West

Grandmother wins $4 million after SWAT raided wrong home based on Find My iPhone app

Published

2 years ago

April 10, 2024

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Grandmother wins million after SWAT raided wrong home based on Find My iPhone app

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A Denver judge awarded a 78-year-old grandmother $4 million in damages after a botched SWAT raid that relied almost exclusively on Apple’s Find My iPhone software.

Jurors concluded that Denver Police Department officers violated the state constitution by hastily seeking a search warrant of Ruby Johnson’s home without a proper investigation, wrote the ACLU of Colorado, which filed the lawsuit on Johnson’s behalf against Detective Gary Staab and Sgt. Gregory Buschy.

SWAT officers surrounded Ruby Johnson on Jan. 4, 2022, in Denver, as they searched her property for a stolen truck and guns. Johnson won a $3.76 million jury verdict earlier this month under a new Colorado law allowing people to sue police over violations of their state constitutional rights. Last week, a Denver judge increased the award to $4 million. (Denver Police Department via AP)

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On Jan. 4, 2022, Johnson was watching TV when she heard a loudspeaker blaring outside her home in Denver’s Montbello neighborhood. Police ordered anyone in the house to come out with their hands raised.

Johnson walked out her front door wearing a bathrobe, bonnet and slippers, stunned at the sight of an armored vehicle parked on her lawn. Officers with rifles and a K9 flanked her property.

“I didn’t want them coming in there shooting,” she previously told 9NEWS. “I came out, and then they asked me, ‘Do you have a gun on you?’ I said, ‘No, why would I have a gun on me?’”

Jurors determined that two Denver police officers acted “with willful and wanton disregard” for Ruby Johnson’s constitutional protection from unreasonable search and seizure, according to the ACLU of Colorado. Johnson lived alone in her home when SWAT raided it in January 2022. (Courtesy Joanna Kulesza/ACLU of Colorado)

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Police were looking for a pickup truck and guns that had been stolen the previous day from a Denver hotel parking garage, according to the lawsuit and 9NEWS. Police had obtained a warrant to search Johnson’s house based on pings from the Find My app on an iPhone that had been left in the pickup.

Apple’s Find My app uses information from Wi-Fi, GPS and cellular networks to determine the approximate location of people and their devices, the lawsuit states. Staab’s affidavit included a screenshot of the app with a circle spanning “at least six different properties” where the phone could be, according to the suit.

Staab improperly obtained the warrant because he didn’t mention the limitations of Apple’s Find My technology, which is “readily available” online, according to the suit. The filing characterized the detective’s affidavit as “hastily prepared, bare-bones, materially misleading” work.

Johnson sat in the back of a police car for hours while officers searched her house, causing unnecessary damage, according to the lawsuit. She told police where her garage door opener was, but instead they used a battering ram to break the door and its frame, the suit states.

Denver SWAT raided Johnson’s house on Jan. 4, 2022, after an officer said the Find My app on a stolen iPhone pinged near the home. The phone had been in a pickup truck that was stolen the previous day, but officers did not locate any stolen property in Johnson’s house. (Denver Police Department via ACLU of Colorado)

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Police also damaged the inside of her home, including breaking the head off of a cherished doll figurine customized to look just like Johnson and using the handle of a kitchen broom to smash up the ceiling so they could search the attic, according to the suit.

Earlier this month, jurors determined that Staab and Buschy acted “with willful and wanton disregard” for Johnson’s constitutional protection from unreasonable search and seizure, the ACLU of Colorado wrote. They originally awarded Johnson $1.26 million in compensatory damages and $2.5 million in punitive damages.

Last week, Denver District Judge Stephanie Scoville increased the award to an even $4 million, the ACLU of Colorado told Fox News.

The case is the first to be litigated under a provision of a sweeping police reform bill passed in Colorado in 2020 following the murder of George Floyd, according to the ACLU. The new law gave citizens a right to sue individual officers for state constitutional violations where, previously, those alleging police misconduct had to sue in federal court where the legal doctrine of qualified immunity often shields government officials from liability.

“This is a small step toward justice for Ms. Johnson, but it is a critical case under our state’s Constitution, for the first time affirming that police can be held accountable for invading someone’s home without probable cause,” wrote Tim Macdonald, ACLU of Colorado legal director.

