Southwest
Arizona grandmother indicted in death of epileptic teen kept in makeshift cage
The grandmother of a teenage girl with epilepsy who died after police said she had been locked in a makeshift cage for extended periods of time has been indicted by a grand jury in Arizona, the Maricopa County Attorney’s Office announced.
Virginia Lujan, 55, has been charged with child abuse and other crimes following the death last month of her granddaughter, who suffered from a rare form of epilepsy and had cognitive impairments causing her to function at the level of a 3-year-old.
Lujan called 911 on Jan. 20 to report that her granddaughter was unresponsive at her two-story townhouse in Tempe near U.S. 60 and Mill Avenue, prosecutors said.
ARIZONA WOMAN CHARGED WITH MURDER OF RIDESHARE DRIVER AFTER ALLEGEDLY USING HIS CAR TO RUN HIM OVER: REPORT
When officers arrived, they found the girl lying on the living room floor with marks and bruising on multiple parts of her body. She was transported to a hospital, where she died the following day.
Virginia Lujan, 55, has been charged with child abuse and other crimes after her granddaughter died after being unresponsive in her home.
“No child should ever have to endure suffering,” Ken McCoy, the city’s police chief, said the day after her death, per Fox 10.
“We are committed to uncovering the truth and seeking justice on her behalf. The tragic loss of a child is a profound reminder of our shared responsibility to protect the most vulnerable in our community.”
Police said that they discovered a bunk bed that had been adapted into a makeshift enclosure where the victim was kept for extended periods of time, along with grossly unsanitary conditions throughout the home.
Police, according to Fox 10 Phoenix, described Lujan’s home as “disorderly and filthy,” with trash littering the home’s floors and dead insects such as cockroaches being seen in various parts of the home.
The grandmother of a teenage girl with epilepsy who died after police said she had been locked in a makeshift cage for extended periods of time has been indicted by a grand jury in Arizona. Police speak at a press briefing the day after her death. (Fox 10 Phoenix)
When investigating where the girl had been kept, police discovered an elevated bed frame, similar to bunk beds inside, with the exception that there was no bed or mattress on the bottom, according to court documents cited by Fox 10.
Instead, the tall bed frame created a space underneath the top bunk.
A large rail, large enough to enclose the long right side of the bed and another rail with plastic baby gates attached to it were found by this bed. These items, together, were attached to the frame as walls for an enclosure or cage, the outlet reported.
These components were held together with plastic zip ties. Police also said there was human waste on the floor within the enclosure.
ARIZONA TEEN ARRESTED ON TERRORISM CHARGES IN ALLEGED PLOT AGAINST PHOENIX PRIDE FESTIVAL
The victim, according to investigators, was one of five children belonging to 33-year-old Jami Hodges, Lujan’s daughter. They ranged in age from 2 to 15 years.
In 2021, Hodges transferred four of her five children’s guardianship to Lujan, and at the time of the victim’s death, she had moved in with her mother because of structural issues that forced her out of her former home, per Fox 10.
They lived in a cramped space inside her three-bedroom townhouse, police said.
The family lived in a “disorderly and filthy” three-bedroom townhouse, police said. (Fox 10 Phoenix)
Hodges and her 2-year-old daughter slept in the living room on the main floor while Lujan had her own bedroom on the second floor. The rest of the children shared the remaining two bedrooms, investigators wrote in the court documents.
They also wrote that none of Hodges’ children were enrolled in or attending school.
Hodges, according to police reports cited by Fox 10, said that when she returned home from the dentist earlier on Jan. 21, she noticed that the victim was “acting off” and that she saw a large rash or discoloration under the victim’s armpits and on the back of her legs.
The girl later took a turn, and Tempe Police Department officers and crews with Tempe Fire Medical Rescue were called to the home at around 9 p.m.
Lujan told first responders that the victim had fallen a few days prior, investigators wrote.
The victim was found covered in bruises on various parts of her body. The bruises were described as being in various stages of healing, while dried blood was found inside her right ear and her face appeared swollen.
Tempe Police Department vehicles. Police from the department responded to the scene. (Caitlin O’Hara/Bloomberg via Getty Images)
The victim was taken to the hospital and was declared dead hours later.
Hodges was arrested but was released pending charges.
Lujan is currently being held on a $500,000 secured appearance bond, per the Maricopa County Attorney’s Office.
She is also charged with tampering with physical evidence, tampering with a witness and three counts of contributing to the dependency of a child.
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Los Angeles, Ca
L.A. Jewish institution among targets of foiled terrorist attack, U.S. officials say
A Jewish institution in Los Angeles was among the locations targeted in a recently foiled terrorism plot, U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of New York Jay Clayton announced this week.
The thwarted terrorist attacks were the result of the recent arrest of Mohammad Baqer Saad Dawood Al-Saadi, an Iraqi national and senior member of Kata’ib Hizballah, U.S. officials said.
