(NEW YORK) — A 26-year-old woman was arrested Tuesday in the fatal shoving attack of an 87-year-old woman earlier this month on a New York City street.
Lauren Pazienza, of Port Jefferson, New York, was charged with manslaughter in connection to the March 10 incident, police said.
Pazienza turned herself in to the 10th Precinct in Manhattan’s Chelsea neighborhood, ABC station WABC reported. She was seen being escorted out of the 10th Precinct with her hair covering her face and did not respond to any questions from reporters about the charge.
Pazienza was arraigned Tuesday in New York Criminal Court on manslaughter and assault charges. A judge set her bail at $500,000 cash or $1 million bond. She is scheduled to appear in court again on Friday.
Pazienza’s attorney, Arthur Aidala, has not responded to ABC News’ request for comment.
The victim was walking in Chelsea on the night of March 10 when the assailant approached her from behind and pushed her, “causing her to fall and hit her head,” the New York City Police Department said following the incident. She was transported to an area hospital in critical condition. She had suffered a traumatic head injury, her family said.
The victim, who officials identified as Barbara Maier Gustern, died from her injuries on March 15, police said.
The NYPD released surveillance video of the suspect walking along a sidewalk as it called on the public for help in solving what police said appeared to be an unprovoked attack.
“We’re asking the public’s help in solving this disgusting, disgraceful offense committed against a vulnerable, elderly female who was doing nothing but walking down the streets of New York City,” NYPD Chief of Detectives James Essig said during a briefing last week.
A motive in the attack remains unclear.
Gustern was a well-known and beloved member of the city’s cabaret scene and a vocal coach, and condolences from the theater community have poured in in the wake of her sudden passing.
“We are waiting for the legal process to run its course and look forward to a resolution of the matter,” her grandson, AJ Gustern, said in a statement to ABC News. “While we appreciate the outpouring of affection for my grandmother, the family is still grieving. We ask for respect for our privacy during this difficult time.”
(NEW YORK) — Civil rights attorney Ben Crump filed a racial discrimination lawsuit against Google this week claiming there has been a pattern of racial discrimination toward minority employees.
“Former Google employees came for their dream job that turned into a nightmare because of bigoted, discriminatory, racist culture that exists within Google,” Crump said at a press conference Monday.
The lawsuit, which alleges a pattern and practice of racial discrimination, was filed on behalf of April Curley and other former and current Black employees at Google. Curley said she was unlawfully terminated from her position after she told managers she was creating a report on Google’s “discriminatory” practices, a press release stated.
“These women tried to sound the alarm,” Crump said, later adding that the company “retaliated against these victims of the racist culture that exists in Google.”
ABC News has reached out to Google for comment on the lawsuit.
Curley worked at Google as a diversity recruiter for six years to recruit prospects from historically Black colleges and universities. She said she was hired at an entry level position even though she held a master’s degree and had five years of experience.
“April Curley was an exceptional employee at Google. She was hired to a position well below her qualifications and was consistently wrongfully passed over for promotions,” Crump alleged. “While Google claims that they were looking to increase diversity, they were actually undervaluing, underpaying and mistreating their Black employees, leading to high turnover.”
Curley said she was able to recruit more than 500 Black students to become a part of the company. But ultimately, she alleges, she began noticing “white dominant policies in practice within Google.”
Crump and law firm Stowell & Friedman, Ltd. alleged in a press release that Black employees at Google are “steered toward lower-level roles with less pay and fewer opportunities for advancement” and face a hostile working environment and retaliation if they “oppose the company’s discriminatory practices.”
“After dedicating so much of my life to ensure Black and brown students had access to opportunities in tech, and at Google, after being restrained to an entry level classification for six years, after being blocked for promotion because, I quote, ‘Google had no budget to pay me,’ Google decided that right next step in my career was to unjustly terminate me,” Curley said at the press conference.
Google has not commented publicly on Curley’s termination.
According to Google’s annual diversity report published in 2021, the company said they “recognize” a need to do better.
“We recognize our responsibility to meet this moment and believe the greatest contribution we can make to changing these structural inequities is sustained action within our company, our communities and the world,” the report stated.
Crump and his team are pursuing a class action suit. The lawsuit filed by the firm requests that employees get their positions back and be awarded the full compensation and benefits that they not only lost but may also lose in the future.
