Southwest
Arizona man accused of human smuggling shot by federal authorities after firing at helicopter, agents: FBI
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An Arizona man suspected of smuggling illegal immigrants was shot Tuesday by federal officers during a gunfire exchange Tuesday after he opened fire on a law enforcement helicopter, authorities said.
The shooting happened around 7:30 a.m. near the town of Arivaca, Arizona, just miles from the southern border, after agents recognized a vehicle that belonged to a suspect related to a possible human trafficking incident from hours earlier in which everyone in the car fled during a stop, Pima County Sheriff Chris Nanos told reporters.
Hours later, agents spotted the same vehicle and made another traffic stop. The suspect, identified as Patrick Gary Schlegel, 34, fled the vehicle on foot, Nanos said.
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U.S. Border Patrol Search, Trauma and Rescue (BORSTAR) agents from the Tucson Sector and Air and Marine Operations (AMO) participate in a demonstration of the rescue of a migrant lost in the Brown Canyon desert near Sasabe, Arizona. Authorities on Tuesday were investigating a shooting involving the Border Patrol in Arizona. (HERIKA MARTINEZ/AFP via Getty Images)
At one point, he allegedly shot at a U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) helicopter and at agents, said Heith Janke, the special agent in charge of the FBI’s Phoenix Division.
“The individual fired at an Air and Marine Operations helicopter and fired at USBP agents,” a Department of Homeland Security spokesperson told Fox News Digital. “Agents returned fire striking the driver.”
Schlegal, a U.S. citizen from Arizona, was rendered aid and taken to a hospital where he was recovering after undergoing surgery. He is expected to survive. No one else was harmed, authorities said.
Schlegal has a “significant criminal history,” Janke said, which includes an active federal arrest warrant issued in 2025 by the U.S. Marshals Service for an escape related to a previous federal alien smuggling conviction.
He is expected to be charged federally with assault on a federal officer, alien smuggling, and being a felon in possession of a firearm, authorities said.
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This photo shows a US Border Patrol patch on a border agent’s uniform in McAllen, Texas, on January 15, 2019. (SUZANNE CORDEIRO/AFP via Getty Images)
Nanos said he wasn’t sure if the Border Patrol agents involved in the shooting were wearing body cameras. He said multiple shots were fired, but was not sure how many.
“In Pima County, we’re not tolerating any abuse of a law enforcement officer… any type of abuse, but that goes for our citizens as well,” the sheriff said.
Fox News Digital has reached out to the fire district, U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) and the Department of Homeland Security.
The sheriff’s department is conducting a parallel investigation and is leading the use-of-force investigation involving the agent, officials told the news outlet.
“Such requests are standard practice when a federal agency is involved in a shooting incident within Pima County and consistent with long-standing relationships built through time to promote transparency,” PCSD said.
Tuesday’s shooting was the second involving Border Patrol personnel in recent days. Alex Pretti, 37, was fatally shot by USBP agents during a confrontation in Minnesota as federal authorities were conducting enforcement operations.
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It also came weeks after Renee Good was shot and killed by a U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agent while allegedly attempting to ram him with her vehicle in Minneapolis.
Both deaths have triggered citywide protests and unrest, and violent confrontations between federal authorities and anti-ICE agitators.
In Pima County, Nanos said his department doesn’t enforce immigration law. Border Patrol agents fired weapons in eight incidents during the 12-month period through September 2025, 14 times during the year before that and 13 times the year before that, according to The Associated Press.
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A Los Angeles man has been charged in connection with a string of catalytic converter thefts across Ventura County, prosecutors announced Friday.
Efran Esau Flores Alvarez, 20, is facing nine felony grand theft charges after investigators linked him to a series of thefts reported in Thousand Oaks and Simi Valley between March 20 and April 23, according to the Ventura County District Attorney’s Office.
Authorities said Alvarez was arrested on May 19.
During the arrest, investigators allegedly found a hand saw, impact drills, saw blades and a floor jack inside his vehicle, along with more than $5,600 in cash.
