(LOS ANGELES) — A man driving the wrong way who plowed into dozens of police recruits who were out for a run in Los Angeles early Wednesday has now been arrested, officials said.
The driver, 22-year-old Nicholas Gutierrez, has been arrested for suspicion of attempted murder on a peace officer, the sheriff’s department said on Thursday.
About 75 recruits were on the run with 25 of them suffering injuries in the crash. The group was mostly Los Angeles Sheriff’s Department recruits, but also included others from nearby police departments, including Pasadena and Glendale.
“It looked like an airplane wreck, there were so many bodies scattered everywhere,” LA County Sheriff Alex Villanueva said at a news conference Wednesday.
Five of the recruits were critically hurt, four suffered moderate injuries and 16 have minor injuries, officials said at a news conference.
Injuries included head trauma, loss of limb and broken bones, officials said. At least one victim was on a ventilator, the sheriff said.
Gutierrez suffered minor injuries, Los Angeles County Fire Capt. Sheila Kelliher said Wednesday.
The cause of the crash is unknown. The California Highway Patrol said it’ll investigate whether the crash was intentional or the result of distracted driving or driving under the influence.
Villanueva said Gutierrez blew a 0.0 on a Breathalyzer test.
“It looks like it’s an accident, a horrific accident,” Villanueva said.
The recruits were running on a routine route at the time of the crash, which took place around 6:29 a.m. Wednesday, while it was still dark out, officials said.
“Road guards” wearing reflective vests ran on the outside of the recruits, officials said.
The sheriff’s office also had two patrol cars escorting the runners.
The accident took place just outside of a fire station, so firefighters immediately raced to the scene, officials said.
Some recruits estimated the car was going about 30 mph, officials said.
“It is hard to see, because these young people are getting ready to go put themselves in the line of danger in their career. And who knows that while you’re training to do that you are actually in harm’s way,” Kelliher said at a news conference. “So my heart goes out to all of them as they pursue this career. I hope that they all have speedy recoveries.”
(NEW YORK) — Western New York is bracing for an “extreme” lake-effect snowstorm that could dump up to 5 feet of snow in the Buffalo region over the coming days.
A lake-effect snow warning is in effect through 1 a.m. Saturday for southern Erie County.
The long-duration event is expected to bring snow belts to the south of Buffalo and Watertown on Thursday, with “intense bands” of lake-effect snow across the two cities Thursday night, according to the National Weather Service in Buffalo.
Up to 5 feet of snow is possible for the region by Saturday morning. Winds gusting as high as 35 mph are also forecast. Snowfall rates of 2 to 3 inches per hour are possible for the south side of Buffalo Friday morning.
“Travel could be very difficult to impossible,” the National Weather Service in Buffalo warned. “The hazardous conditions will impact the commutes from Thursday morning through Friday evening.”
New York Gov. Kathy Hochul issued a state of emergency in 11 counties due to the storm, with hazardous travel conditions and lower power outages likely.
“This is considered an extreme event,” Hochul said during a press briefing Thursday morning. “That means it’s dangerous. That also means it’s life-threatening.”
Hochul said that conditions in Buffalo and other parts of western New York will be “very similar to 2014,” when the region saw upwards of 5 feet of snow during a deadly storm.
More than 350 plows, 5,700 utility crews and the National Guard have been deployed and are standing by, she said. Parts of the New York State Thruway will also be closed to commercial traffic starting at 4 p.m. Thursday.
“This can go on for a number of days,” Hochul said. “The cleanup is going to take some time.”
Schools in the region are preparing for closures on Friday due to the storm, including in Buffalo.
Erie County Executive Mark Poloncarz advised private businesses to close on Friday if the forecast holds.
“We are gonna have a doozy,” he said during a press briefing on Wednesday.
The city of Buffalo has brought in private contractors to handle the snow in addition to state support, according to Mayor Byron Brown.
“This is not the normal snow event that we get, so the public has to be patient,” Brown told reporters. “This is a major snowstorm.”
Lake-effect snow is common in the late fall and early winter along the downwind shores of the Great Lakes, which is caused by cold air flowing over the warmer waters of the Great Lakes.
