Preparedness
Armed Teen Carjacker Meets Match in Sotomayor’s Security Officers
In a grave incident that unfolded recently, Deputy U.S. Marshals tasked with Justice Sonia Sotomayor’s security were forced to discharge their service firearms in response to an armed carjacking attempt. The event took place in the early hours of a past Friday, just outside Sotomayor’s residence in Washington D.C.’s Beauregard Condominiums complex.
The Marshals, situated in unmarked vehicles, were taken aback by the sudden appearance of an armed male suspect who emerged from a silver minivan around 1:15 a.m.
The suspect, brandishing a firearm, targeted a Deputy U.S. Marshal named only as “Black” in the reports. According to the Daily Mail, the suspect demanded Black’s vehicle. A chilling quote reflected the severity of the situation: “In most U.S cities, juveniles spend the summer hanging out with their friends, working summer jobs, visiting family members. In DC, juveniles carjack.”
Reacting to the threat, Black drew his service weapon and fired multiple shots at the suspect. One of these rounds reportedly hit the suspect in the mouth, causing significant injury but not posing a threat to his life.
A second Deputy Marshal was also involved in the incident, exiting his vehicle and discharging his firearm. Whether any of his shots connected with the suspect remains uncertain. After the altercation, Black provided first aid to the wounded suspect, later identified as 18-year-old Kentrell Flowers of Washington D.C.
Flowers was promptly transported to a nearby hospital to treat his non-life-threatening injuries. His apparent accomplice, however, did not remain at the scene. The silver van absconded northbound on 11th Street Northwest shortly after the shooting, as stated in a fact sheet filed in D.C. district court by Deputy U.S. Marshal Tyler Wells.
Despite efforts to locate the accomplice, the secondary suspect remains unidentified. Officers did recover a .40 caliber Smith & Wesson – the weapon allegedly used in the carjacking attempt. Thankfully, no Marshals were harmed in the face-off.
Flowers now faces charges of armed carjacking, carrying a pistol without a license, and possessing a large-capacity ammunition-feeding device. Investigations around the incident are ongoing.
Interestingly, initial statements from the Metro PD about the Marshal-involved shooting omitted that it unfolded near Justice Sotomayor’s residence. As the Daily Mail reported, her D.C. condo is a two-bedroom, two-bath property valued at over $860,000.
Sotomayor had once compared her residential neighborhood to New York’s East Village. She told the New York Times, “It has a touch of the East Village in it… I picked it because it’s mixed. I walk out and I see all kinds of people, which is the environment I grew up in and the environment I love.”
The U.S. Supreme Court’s public information officer did not respond to Blaze News when asked for a statement regarding the incident.
Former D.C. official K. Denise Rucker Krepp, who previously worked under the Obama administration, expressed her exasperation at the ongoing violence involving juveniles in the district. Speaking to Blaze News, she stated, “Washington DC, the District of Crime, has a juvenile carjacking problem… As was demonstrated last Friday, no one is safe from juvenile carjacking in the nation’s capital.”
Let us know what you think, please share your thoughts in the comments below.
Preparedness
Texas Jury Decides Fate Of Man In Ritual Killings
A Texas man has been found guilty of a gruesome series of murders that involved dismemberment and ritualistic elements. Jason Thornburg’s conviction for capital murder has now left a jury with the task of deciding whether he will face the death penalty or life imprisonment without parole.
In a chilling account, Thornburg admitted to the murders of three people in September 2021. The victims’ bodies were dismembered and hidden under his motel bed in Euless, Texas, before being set ablaze in a dumpster in Fort Worth.
Thornburg’s confession revealed a disturbing motive. He claimed he was driven by a need to perform “ritualistic sacrifices” and even confessed to consuming a victim’s heart and other body parts.
His defense team argued that Thornburg was suffering from a severe mental illness at the time of the murders, suggesting that he was not in a sane state of mind.
The trial also brought to light Thornburg’s past violent acts. He confessed to the murder of his roommate during a suspicious explosion in May 2021 and to killing his girlfriend in Arizona in 2017.
As the punishment phase of the trial proceeds, the families of the victims remain unable to speak publicly. The jury’s decision will determine the extent of Thornburg’s punishment for his heinous crimes.
Watch a local news report about the incident below:
Let us know what you think, please share your thoughts in the comments below.
Preparedness
Female Employer Fights Off Attacker With Plunger
In a harrowing incident captured on surveillance video, a shirtless man attempted a sexual assault on a female employee at a vape shop in Florida. The unsettling event unfolded around midnight, as the man entered the Miami Springs shop, initially presenting himself as a friendly customer. However, his demeanor quickly changed, leading to a terrifying ordeal for the woman working behind the counter.
Despite the frightening circumstances, the woman exhibited remarkable courage and resilience. She later appeared on camera for a report with WTVJ-TV to share her experience, aiming to inspire other women to speak out about similar encounters.
“I want every girl to know what happened to me, so that if they ever go through something like that, they are able to speak up and just know that it’s not their fault,” she emphasized.
The confrontation began when the man, who was significantly taller and stronger, slowly made his way around the counter. Surveillance footage shows him grabbing the woman’s wrists and dragging her away from her post. Despite her pleas, “Please get away, sir!” the assailant pulled her into a back room, attempting to subdue her.
In the midst of the struggle, the woman fought back with whatever she could find, including a toilet plunger, which she used to fend off her attacker. Her screams echoed through the store as she desperately tried to protect herself.