Investigators believe Alvarez may be connected to additional catalytic converter thefts throughout Ventura County, and officials said the investigation remains ongoing, adding that more charges could be filed.
Catalytic converter thefts have remained a persistent issue across Southern California in recent years because the devices contain valuable precious metals, including platinum, palladium and rhodium.
The Ventura County Sheriff’s Office and the Simi Valley Police Department investigated the case.
Prosecutors also filed a special allegation claiming the crimes showed “planning, sophistication, or professionalism,” according to court documents.
Alvarez pleaded not guilty during his arraignment Thursday in Ventura County Superior Court. He remains in custody with bail set at $75,000 and is scheduled to return to court June 2 for an early disposition conference.
Firefighters are making significant progress on the flurry of wildfires that ignited across Southern California within the last week, during a period of dry, windy weather.
Firefighters say they’re now in the mop-up phase of battling the region’s largest active wildfire, the Santa Rosa Island Fire. The fire has grown to nearly 18,400 acres since it started on May 15.
The Santa Rosa Island Fire is the largest ever recorded on the Channel Islands. Investigators say the fire was started by an emergency flare fired by a man who crashed his sailboat into the island.
Two uninhabited historic structures have been lost to the fire: The Johnson’s Lee Equipment Shed on the western end of the island, and Wreck Line Camp Cabin on the eastern end, National Park Service officials said.
The Sandy Fire in Ventura County is now 61% contained after burning nearly 2,200 acres in Simi Valley. The fire started on May 18, and has destroyed at least one home.
The Sandy Fire prompted the Simi Valley Unified School District to shutter all of its schools for almost a week. The district announced Friday that the schools will reopen on May 26. The district said that the closures will not result in a longer school year.
“We will not need to extend the school year to make up for the days schools were closed due to the fire emergency,” the Simi Valley Unified School District announced Friday. “The district intends to seek the appropriate state waiver related to attendance and instructional minutes resulting from a widespread public emergency.”
See details for all the major fires burning across Southern California below:
Santa Rosa Island Fire
- Location: Channel Islands National Park
- Size: 18,379 acres
- Containment: 72% contained
- Date started: May 15
Sandy Fire
- Location: Ventura County
- Size: 2,183 acres
- Containment: 61% contained
- Date started: May 18
Bain Fire
- Location: Riverside County
- Size: 1,497 acres
- Containment: 81% contained
- Date started: May 19
Verona Fire
- Location: Riverside County
- Size: 648 acres
- Containment: 67% contained
- Date started: May 19
Tusil Fire
- Location: San Diego County
- Size: 820 acres
- Containment: 100% contained
- Date started: May 19
Alta Fire
- Location: Los Angeles County
- Size: 334 acres
- Containment: 0% contained
- Date started: May 21
Every time Miley Cyrus walks, it’s a walk of fame. However, on Friday, she’s about to make it official.
She will be cemented in Hollywood history by receiving the 2,845th star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.
Smilers, the nickname for Cyrus’s fan base, have been lining up since Thursday night to see the Grammy winner later in the day to accept the honor. It stretches down the block hours before the ceremony.
The “Flowers” singer’s star will be located on 7011 Hollywood Blvd., which is right next to the Marshalls near Madame Tussauds Hollywood.
KOST 103.5 F.M.’s Ellen K will serve as the host of the ceremony. Actress Aya Taylor Joy and fashion designer Donatella Versace are expected to speak.
The ceremony starts at 11:30 a.m. and will also be livestreamed here.
This is an achievement 20 years in the making for the former Disney darling. In 2006, she burst onto the scene as the fictional pop star, Hannah Montana, who was living a dual life. This year, she honored the 20th anniversary of “Hannah Montana” by reuniting with her former castmates for an hour-long special.
Cyrus then became a singer in her own right, blending rock, country, soul, and alternative within her lengthy catalog.
The three-time Golden Globe nominee is also a songwriter behind many platinum and diamond-certified singles and albums.
In 2024, won record of the year and best pop solo performance for “Flowers” at the Grammys. In 2025, her collaboration with Beyoncé received the Grammy for best country duo/group performance.
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