Southwest
Navy SEAL who killed Bin Laden slaps hotel with lawsuit over incident that derailed career: 'Didn't happen'
FIRST ON FOX: Former Navy SEAL Rob O’Neill, the man credited with killing Usama Bin Laden, is speaking out after recently filing a lawsuit against the hotel where he allegedly assaulted a security guard and used a racial slur, which he vehemently denies and says has crippled his business career.
“I’ve lost a ton of business. There was a point in my career where I was giving 300 speeches in one year, between 250 and 300 speeches and that many cities in a year, and now it’s just dried up, because it’s a bad look that didn’t happen,” O’Neill told Fox News Digital in an exclusive interview about the notorious incident at the Omni Hotel in Frisco, Texas, in August last year when he was accused of assaulting a loss-prevention officer while intoxicated and calling that guard, who is White, the “N word.”
O’Neill, a former SEAL Team Six member who has received two Silver Stars and four Bronze Stars, says he never assaulted anyone and never used the slur, which prompted him to file a lawsuit against the Omni Hotel. In the lawsuit, O’Neill argues that the security guard, Johnny Lee Loomis, should never have been hired, due to his allegedly checkered past, and alleges that he made false statements about that night.
“Hotel Defendants knowingly, recklessly, and negligently hired and retained Loomis as a security guard, despite Loomis’ publicly available history as a pedophile and child sex purveyor,” the lawsuit states. “Hotel Defendants also knowingly, recklessly, and negligently hired and retained Loomis as a security guard despite his known history of violence and of making false accusations of violence and misconduct against Hotel guests.”
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Rob O’Neill speaks to Fox News Digital about his lawsuit against a Texas hotel. (Rob O’Neill/Fox News)
O’Neill acknowledges that he had had a drink after a long day after a speaking engagement, falling asleep at the hotel bar, and that he had encountered Loomis while trying to get back into his room, but denies striking Loomis or calling him a racial slur.
“It had been a long day flying from New York to Dallas, and then we had a dinner meeting and whatnot and went to the cigar bar and then came back, and generally just being in a hospitality environment such as a hotel, you know, you sit at the bar having a try to have a nightcap and then fell asleep at the bar, which, unfortunately, has happened before and then getting semi-escorted up to my hotel room, which is fine. I guess that can happen,” O’Neill recounted.
“It’s odd that it’s only one guy that did it. It’s odd the way that he knew he was going to a place with no audio and video, and also it’s just odd that he’s trying to use my wallet, my key, when as a loss-prevention officer, he has a key to a room. And any time I’ve seen it happen or been around security guys from a hotel, they have their own key. They don’t need the guy’s keys. So I was actually surprised at first when the police showed up.”
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O’Neill continued. “It wasn’t until later that I found out that not only had I been accused of assault, I’d been accused of using a racial slur. And that, to me, was odd, too, along with the one guy escorting me up to him being a middle-aged white guy, like a dude in his 60s and all of a sudden he’s claiming assault and claiming a racial slur, which with two guys alone in a hallway is just to me, silly.”
O’Neill said the slur is a “horrible word” that he would “never use” and says he supports law enforcement and was treated well by local police, but alleges in the lawsuit that Loomis has a track record of false statements and altercations with guests.
The lawsuit states that Loomis has “been involved in several other physical altercations with guests at the Hotel” and that in one case, Loomis “published false statements and instigated that guest’s arrest, claiming the guest had started the altercation.”
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Robert O’Neill, a former U.S. Navy SEAL, speaks at the “Best of Blount” Chamber of Commerce awards ceremony at the Clayton Center for the Arts in Maryville, Tennessee, on Nov. 6, 2014. (Luke Sharrett/Bloomberg via Getty Images)
“On at least one occasion before August 22, 2023, law enforcement personnel specifically warned Hotel Defendants about Loomis and his background,” the lawsuit states. “Yet, Hotel Defendants retained Loomis in his supervisory role, giving him continued, unsupervised access to Hotel premises and guests of all ages. Hotel Defendants also took no remedial or disciplinary action against Loomis.”
“This lawsuit seeks substantial compensatory and punitive damages against Hotel Defendants for negligent hiring, screening, retention, and supervision arising from Hotel Defendants’ employment of Loomis, for Loomis’ false statements, and for events that occurred at the Hotel on or about August 22, 2023,” it said.
