WASHINGTON – Basketball legend Magic Johnson visited Ida B. Wells Middle School in Northwest D.C. Friday, a day after it was announced that he officially joined the Washington Spirit investor group.

During his visit, Johnson spoke with FOX 5’s Chad Ricardo about his excitement in becoming part of the organization. 

“First, you know, Michele [Kang] has built a great organization, and I was just so delighted she allowed me to be a partner of hers,” Johnson said. “The Spirit is doing very well. We had, what, four Olympians who brought back the gold medal. This is a well-run, first-class organization, but that’s the way Michele does it.”

Johnson emphasized the importance of supporting young female athletes both on and off the field. 

“We want to encourage these young ladies to learn soccer and be good at it, but also do good in school too,” he added. “I believe in partnering with people who believe in winning on the field and in the community too.”

He expressed his enthusiasm for the future of women’s sports, saying, “I’m excited about what we’re going to build in women’s sports and women’s soccer at the same time.”

Johnson’s involvement in the Washington Spirit marks a new chapter for the team, which represents D.C. on and off the field. He is also a member of the Washington Commanders ownership group.

Two women testifying in the trial of young girls accused of beating and killing a D.C. man painted a grim picture in court Friday.

The women, who said they were roommates, told the court they heard screaming outside their apartment along Georgia Avenue NW the morning of Oct. 17, 2023 before finding 64-year-old Reggie Brown bloodied and beaten in an alleyway.

After hearing the screams, they said went out to the balcony of their apartment to investigate and saw a body lying in the alley.

One of the women said she was trained in first aid so, after calling 911, they went down to see if they could help.

“We heard screaming. … looked like they jumped him … We are right by him. He is not responding. … There is blood under his body and around his head,” one of the witnesses said in a second call to 911.

Brown’s siblings have attended the trial being held in D.C.’s juvenile court.

“Unfortunately, he passed and whatever she was able to do, it didn’t work out for him and he’s no longer with us, and it breaks my heart,” Brown’s sister Malda Brown said outside the courthouse. “What I want to say today – I thank God that those two young ladies who came forth who was able to call an ambulance to let them know there was somebody out there.”

Two girls, ages 13 and 14, who were charged with murder in the case were in court Friday. In all, five girls have been charged in connection to the beating. A man involved in the attack has still not been identified.

The attack was caught on surveillance video as well as cellphone video.

Earlier this year, a detective testified that video shows the girls walking away in a “celebratory” mood.

First, the man who would attack Brown “escorted” him across Georgia Avenue, Detective Harry Singleton previously testified. The man was wearing a blue coat.

According to what was caught on numerous cameras in the area, the man was the first person to assault Brown. He threw him against a wall and knocked him to the ground, the detective testified.

A prosecutor played several videos that showed a group of girls walking on Georgia Avenue. One girl asked the man if she could “fight him too.”

Videos show Brown managing to get up and try to get away.

The girls kicked and stomped on Brown and then left in a “celebratory” mood, cellphone video from a girl who was not charged showed, the detective said.

When officers arrived at the 6200 block of Georgia Avenue, near Rittenhouse Street, Brown was dead.

There’s no indication that Brown knew the girls, the detective testified.

Singleton described a monthslong investigation, with detectives reviewing videos frame by frame to try to identify the attackers.

Brown was described as being physically handicapped, with missing fingers on each hand and ongoing ailments.

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A 25-year-old video has been unearthed showing a man, who has been identified by the FBI as a Saudi intelligence officer, filming locations in Washington DC before the September 11 attacks.

First seized by Scotland Yard, the previously unseen footage was shot by Omar al-Bayoumi, an early suspect in the terror attacks, in the summer of 1999.

The evidence was revealed as part of a civil court case in the US brought by families of 9/11 victims who are trying to sue Saudi Arabia’s government for complicity in the attacks.

Mr Bayoumi’s running commentary is heard as he films at various locations across the US capital, including entry points and security arrangements on Capitol Hill and the Washington Monument.

Brands US politicians ‘demons’

At one point, he brands US politicians “demons” and later he refers to “the plan” in what is being alleged to be his attempt to scope out the area two years before the al-Qaeda terror attacks.

The Capitol is believed to have been the target of the plane that crashed in the Pennsylvania countryside after the hijackers were overwhelmed by passengers.

The hour-long film was uncovered by Scotland Yard detectives when they arrested Mr Bayoumi, a PhD student, at his home in Birmingham 10 days after 9/11. He was questioned for seven days and then released without charge.

The US later identified him as a Saudi intelligence agent, which he denies. He also denies allegations he was involved in preparations for 9/11, insisting he visited Washington as a tourist.

However, he has been the subject of sustained speculation owing to his links to two of the 9/11 hijackers.

He admitted in the past to innocently befriending Nawaf al-Hazmi and Khalid al-Mihdhar, who went on to fly a passenger plane into the Pentagon, killing 189 people.

‘Advanced knowledge’ of attacks

An FBI report declassified in 2022 said there was a “50/50 chance” that Mr Bayoumi “had advanced knowledge the 9/11 attacks were to occur”.

The agency claims that when Mr Bayoumi was shooting the video, he was accompanied by two Saudi Arabian diplomats who the bureau said had ties to al-Qaeda.

In the grainy video, shot over several days and accompanied by Mr Bayoumi’s commentary in Arabic, he repeatedly makes references to instructions he had been given and reports he would later send.

In front of the Capitol building, the seat of the US Congress, he says: “They say that our kids are demons. However, these are the demons of the White House. They are going upwards.”

On Capitol Hill, the camera lingers on two black limousines that appear to belong to the government, and he says: “Their cars. You said that in the plan”, but does not specify further.

“I will provide you with the results soon,” Mr Bayoumi says close to the Washington Monument. “I will report to you in detail what is there.”

‘Airport not far from here’

At one point, he watches a low-flying plane and remarks: “Airport not far from here. Plane taking off.”

The legal team for the families of September 11 victims asked the Met Police three years ago to search its archive for anything related to Mr Bayoumi.

Gavin Simpson, for the plaintiffs, played the tape in court and told the judge: “A trove of evidence seized by the Metropolitan Police…. enables your honour, the public and the 9/11 families to perceive for themselves the mechanism by which Saudi Arabia provided support to the 9/11 hijackers.

“Bayoumi’s videotape bore all the characteristics, the hallmarks of al-Qaeda casing a terrorist target.”

Saudi authorities have long denied complicity in or support for the September 11 attacks. They have always denied Mr Bayoumi was an agent of theirs.