“He was trying, once again, like I said, touching my [expletive], trying to pull my pants off, and I was just asking him not to do it, please not to do anything to me, and fighting back,” she recounted in the aftermath.
The altercation eventually returned to the main area of the store, where the man released her and fled. The woman’s determination to resist and survive was clear in her statement: “The only thing I had in my head, once again, was that I didn’t want to … get raped. I just wanted to try to save myself as much as I could.”
Authorities are urging anyone with information about the incident to contact Miami-Dade Crime Stoppers at 305-471-TIPS. The woman’s brave decision to speak out serves as a powerful reminder that those who endure such traumatic experiences are not alone and should never feel ashamed.
“It’s not your fault that you have to go through something like that and that there’s people like him out there,” she reiterated, encouraging others to share their stories and seek support.
Watch a local news report about the incident below:
Let us know what you think, please share your thoughts in the comments below.
Preparedness
DC Brothers Fight For Justice and Redemption Through Presidential Pardon
In a story that underscores resilience and the quest for justice, two brothers from Washington, D.C., who spent over three decades in prison for a murder they assert they did not commit, are now seeking a presidential pardon. Charles and Chris Turner were teenagers when they were convicted for the 1984 murder of Catherine Fuller, a case marred by allegations of suppressed evidence and coerced testimony.
Having been released, the Turners are determined to clear their names and regain the rights lost with their wrongful convictions. Chris Turner expressed the significance of this pardon, stating, “With the pardon, we get a chance to fix all that and bring a closure to this case once and for all.”
Despite the grievous injustice they faced, the brothers have managed to maintain a positive outlook on life. They refuse to let the past imprison them mentally. Chris Turner shared their perspective on handling the ordeal: “People get upset more that we’re not bitter,” he explained. “We think if you remain bitter, remain upset about what occurred – even though it was an atrocity and it was injustice – that you stay locked up mentally.”
The case originally involved the arrest of seventeen individuals, with eight ultimately convicted. Those still alive, including the Turner brothers, continue to assert their innocence after collectively serving more than 200 years in prison. The brothers’ journey since their release has been one of community involvement and cautious optimism about the future, despite the challenges posed by their felony records.
Career aspirations have been particularly impacted by their convictions. “We’ve actually said we might join the police force if we didn’t have this on our record … I used to want to be in the Navy. I can’t serve my country because I have a record,” Charles Turner lamented. Their fight for a pardon is not just about personal redemption but also about restoring their ability to fully participate in society.
Charles Turner emphasized the broader implications of a pardon, noting its potential to validate the experiences and beliefs of those who have supported them. “It would also validate – help to validate – what they know, not what they believe, but what they know. There’s a big difference there,” he remarked.
Historically, presidential pardons have often been granted between Election Day and Inauguration Day, offering a glimmer of hope for the Turners as they continue their pursuit of justice and closure.
Let us know what you think, please share your thoughts in the comments below.
-
Preparedness4 months ago
Ex-Ballerina’s Guilty Verdict Sends Tremors Through Gun-Owner Community
-
Tactical8 months ago
70-Year-Old Fends Off Intruder with Lead-Powered Message
-
Tactical7 months ago
Vape Shop Employee Confronts Armed Crooks, Sends Them Running
-
Preparedness2 months ago
Good Samaritan Saves Trooper in Harrowing Interstate Confrontation
-
Survival Stories1 year ago
Emily’s 30-Day Experience of Being Stranded on a Desert Island
-
Tactical8 months ago
Midnight SUV Theft Interrupted by Armed Homeowner’s Retaliation
-
Preparedness3 months ago
Arizona Engineer’s Headless Body Found in Desert: Friend Charged
-
Preparedness2 months ago
Boy Saves Dad from Bear Attack with One Perfect Shot
Suzie Wi
July 21, 2024 at 11:22 pm
Sounds like these two officers need to spend some time on the shooting range.
Justin
July 21, 2024 at 11:30 pm
18 is not a juvenile and he’s lucky he’s still on the green side of the grass
DanC
July 21, 2024 at 11:56 pm
Theft in the night, our laws cover that, bang, bang. The SS agent needs some target practice…
Gerald Hallman
July 22, 2024 at 1:12 am
These were identified as deputy US marshals not “private “ security personnel. If they were deputy marshals then they had legal right to carry. There needs to be more information about the individuals that were involved. Were they actually hired to protect Justice Sotomayor as Deputy Marshals on private duty. As a US Marshal they are allowed to carry since their guns were described as a service weapon. So the questions you asked are inaccurate.
Dr. Caligary
July 22, 2024 at 1:52 pm
So exactly how many shots were fired that did not hit their targets? Black fired multiple shots and one hit the carjacker in the mouth. Sounds to me these two need to go to the range and re-qualify!
don
July 22, 2024 at 3:19 pm
Too bad the perp was not killed. We will now spend millions trying, convicting, housing this creep for years. Death is cheaper – and more instructive.
Old Man
July 23, 2024 at 12:30 pm
“In most U.S cities, juveniles spend the summer hanging out with their friends, working summer jobs, visiting family members. In DC, juveniles carjack.”
Welcome to Democrat Washington D.C.
Jack
July 23, 2024 at 6:08 pm
She should have just sat on the perp. It would have squashed him quite sufficiently.