase “ANTI-ICE,” and DHS released a photo that appears to show a gunshot in an American flag display.

Vice President JD Vance said during remarks in North Carolina on Wednesday that evidence that has not yet been released shows the shooter was a “left-wing extremist” who was “politically motivated to go after people who are enforcing our border.”

Officials said that attacks on ICE and law enforcement must end.

“Our prayers are with the families of those killed and our ICE law enforcement. This vile attack was motivated by hatred for ICE,” DHS Secretary Kristi Noem said in a statement. “For months, we’ve been warning politicians and the media to tone down their rhetoric about ICE law enforcement before someone was killed. This shooting must serve as a wake-up call.”

President Donald Trump wrote on social media, “This is despicable! The Brave Men and Women of ICE are just trying to do their jobs, and remove the ‘WORST of the WORST’ Criminals out of our Country, but they are facing an unprecedented increase in threats, violence, and attacks by Deranged Radical Leftists.”

“This needs to stop,” Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, said at a news conference. “Violence is wrong, politically motivated violence is wrong.”

Vance said, “We’re praying both for our ICE agents, but also for everybody who’s affected by this terrible attack.”

House Democratic leaders in a statement thanked the first responders and offered their condolences to the victims’ families.

“No one in America should be violently targeted, including our men and women in law enforcement who protect and serve our neighborhoods, and the immigrants who are too often the victims of dehumanizing rhetoric,” the Democrats’ statement continued. “The political and ideologically-motivated violence in America has reached a breaking point this year. We need leaders who bring the country together in moments of crisis.”

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(SAN DIEGO) — Border Patrol agents in San Diego rescued an injured cyclist who fell more than 50 feet from a cliff and into a remote canyon, authorities said.

On Saturday, San Diego Sector Border Patrol agents working in the vicinity of Otay Lakes County Park in California “heard cries for help originating from a canyon adjacent to the Sweetwater Dam,” according to a statement by U.S. Customs and Border Protection on Wednesday.

After hearing the calls for help, agents began investigating and hiked into the canyon where they encountered a man suffering from multiple serious injuries, officials said.

“The cyclist told agents he lost his footing while walking his bike along a trail on the canyon wall, falling more than 50 feet into the bottom of the canyon,” CBP said in their statement regarding the incident. “Unable to move for hours, he called for help until he was finally found by the Border Patrol agents.”

Additional agents, including a Border Patrol emergency medical technician, arrived on scene to assist with the rescue operation and stabilize the injured man, authorities said.

“There is no doubt in my mind that these agents saved this man’s life,” said San Diego Sector Acting Chief Patrol Agent Jeffrey D. Stalnaker. “I am truly thankful the agents were in the right place at the right time to make a difference.”

The injured cyclist was airlifted by a San Diego Fire-Rescue helicopter and taken to a local hospital to receive treatment for his injuries. Officials did not give any details on the man’s medical condition.

Agents returned to the scene the next day to recover the bike and other personal belongings, ultimately delivering the items to the cyclist’s wife, authorities said.

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(ORLANDO, Fla.) — The family of Kevin Rodriguez Zavala, the man who died after riding a roller coaster at Universal’s Epic Universe theme park in Florida last week, remembered the 32-year-old as a roller coaster enthusiast, as attorneys for the family said they are conducting an independent investigation into his death.

Zavala became unresponsive while riding the new Stardust Racers roller coaster at the Universal Orlando Resort park on Sept. 17, according to a statement from Universal Orlando Resort. He was transported to a hospital, where he was declared dead, park officials said.

He died from multiple blunt impact injuries, according to the local medical examiner, who determined the manner of death to be accidental. 

Zavala’s family has since retained civil rights attorney Ben Crump, who said they are conducting an independent investigation to get to the “truth” and determine if anything could have prevented his death.

“We have to know what happened,” Crump said during a press briefing in Orlando on Wednesday. “We have to get answers.”