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The Denver Police Department declined to comment on the jury verdict. A spokesperson told Fox News in an email that an internal review of the incident resulted in no formal discipline for the officers and no change in search warrant policies.

“The officers were acting based on a search warrant that was approved and signed by the District Attorney’s Office and a judge,” the spokesperson wrote.

The SWAT raid destroyed Johnson’s sense of security in her own home, according to the ACLU.

“Though the outcome of this trial will not fully undo the harm of that fateful day, it puts us one step closer to justice for her and others who have found their lives turned upside down because of police misconduct,” ACLU of Colorado Executive Director Deborah Richardson wrote in a statement.

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Washington

PHOTOS: Long Beach State Dirtbags vs. Washington State, Baseball

Published

2 minutes ago

March 2, 2026

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PHOTOS: Long Beach State Dirtbags vs. Washington State, Baseball

The562’s coverage of Dirtbags Baseball for the 2026 season is sponsored by P2S, Inc. Visit p2sinc.com to learn more.

Long Beach State dropped a 9-7 decision against Washington State on Sunday afternoon, closing out a busy weekend on Bohl Diamond at Blair Field.

The visiting Cougars took the lead for good in the eighth inning when Long Beach Poly grad Ryan Skjonsby delivered a game-winning two-run single with two outs and the bases loaded. Skjonsby was 2-for-4 with a walk, a run scored and three RBIs for Washington State in their road victory.

For the Dirtbags, catcher Damon Valdez scored twice and had a key two-run single in the sixth to help lead a Long Beach comeback. Trevor Goldenetz had a pair of hits at the top of the order, including an RBI triple. Camden Gasser walked twice and singled, improving his on-base percentage to .574 on the season.

Long Beach State (4-7) will be back in action at home on Tuesday with an exhibition match against Waseda University from Japan. The Dirtbags will then visit San Diego State on Wednesday and open Big West play at UC Santa Barbara this weekend.

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Wyoming

Meyer’s Late Score Lifts Wyoming past Air Force – SweetwaterNOW

Published

20 minutes ago

March 2, 2026

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Meyer’s Late Score Lifts Wyoming past Air Force – SweetwaterNOW

Naz Meyer. Mandatory Credit: Troy Babbitt-UW Media-Athletics

LARAMIE — Nasir Meyer converted a three-point play with 35 seconds remaining to give Wyoming Cowboys men’s basketball the lead for good, and Wyoming held Air Force Falcons men’s basketball scoreless over the final two minutes to secure a 66-62 victory Saturday night.

The win marked the 13th home victory of the season for Wyoming, which improved to 16-13 overall and 7-11 in conference play.

“Air Force deserves all the credit and let’s talk about a team that has every reason not to fight, but thats why they are Air Force and the cadets and I have a lot of respect for them,” Wyoming coach Sundance Wicks said. “They were not going to quit, and I didn’t drive that message home enough and hats off to Air Force because they deserved to win. We snuck away with a win. Adam Harakow showed when we need him and he was massive for us. Simm-Marten was made big plays and Naz was clutch for us late.”

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Wyoming shot 35% from the field and went 7 of 28 from 3-point range, making just two from beyond the arc in the second half. Air Force shot 49% overall and 44% from 3, hitting eight shots from long distance. The Cowboys made 13 of 16 free throws (81%) and scored 22 points off 15 Air Force turnovers while holding a 39-36 edge in rebounding.

Damarion Dennis led Wyoming with 16 points and three assists, going 7 of 8 from the free-throw line. Meyer finished with 14 points and tied a career best with eight rebounds. Adam Harakow added 14 points off the bench on 5-of-6 shooting, his first double-figure scoring game since the first meeting with Air Force. Simm-Marten Saadi had nine points in 13 minutes, and Kiani Saxon grabbed seven rebounds.

Air Force opened with back-to-back 3-pointers to take a 6-0 lead. Meyer scored Wyoming’s first basket, and Leland Walker added a 3-pointer to make it 8-5 with 16 minutes left in the first half.