“Google, we are here to encourage you to do the right thing,” Crump said.
Crump said investigations have been opened by the California Department of Fair Employment and Housing and the California Assembly. ABC News has reached out to both for comment.
(COLLIER COUNTY, Fla.) — A man was attacked by a tiger at a Florida Everglades attraction after walking into the animal’s enclosure, authorities said.
The incident occurred Tuesday afternoon in Collier County, the same county where a man was attacked by a tiger at a zoo three months ago.
“We are having a hard time comprehending this happening again but want to share this breaking news with you,” the Collier County Sheriff’s Office said in a statement posted to Facebook Tuesday.
Deputies responded to a tiger attack at Wooten’s Everglades Airboat Tours in Ochopee around 4:30 p.m., authorities said.
“Preliminary (very) info indicates a tiger in an enclosure at that location was being fed by it’s [sic] caretaker when a 50 year old male, an employee of Wooten’s who was not authorized to be with the tiger, entered the tiger’s enclosure,” the sheriff’s office said. “The tiger attacked the man and caused injuries to both arms.”
The man was transported to a local hospital. The sheriff’s office did not have any updates on his condition following the attack.
The tiger’s caretaker was able to “safely contain” the animal and it was not injured, the sheriff’s office said.
ABC News has reached out to Wooten’s Everglades Airboat Tours for comment.
According to its website, Wooten’s is home to an animal sanctuary, as well as offers tours of the Everglades and hosts a live alligator show.
This is not the first time in recent months that Collier County sheriff’s deputies have had to respond to a tiger attack.
On Dec. 29, deputies were called to the Naples Zoo after a maintenance worker entered an unauthorized area and stuck his arm in a tiger enclosure, authorities said.
A responding Collier County deputy found the man with his arm in the tiger’s mouth and fatally shot the 8-year-old male Malayan tiger, Eko, when he was unable to get it to release the arm, authorities said.
Last month, the sheriff’s office announced it would not be filing charges against the man, River Rosenquist.
“After a thorough investigation of the incident and after consulting experts in state and federal criminal law and the prosecution of same, it has been concluded that there are no applicable existing laws with which to charge Mr. River Rosenquist for his irresponsible acts that ultimately caused the death of Eko the tiger,” the sheriff’s office said in a statement. “Simply put, there are no laws on the books that apply to this reckless act. We know this will be very difficult for everyone to understand. It is difficult for us to comprehend.”
Rosenquist’s arm was severely damaged in the attack, but doctors were able to avoid amputation, his family said.
“While River’s recovery is unknown, the family remains steadfast in their faith for his future improvement on the long road ahead,” his family said in a statement to ABC News via their attorney last month. “River’s mental health and recovery continue to be our primary focus and we remain thankful for the respect and privacy everyone has allowed the family to have during this difficult process.”
ABC News’ Will Gretsky and Lisa Sivertsen contributed to this report.
The lineup has been unveiled for the 2023 edition of the star-studded annual Ultimate Disco Cruise, which will take place from February 25 to March 2.
Among the many artists set to perform on the nautical dance-music extravaganza are Kool & The Gang, Billy Ocean, Taylor Dayne, Sister Sledge featuring Kathy Sledge, Tavares, Evelyn “Champagne” King, France Joli, Maxine Nightingale, ex-Earth, Wind & Fire guitarist Al McKay, and former Chic vocalists Norma Jean Wright and Luci Martin, among others.
The cruise will set sail from Miami and visit Cozumel, Mexico, and Key West, Florida, before returning to port.
In addition to the more than 40 scheduled music performances, the cruise will feature artist Q&A sessions, panel discussions, theme nights and costume parties, dance lessons and parties, talent competitions, game shows, karaoke and more.
“Dance music is always happy, fun and filled with great memories, and the Ultimate Disco Cruise is all about creating wonderful new memories while also celebrating the music,” says the event’s executive producer, Alan Rubens. “For longtime disco and dance music fans, this is a great way to revisit special moments in your life and in music while sharing that experience with like-minded fans. It’s a great way to experience the music, the fun and meet the icons themselves who made this unforgettable music.”
