National

(PHILADELPHIA) — A 17-year-old boy who was abducted from the basement of his own home has been found badly injured at a property about a mile away as three suspects have been taken into custody.

The incident occurred at approximately 11:30 p.m. on Sunday evening when authorities say an unnamed 17-year-old boy was abducted from the basement of his home in Northeast Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, according to ABC News’ Philadelphia station WPVI.

When officers arrived to the scene of the crime, the teen’s family members told authorities they heard a noise coming from the basement of the family’s house that sounded like a struggle, but when they went to see what was going on they discovered that the 17-year-old had vanished, according to WPVI.

Family members discovered a bullet hole in the basement but told authorities that they did not hear a gun discharge at any point during the struggle.

The Philadelphia Police Department said that the victim’s vehicle was still parked outside of the home at the time of the suspected abduction and blood and three bullets were also found in the vicinity outside the house, according to WPVI.

After conducting their initial investigation, authorities were able to pinpoint the boy’s location thanks to his cellphone, police told WPVI.

“We were able to track the 17-year-old’s cellphone to a property in the 6200 block of Trotter Street,” Philadelphia Police Chief Inspector Scott Small told WPVI. “When police went to that location, they declared it a barricade since we believed that this was an abduction point of gun.”

Hostage negotiators and a SWAT unit were immediately dispatched to the suspected location of the 17-year-old at approximately 2 a.m. Monday morning.

Upon arrival, authorities were able to make contact with three suspects involved in the abduction — one male and two females, all in their 20’s — before convincing them to exit the property, according to WPVI.

Police entered the premises and found the 17-year-old bleeding heavily and suffering from bruising to his face and head while he was in and out of consciousness.

The teen was taken to a local area hospital to be treated for his injuries and was reunited with his family after the three-hour ordeal.

Authorities say that they don’t yet know the motive of the abduction but did confirm to WPVI that they believe the teenager has a history with at least one, if not all, of the three suspects involved in the case.

The Philadelphia Police Department was able to identify all three people involved in the abduction with help from the victim and they were subsequently arrested and taken into custody where they are awaiting charges. The investigation is currently ongoing.

Copyright © 2021, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

(HOUSTON) — Three people have been shot outside of a barbershop following an argument between two men in their 40’s allegedly over who came first in a foot race over a month ago.

The incident occurred at approximately 3 p.m. on Saturday, July 10, in northeast Houston when the Houston Police Department received a call regarding a shooting involving several victims outside the Mean Kutz barbershop, according to ABC News’ Houston station KTRK.

“There were two males that were arguing outside the barbershop here over who ran a race faster,” said Houston Police Department Assistant Chief Wendy Baimbridge told KTRK in a short press conference following the shooting. “So at that point, one of the victims started walking away from the argument. The suspect then shot him twice in the shoulder.”

Two innocent bystanders who were inside the barbershop at the time were also struck in the shootout. One was shot in the rear end while the other was shot in the arm, according to Baimbridge.

The suspect who initially began firing subsequently fled the scene of the crime traveling eastbound away from the barbershop in a black Nissan Frontier. Authorities said they do not have the vehicle’s license plate at this time.

The Houston Police Department confirmed that they have gathered video evidence from the phone of a witness as well as surveillance footage from a liquor store next to the barbershop.

One victim was taken to Kingwood Hospital to be treated while the other two were taken to Memorial Hospital. None of the three people who were shot suffered life-threatening injuries and all are expected to survive.

“I just came to get a haircut but that didn’t go as planned,” said one woman who witnessed the shooting.

The suspect is currently at large and major assault detectives are currently investigating the incident. Anyone with information is asked to contact Houston Police Department’s Major Assault Division or Crime Stoppers.

Copyright © 2021, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

Ivan Pereira, ABC News

(HIRAM, Ga.) — Several people were injured at a Georgia club Saturday night after an ejected patron, who was allegedly intoxicated, reportedly opened fire into the crowd before ramming his truck into the establishment, police said.

The incident took place at the 278 South Club in Hiram, Georgia, around 11:30 p.m. Saturday when the staff reportedly asked Eduardo Morales, 34, to leave, because he had become too intoxicated, the Hiram Police Department said in a statement. Morales left in his Dodge Ram 2500, but allegedly returned a short time later with a firearm and began opening fire, the police said.

