A still photo from a video released by the Pentagon that appears to show an object flying near a plane over the Southeastern U.S. (Pentagon)
(WASHINGTON, D.C.) — The Pentagon unveiled another batch of its so-called UFO files on Friday, part of a rolling release of once-classified material ordered released by President Donald Trump.
Friday’s release included more than 50 previously classified videos and other documents related to unidentified anomalous phenomena (UAPs), the official term used by the federal government to describe UFO’s.
Among the newly released files are a video from an infrared sensor operated by the U.S. Coast Guard in April 2024 showing an object flying near a plane over the Southeastern U.S.
Another video labeled “Syrian UAP instant acceleration” was taken from an infrared sensor aboard a U.S. military platform in 2021 and uploaded to a classified network in 2024, according to the Pentagon.
After multiple investigations, the Pentagon’s All-domain Anomaly Resolution Office (AARO) has found no evidence that any of these incidents are of an extraterrestrial nature — but military officials admit many remain “unresolved” and cannot be explained.
So far, the Pentagon has released over 200 files related to UAPs — which have long been an object of public fascination — following the directive from Trump.
Another of the newly released records — a video from 2020 taken in an undisclosed area under U.S. Central Command — appears to show a sphere flying over a population center before it eventually flew higher, off into the sky.
Also included in the files is a written account from a senior U.S. intelligence officer last year who described seeing “two large orbs flare up” alongside their helicopter while on a mission. The officer wrote they were “orange with a white or yellow center, and emitted light in all directions.”
Fighter jets then scrambled to identify the objects — but couldn’t, the officer recounted. He said “the same orbs we had encountered were now ‘chasing’ the fighters … We were virtually speechless after these observations.”
Two weeks ago, the Pentagon released the first batch of files from various federal agencies, some dating as far back as the late 1940s. Those files were posted on a new website that has already received more than a billion views worldwide, according to the Pentagon’s top spokesman.
“In an effort for Complete and Maximum Transparency, it was my Honor to direct my Administration to identify and provide Government files related to Alien and Extraterrestrial Life, Unidentified Aerial Phenomena, and Unidentified Flying Objects,” Trump said at the time in a post on his social media platform. “Whereas previous Administrations have failed to be transparent on this subject, with these new Documents and Videos, the people can decide for themselves, “WHAT THE HELL IS GOING ON?” Have Fun and Enjoy!”
In this photo illustration, the Telekom Malaysia company logo is seen displayed on a smartphone screen. (Photo Illustration by Piotr Swat/SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty Images)
Senior personnel at a telecommunications company orchestrated a “calculated embezzlement scheme” to divert millions of dollars into their own pockets, federal prosecutors in New York charged in the first case of its kind that involved self-reporting by the company that allowed the corporation to avoid criminal charges.
Mohd Hafiz Lockman, Mohd Yuzaimi Yusof and Khanh Thuong Nguyen allegedly misappropriated more than $20 million from Telekom Malaysia’s U.S. subsidiary using false statements, forged records, fictitious transactions and corporate and individual impersonations to deceive counterparties, suppliers, auditors and supervisors, the indictment said.
Lockman, 48, of Dublin, California, Yusof, 44, of Livermore, California, and Nguyen, 48, of Manassas, Virginia, are charged with wire fraud conspiracy, wire fraud and aggravated identity theft. All three were taken into custody last month and were released on bond. They have not yet entered pleas.
Their parent company, Telekom Malaysia Berhad, reported the alleged fraud to the U.S. attorney’s office in Manhattan last month and the company has been cooperating with the ongoing investigation, prosecutors said.
It’s the first prosecution to result from a self-reporting program U.S. Attorney Jay Clayton announced earlier this year. Telekom Malaysia received a conditional declination of charges against the company provided it cooperates, pays restitution and agrees to report any future criminal conduct for the next three years.
“Today’s fraud charges come within weeks of receiving a self-report from the company,” Clayton said in a statement announcing the charges. “As alleged, Mohd Hafiz Lockman, Mohd Yuzaimi Yusof, and Khanh Thuong Nguyen perpetrated a sprawling fraud to steal over $20 million. The defendants deceived counterparties, suppliers, auditors, and their own supervisors. As a result of the fact that the conduct was reported to this Office and quickly investigated, the defendants will now be held to account for fraudulently lining their own pockets.”
