Month: June 2024

FBI agents conducted a raid on the home of Oakland, California Mayor Sheng Thao early Thursday morning. Agents served warrants at Thao’s house on Maiden Lane in the city’s Lincoln Highlands neighborhood at around 5:30 a.m.

Three black and gray SUVs were seen outside the home, along with an agent wearing blue gloves who asked reporters to stay away from the vehicles. Agency spokesperson Cameron Polan said in a statement: “the FBI is conducting court authorized law enforcement activity on Maiden Lane. We are unable to provide additional information at this time.”  Just after 10 a.m., several FBI agents emerged from the home carrying boxes as news crews staked out positions across the street. It was unclear what the agents were seeking or what was seized, however, sources cited by San Francisco’s ABC7 News said the case involves the IRS and the US Postal Service.

The raid on Thao’s home was one of several federal raids on other properties in the city of Oakland. The FBI searched another home in the 4300 block of View Crest Court in Oakland also on Thursday morning.  Federal agents also served warrants at a nearby home on Viewcrest Court in the city’s Ridgemont neighborhood and at the offices shared by the Vietnamese American Business Association (VABA) and recycler California Waste Solutions on the city’s Embarcadero. The owner of the Viewcrest Court house is listed as Andrew Duong, the son of VABA chairman David Duong. The elder Duong is also CEO of California Waste Solutions. Both VABA and California Waste Solutions count on multiple members of the Duong family for their leadership teams.

Thao didn’t immediately respond to phone calls from the news media, with her spokesperson referring reporters to the FBI. Thao was a no-show Thursday morning at a scheduled press conference in San Francisco on affordable housing with the mayors of San Francisco, San Jose and Berkeley.

The raids come two days after the Alameda County Registrar of Voters announced there were enough signatures on a petition to recall Thao from office to move the process forward.  The petition blames the mayor for not doing enough to fight crime which has led many businesses to close down in the city, and also state that Thao is responsible for the city’s failure to apply for millions of dollars in state money to fight retail crime. Thao has also been criticized for firing former police chief LeRonne Armstrong and not hiring a replacement for more than a year.

Editorial credit: Sheila Fitzgerald / Shutterstock.com

A man was critically injured and hospitalized after being hit by a rollercoaster at the Kings Island amusement park in Ohio on Wednesday. The incident happened at around 8pm when a 38-year-old man entered a restricted area near the rollercoaster.

According to The Cincinnati Enquirer, the Mason Police Department responded to a call concerning the Banshee roller coaster at Kings Island, in Mason, on Wednesday night, with officers saying that the report concerned “a subject down on the ground in one of the restricted areas,” adding that the victim was hit at “68 mph.

ABC Cincinnati affiliate WCPO reported that a witness said the man told a park employee he had lost something on the ride and needed to go back to get it. The employee reportedly said he would not be able to do anything until the ride closed, but the man continued to wander in the ride’s vicinity and eventually passed through a restricted gate. He appeared to be similarly dressed to other employees so people thought he worked at the park, or was a manager.

The victim was determined to have suffered a critical injury and was transported to a local hospital after which he was transferred to the University of Cincinnati Medical Center for treatment. Arepresentative for the park wrote in an emailed statement: “On Wednesday at approximately 8:00 p.m., a guest entered a restricted, fenced area of the Banshee roller coaster and is believed to have been struck by the ride. The park’s safety and first aid personnel responded immediately to the situation and contacted local emergency responders. Kings Island’s focus continues to be on the welfare of the guest and his family. There is no additional information to share at this time.”

As of Thursday morning, police said the man remained in critical condition. This incident is currently under investigation by the Mason Police Department in coordination with Kings Island, while the ride remained closed as of Thursday afternoon. Kings Island has been open for half a century and is described on its website as “the premier entertainment destination in the Midwest.” The amusement and water park is spread out across 364 acres, a half-hour drive from downtown Cincinnati.

Editorial credit: Vejas / Shutterstock.com