In November 2014, more than 5 feet of lake-effect snow fell just east of Buffalo, in what was one of the most significant winter events in the city’s history, according to the National Weather Service. There were 13 fatalities due to the storm. A second lake-effect event days later dropped another 1 to 4 feet of snow in the same area, bringing the total from the two storms to nearly 7 feet.
Outside of New York, lake-effect snow is forecast in Erie, Pennsylvania, and northeast of Cleveland, Ohio.
ABC News’ Kenton Gewecke, Max Golembo, Victoria Arancio and Brian Hartman contributed to this report.
Rafael Henrique/SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty Images
(NEW YORK) — The new FTX CEO brought into shepherd the company through bankruptcy proceedings said he has never seen such a “complete failure” of corporate controls in his career, including during the Enron scandal.
“Never in my career have I seen such a complete failure of corporate controls and such a complete absence of trustworthy financial information as occurred here,” John Ray, who also oversaw the Enron bankruptcy proceedings said in a court filing on Thursday. “From compromised systems integrity and faulty regulatory oversight abroad, to the concentration of control in the hands of a very small group of inexperienced, unsophisticated and potentially compromised individuals, this situation is unprecedented.”
The former CEO of the crypto-exchange platform Sam Bankman-Fried has received scrutiny over the handling of the company after it filed for bankruptcy last month, from the Justice Department and state and federal regulators, according to previous court filings.
In 2001, Houston-based energy corporation Enron filed the biggest bankruptcy claim in U.S. history, and many of its executives were sent to prison for securities fraud.
Ray said FTX corporate funds were used to purchase executives and advisers houses in the Bahamas.
“In the Bahamas, I understand that corporate funds of the FTX Group were used to purchase homes and other personal items for employees and advisers,” Ray said. “I understand that there does not appear to be documentation for certain of these transactions as loans, and that certain real estate was recorded in the personal name of these employees and advisers on the records of the Bahamas.”
Ray says that Bankman-Fried claimed to have millions of users, which hasn’t been verified by his team.
“The FTX.com platform grew quickly since its launch to become one of the largest cryptocurrency exchanges in the world. Mr. Bankman-Fried claimed that, by the end of 2021, around $15 billion of assets were on the platform, which according to him handled approximately 10% of global volume for crypto trading at the time. Mr. Bankman-Fried also claimed that FTX.com, as of July 2022, had “millions” of registered users. These figures have not been verified by my team,” Ray said.
He said he also has “substernal concerns” about the financial filings of the company.
“Although the investigation has only begun and must run its course, it is my view based on the information obtained to date, that many of the employees of the FTX Group, including some of its senior executives, were not aware of the shortfalls or potential commingling of digital assets. Indeed, I believe some of the people most hurt by these events are current and former employees and executives, whose personal investments and reputations have suffered. These are many of the same people whose work will be necessary to ensure the maximization of value for all stakeholders going forward,” he said.
Mariah Carey might not have won her trademark battle to become the de-facto “Queen of Christmas,” but she is aiming to be the best smelling one.
Mariah teamed with Find Your Happy Place for her very own bath and body collection that’s all about the holidays. Fans can get their hands on holiday scented candles, body lotions, bath gels, bath bombs and more that have the singer’s stamp of approval.
The new launch includes three lines: Winter Wonderland, Home for the Holidays and Cozy in Cashmere. Each features a mashup of festive scents, such as nutmeg, candy canes and sugared snow.
Winter Wonderland delights with scents of fresh pine, crushed candy cane, sugared snow, mistletoe and balsam, while Home for the Holidays smells of aromatic nutmeg, pumpkin puree, spiced chai and sweet cream.
Jimmie Allen and Elle King will be ringing in the New Year in downtown Nashville.
The two singers are co-hosting this year’s New Year’s Eve Live: Nashville’s Big Bash along with Entertainment Tonight’s Rachel Smith.
According to ET Online, Jimmie’s excited to host the Bash not only because of his love of Nashville, but also because his hosting gig will allow him to shed some spotlight on his home state.
“I get to represent not only Nashville and country music but my home state of Delaware — primetime television on New Year’s Eve! Let’s bring this new year in right!” he states.
For her part, Elle says she’s excited to embrace Music City on New Year’s Eve, just weeks before her first full country album, Come Get Your Wife,drops in late January.
“Nashville has been so amazing and welcoming to me this year and I can’t wait to see what next year brings. I am so excited to be hosting the festivities live in Music City!” she adds.