According to the indictment, the defendants first schemed to sell Telekom. Malaysia’s broadband capacity without authorization and divert the proceeds to their own accounts. Then, they allegedly impersonated one of Telekom Malaysia’s suppliers and intercepted payments the company made to that supplier.
They also allegedly impersonated employees and interns and captured their salaries. The fourth component of the fraud involved reimbursements for fabricated work expenses, officials said.
As one example, the indictment said the trio collaborated to request reimbursement for expenses incurred for a work trip to Las Vegas in December 2025. In fact, no such trip occurred. According to the indictment, when the parent company requested pictures from the trip, the defendants hastily organized a trip to Las Vegas and photographed scenes with Christmas trees to make it appear as though photographs had been taken in December.
Soldiers assigned to Charlie Company, 1st Battalion, 41st Infantry Regiment, 4th Infantry Division, maneuver toward an objective during a Combined Arms Live-Fire Exercise as part of Ivy Mass at Pinon Canyon Maneuver Site, Colorado, on May 17, 2026. (Pfc. Jacob Cruz/US Army)
(WASHINGTON) — The Army has canceled dozens of medical training courses as the service moves to manage a multibillion-dollar budget shortfall that is rippling across the force, according to multiple U.S. officials and internal documents reviewed by ABC News.
At least 34 medical-related courses have been canceled during the second half of the Pentagon’s fiscal year, which ends Sept. 30, according to the documents.
The cuts come from the Army Medical Center of Excellence, the service’s hub for its medical training, headquartered at Fort Sam Houston, Texas.
Those cuts come as commanders are being told to closely scrutinize their spending as the service faces ballooning operational costs, including those related to the war in Iran and skyrocketing fuel costs.
Many of the canceled medical training programs are tied to frontline combat casualty care. An internal memorandum describing the reductions cites “funding shortfalls and limited resources.”
Other cuts include leadership and certification courses for senior medical officers, including training for officers preparing to command helicopter medical evacuation units. The service also canceled courses related to animal care, behavioral science, food safety inspections and operating in radioactive environments, according to internal service plans.
“The Army has issued guidance to subordinate commands – for the remainder of this fiscal year, to make tough and sound resource decisions that optimize and prioritize resources toward their most critical requirements, to include major training and readiness events,” Col. Marty Meiners, a service spokesperson, said in a statement.
The cuts are part of a broader financial squeeze that has forced Army planners to slash training across the force while commanders reshuffle money. ABC News previously reported that Army planners had begun canceling training events as the service confronted a projected $4 billion to $6 billion funding shortfall.
The medical course cuts are in addition to what was previously reported, and the cancellations offer the most detailed account of specific training events getting axed until at least October, when the new fiscal year starts.
Last week, Gen. Chris LaNeve, who is serving as the Army’s top officer in an acting capacity, disputed ABC News’ earlier reporting during testimony before lawmakers.
“We haven’t canceled anything,” LaNeve said, while acknowledging the Army is in a funding pinch.
LaNeve seemingly conceded to lawmakers that some training cuts were planned, which he framed as typical toward the end of the fiscal year. Yet the service was only halfway through the fiscal year when those plans were being made, documents show. The Army did not make LaNeve available for comment.
Military spending does start to draw more scrutiny from commanders toward the end of the summer as money for the fiscal year dries up, but any belt-tightening is traditionally at the margins, multiple current and former U.S. officials explained.
The service’s III Armored Corps, based out of Fort Hood, Texas, which includes some 70,000 soldiers and made up of much of the Army’s tank and other heavily armored units, recently had much of its training funds diverted, while an internal memorandum warned that its helicopter units expected to deploy to Europe next year will be at “a lower state of readiness,” as pilot training had to effectively be frozen outside of the bare minimum military requirements to fly.
All of the Army’s major formations are being directed to make cuts, officials explained. The full scope of training and other events being canceled is likely much more significant.