Cabin prices start at $1,549. Visit UltimateDiscoCruise.com or call 844-296-3472 for more information.
(WASHINGTON) — Hillary Clinton said on Twitter she’s tested positive for COVID-19 and is experiencing mild cold-like symptoms, but added that she’s “feeling fine.”
She said former President Bill Clinton tested negative.
Hillary Clinton, 74, tweeted that her husband is “quarantining until our household is fully in the clear. Movie recommendations appreciated!”
The former secretary of state added that she’s “more grateful than ever for the protection vaccines can provide against serious illness” and she encouraged Americans to get vaccinated.
White House press secretary Jen Psaki announced earlier Tuesday that she has tested positive for COVID-19. Psaki said she was in meetings with President Joe Biden on Monday but that Biden tested negative Tuesday on a PCR test.
Former President Barack Obama, Clinton’s opponent in a hard-fought 2008 Democratic presidential primary, also announced last week that he had tested positive for COVID-19.
All-star hard-rock band The Dead Daisies currently are working on their sixth studio album, which they’re planning to release in August, but first up for the group is a lengthy European tour.
The band has just revealed an extended itinerary for the trek, which now kicks off June 3 in Hamburg, Germany, and is plotted out through an August 5 performance at the Time to Rock Festival in Knislinge, Sweden. The tour will see The Dead Daisies serve as opening for Foreigner, Judas Priest and Whitesnake, as well as feature headlining shows. Visit TheDeadDaisies.com for a full list of dates.
The European outing will mark the band’s first tour with its current lineup. Former Billy Idol, Whitesnake and Foreigner drummer Brian Tichy rejoined the group in January after previously playing with The Dead Daisies in 2013 and from 2015 to 2017. The band also features founding rhythm guitarist David Lowy; lead guitarist Doug Aldrich, a member since 2016 who previously played with Whitesnake, Dio and several other notable groups; and singer/bassist Glenn Hughes, best known for his mid-’70s stint with Deep Purple, who joined the Daisies in 2019.
The Dead Daisies began recording their upcoming album earlier this month, and have been postingupdatesabout the project on their official website. An advance single is planned for late May, coinciding with the start of the tour.
“Hey loved ones, we cannot wait to come to Europe this summer and play for you all once again,” says Hughes in a statement. “There are so many beautiful cities to visit along the way. We are currently making a new record, so who knows hopefully we can bring a couple of new songs to you too!”
The band’s most recent studio album, Holy Ground, was released in January 2021.
Jack White made a surprise appearance at Beck‘s concert in Nashville Monday.
At the beginning of the show, the White Stripes/Raconteurs/Dead Weather rocker took the stage and picked up an acoustic guitar while telling the crowd, “Hello, ladies and gentlemen, I’m Beck, I’m gonna do one of my favorite Beck songs from the 1990s that I wrote.”
White then proceeded to play “Tubthumping” by Chumbawamba and “I’m Gonna Be (500 Miles)” by The Proclaimers, two songs that are very much not Beck songs from any decade, much less the 1990s.
In the middle of all that, the real Beck walked out and asked, “What are you doing Jack?”
After White said that he was tuning Beck’s guitar, the “Loser” artist responded, “You asked for some nail clippers, I went out to my car to get them, and I come back and you’re playing my show.”
White then handed Beck the guitar and gave him a real introduction before leaving the stage.
(NEW YORK) — A federal lawsuit accuses the New York Police Department of surreptitiously taking DNA samples without obtaining warrants and storing the genetic material in perpetuity in an illegal and unregulated database.
The database turns thousands of people, primarily Black and Latino people, into “permanent criminal suspects,” according to the lawsuit filed Monday in federal court in Manhattan.
Plaintiff Shakira Leslie was one of the nearly 32,000 individuals who had DNA taken without her knowledge, the lawsuit says.
In 2019, Leslie was 23 and had left a cousin’s birthday party when police pulled over the car she was riding in for a traffic violation, the lawsuit says. There was a gun in the car and everyone was arrested, it says.
At the precinct, the lawsuit says, officers deprived Leslie of food and water for more than 12 hours so when she was finally offered a cup of water, she immediately drank it.
