Washington
Commanders kicker and the Jaguars sued in civil court
The Washington Commanders said Monday they were made aware of a lawsuit filed in civil court last week against kicker Brandon McManus, and the Jacksonville Jaguars acknowledged they are also being sued.
A Commanders spokesperson said the team is looking into the situation and has spoken with McManus’ agent and the NFL office, adding, “We take allegations of this nature very seriously.”
ESPN reported two women are suing McManus for sexually assaulting them during a charter flight to London last year when he was playing for the Jaguars, who said they are aware of the complaint and the significance of the claims being made.
“As we continue to look into the matter, it bears emphasizing that we insist on an organization built by people who represent our community and game with the highest character and class,” the Jaguars said in a statement.
Citing court documents that have not yet been posted on Duval County’s public records database, ESPN reports the women, identified as Jane Doe I and Jane Doe II, are accusing McManus of rubbing and grinding against them during the flight and the Jaguars of failing to supervise him and create a safe environment for staff serving the team. They are seeking more than $1 million and asking for a jury trial, according to ESPN.
McManus’ lawyer called them “absolutely fictitious and demonstrably false allegations.”
“We intend to aggressively defend Brandon’s rights and integrity and clear his name by showing what these claims truly are — an extortion attempt,” Brett R. Gallaway of McLaughlin & Stern said in a statement sent to The Associated Press.
McManus, who turns 33 in July, signed with Washington in March. The Philadelphia native has been in the league for a decade, the first nine seasons with the Denver Broncos, after playing at Temple.
Washington
Man pleads guilty to taking officer’s pepper spray at Capitol riot
WASHINGTON (AP) — An upstate New York man has pleaded guilty to charges that he snatched away a police officer’s can of pepper spray during a chaotic clash with officers guarding the U.S. Capitol building during the Jan. 6, 2021 riot.
Federal prosecutors said Friday that Troy Weeks, 38, was among a group that tried to overwhelm officers who were blocking an entryway to the building as supporters of former President Donald Trump stormed the Capitol grounds in protest of Trump’s election loss.
He has pleaded guilty to felony charges of civil disorder and assaulting, resisting, or impeding an officer, as well as a handful of related misdemeanor charges. His attorneys did not immediately return an emailed request for comment.
On Jan. 6, Weeks worked his way through a crowd to a line of police stationed at a Capitol entryway, thrusting his hand through a broken window to grab a can of pepper spray from an officer, authorities said. The officer was able to snatch the can back from Weeks as he was pulling his arm through the window, according to court documents.
Weeks then pushed past a set of doors and pressed into the line of officers, grabbing onto one of their shields before an officer pepper sprayed him, authorities said. He eventually exited the entryway but returned about 40 minutes later with other rioters to again push against the police line.
Weeks remained on the Capitol grounds after his clash with police, and was later recorded on a body camera asking officers why they weren’t “protecting the ballots,” according to court documents.
Law enforcement used images from the Capitol and matched them with a picture on Instagram to identify Weeks, according to court records. Authorities then traveled to his hometown of Greenville in upstate New York to find a relative, landlord and coworker, and eventually obtained bank records and a video of Weeks at an ATM to further identify him.
The U.S. Justice Department said more than 1,400 people have been charged for crimes related to the Capitol riot, with their investigation still ongoing. Weeks is scheduled to be sentenced in November.
New York
‘Son of Sam’ killer Berkowitz denied parole in 12th attempt
ALBANY, N.Y. (AP) — “Son of Sam” killer David Berkowitz, who set New York City on edge with late-night shootings in the 1970s, was denied parole after his twelfth board appearance.
Berkowitz, 70, was rejected after a Board of Parole prison interview on May 14, according to information listed on a state Department of Corrections and Community Supervision web site. Officials with the corrections agency would not provide additional information on Tuesday.
Berkowitz terrorized the city with a series of shootings that killed six people and wounded seven beginning in July 1976. The shooter targeted young women and couples sitting in cars. The papers called him the “.44 Caliber Killer.” In taunting notes to police and a journalist, he called himself “Son of Sam” and said he received demonic messages to kill.
Berkowitz was arrested Aug. 10, 1977, a little more than a year after the first victim, Donna Lauria, was shot and killed in the Bronx.
The New York Police Department formed a 200-person task force to find the killer. The case was finally cracked after a witness reported a strange man on the street near the final shooting. Police checked traffic tickets that had been issued in the area and traced them to Berkowitz’s car and home in nearby Yonkers.
Berkowitz was sentenced in 1978 to the maximum prison term of 25 years to life for each of the six slayings. He first became eligible for parole in 2002.
Berkowitz has since expressed remorse and said he is a born-again Christian. He is being held at Shawangunk Correctional Facility, a maximum-security prison.