Just to keep its helicopters flying at that minimum level required, $26.6 million was siphoned from the corps’ ground combat training units, an amount of money just slightly higher than cost estimations to keep flying time at a minimum, internal documents show, which directs commanders to scratch any training of scale. Flyovers for public events were also canceled.
The shortfall stems from a combination of rising costs and increasingly demanding volume of operations, according to two U.S. officials, with one describing it as “a perfect storm.”
Those costs include the Army’s support to the Department of Homeland Security during its 76-day shutdown, which involved border construction projects and assistance missions along the southern border. The Army is expected to eventually recoup nearly $2 billion tied to those DHS missions.
Additionally, rising fuel costs have forced commanders to heavily scrutinize travel, as soldiers mostly use commercial travel to fly to different courses and training events.
The service is also absorbing expenses tied to the conflict with Iran, as well as the expanding National Guard mission in Washington, D.C., which is projected to cost about $1.1 billion this year, according to estimates from the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office. One U.S. official said the mission is set to roughly double in size, expected to grow to roughly 5,000 troops over the summer.
The financial strain comes as the Pentagon is seeking a $1.5 trillion budget next year, 50% above current funding levels. The sticker shock has drawn fierce blowback from Democrats on Capitol Hill. But the record-setting request does not account for the costs of the Iran war, which Defense Department officials estimate has already topped $29 billion as of last week. Those expenses are largely tied to munitions and do not include the potentially massive bill for rebuilding bases damaged in Iranian strikes.
Lawmakers on Capitol Hill are now bracing for the Pentagon to send Congress a supplemental funding request to cover the mounting war-related costs.
On Thursday, Adm. Daryl Caudle, the Navy’s chief of naval operations, warned lawmakers that the service may soon face similar tradeoffs unless Congress approves supplemental funding on top of the Pentagon’s proposed $1.5 trillion budget request, which was finalized before the Iran conflict escalated.
“The [fiscal 2026] budget didn’t bake in [Operation] Epic Fury,” Caudle told the House Armed Services Committee. “You see a large Navy force in the Middle East. So we’re burning bright … but it does come at cost, and it comes at operational costs.”
Signage outside the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) headquarters in Silver Spring, Maryland, US, on Monday, March 3, 2025. (Daniel Heuer/Bloomberg via Getty Images)
(NEW YORK) — This year’s Atlantic hurricane season will see below-average tropical activity, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA).
The decreased storm activity is driven by El Nino, which is forecast to emerge soon and persist through the season, the agency announced on Thursday.
Atlantic hurricane season starts on June 1 and continues through Nov. 30.
There is currently a 55% chance that this year’s season will be below average, according to NOAA, with eight to 14 named storms, tropical storms and stronger expected for the season.
Three to six hurricanes could occur, of which one to three could major storms with Category 3 intensity or stronger, NOAA said.
NOAA’s hurricane outlooks predict overall seasonal activity, though levels of activity can vary throughout the six-month season. It does not predict how many storms will make landfall or specific locations where landfalls might occur.
An average Atlantic hurricane season has 14 named storms, seven hurricanes and three major hurricanes, according to NOAA.
The 2025 Atlantic hurricane season brought 13 named storms, just below the long-term seasonal average
While there were no landfalling hurricanes in the United States last year for the first time in a decade, the season still proved to be consequential, producing three Category 5 hurricanes, including Melissa, which devastated Jamaica.
Factors affecting this year’s hurricane forecast
The impact of El Nino on this year’s Atlantic and Eastern Pacific hurricane seasons will largely depend on how quickly it develops and how strong it gets. Even so, El Nino is only one of several important variables that influence tropical activity.
El Nino conditions often suppress activity during the Atlantic hurricane season by producing unfavorable atmospheric winds. In the Eastern Pacific, the opposite occurs, with favorable conditions supporting above-average hurricane season activity.
“El Nino increases convection (thunderstorms) across the eastern and central Pacific, which causes downstream wind shear over the Atlantic from strong upper-level winds,” Andy Hazelton, an associate scientist at the University of Miami’s Cooperative Institute for Marine and Atmospheric Studies, told ABC News.
Vertical wind shear, which refers to changes in wind speed and direction with height in the atmosphere, is often a primary factor in below-average hurricane season activity. Strong vertical wind shear can tear a developing tropical system apart or even prevent it from forming, NOAA says.
