(OAKLAND, Calif.) — In what’s become a string of recent attacks on Asian Americans, a 75-year-old man was assaulted and robbed in Oakland, California, just before 7 a.m. on Tuesday morning, authorities said.
Police announced Thursday the victim of the attack had died at a local hospital.
A suspect, identified as Teaunte Bailey, was arrested and taken into custody, according to the Oakland Police Department.
“I’m at a loss for words,” Oakland Police Chief LeRonne Armstrong said in a statement. “Our elders should be protected not the victim of a deadly assault. I am thankful that our officers were able to quickly respond and arrest Mr. Bailey. The Oakland Police Department will relentlessly pursue those that violate the most vulnerable members in our community.”
The Alameda County District Attorney’s Office filed murder charges against Bailey on Thursday.
Police said Bailey had “a history of victimizing elderly Asian people.”
In a statement released before the man’s death, Armstrong said, “I am saddened to hear of yet another violent attack on the elders of our community. The trauma this causes has a ripple effect, on the victim, their family, and the entire community. My officers are dedicated to bringing those involved in this senseless crime and all crimes to justice.”
According to police, the victim was walking down the street when he was approached, pushed to the ground and robbed.
Although the motive for the attack is still under investigation, similar recent attacks have reportedly been fueled in part by racism pertaining to the coronavirus pandemic.
There were nearly 3,000 hate incidents toward Asian Americans in 2020 alone, according to data from the Stop AAPI Hate coalition.
ABC News’ Mark Osborne and Marilyn Heck contributed to this report.
(MINNEAPOLIS) — The judge presiding over the trial of former Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin in the death of George Floyd has reinstated a third-degree murder charge in the case.
Oklahoma City District Attorney’s OfficeBy MEREDITH DELISO, ABC News
(OKLAHOMA CITY, Ok.) — Five Oklahoma police officers were charged with manslaughter Wednesday in the fatal shooting of a 15-year-old armed robbery suspect last year.
In November, Stavian Rodriguez was killed after officers responded to a report of an armed robbery at an Oklahoma City gas station, authorities said.
The owner of the gas station managed to leave and lock Rodriguez inside as officers surrounded the business, police said. Rodriguez was shot after he climbed out the drive-thru window, police said.
Security camera footage released by the Oklahoma County District Attorney’s Office Wednesday shows Rodriguez emerge from the convenience store building as officers yell for him to show his hands, lay on the ground and drop his firearm. Rodriguez can be seen dropping a gun on the ground and reaching toward his back pocket before the officers open fire.
In the charging documents, District Attorney David Prater claimed that the five officers “acted jointly, willfully, unlawfully and unnecessarily killed Stavian Rodriguez.”
Rodriguez had no other weapons besides the firearm that he dropped, according to the probable cause affidavit.
“A cellphone was recovered from the left rear pocket he had his hand in at the time he was shot,” it stated.
Rodriguez suffered from 13 gunshot wounds, according to the affidavit.
The officers who discharged their firearms during the incident were charged with first-degree manslaughter on Wednesday. They are Corey Adams, 28; Jared Barton, 33; Brad Pemberton, 31; Bethany Sears, 30; and John Skuta, 34.
All officers are currently on paid administrative leave.
A sixth officer, Sgt. Sarah Carli, who fired a “less lethal weapon” during the incident, was not charged, the Oklahoma City Police Department said in a statement Wednesday.
The department also released the body-worn camera footage from the Nov. 23 incident from five of the officers on Wednesday. Rodriguez’s mother, Cameo Holland, had previously filed a lawsuit against the city demanding the release of the footage.
In the footage, an officer can be heard over a loudspeaker repeatedly telling Rodriguez to come out with his hands up as officers position themselves around the gas station.
After the shooting, Rodriguez is handcuffed while on the ground. A few minutes later, responding emergency medical technicians administer aid. Rodriguez was transported to a local hospital, where he was pronounced dead, police said.
The Oklahoma Police Department referred all questions to the Oklahoma County district attorney. ABC News was unable to reach the district attorney’s office for comment.
The Oklahoma City police union defended the actions of the five officers facing manslaughter charges.
“Officers must make life and death decisions in a split second, relying on their training. When an armed robbery suspect did not obey police commands, five officers perceived the same threat and simultaneously fired their weapons,” OKC Fraternal Order of Police President John George said in a statement Wednesday. “A loss of life is always a tragedy and we know these officers did not take firing their weapons lightly. The OKC FOP stands by these officers and maintains they acted within the law.”