Nashville’s Big Bash will air live on December 31 on CBS. Spanning five hours, the special will feature 50 performances from a host of country music’s biggest stars. Brooks & Dunn, Little Big Town, Kelsea Ballerini and Zac Brown Band are among the performers who have already been announced, with many more on the way.
(BETHLEHEM, Pa.) — Hundreds of homes in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, are being evacuated after a gasoline tanker carrying about 6,000 gallons of gasoline and diesel fuel overturned early Thursday, according to police.
Police evacuated residences within a 1,000 foot radius of the overturned truck through reverse 911 calls and officers going door-to-door. The truck driver was transported to the hospital with non-life threatening injuries, according to police.
The Bethlehem Fire Department, Lehigh County Haz-Mat Team, Rapid Response, Department of Environmental Protection, Pennsylvania Department of Transportation, City of Bethlehem Water and Sewer and other agencies are on the scene determining the extent of the spill, assisting with clean up and determining what residences are safe to return to, according to police.
Police said the events leading up to the accident are still under investigation. Clean up will continue throughout the day.
Police have closed off W. Union Boulevard between Pennsylvania Avenue and Beverly Avenue and told residents to avoid the area if possible.
The American Red Cross Greater Pennsylvania Region confirmed they are responding to a “significant fuel oil spill affecting hundreds of homes” in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania.
“At the request of Northampton EMA, we are responding to the area of Paul Ave & West Union Blvd in Bethlehem (PA) following a significant fuel oil spill affecting hundreds of homes,” the American Red Cross said in a tweet regarding the incident on social media. “Currently, we are providing canteen services to responders, mobilizing shelter teams to support the evacuation site, and coordinating with local officials to determine community needs and next steps. This response (& spill) is still active.”
A local middle school campus is being used as a shelter for displaced families and are operating on a two-hour delay to opening as a result.
“Due to a fuel spill on the west side of Bethlehem, our school is being used as a shelter for displaced families,” according to a statement posted on the Bethlehem Area School District’s website. “We will delay the opening of school for two hours to ensure that our building is ready to function normally for students and staff while also serving our community’s needs.”
ABC News’ Ahmad Hemingway and Alexandra Faul contributed to this report.
(CABO ROJO, Puerto Rico) — Three federal marine agents with U.S. Customs and Border Protection were shot at after they approached a suspected smuggling boat off the coast of Puerto Rico Thursday morning, officials said.
The agents returned fire at the suspected smuggling vessel, which was about 14 miles off the coast of Cabo Rojo, according to a statement from Customs and Border Protection.
The agents “suffered various gunshot injuries” and were airlifted to the Puerto Rico Trauma Center in unknown conditions, according to the statement.
Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas said at a congressional hearing Thursday that one member of CBP’s Air and Marine operation was “gravely injured” and four others were shot at during the situation in Puerto Rico. He said he was briefed on the shooting early Thursday morning.
“The difficulty of this job cannot be compared to the difficulty that our front-line personnel face every day,” he said, alluding to his own role.
ABC News’ Luke Barr contributed to this report.
This is a developing story. Please check back for updates.
Candace Cameron Bure has responded to backlash she received over her recent comments about “traditional marriage.”
As reported, in a recent interview with WSJ Magazine, Bure was asked if her cable network Great American Family would feature same-sex couples at the center of its holiday movies, as its rival Hallmark Channel has done in recent years.
The Full House alum, who also serves as the network’s chief content officer, replied, “I think that Great American Family will keep traditional marriage at the core.”
The term “traditional marriage” is often used to define the institution of marriage as being between a man and a woman, a concept which excludes same-sex unions and marginalizes LGBTQ+ individuals.
Bure’s initial comments sparked waves of criticism from public figures like Jojo Siwa and Hilarie Burton Morgan, and advocacy groups, including the Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation (GLAAD).
In reply, the star Instagrammed a thread of messages that read in part, “All of you who know me, know beyond question that I have great love and respect for all people. It absolutely breaks my heart that anyone would ever think intentionally would want to offend and hurt anyone.”
She continued, “It saddens me that the media is often seeking to divide us, even around a subject as comforting and merry as Christmas movies. But, given the toxic climate in our culture right now, I shouldn’t be surprised. We need Christmas more than ever.”