“The rising motion over the Pacific also leads to increased subsidence (sinking air) over the Atlantic, which suppresses thunderstorms and tropical cyclone development,” Hazelton said.
Other factors, such as sea surface temperatures, play an important role in tropical cyclone development and strength. Unseasonably warm ocean waters can partially offset the effects of unfavorable atmospheric winds, according to forecasters.
“Although El Nino’s impact in the Atlantic Basin can often suppress hurricane development, there is still uncertainty in how each season will unfold,” said NOAA’s National Weather Service Director Ken Graham. “That is why it’s essential to review your hurricane preparedness plan now. It only takes one storm to make for a very bad season.”
The climatological peak of the Atlantic hurricane season is Sept. 10, with most activity occurring between mid-August and mid-October, on average, according to the National Hurricane Center.
Historically, about two-thirds of Atlantic hurricane season activity occurs between Aug. 20 and Oct. 10, the National Hurricane Center said.
Storm names for 2026
A tropical cyclone is assigned a name once it reaches tropical storm strength, which is when maximum sustained winds reach at least 39 mph. A tropical storm becomes a hurricane when maximum sustained winds are 74 mph or higher.
Hurricanes with maximum sustained winds of 111 mph or higher are classified as major hurricanes of Category 3 to Category 5.
The World Meteorological Organization’s Hurricane Committee oversees the six tropical cyclone name lists, which repeat every six years. This year’s list was last used in 2020. The first named storm of the season will be called Arthur, followed by Bertha, Cristobal, Dolly, Edouard, Fay, Gonzalo, Hanna, Isaias, Josephine, Kyle, Leah, Marco, Nana, Omar, Paulette, Rene, Sally, Teddy, Vicky and Wilfred.
Eastern Pacific outlook
By contrast, El Nino will likely increase tropical activity in the eastern Pacific.
NOAA is predicting above-average tropical activity for the 2026 Eastern Pacific hurricane season, with a 70% likelihood.
The agency has predicted 15 to 22 named storms, with nine to 14 of those storms forecast to reach hurricane strength. Between five and nine major hurricanes could impact the eastern Pacific basin, NOAA said.
An active eastern Pacific could put Hawaii at an increased risk of tropical systems this year, while also increasing the likelihood of indirect impacts to the southwestern United States, such as sending more rain to the region.
Less active seasons can still bring devastating storms
High-impact, devastating storms can still occur during seasons with near to below-average tropical activity.
In 1992, the Atlantic hurricane season was well below average, with only six named storms. However, the only U.S. landfalling hurricane of the season, Andrew, also became the nation’s most expensive natural disaster on record at the time.
In 2018, Hurricanes Florence and Michael brought catastrophic impacts to portions of the southeastern United States, while the overall season featured near-average activity, with 15 named storms.
In 2022, Hurricane Ian brought catastrophic impacts to parts of Florida, becoming the state’s costliest hurricane on record during a season that also featured near-average activity, with 14 named storms.
What’s new in forecasting this year
The National Hurricane Center announced several updates to its forecast products for the upcoming season.
For example, the forecast cone, representing a storm’s probably track, is going to be about 4% to 8% smaller in the Atlantic basin, and roughly 3% to 8% smaller in the Pacific, compared to the 2025 cone, conveying less uncertainty with the forecasts.
The National Hurricane Center has also launched a mobile-friendly version of its website, hurricanes.gov, which provides tropical forecasts and alerts.
And for the first time, drone data will be incorporated into NOAA’s hurricane forecast model, providing a new tool to help forecasters better predict storm intensity.
The agency partnered with Black Swift Technologies to develop a fleet of small, uncrewed aircraft built to withstand data collection in extreme weather conditions.
The data will be integrated into NOAA’s hurricane forecast model during the 2026 hurricane season. NOAA researchers found that incorporating the drone data into NOAA’s Hurricane Analysis and Forecast System (HAFS) can improve intensity forecast accuracy by 10%.
