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World’s Strongest Woman contestants open up on unknowingly facing trans athlete at controversial event

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World’s Strongest Woman contestants open up on unknowingly facing trans athlete at controversial event

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Women’s weightlifters Hailey Sikman and Jade Dickens thought they were competing at a normal World’s Strongest Woman championship last weekend. Instead, they witnessed the nation’s latest trans athlete controversy unfurl up close. 

Transgender athlete Jammie Booker won first place in the women’s heavyweight division, beating female competitor Andrea Thompson by one point. However, once Booker’s biological sex was revealed, Official Strongman revised the results to give Thompson first place. 

Sikman and Dickens told Fox News Digital they had no knowledge of Booker’s biological sex until after the competition. 

 

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Andrea Thompson, left, finished second to an alleged transgender athlete at the 2025 World’s Strongest Woman competition. (Laurence Shahlaei)

“Unfortunately, Jammie Booker got the best of Andrea Thompson right there at the end. And it wasn’t known to the promoters, to any of the athletes, until after the award ceremony and after everyone was gone that Jammie Booker is actually Jeffrey Booker, and he is a man,” Dickens said.

“I was beyond mad. … Had I known, I definitely would have done something about it, personally would have done something about it prior to the event being over. But nobody knew. Nobody knew he was a man.” 

Dickens said she believes the organization would have removed Booker from competition had it known of the athlete’s birth sex. 

“Had they had the knowledge, they would have taken care of it before the competition even started,” Dickens said.

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Sikman also claimed she didn’t know of Booker’s biological sex until after the competition was over. Still, Sikman had her suspicions about Booker based on the athlete’s appearance. 

“He definitely conned himself in and manipulated a situation,” Sikman said. 

During the competition, Sikman tried to interact with the trans athlete, believing Booker was a woman, she said.

‘WORLD’S STRONGEST WOMAN’ COMPETITOR SPEAKS OUT AFTER WINNING TITLE FOLLOWING TRANS CONTROVERSY 

“I tried to talk to him, and he kind of just blew me off,” Sikman added. 

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Dickens said of Booker’s behavior during the event, “I didn’t personally speak to him. … He was actually pretty quiet. … In my opinion, the reason he didn’t talk much was because his voice would have revealed he was male.” 

Sikman claimed she spoke to other competitors who recalled Booker’s behavior during the weekend.

“A lot of other women were saying he was just being arrogant and talking s—,” Sikman said. 

Dickens also recalled what she heard from other competitors about Booker’s conduct, saying, “In that competition atmosphere, everyone is doing a little digging. … [Trash talking] happens. It happens in all sports.” 

On Monday, Booker posted a video to Instagram thanking numerous people for their assistance in what was originally a victory.

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A YouTube video from what appears to be Booker’s own channel, dating back to 2017, shows Booker claiming to be “trans.” 

According to Strongman Archives, Booker had not competed in women’s events prior to this past June. It is unclear whether Booker had previously competed as a man.

Official Strongman announced that Booker would be disqualified. Strongman said it had attempted to reach out to Booker, “but a response has not been received.” 

Sikman hopes to see stricter measures to prevent males from sneaking into women’s competitions, saying she hopes “genetic testing or some sort of vetting process” can be employed by Official Strongman.

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Dickens said she’s been an advocate for protecting women’s sports since 2018 because she had to witness males compete in her powerlifting federation in the past. She hopes the public takes notice of this issue. 

“People keep saying this is a non-issue, that this does not happen that often, that this is going to go away,” Dickens said. “Where is our trust? This just breaks down the fabric of womanhood. … We want to be trusting of everyone around us, and when men come in and deceitfully try to take what is rightfully a woman’s, it erodes the trust for that woman.” 

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Los Angeles, Ca

Early morning Montebello fire leaves resident critically injured

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Early morning Montebello fire leaves resident critically injured

At least one person was critically injured in a house fire that erupted in Montebello early Thursday morning.

Crews responded to the blaze engulfing a detached unit in the 100 block of South 5th Street near West Whittier Boulevard around 5 a.m.

Flames quickly spread to a nearby electrical pole, blowing a fuse and knocking out power in the area. Sparks could be seen as a loud pop was heard in a Citizen.com video later obtained by KTLA.

A house fire in Montebello sparked a nearby electrical pole on May 14, 2026. (Citizen.com)

At least one person was believed to be in critical condition due to burn injuries, though officials have not released further details.

There was no immediate word on a possible cause of the fire.