Bure also added that as “devoted Christian…I am called to love all people, and I do.”
The actress noted, “To those who hate what I value and who are attacking me online: I love you. To those who have tried to assassinate my character: I love you…”
Bure also insisted, “people of all ethnicities and identites have and will continue to contribute to the network in great ways…”
(NEW YORK) — Hundreds of Starbucks employees went on strike Thursday, amid the coffee chain’s busy holiday season, to protest working conditions and push company leaders to recognize workers’ unionizing efforts at stores nationwide and meet them at the bargaining table.
The protest took place on Starbucks’ Red Cup Day, as the company rolled out its annual holiday themed red cups and gave out limited-edition reusable versions of the cups to customers ordering holiday or fall beverages.
More than 1,000 members of the Starbucks Workers Union picketed outside of over 100 stores across the country for what they called the “Red Cup Rebellion.”
Union leaders sent a mass email to media and union members with details of the strike, which it described as the “biggest coordinated national action taken by union Starbucks stores in the campaign’s history.”
The email stated that the strike was a “response to Starbucks’ union-busting tactics and refusal to bargain,” and noted that striking workers would be “handing out red Starbucks Workers United union cups to customers instead.”
As customers headed in to order coffee and get their hands on the collectible holiday reusable cups, many baristas said they would walk out in protest.
“Despite being the face of the company, Starbucks partners are underpaid, forced to run perpetually understaffed stores, and don’t have consistent schedules they can rely on,” the union email stated. “Conditions like these are what lead Starbucks partners nationwide to begin their unionization efforts seeing the private jets and million-dollar bonuses the company can afford to provide their executives with. Now, Starbucks partners are demanding the right to organize a union free of intimidation and fear.”
Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders voiced his support for the group’s efforts on Twitter Thursday morning.
“I’m proud to stand with Starbucks workers on strike today across the country. CEO Howard Schultz is illegally union busting and firing workers for organizing. Mr. Schultz, it is time to recognize the stores that unionized and negotiate with workers in good faith,” he wrote.
Michelle Eisen, a worker from the first unionized Starbucks store in the U.S. at Elmwood Ave. in Buffalo, New York, wrote in the email that workers are “organizing for a voice on the job and a true seat at the table.”
“Starbucks has left behind the very values that drew many of us to the company in the first place. You cannot be pro-LGTBQ, pro-BLM, pro-sustainability, and anti-union,” she said.
A spokesperson for the Seattle-based coffee chain told ABC News the company was aware of the scheduled union demonstrations at a small number of their U.S. stores.
“In those locations where partners choose to participate, we respect their right to engage in lawful protest activity – though our focus has been, and continues to be, on uplifting the Starbucks experience for our partners and customers,” they said. “We remain committed to all partners and will continue to work together, side-by-side, to make Starbucks a company that works for everyone.”
Additionally, the spokesperson clarified that “counter to what the union has shared, Starbucks has continued to engage Workers United representatives in a good faith effort to move the bargaining process forward.”
“As a result of our efforts, we’ve shown up to more than 50 bargaining sessions across the country and have another 60 scheduled in the coming weeks,” they said.
Starbucks Workers United, which represents over 260 locations and nearly 7,000 workers, has formed more new unions in a 12-month period than any U.S. company in the last 20 years.
In September, Starbucks said it had sent out letters to 234 stores to schedule bargaining sessions the following month. “We look forward to these negotiations and hopefully setting dates and securing locations for contract bargaining.”
However talks broke down after union members asked to allow some workers to join bargaining sessions over Zoom, with company officials walking out of those sessions only minutes after they had begun, citing federal regulations.
“The National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) prohibits any party from making recordings or transcripts of contract negotiations because such actions ‘inhibit the free and open discussion necessary for conducting successful bargaining,’ ” the company wrote in a statement on Oct. 28.
Union members also issued a statement at that time. “Workers across the country were planning on presenting a set of core non-economic proposals that workers debuted on social media over the past few weeks,” they wrote. “The Union will be filing a new NLRB charge over the Company’s latest refusal to bargain in good faith.”
The National Labor Relations Board has issued 39 official complaints against Starbucks, encompassing over 900 alleged violations of federal labor law, according to the union.
