Southwest
Texas hiker says Grand Canyon flash flood rescue was 'craziest day'
A Texas hiker recalled the deadly flash flooding that surged through Arizona’s Grand Canyon National Park and stranded more than 100 hikers last month as the “craziest day of their lives.”
Whitnye Raquel, 35, told SFGate that she and her friend Paige Renae had gone to the Havasupai Reservation for three nights, where the idyllic waterfalls, creek-side campground and the canyon’s famed blue-green waters draw visitors from around the world.
But steady rain on Aug. 22 quickly turned to disaster as the creek turned a muddy color and swelled, with water sprouting from the canyon walls and dislodging rocks.
“We just see boulders crumbling, and the sides of houses and school buildings just tumbling down the canyon walls,” Raquel told the outlet. “I grabbed Paige, because I thought it was going to come right through their grocery store and end us. You don’t think that you’re going to see something like that in real life. It felt like a movie.”
NORTH CAROLINA HIKER DIES AT GRAND CANYON NATIONAL PARK DURING SOLO TREK, BELIEVED TO BE 6TH FATALITY IN WEEKS
The flash flood struck the area on Aug. 22, stranding more than 100 park visitors. (Michael Langer via AP)
Raquel said Havasupai tribal members allowed tourists to shelter in their village inside a school cafeteria. The initial flash flood had wiped out wooden bridges and ladders used to cross streams along the trail, and a second rush of water made hiking out impossible.
The flash flood washed out wooden bridges used to cross the creek and made hiking out impossible. (Michael Langer via AP)
“That’s when they said, ‘The trail is now impossible,’” Raquel recalled the tribal members saying. “‘There are boulders blocking the trail. Nobody can hike in or out. You guys will all be helicopter-evacuated tomorrow morning. Nobody is hiking out of here.’”
Raquel said all the hikers sheltering with the tribe helped each other through the ordeal after having gone through what she called “the craziest day of their lives.”
CO-WORKERS LEAVE COLORADO MAN BEHIND ON MOUNTAIN SUMMIT DURING OFFICE RETREAT
While a private helicopter service and an Arizona National Guard Blackhawk helicopter worked to ferry 104 evacuees out of the canyon, park officials confirmed that two hikers – a husband and wife – had been swept away in the rush of water near where Havasu Creek empties into the Colorado River.
The two hikers were identified as Andrew and Chenoa Nickerson, of Gilbert, Arizona. Andrew Nickerson was rescued later that night by a group rafting the 280-mile stretch of the river that runs through the Grand Canyon.
“I was seconds from death when a random stranger jumped from his river raft and risked his life without hesitation to rescue me from the raging waters,” Nickerson wrote later on social media.
Havasu Creek is a tributary to the Colorado River, where Nickerson’s body was found days after being swept away in a flash flood, officials said. (National Park Service)
His wife, 33-year-old Chenoa Nickerson, was swept into the river’s main channel and remained missing for days. Like most hikers at Havasupai, she wasn’t wearing a life jacket.
Members of a commercial river trip later found her body floating in the Colorado River.
Raquel told SFGate that the experience serves as a reminder “that the human doesn’t stand a chance compared to the sheer force of mother nature.”
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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Los Angeles, Ca
About 20 detained after armed suspect call sparks LAPD response in Koreatown
About 20 people were detained Saturday during a large police response in Los Angeles’ Koreatown after authorities received reports of an armed man threatening people, officials said. Officers responded to the 3400 block of West 8th Street near Kingsley Drive on reports of an assault with a deadly weapon, according to the Los Angeles Police […]
Los Angeles, Ca
Man found guilty of sex trafficking victim along L.A.’s Figueroa Corridor
A former Riverside County man was found guilty of sex trafficking a female victim and forcing her to engage in commercial sex acts along L.A.’s notorious Figueroa Corridor.
Elias Abdul Shabazz, 34, formerly of Perris, was found guilty by a jury following a five-day trial, the U.S. Attorney’s Office said.
Prosecutors said Shabazz had led the victim to believe they were in a romantic relationship before he turned physically and sexually violent. He began demanding that the victim engage in commercial sex acts from May to October of 2021, court documents said.
He carried a handgun with him and, on occasion, was accused of using it to pistol-whip the victim. He also fired the gun at her feet while threatening to kill her, prosecutors said.
At trial, the victim said Shabazz demanded that she meet a daily quota of commercial sex proceeds and that she was terrified of the consequences of not meeting that quota.
She testified that Shabazz compelled her to work in the notorious Figueroa Corridor in South L.A., a dangerous area known for human trafficking and prostitution.
Shabazz had confiscated her identification card, Social Security card and birth certificate. He constantly monitored her cell phone to stop her from communicating with any friends or family.
“He also introduced her to addictive narcotics and controlled every aspect of her life, including when she ate, slept and showered,” prosecutors said.
In May 2025, Shabazz was arrested and has remained in federal custody. His last known address at the time was in Washington, D.C.
On June 26, 2026, Shabazz was found guilty of one count of coercing or enticing interstate transportation for purposes of prostitution.
A sentencing hearing is scheduled for Oct. 6, where he faces 15 years to life in prison.
“Sex trafficking matters rank among the most tragic cases our office prosecutes,” said First Assistant U.S. Attorney Bill Essayli. “This defendant will now face many years in a federal prison cell for his sick, disgusting, and disturbing behavior.”
“Elias Shabazz preyed on a vulnerable victim using physical and sexual violence and cruel psychological coercion to compel commercial sex acts for his own profit,” said Assistant Attorney General A. Tysen Duva of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division. “There is no place for this type of conduct in civilized society. We deeply respect the victim’s courage to face her trafficker in court. The Criminal Division will continue to bring these cases and try them.”
Anyone with information about human trafficking can report tips to the National Human Trafficking Hotline at 888-373-7888
Los Angeles, Ca
Watch Project Angel Food's 'Lead with Love' telethon on KTLA
The star-studded feel-good giveback event of the summer has returned. KTLA 5 is teaming up once again with Project Angel Food for the annual “Lead with Love: Going the Distance” telethon to raise critical funds for medically tailored meals delivered to people living with serious illnesses throughout Los Angeles County. The seventh annual telethon airs […]
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