Zavala’s father, Carlos Rodriguez Ortiz, said his son was born with a spinal cord atrophy. He used a wheelchair but was “not under any medical restrictions that would have prevented him” from riding the Stardust Racer, Crump said. 

Zavala graduated with a bachelor’s degree in game design and loved to play video games, his father said. He worked as a job coach at the family’s business, which helped people with disabilities get job training and find employment, his father said.

“We are really proud of him,” his father said during the press briefing. “He was incredible.”

His mother, Ana Zavala, remembered him as a good son and friend who was an “angel.”

“I never put any limits on my son, regardless of what condition he had — he had no limits,” she said during the press briefing in remarks translated from Spanish. “He was raised like his siblings, no different. He was completely independent.”

She said he “loved theme parks” and roller coasters and was excited to go to Universal’s Epic Universe with his girlfriend, who got them the tickets and was with him on the ride that night.

“That last day, on the 17th, he was extremely happy all day,” she said.

His two siblings remembered Zavala as an amazing brother, as the family called for answers. 

“I don’t want anybody else to feel like I feel right now,” his father said. “So please help me to get that done.”

Paul Grinke, an attorney with Crump’s firm, said they will be bringing together multiple experts, including in design, operations, manufacturing and construction, as part of their investigation. Crump also said they want to focus on restraints and will likely be advised by disability experts. 

“We will find out what happened here, and we’ll try to make sure this never happens again, so that another grieving family is not standing in front of you,” Grinke said. 

An officer who responded to the park around 9:20 p.m. on Sept. 17 for a “medical emergency” saw CPR in progress on Zavala “on the platform directly parallel to the ride tracks” for the roller coaster, according to an incident report released by the Orange County Sheriff’s Office.

Zavala was pronounced dead at a hospital shortly after 10 p.m. that day, according to the incident report.

Zavala had ridden roller coasters “many times before without incident,” Natalie Jackson, an attorney with Crump’s firm, said during the press briefing.

He had been sitting at the front of the ride, according to Crump.

Based on witness reports, Jackson said they learned that Zavala “suffered repeated head injuries during the ride and was unconscious for the majority” of the ride. Crump said Zavala hit himself against metal on the ride.

An internal review found that the ride systems “functioned as intended,” the “equipment was intact” during the ride and park employees followed procedures, according to a memo sent in the wake of Zavala’s death from Universal Orlando Resort President Karen Irwin to staff.

A Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services spokesperson said in a statement to ABC News on Wednesday that the department’s current findings’ “align with those shared by Universal after monitoring the same tests and reviewing the same information.” 

The state’s investigation remains ongoing, the spokesperson said.

The Orange County Sheriff’s Office is also conducting an investigation into the incident, and Universal is conducting a “comprehensive review process in cooperation with the ride manufacturer of record,” Irwin said.

“Safety is, and always will be, at the forefront of everything we do,” she said in the memo.

The ride, which opened in May along with the rest of the Epic Universe theme park, reaches speeds of up to 62 mph and heights up to 133 feet. It remains closed in the wake of Zavala’s death amid the investigations.

“We are devastated by this event and extend our sincerest sympathies to the guest’s loved ones,” Universal Orlando Resort said in a statement last week. “We are fully committed to cooperating with this ongoing investigation.” 

Crump’s firm also represented the family of 14-year-old Tyre Sampson, who fell to his death while riding the since-dismantled Orlando FreeFall ride at ICON Park in 2022.

“It’s really shocking to me that two years after Tyre Sampson, that we’re here at another tragic death related to an amusement ride,” Crump said. “It is troubling. We have to get this right. We can’t have a third time. We just can’t.”

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(DALLAS) — A sniper opened fire on the Dallas Immigration and Customs Enforcement field office on Wednesday morning, killing one detainee and critically wounding two other detainees, the Department of Homeland Security said.