Wyoming responded with a 9-0 run over nearly four minutes, with Saadi and Harakow each connecting from beyond the arc to give the Cowboys an 11-8 lead with under 14 minutes remaining. Air Force regained a 12-11 advantage as Wyoming went scoreless for more than two minutes.

Harakow’s second 3-pointer pushed the lead to 22-16 with nine minutes left in the half, and Wyoming used a 6-0 run while holding the Falcons without a field goal for more than four minutes to build a 28-18 lead with six minutes remaining. The Cowboys closed the half on a defensive stand, keeping Air Force scoreless for the final two minutes to take a 35-25 lead into the break. Wyoming scored 15 first-half points off turnovers.

The teams traded 3-pointers early in the second half, and Air Force cut the deficit to 40-31 with under 17 minutes left before trimming it to seven 90 seconds later. Walker answered with a 3-pointer to make it 43-33 with 15 minutes to go.

Air Force used a 9-0 run during a stretch in which Wyoming went more than 3 1/2 minutes without a point to pull within one with nine minutes left. The Falcons later tied the game at 51-51 with 5:30 remaining after forcing six straight missed shots.

A pair of free throws by Meyer and a basket from Saadi gave Wyoming a 57-53 lead with under four minutes to play. Air Force answered with three consecutive 3-pointers from Kam Sanders to take a 62-59 lead with two minutes left.

Meyer scored with 90 seconds remaining to cut the deficit to one. On the next trip, he converted an and-one to give Wyoming a 64-62 lead with 35 seconds left. The Cowboys added late free throws to close out the 66-62 win.

Sanders led Air Force with 16 points and nine rebounds, going 4 of 5 from 3-point range. Eli Robinson added 12 points on 5-of-7 shooting.

Wyoming closes its home schedule Tuesday against Nevada Wolf Pack men’s basketball at 8 p.m. as part of a doubleheader with the Cowgirls.

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West

LAPD officer hit with felony charges after allegedly skydiving while collecting full disability benefits

Published

4 hours ago

March 1, 2026

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LAPD officer hit with felony charges after allegedly skydiving while collecting full disability benefits

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Officials on Wednesday accused a Los Angeles police officer of insurance fraud after he allegedly went skydiving multiple times while collecting full disability benefits.

Christopher Brandon Carnahan, 43, of Norwalk, was charged Monday after allegedly exaggerating an on-duty injury sustained in 2023, according to the Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office.

Carnahan is a veteran officer who has been with the Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD) 18 years, according to WatchTheWatchers.net, citing California public records.

“This case is about honesty and accountability,” Los Angeles County District Attorney Nathan J. Hochman said in a statement.

Christopher Brandon Carnahan appears to skydive at Skydive Elsinore in Lake Elsinore. (District Attorney’s Office for the Los Angeles County District)

“Claiming to be temporarily totally disabled and collecting disability benefits intended for injured workers while engaging in physically demanding activities like skydiving is a crime. This is an officer who knows the law and understands the standards he is sworn to uphold.”

On May 22, 2023, Carnahan claimed he injured his left elbow while on duty and was subsequently placed on temporary totally disabled (TTD) status, officials said.

Police under TTD are entitled to receive 100% of their base salary tax-free for up to a year and then two-thirds afterward if the injury persists.

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Surveillance footage captures Carnahan working out at a fitness center with dumbbells. (District Attorney’s Office for the Los Angeles County District)

Contrary to claims of being completely disabled, Carnahan allegedly engaged in strenuous physical activity, including working out and completing “many skydives” at Skydive Elsinore in Lake Elsinore, south of Los Angeles.

The District Attorney’s Office also released photos showing what appears to be Carnahan skydiving and exercising at a fitness center. In one image, dated May 23, 2024, the LAPD officer is seen holding dumbbells in a motion that involves his elbows.

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A Los Angeles Police Department vehicle is parked in the city. (Los Angeles Police Department)

He faces two counts of felony insurance fraud and is being held on $100,000 bail. If convicted, Carnahan could be sentenced to six years in jail.

The LAPD, which is investigating the case, is expected to review Carnahan’s employment status pending the outcome of his criminal trial.

Bonny Chu is a Digital Production Assistant at Fox News Digital.

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