Leslie was released and the charges against dropped, but not before the NYPD collected her drinking cup and took her DNA, according to the lawsuit, which was filed by the Legal Aid Society on behalf of Leslie and a second plaintiff. It names as defendants several top officials at the NYPD and the city’s Office of the Chief Medical Examiner, which maintains the DNA database.
“Ms. Leslie never offered, and was never asked for, her consent to have her DNA taken. And the NYPD did not obtain a warrant or court order before secretly taking her DNA and sending the sample to OCME to perform DNA testing,” the lawsuit says, arguing the DNA collection and analysis violates the plaintiffs’ rights against unreasonable searches and seizures.
The police routinely offer people who are being questioned about a crime a beverage, a cigarette or chewing gum and then collect DNA from the items, the lawsuit says. The suit claims the genetic material is stored and cataloged in a “suspect index” that puts people’s DNA profiles through “a genetic lineup that compares the profiles against all past and future crime scene DNA evidence — all without obtaining a warrant or court order to conduct these DNA searches.”
“Thousands of New Yorkers, most of whom are Black and brown, and many of whom have never been convicted of any crime, are illegally in the City’s rogue DNA database, which treats people as suspects in every crime involving DNA,” said Phil Desgranges, an attorney at the Legal Aid Society. “We simply cannot trust the NYPD to police itself, and we look forward to judicial review of these destructive practices to bring our clients the justice they deserve.”
The New York City Law Department told ABC News it would review the lawsuit.
A spokesman for the NYPD, Sgt. Edward Riley, said the department would also review the lawsuit but said that DNA collection is among the best practices of law enforcement.
“Behind every time the NYPD collects DNA from a suspect in a criminal investigation, there is a crime victim who is suffering and seeking justice. The driving motivation for the NYPD to collect DNA is to legally identify the correct perpetrator, build the strongest case possible for investigators and our partners in the various prosecutor’s offices, and bring closure to victims and their families,” Riley said in a statement provided to ABC News.
“The local DNA database complies with all applicable laws and is managed and used in accordance with the highest scientific standards set by independent accrediting bodies that have regularly reapproved the existence of the database,” the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner said in a statement.
The Legal Aid Society says in the lawsuit that the database violates state laws that limit DNA indexing and “hoards the DNA of arrestees and suspects” without oversight and often at the expense of people of color.
“Black and Latinx people make up the vast majority of arrestees who are subject to the City’s DNA taking and indexing practice,” the lawsuit said. “Plaintiffs seek injunctive and declaratory relief to end the City’s practice of targeting thousands of individuals, many of whom have never been convicted of a crime, to take their DNA and turn them into permanent suspects.”
(WASHINGTON) — A federal judge delivered a split verdict Tuesday to the founder of the group “Cowboys for Trump” who was the second defendant to be tried for their role in the Jan. 6 attack on the U.S. Capitol.
Couy Griffin, a county commissioner in New Mexico, was arrested 10 days after the Capitol riot and faced two misdemeanor charges of entering and remaining in a restricted building or grounds, and disorderly conduct.
In his ruling Tuesday, Judge Trevor McFadden found Griffin guilty on the first charge but not guilty on the charge of disorderly conduct, saying the government failed to meet its burden of proof that Griffin sought to rile up or otherwise join others in the crowd in acting out.
Griffin faces up to a year in jail and potential fines when he is sentenced in June.
Griffin was not alleged to have physically entered the Capitol building or to have participated in any violence, but prosecutors said he climbed over barriers and a wall before arriving at an area near temporary scaffolding that was put up in advance of President Joe Biden’s inauguration. Griffin stayed in that location for more than an hour, according to investigators, and was seen in videos cheering on the crowd and leading a prayer with a bullhorn.
Key to the government’s case was proving whether Griffin knew he was joining the pro-Trump mob in a restricted area that had been established to protect former Vice President Mike Pence as he presided over Congress’ certification of Biden’s election win.
Griffin’s attorneys had argued his case should be thrown out because there was no evidence that Pence was present in the building at the time Griffin was inside the restricted area.
Leading up to Griffin’s trial, prosecutors clashed with Judge McFadden over whether Griffin’s attorneys should be permitted to cross-examine a Secret Service agent who the government called as a witness regarding Pence’s location throughout the time of the riot. The agent, Lanelle Hawa, had been tasked with overseeing security for Pence on Jan. 6.