“When his weapon was empty, Morales then drove the vehicle into the bar through the front doors striking numerous patrons,” the police said in a statement.

Other patrons stopped the suspect after his vehicle allegedly got stuck and he tried to reload his weapon, the police said.

One person inside the bar was grazed by a bullet and another patron was hit twice by the vehicle, the police said. Both victims were was treated and released at a local hospital.

ABC affiliate WSB reported that a security guard was among those hurt, one woman’s legs were crushed under the truck and another woman sustained a head injury from a fallen beam. Another man who helped wrestle the gun away from Morales had broken legs, while other patrons sustained minor injuries, WSB reported.

Morales was treated for minor injuries and arrested by police, investigators said. He has been charged with aggravated assault and aggravated battery, and more charges are pending, the police said.

The club released a statement on its Facebook page sending its thoughts and prayers to the victims.

“We’ve always put our customer’s safety first and foremost and we are devastated. We like to believe most people are good….and it showed last night,” the post said.

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(DALLAS) — A man suspected of murdering an elderly woman has turned himself into Dallas police after being on the run for five days.

The Dallas Police Department said its officers responded to a 911 call on the evening of July 6 at approximately 6:35 p.m. about a deceased person at a home in the southern part of the Texas city. Upon arrival, they discovered 87-year-old Anita Daniels Thompson dead inside the home from what was deemed to be “homicidal violence,” police said in a statement.

Four days later, police announced that they had identified 58-year-old Andre Stefan Buggs as the prime suspect in Thompson’s slaying following their investigation. Police said in a statement that Buggs “is wanted for murder” and should be “considered armed and dangerous.”

“Andre Stefan Buggs has been identified as the suspect for the murder of Anita Daniels Thompson that occurred on July 6, 2021,” read the statement from the Dallas Police Department. “The suspect, pictured below, is wanted for the murder and is described as a 58-year-old Black male, 6’3″ tall, and weighs approximately 218 pounds. He is considered armed and dangerous.”

Police did not disclose any potential motive was behind the killing or if the two knew each other.

Late on Sunday afternoon, police announced that Buggs had turned himself in.

“Suspect Buggs was transported to the Homicide Unit, where detectives interviewed him,” said the Dallas Police Department. “The suspect invoked his right to an attorney, and he was transported to the Dallas County Jail where he was charged with murder.”

Buggs remains in custody. His bond was not set as of late Sunday afternoon.

The investigation is ongoing and anyone with information regarding the case is urged to contact the Dallas Police Department at 214-671-3686.

Copyright © 2021, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

(NEW YORK) — Mission accomplished.

Billionaire Sir Richard Branson flew to the lower edge of space and back to planet Earth on Sunday in the first fully crewed flight from his private space tourism firm Virgin Galactic.

Billionaire Sir Richard Branson launched to the edge of space Sunday in the first fully crewed flight from his private space tourism firm Virgin Galactic.

“What a day. What a day. What a day,” Branson said at a news conference following the historic flight. “I think like most kids I have dreamt of this moment since I was a kid and honestly nothing can prepare you for the view of Earth from space.”

He said he was honored to “test the customer experience” and declared, “Welcome to the dawn of a new space age.”

“It’s just magical. I’m just taking it all in. It’s just unreal,” said Branson, who popped a bottle of champagne after he and his crew were presented their Virgin Galactic astronaut wings.

The so-called Unity 22 mission lifted off from the New Mexico desert about 10:38 a.m. ET attached to its “mothership” aircraft VMS Eve and just after 11 a.m. reached an altitude of 46,000 feet, which is higher than commercial airlines fly.

Branson, 70, served as a mission specialist on the flight, the fourth crewed spaceflight for Virgin Galactic’s VSS Unity spacecraft. Unity was launched from the Eve mothership at an altitude of 50,000 feet and live stream video showed it shooting into space. Within 30 seconds the spacecraft reached Mach 2 speed and a few seconds later hit Mach 3 at an altitude of weightlessness.