In this Dec. 3, 2019, file photo, Jack Avery of Why Don’t We performs onstage during 106.1 KISS FM’s Jingle Ball 2019 at Dickies Arena in Dallas, Texas. (Cooper Neill/Getty Images for iHeartMedia, FILE)
(LOS ANGELES) — A social media influencer is accused of plotting to kill a pop singer in an alleged murder-for-hire conspiracy that prosecutors say stemmed from a “bitter custody dispute” over their daughter.
The influencer, 24-year-old Gabriela Gonzalez, allegedly conspired with her father and then-boyfriend to hire a hitman to kill Jack Avery, the father of her 7-year-old daughter, several years ago, prosecutors in Los Angeles County said in a press release this week.
Avery, 26, is a former member of the boy band Why Don’t We, the Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office confirmed in a press release.
Sometime between 2020 and 2021, Gabriela Gonzalez allegedly sought the help of her boyfriend at the time, 26-year-old Kai Cordrey, to hire someone on the dark web to kill Avery, prosecutors said.
She allegedly repeatedly told one witness that she wanted Avery dead and discussed hiring a hitman and that the “intended killing was discussed as occurring in Los Angeles and being made to look like a car accident,” the warrant for her father’s arrest stated.
Her father, 59-year-old Francisco Gonzalez, was “deeply involved in the custody conflict” and was the alleged source of the funds for the murder-for-hire plot, according to his arrest warrant.
Francisco Gonzalez allegedly sent Cordrey $10,000 back in April 2021 “as front money to use in locating, hiring and paying someone to kill Avery,” the Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office said in a press release on Tuesday.
Two months later, Francisco Gonzalez allegedly sent Cordrey another $4,000 “after the alleged hit man asked for the additional funds,” the office said.
“Several days later, Cordrey allegedly requested that Avery be killed within a couple of days,” prosecutors said.
Cordrey spoke to an undercover law enforcement officer posing as a hitman about the alleged murder-for-hire plot in September 2021, during which he allegedly said Avery was the target and “discussed payment and proof of death,” prosecutors said.
“In a subsequent conversation, Cordrey allegedly told the purported hitman that Gabriela Gonzalez wanted the murder to happen and Francisco Gonzalez could pay for the expense,” prosecutors said.
Gabriela Gonzalez, her father and Cordrey have been charged with one count each of attempted murder, conspiracy to commit murder and solicitation of murder.
Gabriela Gonzalez was arrested on Monday and is being held on no bail, online jail records show. She was set to be arraigned on Thursday. Attorney information was not immediately available.
Her father was arrested in Florida and is awaiting extradition to Los Angeles County. Court records show he is being represented by a public defender. ABC News has reached out to the public defender’s office for comment.
It is unclear if Cordrey is in custody at this time.
If convicted as charged, all three face 25 years to life in state prison.
Los Angeles County District Attorney Nathan Hochman said the FBI began the “lengthy investigation” before the case was turned over to his office.
“This is a case where the defendants are accused of going to great lengths to find someone to commit murder,” Hochman said in a statement. “Most fathers raise their children to respect the law, but here we have a dad who allegedly helped his daughter and her boyfriend break the law in the most sinister way imaginable.”
Gabrielle Gonzalez has nearly 1 million followers between her Instagram and TikTok accounts.
Her father has a law practice in Seminole County. His firm had no comment on his charges.
Avery spoke out about the case on Thursday, saying in a post on Instagram that his “focus is on being the best father I can be.”
“I’m thankful to have sole custody of my daughter, Lavender, who is safe, healthy, and deeply loved,” he said. “I look forward to continuing to build a peaceful and stable life for her.”
Avery expressed his “sincere gratitude” to his family, friends, law enforcement, and the Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office “for their support throughout this process.”
In an interview on “The Zach Sang Show” last year, Avery said two FBI agents showed up at his residence and that “someone hired someone to kill me.” He did not publicly identify any suspects.
He said he was “traumatized.”
“I stayed in my house for like a month straight. I didn’t leave,” Avery said during the interview. “I was so scared. I was looking out my window every night.”
Logan Keith Chewning is seen in a booking photo. (Tuscaloosa County Sheriff’s Office)
(BROOKWOOD, Ala.) — An Alabama man has been charged with manslaughter after his 1-year-old child was found dead in a vehicle, still strapped into a car seat, after the father had allegedly been drinking throughout the day while the infant was in his sole care, authorities said.