The lawsuit also states that Loomis did not hold the proper security guard registration credentials in accordance with Texas law and that Louisiana law enforcement, where Loomis had been previously employed, had called to warn the hotel about Loomis and the hotel continued employing him.
O’Neill told Fox News Digital that a main reason he filed the lawsuit was to restore his name that he says has been forever sullied due to false allegations.
“There’s a ton of damage done, and the internet is forever,” O’Neill said. “And it’s just hard to just sit here and say, well, that’s not really me, when it’s already out there. People that know me know this is not me. Obviously, I want to restore my reputation. I want to restore the way my family is treated and the way that they think about my reputation and their relationships with me. And most importantly, I’ve been thinking about this for a year, and I assure you, that’s a long time to keep my mouth shut, especially with my platforms. But, I really don’t want anyone else to have to deal with this.”
“When my grandkids Google my name or Neptune’s Spear or 9/11, this article that’s not even true will come up, and that affects everything from my family life, my legacy, my business, my military career,” O’Neill added.
“Even friends and family, when they’ve gone places, they’ve heard whispers and stuff like that, it’s just, it’s a shame. And. I mean, the lawsuit speaks for itself, but again, just the fact that there are people out there that will print anything for a headline.”
Former Navy SEAL and Valor Award honoree Robert J. O’Neill attends the Salute to Heroes Service Gala to benefit the National Foundation for Military Family Support at The Majestic Downtown in Los Angeles on March 14, 2015. (Michael Tullberg/Getty Images)
Fox News Digital reached out to the Omni Hotel, which provided the following statement: “On August 23, 2023, the Frisco Police Department was dispatched to the Omni Frisco Hotel at The Star due to a disturbance call regarding guest, Robert O’Neill. Upon arrival on the scene, the responding police officers conducted their own investigation and made the determination to take Mr. O’Neill into custody.”
“The Frisco Police Department arrested Mr. O’Neill for public intoxication and assault. The security staff at the Omni Frisco Hotel at The Star followed all appropriate protocols to ensure the safety of its guests and associates.
“We will let due process play out in the court of law. Omni Hotels & Resorts followed all standard and legal protocols, including background checks upon hiring Mr. Loomis, which includes all national registries. No convictions and arrests were found. Omni has placed Mr. Loomis on suspension while this incident is under investigation. There will be no further comment at this time.”
Loomis did not respond to Fox News Digital’s media inquiry.
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Los Angeles, Ca
Long Beach to hold new pride festival after previous one canceled
Long Beach will hold a pride festival this weekend after the one they originally had scheduled was canceled.
Long Beach city officials said the celebration was nixed after the nonprofit that organizes it, Long Beach Pride, failed to submit the required information for an event permit.
It was supposed to start on Friday and last through Sunday.
“Despite continued collaboration and multiple deadline notices, the City did not receive the required documentation needed to complete safety reviews, inspect critical event infrastructure, such as the stage, electrical systems and tent, and emergency exiting plans to ensure compliance with public safety standards,” the city of Long Beach said in a statement. “With event programming scheduled to begin on May 15 at 5 p.m. with Teen Pride and essential information still outstanding, there is no longer sufficient time to safely permit the festival this year.”
Officials noted that they were working to see if a “shortened event” could be held this weekend, and indeed, an agreement was reached to stage a one-day gathering on Sunday.
Billed as “Canceled? Never Heard of Her!” and emceed by comedian and drag queen Jewels, it will still bring the city’s LGBTQ community together after Sunday morning’s Long Beach Pride Parade, which was not canceled.
“Long Beach Pride weekend is a culmination of celebrations put on by our community, including our many vibrant restaurants, bars and businesses, and that will never change,” Long Beach Mayor Rex Richardson said in a press release issued late Saturday night. “Along with the Pride Parade, we are proud to join the party with this new event that reaffirms what this City has always stood for: that every person belongs here.”
“The festival may have been canceled, but Long Beach drag artists don’t cancel joy,” added Jewels Long Beach.
The one-day “Canceled? Never Heard of Her!” festival will take place at Bixby Park from noon to 7 p.m. Sunday. A free event, it will include music by several performers and a drag show.
More information can be found here.
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.
Los Angeles, Ca
L.A. police shoot knife-wielding man during response to assault call
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.
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