Connect with us

Washington

WATCH: Washington state woman robbed at gunpoint at ATM amid crime concerns

Published

on

WATCH: Washington state woman robbed at gunpoint at ATM amid crime concerns


Join Fox News for access to this content

You have reached your maximum number of articles. Log in or create an account FREE of charge to continue reading.

By entering your email and pushing continue, you are agreeing to Fox News’ Terms of Use and Privacy Policy, which includes our Notice of Financial Incentive.

Please enter a valid email address.

Having trouble? Click here.

A Washington state woman was stalked and robbed at gunpoint at an ATM amid a continued crime crisis raging on the West Coast.

Advertisement

Surveillance video, obtained by FOX 13, showed the robbery taking place by a Bank of America in Parkland, Washington, a suburb of Seattle, on Thursday, Sept. 26.

The footage captured a figure in a ski mask hiding in the shadows as an unsuspecting woman arrives at the bank and goes about withdrawing money from the ATM. 

After the woman had withdrawn her money, the suspect emerged from the bushes and approached the woman, holding her up at gunpoint and demanding her money.

SEATTLE BUSINESS OWNERS WARN VIOLENT CRIME IS HAPPENING ON A NEAR HOURLY BASIS: ‘THIS IS MADNESS’

The female victim was robbed at an ATM in Parkland, Washington. The suspect was seen hiding in the bushes prior to the robbery. (FOX 13)

Advertisement

The Pierce County Sheriff’s office said that the ski-masked suspect retreated – along with the $1,000 and the victim’s passport.

“It’s a random act of violence,” Sergeant Darren Moss of the Pierce County Sheriff’s Department said. 

“That makes him extremely dangerous to our community,” he said. “We want to get this person in custody because we don’t want him to do this to someone else.”

The suspect approached the female victim and robbed her, police said. (FOX 13)

The ATM robbery comes after local business owners have voiced their continued concerns about the crime crisis.

Advertisement

Pat Callahan, the CEO of Urban Renaissance Group, told the Business Journal that while there has been some improvement, the crime problem is still yet to be solved. He claimed that many tenants at his downtown property are considering leaving the area.

“Really, what’s happening now is all the fentanyl use is bringing consistent crime to the area, and it’s festering,” he said.

Violent crimes in Seattle surged in 2021 and 2022 after the government defunded the police. (FOX 13 )

URG Executive Vice President Shawn Jackson echoed his sentiments and told the outlet that conditions have become “somewhat extreme.” He revealed that one individual recently started a garbage truck fire near the company’s Joshua Green Building.

“These are property damage events that happen quite frequently,” he said. “We can’t let the challenges of several concentrated blocks in our downtown define our identity.” 

Advertisement

The Space Needle stands over the Seattle skyline as Mt. Rainier is seen in the background on March 13, 2022 in Seattle, Washington. (Photo by John Moore/Getty Images)

CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP

Commercial real estate broker Tom Graff said the current approach to crime is not working and is “not sustainable.”

The business leader’s sentiment comes as the number of violent crimes in downtown Seattle fell by 10% in 2023 from 2022. It was the lowest number since 2018.

Fox News Digital has reached out to the Pierce County Sheriff for comment.

Advertisement

Fox News’ Nikolas Lanum contributed to this report.



Source link

Washington

Brothers shot Park Police officer who arrested one of them the day before, documents say

Published

on

Brothers shot Park Police officer who arrested one of them the day before, documents say


Charging documents reveal the U.S. Park Police officer who was shot Monday in Southeast D.C. had arrested one of the suspects the day before and was following that suspect at the time.

The suspects are brothers, 22-year-old Asheile Foster and 21-year-old Darren Foster, of Southeast. They appeared in federal court Wednesday afternoon.

Court documents state the Park Police officer who was shot had arrested Asheile Foster on Sunday on suspicion of dealing drugs. The officer said he followed Foster after he was released from jail on Monday and came to Park Police headquarters to get his personal belongings.

According to prosecutors, Foster told police he knew he was being followed by a white Tesla, and he confronted the officer on Queens Stroll Place SE, jumping out in front of the Tesla before the officer swerved around him.

Advertisement

Then, dozens of gunshots went off, the officer told police. He said in charging documents he was shot in the shoulder as he kept driving several blocks to the intersection of Benning Road and Southern Avenue SE, where police found him. A helicopter then took him to a hospital. According to charging documents, the officer was treated and released the same night as the shooting.

A U.S. Park Police officer who was shot in Southeast D.C. on Monday is recovering from what authorities say was likely a targeted attack. Multiple law enforcement sources tell News4’s Mark Segraves that when the officer was shot, he was investigating a shooting that occurred in Anacostia Park on Friday.

Photos in the charging documents show the brothers firing at the officer’s Tesla, according to prosecutors.

The shooting drew a massive police presence to the Southeast neighborhood near the D.C-Maryland border Monday night.

Shell casings littered the middle of the street. Police said they recovered two weapons: a Glock 9 with an extended magazine and an AR-15.

Advertisement

Prosecutors said that when the officer was shot, he was investigating a shooting that occurred in Anacostia Park on Friday. No one was injured in that shooting.

Darren Foster was located and stopped shortly after the shooting, D.C. police said. Asheile Foster was found on Tuesday.