Multiple agencies responded to a home in Brookwood, in Tuscaloosa County, Wednesday evening after the child’s family reported that the infant was found dead in the vehicle, authorities said.
“Initial investigation shows that the child was in the vehicle for an extended [amount] of time,” Tuscaloosa County Sheriff’s Office Violent Crimes Unit Capt. Jack Kennedy said in a statement, noting that the temperatures that afternoon were in the mid-90s.
The child, whose name was not released, had been in the “sole care of its father all day,” Kennedy said.
The father, identified by the sheriff’s office as 30-year-old Logan Keith Chewning, allegedly admitted to drinking at different points throughout the day and leaving the residence at one point to buy more alcohol, authorities said.
“The father reported that he believed that the child had been sleeping in its crib but must have been left behind in the vehicle,” Kennedy said.
Chewning was charged with manslaughter following consultation with the Tuscaloosa County District Attorney’s Office, the sheriff’s office said.
He is being held in jail, with a bond to be set by a judge at a later date. It is unclear if he has an attorney at this time.
The child’s exact cause of death will be determined by the medical examiner, authorities said.
An ICE patch and badge are seen on a Department of Homeland Security agent. (Jim Watson – Pool/Getty Images)
(MINNEAPOLIS) — Gregory Morgan Jr., the Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agent charged by Minnesota prosecutors with two counts of assault with a dangerous weapon for allegedly brandishing a firearm at a motorist, will turn himself in to authorities Thursday, his attorney told ABC News.
The Hennepin County Attorney’s Office announced the charges in April, claiming in the complaint that Morgan was ending his shift on February 5 and was driving back to the Whipple Federal Building when a motorist allegedly cut him off as Morgan was trying to pass. Morgan then produced a firearm and pointed it at the motorists, the complaint said.
Morgan’s attorney, Ryan Pacyga, said in part that the complaint contains “inaccurate and incomplete information” and that Morgan did not initiate the encounter.
The Department of Homeland Security did not immediately respond to an ABC News request for comment, nor did they respond to a similar request when the charges against Morgan were announced.
Morgan, of Temple Hills, Maryland, is charged with two counts of assault with a dangerous weapon related to the encounter, Hennepin County Attorney Mary Moriarity announced in a news conference on April 16.
Moriarity said at the time that Morgan was driving “illegally” on the shoulder, “appearing to bypass shoulder traffic.”
The complainant told police that they did not know the person driving the other car was an ICE agent until investigators told them, according to the prosecutor’s complaint.
“There were no markings on Defendant’s vehicle that would identify it as law enforcement and the vehicle was not displaying or using lights or sirens,” according to the complaint. “Defendant continued to travel on the shoulder but rather than continue to drive past the victims, he pulled alongside their vehicle, rolled down his window, and pointed a black handgun directly at Victim 1 and Victim 2.”
“Victim 1 had a clear view of Defendant’s appearance, saw that Defendant was wearing a black t-shirt, saw that the gun was pointed directly at their heads, saw that the gun was a Glock or Sig Sauer handgun with what appeared to be a red-dot sight, and noted that Defendant 2 yelled something indiscernible,” according to the complaint.
The alleged victims then called police to report what had happened, according to the complaint. Investigators interviewed Morgan, his supervisor and his partner a day later.
“[Morgan] stated that Victim 1 swerved over in front of him and cut him off. Defendant claimed that he feared for his safety and the safety of others so, in response, he pulled alongside Victim 1’s vehicle, rolled down his window, drew his firearm, and yelled ‘Police Stop,'” the complaint said.
“[Morgan] stated he was trying to get Victim 1 to ‘back up.’ Defendant acknowledged that his firearm was a Glock 19 with a laser light, which Defendant had holstered on his right hip at the time of the interview. Defendant stated that after he pulled the gun on Victim 1 and Victim 2 he got in front of their vehicle and drove to the Whipple Building,” the complaint further said.
Investigators also said they received cellphone footage from the complainant and reviewed traffic camera footage from the road on which they were traveling.