Onboard video showed Branson and the three other astronauts smiling as they looked out the windows of the spacecraft. They briefly unbuckled their seatbelts to float around the cabin and take in view of the curvature of Earth.

At around 11:40 a.m. ET the spacecraft touched back down on Earth, making a smooth landing back in New Mexico to loud applause and cheers at mission control.

Latest upates: Virgin Galatic launch

As of 10:30 AM ET, the liftoff was running 10 minutes late.

At 10:38 AM ET, Virgin Galactic has started down the runway.

On Sunday morning, Branson tweeted that he was “feeling good, feeling excited” and ready for this morning’s launch, along with a picture of himself with SpaceX founder Elon Musk.

Big day ahead. Great to start the morning with a friend. Feeling good, feeling excited, feeling ready.

Watch #Unity22 launch and livestream TODAY at 7:30 am PT | 10:30 am ET | 3:30 pm BST.@virgingalactic @elonmusk https://t.co/1313b4RAKI pic.twitter.com/FRQqrQEbH8

— Richard Branson (@richardbranson) July 11, 2021

The billionaire rode his bike Sunday morning to the launch area, Spaceport America in New Mexico.

The crew consists of fellow Virgin Galactic staff: Beth Moses, chief astronaut instructor; Colin Bennet, lead operations engineer; and Sirisha Bandla, vice president of government affairs and research operations.

Pilots Dave Mackay and Michael Masucci will fly the spaceship, with C.J. Sturckow and Kelly Latimer flying the aircraft from which the spaceship will dispatch.

Branson’s role is to evaluate the private astronaut experience to prepare for future customers, which Virgin Galactic expects to do beginning in 2022.

‘Space belongs to all of us’: Branson

Virgin Galactic has taken heat from critics, including the Twitter account of competitor Blue Origin, for stretching the definition of “space” as its flights do not go above the Karman line (62 miles above Earth) that is defined by many — but not all — as the boundary between Earth’s atmosphere and space.

“I truly believe that space belongs to all of us,” Branson said in a statement earlier this month announcing his spaceflight. “After 17 years of research, engineering and innovation, the new commercial space industry is poised to open the universe to humankind and change the world for good.”

Branson’s spaceflight comes just nine days ahead of when Amazon founder Jeff Bezos said he will launch into space via his own firm, Blue Origin.

Copyright © 2021, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

(Los Angeles) — Fires are continuing to spark in the West as a heat wave blankets millions of residents.

Heat alerts are currently active across seven states in the West as the heat wave continues into Sunday. Temperatures in the triple digits are expected in California, Arizona, Oregon and Idaho. Temperatures are set to break records in cities like Flagstaff, Arizona; Salt Lake City, Utah; Bakersfield and Fresno, California; and Billings, Montana.

Extreme drought and dry conditions are persisting in the West as another heat waves looms, creating matchbox conditions for any spark to ignite into a fast-moving blaze.

In California and Nevada, temperatures in the 90s and 100s — along with single digit humidity values — will be conducive to rapid spread again on Sunday.

The Beckwourth Complex Fire in Doyle, California, is now the state’s largest wildfire at 83,926 acres and is only 8% contained, according to the U.S. Forest Service. The fire prompted mandatory evacuations, closed portions of U.S. Route 395 and crossed state lines into Nevada, ABC Sacramento affiliate KXTV-TV reported.

The Bootleg Fire in Klamath County, Oregon, grew to more than 143,000 acres on Sunday, prompting evacuations in the area, according to the U.S. Forest Service. It was first spotted in the Fremont-Winema National Forest on July 6 but exploded to 75,000 acres on Saturday, ABC Portland affiliate KATU reported.

Evacuations were also ordered due to the Rock Creek Fire in Craig, Montana, which shut down portions of Interstate 15.

The possibility of isolated thunderstorms in Montana on Sunday afternoon could bring breezy conditions and also cause lightning ignitions.

Copyright © 2021, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

(NEW YORK) — Mission accomplished.

Billionaire Sir Richard Branson flew to the lower edge of space and back to planet Earth on Sunday in the first fully crewed flight from his private space tourism firm Virgin Galactic.

Billionaire Sir Richard Branson launched to the edge of space Sunday in the first fully crewed flight from his private space tourism firm Virgin Galactic.