DHS previously said two detainees were killed and one was injured; the agency later issued a correction saying one died and two were shot but survived.

One of the wounded is a Mexican national, according to Mexico’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

While no officers were injured, the Department of Homeland Security said the shooting was “an attack on ICE law enforcement.”

The shooter, who was on a nearby rooftop, “fired indiscriminately at the ICE building, including at a van in the sallyport where the victims were shot,” DHS said in a statement.
The shooter died from a self-inflicted gunshot wound, officials said.

Vice President JD Vance said during remarks in North Carolina on Wednesday that evidence that has not yet been released shows the shooter was a “left-wing extremist” who was “politically motivated to go after people who are enforcing our border.”

The FBI said the shooting is being investigated “as an act of targeted violence.”

FBI special agent Joe Rothrock said it appeared that rounds “found near the suspected shooter contain messages that are anti-ICE in nature.”

FBI Director Kash Patel released images of recovered unspent shell casings, including one engraved with the phrase “ANTI-ICE,” and DHS released a photo that appears to show a gunshot in an American flag display.

Mayra, a migrant who left Nicaragua four years ago, told ABC News she was with her husband at the ICE facility waiting for her immigration status check-in appointment when they heard gunshots outside.

She said security officers inside screamed at them to get down and the building immediately went on lockdown.

Mayra said her daughter, who was outside the facility at the time in case she got detained, screamed and ran for cover.

Mayra said she plans to return to the facility on Thursday for her new appointment.

The shooting comes as ICE has been ramping up deportation efforts throughout the country and DHS says ICE officers are facing a more than a 1,000% increase in assaults against them.

Two Texas facilities were targeted this July: a police officer was shot at an ICE detention facility in Alvarado and a gunman opened fire at the entrance of the Border Patrol sector annex in McAllen.

In the wake of Wednesday’s shooting, federal officials are stressing that attacks on ICE and law enforcement must end.

“Our prayers are with the families of those killed and our ICE law enforcement. This vile attack was motivated by hatred for ICE,” DHS Secretary Kristi Noem said in a statement. “For months, we’ve been warning politicians and the media to tone down their rhetoric about ICE law enforcement before someone was killed. This shooting must serve as a wake-up call.”

President Donald Trump wrote on social media, “This is despicable! The Brave Men and Women of ICE are just trying to do their jobs, and remove the ‘WORST of the WORST’ Criminals out of our Country, but they are facing an unprecedented increase in threats, violence, and attacks by Deranged Radical Leftists.”

“This needs to stop,” Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, said at a news conference. “Violence is wrong, politically motivated violence is wrong.”

Vance said, “We’re praying both for our ICE agents, but also for everybody who’s affected by this terrible attack.”

House Democratic leaders in a statement thanked the first responders and offered their condolences to the victims’ families.

“No one in America should be violently targeted, including our men and women in law enforcement who protect and serve our neighborhoods, and the immigrants who are too often the victims of dehumanizing rhetoric,” the Democrats’ statement continued. “The political and ideologically-motivated violence in America has reached a breaking point this year. We need leaders who bring the country together in moments of crisis.”

Acting ICE Director Todd Lyons said he would put all ICE facilities on a higher alert to protect agents and civilians carrying out the agency’s mission.

ABC News’ Mireya Villarreal and Jim Scholz contributed to this report.

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(WASHINGTON) — Ed Martin, a top DOJ official and director of the Justice Department’s Weaponization Working Group, on Wednesday withdrew his request to an attorney for a retired FBI agent who was among the first to respond to the school shooting at Sandy Hook Elementary School that suggested the agent could be under criminal investigation for testifying at the defamation trial of conspiracy theorist and Infowars host Alex Jones. 

Martin’s decision to retract his letter came after an admonishment from the Justice Department’s No. 2 official, Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche, a person familiar with the matter told ABC News. Blanche ordered Martin to rescind his letter to Mattei on Wednesday following growing backlash after Jones made it public on his X account Tuesday. 