“The allegations against Gregory Morgan arise from a brief, frightening, and highly stressful roadway encounter that happened in a matter of seconds during congested rush-hour traffic. An encounter that Mr. Morgan did not initiate. It came on the heels of many days of fear that both citizens as well aslaw enforcement were experiencing during operations in our Twin Cities metro area,” Pacyga said in a statement to ABC News Thursday.
The statement further said that the incident “did not arise from any planned criminal conduct. It developed suddenly during an alarming traffic interaction, initiated by the other driver.”
“Law enforcement had been enduring threats to their safety by some members of the community, in neighborhoods and on the roads. This situation presented a perceived danger and Mr. Morgan reacted in real time. These are precisely the kinds of situations where perspective, perception, stress, and split-second decision-making matter,” Pacyga’s statement said.
The incident occurred during a contentious period in Minneapolis when the city was the focal point of an immigration enforcement surge and after the killings of Alex Pretti and Renee Good by federal law enforcement. During that time questions arose about whether ICE agents could be prosecuted by state or local authorities.
ABC News’ Jack Date and Luke Barr contributed to this story.
An ICE patch and badge are seen on a Department of Homeland Security agent. (Jim Watson – Pool/Getty Images)
(MINNEAPOLIS) — Gregory Morgan Jr., the Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agent charged by Minnesota prosecutors with two counts of assault with a dangerous weapon for allegedly brandishing a firearm at a motorist, will turn himself in to authorities Thursday, his attorney told ABC News.
The Hennepin County Attorney’s Office announced the charges in April, claiming in the complaint that Morgan was ending his shift on February 5 and was driving back to the Whipple Federal Building when a motorist allegedly cut him off as Morgan was trying to pass. Morgan then produced a firearm and pointed it at the motorists, the complaint said.
Morgan’s attorney, Ryan Pacyga, said in part that the complaint contains “inaccurate and incomplete information” and that Morgan did not initiate the encounter.
The Department of Homeland Security did not immediately respond to an ABC News request for comment, nor did they respond to a similar request when the charges against Morgan were announced.
Morgan, of Temple Hills, Maryland, is charged with two counts of assault with a dangerous weapon related to the encounter, Hennepin County Attorney Mary Moriarity announced in a news conference on April 16.
Moriarity said at the time that Morgan was driving “illegally” on the shoulder, “appearing to bypass shoulder traffic.”
The complainant told police that they did not know the person driving the other car was an ICE agent until investigators told them, according to the prosecutor’s complaint.
“There were no markings on Defendant’s vehicle that would identify it as law enforcement and the vehicle was not displaying or using lights or sirens,” according to the complaint. “Defendant continued to travel on the shoulder but rather than continue to drive past the victims, he pulled alongside their vehicle, rolled down his window, and pointed a black handgun directly at Victim 1 and Victim 2.”
“Victim 1 had a clear view of Defendant’s appearance, saw that Defendant was wearing a black t-shirt, saw that the gun was pointed directly at their heads, saw that the gun was a Glock or Sig Sauer handgun with what appeared to be a red-dot sight, and noted that Defendant 2 yelled something indiscernible,” according to the complaint.
The alleged victims then called police to report what had happened, according to the complaint. Investigators interviewed Morgan, his supervisor and his partner a day later.
“[Morgan] stated that Victim 1 swerved over in front of him and cut him off. Defendant claimed that he feared for his safety and the safety of others so, in response, he pulled alongside Victim 1’s vehicle, rolled down his window, drew his firearm, and yelled ‘Police Stop,'” the complaint said.
“[Morgan] stated he was trying to get Victim 1 to ‘back up.’ Defendant acknowledged that his firearm was a Glock 19 with a laser light, which Defendant had holstered on his right hip at the time of the interview. Defendant stated that after he pulled the gun on Victim 1 and Victim 2 he got in front of their vehicle and drove to the Whipple Building,” the complaint further said.
Investigators also said they received cellphone footage from the complainant and reviewed traffic camera footage from the road on which they were traveling.
“The allegations against Gregory Morgan arise from a brief, frightening, and highly stressful roadway encounter that happened in a matter of seconds during congested rush-hour traffic. An encounter that Mr. Morgan did not initiate. It came on the heels of many days of fear that both citizens as well aslaw enforcement were experiencing during operations in our Twin Cities metro area,” Pacyga said in a statement to ABC News Thursday.