The brothers were charged with assault on a federal officer, assault with intent to kill and weapons charges. They could face up to 60 years in prison if they’re convicted.



Source link

Advertisement
Continue Reading

Washington

Washington passes new AI laws to crack down on misinformation, protect minors

Published

on

Washington passes new AI laws to crack down on misinformation, protect minors


Washington just became the latest state to regulate artificial intelligence.

Under a pair of bills signed by Gov. Bob Ferguson Tuesday, companies like OpenAI and Anthropic will have to include new disclosures in their popular chatbots for Washington users.

Ferguson asked legislators to craft House Bill 1170 to crack down on AI-generated misinformation. When content is substantially modified using generative AI, that information will now have to be traceable using watermarks or metadata. The new law applies to large AI companies more than 1 million monthly subscribers.

Advertisement

“ I’m confident I’m not the only Washingtonian who often sees something on my phone and wondering to myself, ‘Is that AI or is it real?’ And I feel like I’m a reasonably discerning person,” Ferguson said during the bill signing. “It is virtually impossible these days.”

RELATED: WA Gov. Bob Ferguson calls for regulations on AI chatbot companions

House Bill 2225 establishes new guard rails for AI chatbots that act like friends or companions. It applies to services like ChatGPT and Claude, but excludes more narrowly tailored chatbots, like the customer service windows that pop up when visiting a corporate website.

Chatbots that fit the bill will have to disclose to users that they are not human at the start of every conversation, and every three hours in an ongoing chat. The tools will also be barred from pretending to be human in conversation with users.

Advertisement

The rules go further if the user is a minor. Companies that operate chatbots will have to disclose that the tools are not human every hour, rather than every three hours, if the user is under 18. The bill forbids AI companions from having sexually explicit conversations with underage users. It also bans “manipulative engagement techniques.” For example, a chatbot is not allowed to guilt or pressure a minor into staying in a conversation or keeping information from parents.

“AI has incredible potential to transform society,” Ferguson said. “At the same time, of course, there are risks that we must mitigate as a state, especially to young people. So I speak partly as a governor, but also as the father of teenage twins who grapple with this as a lot of parents do every single day.”

Under the law, AI chatbots will not be allowed to encourage or provide information on suicide or self-harm, including eating disorders. The companies behind these tools will be required to come up with a protocol for flagging conversations that reference self-harm and connecting users with mental health services.

The regulations come in the wake of several high-profile instances of teenage suicide following prolonged interactions with AI companions that showed warning signs. Many more AI users of all ages have reported mental health issues and psychosis after heavy use of the technology.

Advertisement



Source link

Continue Reading

Washington

Washington faces Utah, aims to stop 16-game skid

Published

on

Washington faces Utah, aims to stop 16-game skid


Washington Wizards (16-55, 14th in the Eastern Conference) vs. Utah Jazz (21-51, 14th in the Western Conference)

Salt Lake City; Wednesday, 9 p.m. EDT

BOTTOM LINE: Washington heads into the matchup with Utah after losing 16 in a row.

Advertisement

The Jazz have gone 13-24 in home games. Utah ranks second in the Western Conference with 16.6 fast break points per game led by Lauri Markkanen averaging 3.3.

The Wizards are 5-29 in road games. Washington is 9-10 when it has fewer turnovers than its opponents and averages 15.3 turnovers per game.

The Jazz score 117.4 points per game, 6.7 fewer points than the 124.1 the Wizards give up. The Wizards’ 46.1% shooting percentage from the field this season is 2.9 percentage points lower than the Jazz have allowed to their opponents (49.0%).

The teams square off for the second time this season. The Jazz won the last meeting 122-112 on March 6, with Ace Bailey scoring 32 points in the victory.

TOP PERFORMERS: Kyle Filipowski is averaging 10.5 points and 6.9 rebounds for the Jazz. Brice Sensabaugh is averaging 19.9 points over the last 10 games.

Advertisement

Alex Sarr is averaging 16.5 points, 7.4 rebounds and two blocks for the Wizards. Will Riley is averaging 14.4 points over the past 10 games.

LAST 10 GAMES: Jazz: 3-7, averaging 116.4 points, 43.3 rebounds, 27.7 assists, 9.9 steals and 4.4 blocks per game while shooting 45.9% from the field. Their opponents have averaged 122.7 points per game.

Wizards: 0-10, averaging 114.3 points, 37.4 rebounds, 24.5 assists, 6.9 steals and 4.5 blocks per game while shooting 47.1% from the field. Their opponents have averaged 130.6 points.

INJURIES: Jazz: Lauri Markkanen: out (hip), Isaiah Collier: out (hamstring), Keyonte George: out (leg), Cody Williams: out (shoulder), Walker Kessler: out for season (shoulder), Jusuf Nurkic: out for season (nose), Jaren Jackson Jr.: out for season (knee).

Wizards: Anthony Davis: out (finger), Tristan Vukcevic: day to day (back), Cam Whitmore: out for season (shoulder), Alex Sarr: day to day (toe), Tre Johnson: day to day (foot), Kyshawn George: out (elbow), D’Angelo Russell: out (not injury related), Trae Young: out (quad).

Advertisement

___

The Associated Press created this story using technology provided by Data Skrive and data from Sportradar.



Source link

Continue Reading

Trending