In her testimony on Monday, Hawa gave the first on-the-record confirmation from the agency of a detail previously first reported by ABC News’ Jonathan Karl — that Pence was escorted underground to a loading dock area where he remained for “several hours” as the mob stormed through the Capitol.
The government initially contended that information about the precise location to which Pence was evacuated was so sensitive that it could hinder the Secret Service’s protection mission moving forward — but Judge McFadden insisted that it was key to the government proving its case against Griffin.
During Monday’s hearing, assistant U.S. attorney Kimberly Paschall was also pressed by Judge McFadden over surveillance video from the Capitol Police that Paschall said showed Pence’s location and movements during the riot, but were not turned over to Griffin’s defense team because Capitol Police had not given its approval for the footage to be shared with third parties.
McFadden refused to give the Capitol Police additional time to release the video to Griffin’s team, and told prosecutors they could choose to drop the case if they wished. The Justice Department reluctantly decided to move forward, and provided a redacted version of the surveillance footage to Griffin’s attorneys. However, the footage was not played in open court.
Instead of facing a jury, Griffin had opted for a bench trial, leaving his fate in the hands of Judge McFadden, a Donald Trump appointee who has in the past raised questions about whether the Justice Department has been “even-handed” in its approach to the Jan. 6 riot, which took place amid the racial unrest following George Floyd’s death in the summer of 2020.
Ahead of Tuesday’s closing arguments, McFadden said the government had effectively proved that Griffin was in an unauthorized area during the riot, but urged prosecutors to focus on whether Griffin was there “knowingly” and if his actions amounted to “disorderly conduct.”
Assistant U.S. attorney Janani Iyengar said Griffin’s movements on the Capitol grounds that day — climbing over a stone wall and using a flipped-over metal bike rack to help climb over another barrier — would indicate to “any reasonable person” that they were in an area where they weren’t supposed to be.
Prosecutors also pointed to Griffin’s conduct in the days following the riot, when he posted videos to his Facebook page saying that he had “climbed up on the top of the Capitol building and … had a first row seat,” and called for another “Second Amendment rally” outside the Capitol, saying, “if we do, then it’s going be a sad day, because there’s going to be blood running out of that building.”
A week after that, Griffin said in a New Mexico county commission’s meeting that he planned to return to Washington, D.C., carrying his revolver and his rifle.
Griffin’s traveling partner on Jan. 6, Matthew Struck, served as one of the government’s key witnesses and was given immunity to testify against him. The prosecution displayed several videos shot by Struck during the riot, showing his and Griffin’s movements outside the Capitol.
Struck initially handed over a collection of videos to the Justice Department in January of 2021, but Judge McFadden chastised prosecutors on Monday after it was revealed over the weekend that last week the Justice Department had received an additional cache of videos from Struck, including two more that showed Griffin on the Capitol’s restricted grounds. McFadden allowed the government to introduce two of the newly disclosed videos that he said would have fallen within its original request to Struck, but barred prosecutors from introducing the others, given their last-minute disclosure to Griffin’s attorneys.
The verdict in Griffin’s case comes three weeks after prosecutors secured the conviction of the first Jan. 6 rioter to stand trial, Guy Reffitt, on five felony charges. He potentially faces years in prison when he is scheduled to be sentenced in June.
As of Tuesday, approximately 770 individuals have faced federal charges in connection to the Jan. 6 assault on the Capitol — roughly 220 of whom have pleaded guilty in their cases, according to an ABC News analysis.
Despite reports that she’d be changing her name, Kelly Clarkson says it’s too late in her career to do that now.
There were reports that in February, Kelly had filed documents requesting that her name be changed to “Kelly Brianne” — her first and middle names — going forward. The docs reportedly said that her new name “more fully reflects who I am.”
However, speaking to People (The TV Show!) on Monday night, the singer and talk show host explained, “I just got divorced, so I had to drop my married last name. I just kept my middle name for my personal life. I’m still Kelly Clarkson.”
She added, “I don’t think I can change Clarkson at this point. I’m 20 years in!” In fact, this September will mark exactly 20 years since Kelly became a household name by winning the first season of American Idol.
TheNew York Post reports that a court hearing regarding her petition for a name change is scheduled for March 28.