The statement further said that the incident “did not arise from any planned criminal conduct. It developed suddenly during an alarming traffic interaction, initiated by the other driver.”
“Law enforcement had been enduring threats to their safety by some members of the community, in neighborhoods and on the roads. This situation presented a perceived danger and Mr. Morgan reacted in real time. These are precisely the kinds of situations where perspective, perception, stress, and split-second decision-making matter,” Pacyga’s statement said.
The incident occurred during a contentious period in Minneapolis when the city was the focal point of an immigration enforcement surge and after the killings of Alex Pretti and Renee Good by federal law enforcement. During that time questions arose about whether ICE agents could be prosecuted by state or local authorities.
ABC News’ Jack Date and Luke Barr contributed to this story.
Dunster House on the Harvard University campus in Cambridge, Massachusetts, US, on Thursday, May 29, 2025. (Mel Musto/Bloomberg via Getty Images)
(CAMBRIDGE, Mass.) — Police at Harvard University and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology are investigating reports of a man who entered campus buildings without authorization on Tuesday. In one case, a student at Harvard reported being assaulted, according to police records.
Harvard police responded to a report of an assault and battery at around 5:30 p.m. on Tuesday to find Cambridge Police at Lowell House, the residence hall where the incident occurred, according to Harvard police records.
The victim told police a suspect entered the building by following another individual without authorization, according to Harvard police records.
“As the victim was entering their residence, the suspect approached from behind, covered the victim’s mouth, and attempted to force them into the room,” according to a Harvard police log.
The suspect fled the building after several nearby individuals saw the altercation, the victim told police.
Officers searched the area but were unable to locate the suspect.
MIT Police issued a similar campus warning, describing a similar incident at an MIT residence hall.
A suspect followed another individual into the building at around 5:45 p.m. and followed the individual to the fifth floor before fleeing the area, according to an MIT police log.
MIT police did not find the suspect, according to the police log.
Surveillance footage showed the man leaving the building at about 6 p.m., according to MIT police.
The MIT alert said the individual “matched the description of a person who was the subject of a Harvard University Police Department alert earlier this evening,” according to WCVB.
Both universities urged students and staff to report any suspicious activity.
MIT police described the suspect as a 5-foot-9-inch white man with a thin build. He was wearing a white T-shirt and dark-colored shorts, according to WCVB.
Harvard police said the incident is being “actively investigated” in a statement Thursday.
Dunster House on the Harvard University campus in Cambridge, Massachusetts, US, on Thursday, May 29, 2025. (Mel Musto/Bloomberg via Getty Images)
(CAMBRIDGE, Mass.) — Police at Harvard University and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology are investigating reports of a man who entered campus buildings without authorization on Tuesday. In one case, a student at Harvard reported being assaulted, according to police records.
Harvard police responded to a report of an assault and battery at around 5:30 p.m. on Tuesday to find Cambridge Police at Lowell House, the residence hall where the incident occurred, according to Harvard police records.
The victim told police a suspect entered the building by following another individual without authorization, according to Harvard police records.
“As the victim was entering their residence, the suspect approached from behind, covered the victim’s mouth, and attempted to force them into the room,” according to a Harvard police log.
The suspect fled the building after several nearby individuals saw the altercation, the victim told police.
Officers searched the area but were unable to locate the suspect.
MIT Police issued a similar campus warning, describing a similar incident at an MIT residence hall.
A suspect followed another individual into the building at around 5:45 p.m. and followed the individual to the fifth floor before fleeing the area, according to an MIT police log.
MIT police did not find the suspect, according to the police log.
Surveillance footage showed the man leaving the building at about 6 p.m., according to MIT police.
The MIT alert said the individual “matched the description of a person who was the subject of a Harvard University Police Department alert earlier this evening,” according to WCVB.
Both universities urged students and staff to report any suspicious activity.
MIT police described the suspect as a 5-foot-9-inch white man with a thin build. He was wearing a white T-shirt and dark-colored shorts, according to WCVB.
Harvard police said the incident is being “actively investigated” in a statement Thursday.