“Mohammad Baqer Saad Dawood Al-Saadi, a commander for the terrorist organization, Kata’ib Hizballah, faces serious charges for his role in numerous attacks against U.S. interests across the globe, including his efforts to kill on U.S. soil,” Clayton said. “As alleged, for years, Al-Saadi committed himself to furthering the terrorist goals of Kata’ib Hizballah and the IRGC, two terrorist organizations dedicated to harming the United States and its allies.”
Al-Saadi recently attempted to carry out attacks in the U.S., officials said, including attacks at Jewish cultural places of interest in New York, Los Angeles and Scottsdale, Ariz.
“Al-Saadi attempted to disrupt American society through intimidation and violence,” a press release from the U.S. Attorney’s Office reads. “… Those who engage in or support terrorism against Americans and on U.S. soil should take note: the whole of the federal government is committed to dismantling terrorist organizations and bringing their members to justice.”
In a three-month period, Al-Saadi allegedly directed 18 terrorist attacks throughout Europe, including bombings, arson, and assaults targeting American citizens and points of interest. Prior to his arrest, national security officials say he was planning similar attacks on U.S. soil. Assistant Attorney General for National Security John A. Eisenberg said that Al-Saadi “presented a serious threat to our national security.”
The European attacks included the bombing of the Bank of New York Mellon, an American bank, in Amsterdam on March 15. On April 29, two Jewish men, one of whom was a dual U.S.-British citizen, were stabbed and seriously injured in London.
In 2020, Al-Saadi took to social media, calling for others to attack and kill Americans in retribution for the deaths of Iranian military officer Qasem Soleimani and Iraqi military commander Abu Mahdi al-Muhandis, U.S. officials said. In more recent months, Al-Saadi allegedly used social media to encourage the killing of Americans and Jews to further the terrorist goals of Kata’ib Hizballah and the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps.
“In or about February 2026, for example, AL-SAADI posted on one of his social media accounts a message in Arabic, which read in part, ‘Do not abandon the blood of your Imam of the time, oh Shiites of Iraq. Kill everyone who supports America and Israel. Do not leave any of them remaining. Civil and military targets, as well as voices of discord, kill them everywhere.’” U.S. officials said.
NYPD Commissioner Jessica S. Tisch confirmed that one of the U.S. targets was a Manhattan synagogue. On April 3, Al-Saadi allegedly spoke to an undercover law enforcement officer whom Al-Saadi believed could carry out attacks in the U.S. That same day, Al-Saadi allegedly texted the undercover officers photographs and maps showing the exact location of a prominent Jewish synagogue in New York City.
Officials have not said what specific locations in L.A. and Arizona were targeted by the terrorist group.
Al-Saadi now faces numerous charges for these crimes in U.S. court. If convicted, he could be sentenced to life in prison.
The case is under investigation by the FBI’s New York Joint Terrorism Task Force, which is comprised of investigators and analysts from the FBI, the NYPD, the FBI Washington Field Office, Counterterrorism Division, and more than 50 other federal, state, and local agencies. Investigators also received help from the Department of Justice’s National Security Division, Counterterrorism Section, the Office of International Affairs of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division, and U.S. Customs and Border Protection.
A man armed with a knife was shot by L.A. police officers responding to an assault with a deadly weapon call overnight, authorities said.
According to the Los Angeles Police Department, officers with the Hollenbeck Division responded to an apartment complex in the 3000 block of Glenn Avenue in Boyle Heights at 1:45 a.m. Saturday after callers reported a male suspect was armed with a knife and had just assaulted someone in the complex.
Arriving officers found the suspect in front of the residence, but he did not comply with officers’ commands to drop the weapon. He then advanced toward the officers and an officer-involved shooting occurred, LAPD confirmed.
“The suspect was struck by gunfire and remained non-compliant,” the LAPD Public Information Officer said on X early Saturday morning. “Officers deployed a 40mm foam round and ultimately took the suspect into custody.”
Video obtained by KTLA shows the man being loaded into an ambulance and taken to a hospital; officials said he was transported in stable condition, adding that his knife was recovered at the scene and booked as evidence.
No officers or community members were injured during the incident. The man’s name was not released.
Dangerous rip currents and high surf are forecast for Los Angeles County beaches, including the Malibu Coast this weekend.
The National Weather Service has issued a hazardous beach statement, warning of the potentially deadly beach conditions. The dangerous conditions are forecast to last from Saturday evening to Monday morning.
“There is an increased risk of ocean drowning,” the NWS forecast reads. “Rip currents can pull swimmers and surfers out to sea. Waves can wash people off beaches and rocks, and capsize small boats nearshore.”
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A guide to surviving rip currents from the National Weather Service (NWS)
Minor Beach erosion and coastal flooding is possible through the weekend. The flooding is most likely to occur during evening high tides from 7 p.m. to 11 p.m.
Beachgoers are advised to stay out of the water and remain near lifeguard towers. Jetties and tidepools are also especially dangerous during the weekend forecast.
“Rock jetties can be deadly in such conditions, stay off the rocks,” the NWS forecast reads.
Similar hazardous beach conditions are also in the forecast for Santa Barbara County. A high surf advisory is also in effect for Santa Barbara and San Luis Obispo counties this weekend, where 10 to 15-foot waves will be possible.
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