The officers aren’t the only ones charged in Rodriguez’s death. Wyatt Cheatham, 17, an alleged accomplice in the robbery who was not at the gas station at the time of the shooting, was charged with first-degree murder in December.
In Oklahoma, a person can be charged with felony murder if someone dies while certain types of felonies are being committed, according to Oklahoma City ABC affiliate KOCO.
The felony charge against Cheatham has drawn recent demonstrations, with protesters saying the teen deserves lesser charges.
This case marks the second time in two weeks the district attorney has charged an Oklahoma City officer with manslaughter.
Sgt. Clifford Holman was charged with first-degree manslaughter last month for the fatal shooting of Bennie Edwards in December.
ABC News’ Jennifer Watts contributed to this report.
(NEW YORK) — Hawaii has experienced very heavy rainfall since Sunday, with some areas getting 1 to 2 feet of rain in just 24 hours.
The rain caused catastrophic flooding for Maui and Oahu, which temporarily forced evacuations overnight in Haleiwa on Oahu.
The Haleiwa evacuation order was canceled early Wednesday after flooding conditions subsided. All roads in the area are now open, but residents are being asked to proceed with caution as ponding water, mud and debris may be present, officials said.
Flooding in the state led Gov. David Ige to sign an emergency proclamation.
“The emergency proclamation makes state general funds available that can be used quickly and efficiently to help those impacted by the severe weather, which is expected to continue until Friday,” Ige said in a statement Tuesday.
While some of the more serious flooding has decreased, a flash flood watch for all the islands of Hawaii remains, along with a flash flood warning for Kauai.
Additional rain is expected Wednesday, when 1 to 2 inches per hour are possible.
Rain could linger in Hawaii for a few days to come, which could result in more flooding.
Meanwhile, there are two storms from California to the Great Lakes with heavy snow, rain and severe thunderstorms worth tracking.
The first storm on the West Coast will bring 1- 2 feet of snow to California and heavy rain to Southern California, with up to 2 inches possible.
The second storm, will move into the Plains and the Upper Midwest. Severe thunderstorms will be possible from Kansas to Minnesota, with damaging winds, hail and even a small chance for tornadoes.
Further northwest, heavy snow is expected from the Dakotas to northern Minnesota, where locally 10 inches of snow is possible.
Gloucester County Prosecutor’s OfficeBy MEREDITH DELISO, ABC News
(EAST GREENWICH, N.J.) — Authorities said they are seeking a man in connection with five homicides in two states. He is considered armed and dangerous.
Sean Lannon, 47, is wanted for questioning regarding a homicide that occurred Monday in East Greenwich, New Jersey, the Gloucester County Prosecutor’s Office announced in a public bulletin Tuesday.
Lannon is also a person of interest in a quadruple homicide in Albuquerque, New Mexico, in which one of the victims was his ex-wife, authorities said.
Lannon is believed to be driving a 2018 blue Honda CR-V with the New Jersey registration U71JXG, authorities said.
He was possibly last seen in Camden, New Jersey, on Monday at approximately 3 p.m. near the Walter Rand Transportation Center, the prosecutor’s office said.
He is white, 5’9″, weighs around 140-165 pounds, has blue eyes and is bald.
Authorities warned that Lannon should be considered armed and dangerous, and for the public to not approach him. Anonymous tips can be emailed to tips@co.gloucester.nj.us.
More details on the East Greenwich murder were not provided by the prosecutor’s office.
The Albuquerque Police Department confirmed Tuesday that Lannon is also wanted for questioning in a homicide case in which four bodies were discovered Friday at Albuquerque’s international airport.
Lannon was previously married to one of the four victims, Jennifer Lannon, 39, Albuquerque police confirmed to ABC News. Both were from New Jersey and had been living in Grants, about 80 miles west of Albuquerque, police said.
Court records show Sean Lannon filed for divorce in 2018 in Grants District Court.
The other three victims were identified as Jesten Mata, 40; Matthew Miller, 21; and Randal Apostalon, 60.
Both Jennifer Lannon and Mata were previously wanted by the Grants Police Department for questioning last month in the disappearance of Miller, before they were also reported missing.
kali9/iStockBy HALEY YAMADA, ABC News