Commanders kicker and the Jaguars sued in civil court
The Washington Commanders said Monday they were made aware of a lawsuit filed in civil court last week against kicker Brandon McManus, and the Jacksonville Jaguars acknowledged they are also being sued.
A Commanders spokesperson said the team is looking into the situation and has spoken with McManus’ agent and the NFL office, adding, “We take allegations of this nature very seriously.”
ESPN reported two women are suing McManus for sexually assaulting them during a charter flight to London last year when he was playing for the Jaguars, who said they are aware of the complaint and the significance of the claims being made.
“As we continue to look into the matter, it bears emphasizing that we insist on an organization built by people who represent our community and game with the highest character and class,” the Jaguars said in a statement.
Citing court documents that have not yet been posted on Duval County’s public records database, ESPN reports the women, identified as Jane Doe I and Jane Doe II, are accusing McManus of rubbing and grinding against them during the flight and the Jaguars of failing to supervise him and create a safe environment for staff serving the team. They are seeking more than $1 million and asking for a jury trial, according to ESPN.
McManus’ lawyer called them “absolutely fictitious and demonstrably false allegations.”
“We intend to aggressively defend Brandon’s rights and integrity and clear his name by showing what these claims truly are — an extortion attempt,” Brett R. Gallaway of McLaughlin & Stern said in a statement sent to The Associated Press.
McManus, who turns 33 in July, signed with Washington in March. The Philadelphia native has been in the league for a decade, the first nine seasons with the Denver Broncos, after playing at Temple.
Washington
Man pleads guilty to taking officer’s pepper spray at Capitol riot
WASHINGTON (AP) — An upstate New York man has pleaded guilty to charges that he snatched away a police officer’s can of pepper spray during a chaotic clash with officers guarding the U.S. Capitol building during the Jan. 6, 2021 riot.
Federal prosecutors said Friday that Troy Weeks, 38, was among a group that tried to overwhelm officers who were blocking an entryway to the building as supporters of former President Donald Trump stormed the Capitol grounds in protest of Trump’s election loss.
He has pleaded guilty to felony charges of civil disorder and assaulting, resisting, or impeding an officer, as well as a handful of related misdemeanor charges. His attorneys did not immediately return an emailed request for comment.
On Jan. 6, Weeks worked his way through a crowd to a line of police stationed at a Capitol entryway, thrusting his hand through a broken window to grab a can of pepper spray from an officer, authorities said. The officer was able to snatch the can back from Weeks as he was pulling his arm through the window, according to court documents.
Weeks then pushed past a set of doors and pressed into the line of officers, grabbing onto one of their shields before an officer pepper sprayed him, authorities said. He eventually exited the entryway but returned about 40 minutes later with other rioters to again push against the police line.
Weeks remained on the Capitol grounds after his clash with police, and was later recorded on a body camera asking officers why they weren’t “protecting the ballots,” according to court documents.
Law enforcement used images from the Capitol and matched them with a picture on Instagram to identify Weeks, according to court records. Authorities then traveled to his hometown of Greenville in upstate New York to find a relative, landlord and coworker, and eventually obtained bank records and a video of Weeks at an ATM to further identify him.
The U.S. Justice Department said more than 1,400 people have been charged for crimes related to the Capitol riot, with their investigation still ongoing. Weeks is scheduled to be sentenced in November.
New York
‘Son of Sam’ killer Berkowitz denied parole in 12th attempt
ALBANY, N.Y. (AP) — “Son of Sam” killer David Berkowitz, who set New York City on edge with late-night shootings in the 1970s, was denied parole after his twelfth board appearance.
Berkowitz, 70, was rejected after a Board of Parole prison interview on May 14, according to information listed on a state Department of Corrections and Community Supervision web site. Officials with the corrections agency would not provide additional information on Tuesday.
Berkowitz terrorized the city with a series of shootings that killed six people and wounded seven beginning in July 1976. The shooter targeted young women and couples sitting in cars. The papers called him the “.44 Caliber Killer.” In taunting notes to police and a journalist, he called himself “Son of Sam” and said he received demonic messages to kill.
Berkowitz was arrested Aug. 10, 1977, a little more than a year after the first victim, Donna Lauria, was shot and killed in the Bronx.
The New York Police Department formed a 200-person task force to find the killer. The case was finally cracked after a witness reported a strange man on the street near the final shooting. Police checked traffic tickets that had been issued in the area and traced them to Berkowitz’s car and home in nearby Yonkers.
Berkowitz was sentenced in 1978 to the maximum prison term of 25 years to life for each of the six slayings. He first became eligible for parole in 2002.
Berkowitz has since expressed remorse and said he is a born-again Christian. He is being held at Shawangunk Correctional Facility, a maximum-security prison.