“What a day. What a day. What a day,” Branson said at a news conference following the historic flight. “I think like most kids I have dreamt of this moment since I was a kid and honestly nothing can prepare you for the view of Earth from space.”

He said he was honored to “test the customer experience” and declared, “Welcome to the dawn of a new space age.”

“It’s just magical. I’m just taking it all in. It’s just unreal,” said Branson, who popped a bottle of champagne after he and his crew were presented their Virgin Galactic astronaut wings.

The so-called Unity 22 mission lifted off from the New Mexico desert about 10:38 a.m. ET attached to its “mothership” aircraft VMS Eve and just after 11 a.m. reached an altitude of 46,000 feet, which is higher than commercial airlines fly.

Branson, 70, served as a mission specialist on the flight, the fourth crewed spaceflight for Virgin Galactic’s VSS Unity spacecraft. Unity was launched from the Eve mothership at an altitude of 50,000 feet and live stream video showed it shooting into space. Within 30 seconds the spacecraft reached Mach 2 speed and a few seconds later hit Mach 3 at an altitude of weightlessness.

Onboard video showed Branson and the three other astronauts smiling as they looked out the windows of the spacecraft. They briefly unbuckled their seatbelts to float around the cabin and take in view of the curvature of Earth.

At around 11:40 a.m. ET the spacecraft touched back down on Earth, making a smooth landing back in New Mexico to loud applause and cheers at mission control.

Latest upates: Virgin Galatic launch

As of 10:30 AM ET, the liftoff was running 10 minutes late.

At 10:38 AM ET, Virgin Galactic has started down the runway.

On Sunday morning, Branson tweeted that he was “feeling good, feeling excited” and ready for this morning’s launch, along with a picture of himself with SpaceX founder Elon Musk.

Big day ahead. Great to start the morning with a friend. Feeling good, feeling excited, feeling ready.

Watch #Unity22 launch and livestream TODAY at 7:30 am PT | 10:30 am ET | 3:30 pm BST.@virgingalactic @elonmusk https://t.co/1313b4RAKI pic.twitter.com/FRQqrQEbH8

— Richard Branson (@richardbranson) July 11, 2021

The billionaire rode his bike Sunday morning to the launch area, Spaceport America in New Mexico.

The crew consists of fellow Virgin Galactic staff: Beth Moses, chief astronaut instructor; Colin Bennet, lead operations engineer; and Sirisha Bandla, vice president of government affairs and research operations.

Pilots Dave Mackay and Michael Masucci will fly the spaceship, with C.J. Sturckow and Kelly Latimer flying the aircraft from which the spaceship will dispatch.

Branson’s role is to evaluate the private astronaut experience to prepare for future customers, which Virgin Galactic expects to do beginning in 2022.

‘Space belongs to all of us’: Branson

Virgin Galactic has taken heat from critics, including the Twitter account of competitor Blue Origin, for stretching the definition of “space” as its flights do not go above the Karman line (62 miles above Earth) that is defined by many — but not all — as the boundary between Earth’s atmosphere and space.

“I truly believe that space belongs to all of us,” Branson said in a statement earlier this month announcing his spaceflight. “After 17 years of research, engineering and innovation, the new commercial space industry is poised to open the universe to humankind and change the world for good.”

Branson’s spaceflight comes just nine days ahead of when Amazon founder Jeff Bezos said he will launch into space via his own firm, Blue Origin.

Copyright © 2021, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

(New York) — A police officer in Ohio saved the life of a man who was allegedly choking on a bag of marijuana that he reportedly tried to swallow after he was pulled over for speeding.

The footage was released by the Ohio State Highway Patrol on Thursday, July 8, and shows Trooper Hoskin from the Ohio State Highway Patrol’s Ravenna post pull over the 24-year-old suspect after speeding by his vehicle on the highway in Portage County, according to Storyful.

“Where are you going in such a hurry?” Hoskin can be heard asking the driver after approaching the stopped vehicle in video taken from the officer’s dashboard camera.

It is not known how or if the suspect responded but Hoskin can then be heard asking if he is alright.

“Can you breathe?” Hoskin says to the driver before instructing him to get out of the car and asking if he can breathe again.