“Dear Sir,” Martin said in the letter Wednesday to Christopher Mattei, the attorney for retired FBI agent William Aldenberg. “At this time, I write to inform you that there is no investigation of you or your client. Because of this, I hereby withdraw my request for information from you or your former client.” 

The reversal came a day after Jones posted a copy of the letter Martin had sent to Mattei requesting a series of responses about Aldenberg’s involvement in the lawsuit that resulted in a $1.4 billion judgment against Jones. 

“I am writing to request information from you regarding your client FBI Special Agent William Aldenberg and his role in certain litigation that may benefit him personally and that may impact our citizens and our legal system,” Martin wrote in the initial letter. “As you may know, there are criminal laws protecting the citizens from actions by government employees who may be acting for personal benefit. I encourage you to review those.” 

Jones had previously posted a picture on Sep. 12 of him standing next to Martin, three days before Martin’s letter was sent to Mattei.

In a statement to ABC News Tuesday, Mattei blasted Martin over the letter describing it as the latest step in Jones’ campaign of harassment targeting Aldenberg and the Sandy Hook families. 

“Thanks to the courage of the Sandy Hook families, Infowars will soon be finished,” Mattei said. “In his last gasps, Jones is once again harassing them, only now with the corrupt complicity of at least one DOJ official. It’s as disgusting as it is pathetic, and we will not stand for it.”

Jones was previously ordered to pay Aldenberg $90 million stemming from the defamation suit he and families of the Sandy Hook victims brought against Jones for harassment and threats they suffered in the wake of the tragedy as a result of conspiracy theories stoked by Jones. 

At trial, Aldenberg broke into tears as he described being one of the first to arrive at the scene and entering the classrooms where 20 children had been killed. 

Aldenberg later testified about years of threats and harassment he was forced to endure from people who bought into Jones’ theories about the shooting being a staged event to strip people of their 2nd Amendment rights. 

Among the questions posed by Martin to Aldenberg’s attorneys was whether Aldenberg revealed “any financial benefit that might accrue to him as he led litigation and recruited other plaintiffs?” He further asked whether Aldenberg made clear that his testimony at Jones’ trial was “in his personal capacity” if he recused himself from any “matters in his work to protect himself and others from conflict.” 

Martin had requested Mattei issue a formal response by Sept. 29.

During his previous tenure as the Interim U.S. Attorney for Washington, D.C., before his nomination had to be pulled due to lack of Republican support, Martin sent a series of similar letters to high-profile Democrats and other opponents of the president suggesting he had launched similar investigations into them. 

A Justice Department spokesperson did not respond to questions regarding whether Attorney General Pam Bondi or other department leadership were aware of Martin’s inquiry to Mattei and if they had ordered him to rescind his letter. 

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(CHELAN COUNTY, Wash.) — The U.S. Marshals Service has declared Travis Decker, the 32-year-old father accused of allegedly killing his three daughters this summer, to be dead, according to a court filing obtained by ABC News.

“The United States Marshals Service has advised the Defendant TRAVIS CALEB DECKER is deceased,” according to the document, which was filed to dismiss the case and quash the arrest warrant for Decker.

Decker, an Army veteran, was previously wanted for three counts of first-degree murder and three counts of first-degree kidnapping.

His daughters — Paityn Decker, 9; Evelyn Decker, 8; and Olivia Decker, 5 — had left home for a planned visitation with him on May 30, and never returned, officials said. Three days later, the girls were found dead near the Rock Island Campground in Chelan County, Washington, following a search, police said.

Decker had been on the run since, sparking a multi-agency manhunt.

The declaration of Decker to be dead comes after the Chelan County Sheriff’s Office announced on Sept. 18 that remains located in a remote wooded area were believed to be the fugitive father.

While officials are still waiting on DNA testing to confirm whether the remains are Decker’s, the sheriff’s office said last week “preliminary findings suggest the remains belong to Travis Decker.”