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A neighbor told KTLA that three people lived inside the home, including a child.

This is a developing story.

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Los Angeles, Ca

Deputies reveal what led to violent L.A. County bus crash that injured 13 people

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Deputies reveal what led to violent L.A. County bus crash that injured 13 people

Authorities revealed new details Wednesday afternoon about the violent Santa Clarita crash involving a city transit bus, an overturned semi truck and two other vehicles that left 13 people injured.

According to the Santa Clarita Valley Sheriff’s Station, the driver of a semi truck hauling a full load of gravel may have been traveling as fast as 70 mph when the vehicle approached a yellow light at the intersection of Golden Valley Road and Centre Pointe Parkway around 9:30 a.m.

Investigators said the driver then attempted to make a right turn to avoid running the red light before crashing into the bus and two passenger vehicles.

“[The driver] tried to make a right-hand turn to avoid running the red light and then crashed into the bus and the other two passenger vehicles,” Capt. Brandon Barclay of the Santa Clarita Valley Sheriff’s Station told KTLA.

Officials noted that the speed limit on Golden Valley Road is 50 mph.

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Sky5 aerial footage showed the heavily damaged Santa Clarita Transit bus pushed onto a curb while the semi truck overturned nearby, and another vehicle appeared pinned beneath the front right side of the bus.

“When you look at it, it looks like a scene from Universal CityWalk,” Barclay said.

Authorities said 13 people were injured in the crash.

One passenger seated in the back of the bus had to be freed using the Jaws of Life and remained hospitalized in critical condition Wednesday afternoon, KTLA’s Angeli Kakade reported.

Seven additional people were transported to hospitals while five others declined medical treatment at the scene.

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“You have a bus that was hit by a semi truck, so it’s very impactful for this community,” Barclay added.

  • Santa Clarita city bus crash
  • Santa Clarita city bus crash
  • Santa Clarita city bus crash
  • Santa Clarita city bus crash
  • Santa Clarita city bus crash
  • Santa Clarita city bus crash

Former Santa Clarita transit bus driver Darryl Richardson said he was stunned when he saw the aftermath of the crash.

“I know how a person feels to see a big old truck coming right at you,” Richardson told KTLA. “Thank God if it had broadsided the driver, we’d be talking about a different conversation right now.”

The City of Santa Clarita said road closures around the crash scene were expected to continue for several hours as deputies investigated what led up to the collision.

All directions of Centre Pointe Parkway between Golden Valley Road and Ruether Avenue remained closed Wednesday afternoon. Eastbound Golden Valley Road was also shut down from Robert C. Lee Parkway to Centre Pointe Parkway.

Drivers were urged to avoid the area and use alternate routes.

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The crash remains under investigation.

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Los Angeles, Ca

Burglary reported in San Fernando Valley hours after officials announce arrests 

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Burglary reported in San Fernando Valley hours after officials announce arrests 

Just hours after officials announced arrests connected to a string of residential burglaries, another one was reported in the San Fernando Valley.  

According to a Los Angeles Police Department spokesperson, the incident took place just before 1:45 a.m. Wednesday in the 5000 block of Bluebell Avenue, which is located in the Valley Village neighborhood.  

The person who lives in the home was too shaken to appear on camera but told KTLA that three masked suspects broke in while she was inside and took off within minutes.

The LAPD spokesperson was unable to confirm that detail, or any other details, right away. It was unclear whether anything was taken from the home.

Police investigate a reported burglary in the 5000 block of Bluebell Avenue in the Valley Village neighborhood on May 12, 2026. (KTLA)

The alleged break-in came less than a day after L.A. Mayor Karen Bass and other officials announced arrests in a string of burglaries mainly plaguing the San Fernando Valley. At a press conference Tuesday, Mayor Karen Bass said there has been a 30% reduction year-to-date in property crimes and burglaries.

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The LAPD says part of their strategy is to saturate areas, like the Valley, that have been targeted disproportionately, using visible officers and others “behind the scenes.”

“Burglaries in the city are down over 30%, reflecting the effectiveness of our proactive enforcement and prevention strategies,” LAPD Deputy Chief Gerald Woodyard said. “We are aware that the burglary crews are highly organized and sophisticated, and we are constantly adjusting our strategies to counteract their tactics.”

That said, the LAPD is down anywhere from 800 to 1,400 police officers. The mayor said she’s fighting to hire more and is using mental health professionals on calls which don’t require a police officer.

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