Don’t try to swallow a bag of drugs prior to getting pulled over in an attempt to keep a trooper from finding them. Luckily, Tpr. Hoskin from our Ravenna Post was alert and able to assist the man who was choking on a bag of illegal marijuana. pic.twitter.com/LqgbOhOEsW

— Ohio State Patrol (@OSHP) July 8, 2021

Hoskin then takes the man to the side of the road and begins performing the Heimlich maneuver on him several times before an object can be seen becoming dislodged from the man’s mouth and falling to the ground.

As the man sits on the ground after the close call, Hoskin informs the man that an ambulance was on the way to treat him and to make he was alright.

“We got an ambulance coming just to check you out, make sure everything’s good,” says Hoskin to the suspect. “Do you want to die over a minor misdemeanor?”

The man was reportedly cited for speeding, failing to wear a seatbelt, and issued a misdemeanor for marijuana, according to Storyful.

Said the Ohio State Patrol in a post on Twitter: “Don’t try to swallow a bag of drugs prior to getting pulled over in an attempt to keep a trooper from finding them.”

Copyright © 2021, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

(NEW YORK) — Billionaire Sir Richard Branson is set to launch to the edge of space Sunday in the first fully crewed flight from his private space tourism firm Virgin Galactic.

Branson, 70, will serve as a mission specialist on what is being called the Unity 22 mission, the fourth crewed spaceflight for Virgin Galactic’s VSS Unity spacecraft. Unity is launched from a separate “mothership” aircraft called VMS Eve that takes off from a conventional runway before releasing the spaceship at an altitude of approximately 50,000 feet.

The launch will take place from New Mexico’s Spaceport America, and live coverage will commence at 10:30 a.m. ET on Sunday on Virgin Galactic’s website and social media pages.

The crew consists of fellow Virgin Galactic staff: Beth Moses, chief astronaut instructor; Colin Bennet, lead operations engineer; and Sirisha Bandla, vice president of government affairs and research operations.

Pilots Dave Mackay and Michael Masucci will fly the spaceship, with C.J. Sturckow and Kelly Latimer flying the aircraft from which the spaceship will dispatch.

Branson’s role is to evaluate the private astronaut experience to prepare for future customers, which Virgin Galactic expects to do beginning in 2022.

Virgin Galactic has taken heat from critics, including the Twitter account of competitor Blue Origin, for stretching the definition of “space” as its flights do not go above the Karman line (62 miles above Earth) that is defined by many — but not all — as the boundary between Earth’s atmosphere and space.

“I truly believe that space belongs to all of us,” Branson said in a statement earlier this month announcing his spaceflight. “After 17 years of research, engineering and innovation, the new commercial space industry is poised to open the universe to humankind and change the world for good.”

Branson’s spaceflight comes just nine days ahead of when Amazon founder Jeff Bezos said he will launch into space via his own firm, Blue Origin.

Copyright © 2021, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

(HOUSTON) — The suspect behind an apparent murder-suicide at the Downtown Aquarium in Houston has been identified as a man with a criminal history.

The shooting at Downtown Aquarium unfolded when suspect Danny Garcia Cazares, 39, walked toward Gabriel Alexander Moriones Vargas, 28 and his wife, 24, as they were eating dinner in the bar area, and opened fire around 8:10 p.m. Thursday, Houston police said.

Vargas was fatally shot and died on the scene. His wife was wounded, suffering at least one gunshot wound to the leg. She remains in stable condition at an area hospital, police said in an update Friday.

The couple was visiting Houston from New York, according to Houston ABC station KTRK.

After shooting the couple, Cazares turned the gun on himself and was pronounced deceased from a self-inflicted gunshot wound, police said.

“This is a tragic, isolated incident, with no relationship between the victims and the suspect,” police said.

He had a previous criminal history, which includes arrests for felon in possession of a weapon and had a history of mental illness, Houston police officials said.

At the time of the shooting, Cazares was out on bond on three charges. They were: felon in possession of a weapon and criminal mischief, which he was charged with in April, and criminal trespassing, which he was charged with in October, according to court records.

The investigation is ongoing.

Copyright © 2021, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.