Chelan County Sheriff Mike Morrison told ABC News on Wednesday that they are not dropping their charges on Decker and will wait until DNA confirms the remains found belong to the father.

Morrison said he will make an announcement when they receive confirmation from the DNA results.

The remains were found on Sept. 18 in Leavenworth, Washington, when a drone carrying out a search found an “anomaly,” which was later discovered to be a shirt, consistent with what Decker had been wearing around the time of the killings.

Authorities also found U.S. Ranger shorts, chewing tobacco and a bracelet.

Morrison told reporters last week all indications are that Decker died in that location a while ago.

“We are praying that the remains found are confirmed to be Travis’s. We continue to be grateful for law enforcement’s efforts in this case and are forever appreciative of the entire world’s love, compassion, and support for Whitney,” Arianna Cozart, the attorney for Whitney Decker — Decker’s ex-wife and mother of the three girls killed — said in a statement last week.

Decker’s daughters were each found with plastic bags over their heads and their wrists were zip-tied, according to court documents previously obtained by ABC News.

An autopsy determined the girls’ cause of death to be suffocation and the manner of death was homicide, the Chelan County Sheriff’s Office said on June 9.

Decker’s truck was recovered at the scene but he was not found

The U.S. Marshals Service was previously offering a reward of up to $20,000 for information leading directly to Decker’s arrest.

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(SAN RAMON, Calif.) — A group of nearly 25 people ransacked a jewelry store in San Ramon, California, this week, stealing an estimated $1 million worth of merchandise, police confirmed to ABC News.

Seven suspects have been detained, so far, and some of the jewelry has been recovered, the San Ramon Police Department said.

The group looted Heller Jewelers, located at the City Center Bishop Ranch shopping mall, on Monday afternoon and was armed with at least three guns, according to police. Video obtained by ABC News’ San Francisco station ABC7 shows the masked mob storming the store and smashing displays with crowbars and pickaxes before being locked inside by automatic closing doors.

This is the second time in two years Heller Jewelers has been targeted in a massive heist, when a group of seven masked men similarly broke into the store on St. Patrick’s Day in 2023 and took $1.1 million worth of jewels. The suspects were later apprehended due to a GPS tracking device hidden inside a stolen Rolex, according to local reports at the time.

On Monday, a member of the group fired upon the door to escape before the thieves fled into six getaway vehicles in the valet area of the shopping mall — several of which were reportedly stolen, police said.

A representative of the City Center Bishop Ranch shopping mall declined to comment on the robbery to ABC News.

“When they went in, they basically took over the store,” San Ramon Police Department Lt. Mike Pistello told ABC7. “Taking whatever jewelry was available.”

Officers pursued the six getaway vehicles, but eventually ended the chase for public safety after the thieves exceeded 100 mph, Pistello said.

Since Monday, local police have arrested seven of the alleged culprits, including one juvenile. The suspects’ ages range from 17 to 31, and all are believed to live around Oakland, according to police, who say they believe the suspects are likely connected to other similar acts of robbery across the San Francisco Bay Area.

“This is not their first time doing something like this,” Pistello claimed.

Some of the jewelry and two of the firearms used in the crime have been recovered post hoc, according to authorities.

Authorities did not provide additional details about the suspects, but anyone with information is encouraged to call 925-733-7316.

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(NEW YORK) — After President Donald Trump complained about having to deal with a stopped escalator during his visit to the United Nations, White House officials are demanding an investigation.

As first lady Melania Trump and the president stepped onto the escalator ahead of his speech on Tuesday morning, it stopped moving, prompting both of them to stop in their tracks.

The first couple then proceeded to walk up the escalator.

The U.N. has said that there appears to have been no foul play.

But that explanation hasn’t satisfied White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt who vowed to get to the bottom of Tuesday’s incident.

