West
Illegal immigrant accused of killing Washington state trooper was previously accused of domestic violence
The illegal migrant who crashed into a Washington State Patrol car and killed the officer inside was previously arrested on charges of domestic abuse, officials claim.
Raul Benitez Santana, 32, was arrested last Saturday after the fatal incident, which took the life of 27-year-old Trooper Christopher Gadd.
King County court documents obtained by the “Jason Rantz Show” on KTTH show that Santana was previously arrested for assaulting his girlfriend — identified by the initials “M.C.” — who was also the mother of his then-five-month-old child.
MAN WHO CRASHED INTO WASHINGTON STATE PATROL TROOPER, KILLING HIM, IN US ILLEGALLY: ICE
Raul Benitez Santana is accused of killing a Washington State Patrol officer after crashing his car into a patrol vehicle. (FOX 13 Seattle)
M.C. reported to police that the confrontation began when she got into an argument with Santana over text messages he was receiving from another woman, according to the documents.
M.C. reported throwing Santana’s phone, after which he began punching her repeatedly. She suffered significant damage to her face, including a broken nose and swollen left eye. A non-felony plea deal from Santana was accepted in May 2019.
Following the arrest, officers noticed irregularities in Santana’s personal identification records.
WASHINGTON STATE TROOPER KILLED IN THREE-VEHICLE CRASH WHILE SEARCHING FOR DUI DRIVERS
King County became a sanctuary county in 2013, and Washington became a sanctuary state in 2019 to push back against effort by then-President Donald Trump to tighten restrictions on illegal immigrants in the U.S.
“The search incident to his arrest yielded multiple identification documents for him bearing a variety of names and other changed identifying information such as social security numbers,” documents surrounding the case read.
Santana was arrested last week following the fatal car accident and is being held on $1 million bail after allegedly crashing his vehicle into a Washington State Patrol trooper and killing him.
CAR LAUNCHES FROM ROAD, LANDS 200 FEET BELOW DUE TO ‘DISTRACTED DRIVING’: VIDEO
Washington State Patrol Trooper Christopher M. Gadd, 27, served the agency for two and a half years. He is survived by his wife and daughter, his parents, sister and other family members. (Washington State Patrol)
Gadd was watching for speeding and DUI drivers, when he was struck and killed in a three-vehicle crash on Interstate 5 around 3 a.m. Saturday.
An investigation into the crash found an SUV being driven by Santana was heading southbound on the interstate when the vehicle veered onto the shoulder and struck the trooper’s patrol car.
The Snohomish County Sheriff’s Office reportedly found the SUV was traveling at a high rate of speed when it crashed into the police vehicle.
On Tuesday, FOX 13 in Seattle reported it had obtained court documents alleging Santana had bloodshot eyes and admitted to police he had been drinking alcohol and smoking marijuana before getting behind the wheel of the vehicle and driving.
Santana was booked into the Snohomish County Jail, where U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s (ICE) Seattle Enforcement and Removal Operations (ERO) division placed an immigration detainer on the Mexican citizen.
He was first encountered by Seattle ERO on Oct. 28, 2013, at the South Correctional Entity in Burien, Washington, after being arrested for failing to appear in court for driving on a suspended license.
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He was also sentenced to 90 days behind bars, with 87 of the days suspended, in May 2013, after being convicted of possessing less than 40 grams of marijuana.
On Oct. 6, 2014, Santana was sentenced to 90 days behind bars for driving on a suspended license, and in May 2019, was arrested again for domestic violence assault.
Fox News Digital’s Griff Jenkins contributed to this report.
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West
Las Vegas first responders conduct seven-hour rescue of injured climber stranded 600 feet up rock face
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First responders in Nevada carried out a dramatic seven-hour rescue after a climber was seriously injured while stranded roughly 600 feet up a steep rock face near Las Vegas.
The Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department (LVMPD) said search and rescue teams were notified around noon Saturday about an injured climber on the “Dream Safari” route along Dark Shadows Wall in Pine Creek.
Authorities said the climber had fallen an estimated 40 to 50 feet, suffering severe head and back injuries.
The victim’s climbing partner and a guide from another climbing party reached the injured climber and controlled the bleeding while awaiting rescue crews.
Rescuers secured the climber in a titanium litter and lowered the patient in stages down the rock face. (Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department)
Four search and rescue officers and a lead climb volunteer were inserted by the department’s AIR3 helicopter several hundred feet above the victim at the top of the route.
Rescuers then rappelled down the rock face, provided medical treatment while suspended mid-face, and secured the patient in a titanium litter.
Crews constructed a lowering system and brought the climber several hundred feet down to the ground through three separate lowering stations, with a rescuer attending to the patient during the descent.
RAFTER VANISHES IN OREGON WILDERNESS, SURVIVES FIVE-DAY ORDEAL BEFORE HELICOPTER RESCUE
Las Vegas police search and rescue teams spent seven hours lowering an injured climber 600 feet to safety. (Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department)
Once at the base, additional volunteers carried the litter to an extraction point where the helicopter returned to airlift the victim to a Bureau of Land Management helipad.
The climber was then transferred to a ground ambulance and taken to a local hospital.
NORWEGIAN CLIMBER LOOKING TO BECOME FASTEST PERSON TO CLIMB WORLD’S 14 HIGHEST MOUNTAINS
The climber’s helmet was destroyed in the fall but likely saved the person’s life, officials said. (Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department)
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LVMPD wrote on Facebook that the entire operation lasted about seven hours from initial insertion to final extraction.
“Although the victim’s helmet was destroyed during the fall, it likely saved their life,” police said.
Read the full article from Here
San Francisco, CA
Floats for San Francisco Chinese New Year Parade get finishing touches
SAN FRANCISCO (KGO) — ABC7 Eyewitness News got a sneak peak as crews put the finishing touches on the floats you’ll see at Saturday’s San Francisco Chinese New Year Festival and Parade.
Since it’s the year of the fire horse, you’ll see a lot of horses and fire symbolism on the floats, housed at Pier 19.
“So Year of the Horse, it’s energy, it’s passion, it’s momentum so a lot of things that we’re really hoping to embody in the new year,” said Stephanie Mufson, owner of San Francisco-based The Parade Guys, which designs and constructs the floats.
She said they’ve been building them for about three months, with the designs starting in November.
MORE: Bay Area artist brings Year of the Horse statue to life for Golden State Warriors
“We’re in the home stretch,” she said. “We’ve got a couple of days left and we’ve got a nice little team that’s cranking out all the finishing work that needs to go into it.”
Derrick Shavers was sanding some wood that will be painted and become cherry blossom trees on a float.
“It’s exciting,” Shavers said. “I look forward to coming every year and just creating and making things shine and sparkle.”
Bon was painting mountains for a float, making sure everything is perfect in time for the parade.
MORE: Meet the 2026 San Francisco Chinese New Year Parade mascot, Maverick
“It’s one of the few parades that actually happens at night still,” Bon said. “So we got to make sure all the lighting is in check, and people are safe on the float. It’s all in the details, just for it to walk by you for 10 seconds.”
Ten seconds that bring so much joy to those watching the parade.
Here’s how you can watch the parade on ABC7 Eyewitness News on Saturday, March 7.
Coverage starts at 5 p.m. wherever you stream ABC7.
SF Chinese New Year Parade 2026: How to watch ABC7 Eyewitness News live coverage
If you’re on the ABC7 News app, click here to watch live
Copyright © 2026 KGO-TV. All Rights Reserved.
Denver, CO
Grand Junction, Palisade reach Great Eight in Denver
GRAND JUNCTION, Colo. (KREX) — The Class 5A Sweet 16 has arrived, and both Grand Junction and Palisade are still standing with trips to the Great Eight in Denver on the line.
At The Jungle, the No. 2 seed Grand Junction Tigers set the tone early against No. 18 Golden. Defense carried the Tigers from the opening tip as they held the Demons to nine first quarter points while scoring 16 of their own.
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Grand Junction added eight points in the second quarter while Golden managed six, sending the Tigers into halftime with a nine point lead.
Golden responded in the third quarter, outscoring Grand Junction 16 to 11 to cut the deficit to five entering the fourth. The Tigers answered in the final period, attacking the rim and converting key shots to win the quarter 19 to 10. Grand Junction secured a 54 to 41 victory to protect its home court and advance to the Great Eight in Denver.
Top seeded Palisade also defended its home floor with a trip to Denver at stake. The Bulldogs opened with nine straight points to energize a packed gym, but Frederick settled in and closed the first quarter on a run to tie the game at nine.
Frederick continued to respond in the second quarter and took an eight point lead into halftime.
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Palisade shifted momentum after the break. The Bulldogs tightened defensively, holding Frederick to 21 points in the second half while scoring 39 of their own. Palisade completed the comeback to advance to the Great Eight.
Colorado Mesa University Women Deliver Historic RMAC Tournament Win
In collegiate action, the top seeded Colorado Mesa University women’s basketball team defeated Colorado School of Mines 96 to 51 in the RMAC Tournament, marking the largest margin of victory in the tournament this century.
Olivia Reed-Thyne led the Mavericks with 34 points on 11 of 15 shooting, her third 30 point performance this season. Mason Rowland added 22 points and Hallie Clark contributed 10 as Colorado Mesa matched a program record with its 31st win. The Mavericks will host the semifinals Friday with a berth in the championship game at stake.
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Colorado Mesa University Men Survive Overtime Thriller
The Colorado Mesa University men’s basketball team faced New Mexico Highlands University for the third time this season. The Mavericks scored 36 first half points and led by four at the break.
New Mexico Highlands shot 50 percent in the second half, received 21 bench points and outscored Colorado Mesa 43 to 39 to force a late push. With the season in the balance, Ty Allred hit a game tying 3 pointer to make it 75 and send the game to overtime. Allred scored seven points in the extra period as Colorado Mesa earned a 91 to 90 victory to advance to the next round.
Copyright 2026 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
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