“If someone at the UN intentionally stopped the escalator as the President and First Lady were stepping on, they need to be fired and investigated immediately,” she said in an X post.

Leavitt repeated her warnings on Fox News Tuesday night, but didn’t provide any evidence that what happened what deliberate.

“I know that we have people, including United States Secret Service, who are looking into this to try to get to the bottom of it,” she said.

At the start of the president’s address, his teleprompter also malfunctioned, which he complained about at the time and then again later in the day.

“The teleprompter was broken and the escalator came to a sudden halt as we were riding up to the podium, but both of those events probably made the speech more interesting than it would have been otherwise. It is always an honor to speak at the United Nations, even if, their equipment is somewhat faulty,” Trump posted on his social media platform.

The United Nations issued a statement about the incident, saying that the escalator stopping might have been triggered by a safety feature as a videographer was standing backward on the escalator, ahead of the president, while trying to film him.

“The safety mechanism is designed to prevent people or objects accidentally being caught and stuck in or pulled into the gearing. The videographer may have inadvertently triggered the safety function described above,” the U.N. statement said.

“Our technician, who was at the location, reset the escalator as soon as the delegation had climbed up to the second floor. A subsequent investigation, including a readout of the machine’s central processing unit, indicated that the escalator had stopped after a built-in safety mechanism on the comb step was triggered at the top of the escalator,” the U.N. statement continued. “The safety mechanism is designed to prevent people or objects accidentally being caught and stuck in or pulled into the gearing. The videographer may have inadvertently triggered the safety function described above.”

The U.N. has not immediately provided details about the teleprompter malfunction.

The White House has no additional comment on Wednesday.

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(DALLAS) — A sniper opened fire on the Dallas Immigration and Customs Enforcement field office on Wednesday morning, killing two detainees and critically wounding a third, the Department of Homeland Security said.

Dallas police initially said one victim was killed and two were wounded.

Although only detainees were shot, the Department of Homeland Security called the shooting “an attack on ICE law enforcement.”

The shooter, who was on a nearby rooftop, “fired indiscriminately at the ICE building, including at a van in the sallyport where the victims were shot,” DHS said in a statement.

The shooter died from a self-inflicted gunshot wound, officials said.

The FBI said the shooting is being investigated “as an act of targeted violence.”

FBI special agent Joe Rothrock said it appeared that rounds “found near the suspected shooter contain messages that are anti-ICE in nature.”

FBI Director Kash Patel released images of recovered unspent shell casings, including one engraved with the phrase “ANTI-ICE,” and DHS released a photo that appears to show a gunshot in an American flag display.

The incident comes as ICE has been ramping up deportation efforts throughout the country and DHS says ICE officers are facing a more than a 1,000% increase in assaults against them.

Two Texas facilities were targeted this July: a police officer was shot at an ICE detention facility in Alvarado and a gunman opened fire at the entrance of the Border Patrol sector annex in McAllen.

In the wake of Wednesday’s shooting, federal officials are stressing that attacks on ICE and law enforcement must end.

“Our prayers are with the families of those killed and our ICE law enforcement. This vile attack was motivated by hatred for ICE,” DHS Secretary Kristi Noem said in a statement. “For months, we’ve been warning politicians and the media to tone down their rhetoric about ICE law enforcement before someone was killed. This shooting must serve as a wake-up call.”

“This is the second time I’ve had to stand in front of you and talk about a shooter at one of my facilities. And I think that the takeaway from all of this is that the rhetoric has to stop,” Dallas ICE official Joshua Johnson said at the news conference.

“This needs to stop,” Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, said at a news conference. “Violence is wrong, politically motivated violence is wrong.”

“These despicable, politically motivated attacks against law enforcement are not a one-off. … It has to end,” Patel added in a statement.

Acting ICE Director Todd Lyons said he would put all ICE facilities on a higher alert to protect agents and civilians carrying out the agency’s mission.

This is a developing story. Please check back for updates.

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