Maryland
Hate crime charges dropped against 12 students arrested in October assault
SALISBURY, Md. (AP) — Prosecutors have dropped hate crime charges against 12 of the 15 Salisbury University students arrested following an October attack in which investigators say a man was lured to an off-campus apartment, beaten and called a homophobic slur.
The Wicomico County Office of the State’s Attorney said in a statement to the Washington Post that it “has reviewed the evidence gathered during the course of the investigation and we have charged as appropriate in light of that evidence.” The newspaper reported last week that the charges had been dropped.
Police initially said the defendants were facing hate crime charges for allegedly targeting the victim because he’s gay. According to charging documents, one of the defendants made a fake account on a dating app and promised the victim sex with a 16-year-old.
The man’s age is not included in court documents. The legal age of consent in Maryland is 16 in most cases.
The Salisbury Police Department started investigating after two witnesses told campus police that they had seen a video of the assault, according to charging documents.
New Jersey
Two states sue Glock over switch that allows pistols to fire like machine gun
NEWARK, N.J. (AP) — New Jersey and Minnesota sued Glock on Thursday, calling on the gunmaker to stop selling firearms that can be adapted with dime-sized switches to fire up to 1,200 rounds a minute.
New Jersey Attorney General Matt Platkin and Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison also announced that top law enforcement officials in 14 states and the District in Columbia are forming a coalition to reduce gun violence by coordinating enforcement of the states’ consumer protection laws.
The moves by mostly Democrat-led states amount to early pushback against President-elect Donald Trump’s second administration, which Platkin, a Democrat, said “routinely sides with the gun industry.”
Before speaking at a Boys & Girls Club in New Jersey’s largest city, Platkin’s office played a video of a law enforcement officer demonstrating how to use the Glock switch. The video shows an officer first firing the pistol without the switch, requiring a pause between shots. The officer then installs the switch and is able to fire multiple rounds without any pause.
Women wearing red Moms Demand Action T-shirts in the gymnasium hosting the attorney general let out a gasp.
“For decades, Glock has knowingly sold weapons that anyone with a screwdriver and a YouTube video can convert into a military-grade machine gun in a matter of minutes,” Platkin said.
The Associated Press emailed Glock requesting comment. The Austrian company’s U.S. subsidiary based in Smyrna, Georgia, has not responded to previous AP requests for comment on lawsuits involving the switches.
A September report from the anti-violence organization Everytown for Gun Safety concluded that Glock pistols are a popular choice for gun crimes, in part because the switches enable easy conversions into fully automatic weapons.
Authorities believe shooters who killed four people and injured 17 others in Birmingham, Alabama, in September were using conversion devices to make their guns more powerful. About 100 shell casings were recovered from that scene.
Glock isn’t the only gunmaker whose weapons can be adapted with so-called “Glock switches,” but critics say Glock’s guns are among the easiest to convert. Platkin said Glock is profiting by continuing to sell the adaptable version in U.S. markets, even as they make and sell handguns in Europe that cannot accommodate such a switch.
Also known as “auto switches,” the devices, which are already illegal in New Jersey and some other states, can be bought for about $20 or 3D-printed, and are about the size of a small Lego brick. When added to a pistol, the weapon can be fired like a machine gun, which has been prohibited under federal law since the gangster-era of Al Capone.
Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison, speaking at a news conference in St. Paul, said Glock has long known that its guns can be easily and illegally converted to fully automatic fire. He said two of every three handguns sold in the U.S. is a Glock.
“Glock has known about this problem for decades and has done nothing. A change of design could prevent these handguns from being turned into illegal automatic weapons. But Glock has turned a blind eye. And again and again, the death toll continues to rise.”
The Minnesota lawsuit, filed in Hennepin County District Court, alleges violations of Minnesota laws against consumer fraud, deceptive trade practices, false advertising, public nuisance, negligence and product liability. The New Jersey suit, brought in state Superior Court in Essex County, alleges violations of the state’s public nuisance laws.
Ellison also alleged that Glock advertises its fully automatic handguns to civilians who can’t legally own them, depicting them as fun and cool, knowing that it’s very easy for members of the public to convert its semi-automatic handguns.
In addition to New Jersey and Minnesota, the coalition includes California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, District of Columbia, Hawaii, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Nevada, Oregon, Rhode Island, and Vermont.
Illinois
Chicago is ordered to pay nearly $80M for a police chase that killed a 10-year-old girl
CHICAGO (AP) — A jury awarded nearly $80 million to the family of a 10-year-old Chicago girl who was killed during a police chase and crash in 2020.
The city had acknowledged liability in the death of Da’Karia Spicer. The only issue for the Cook County jury was the financial award.
Attorneys representing the city of Chicago said the amount should be between $12 million and $15 million, but the jury settled on $79.8 million after hearing closing arguments Wednesday.
Da’Karia was among family members in a Honda Accord when the vehicle was struck by a Mercedes that was traveling about 90 mph (145 kph) while being pursued by Chicago police, according to a lawsuit.
Officers saw the Mercedes cut through an alley but otherwise had no reasonable grounds to chase the vehicle, lawyers for the family alleged.
“We recognize fully that there are instances where the police must pursue. But that wasn’t the case here,” Salvi said.
The crash occurred while Da’Karia’s father was taking her to get a laptop for remote learning during the COVID-19 pandemic.
“The city is reviewing the verdict and has no further comment at this time,” said Kristen Cabanban, spokesperson at the city’s law department.
Hate crime charges dropped against 12 students arrested in October assault
SALISBURY, Md. (AP) — Prosecutors have dropped hate crime charges against 12 of the 15 Salisbury University students arrested following an October attack in which investigators say a man was lured to an off-campus apartment, beaten and called a homophobic slur.
The Wicomico County Office of the State’s Attorney said in a statement to the Washington Post that it “has reviewed the evidence gathered during the course of the investigation and we have charged as appropriate in light of that evidence.” The newspaper reported last week that the charges had been dropped.
Police initially said the defendants were facing hate crime charges for allegedly targeting the victim because he’s gay. According to charging documents, one of the defendants made a fake account on a dating app and promised the victim sex with a 16-year-old.
The man’s age is not included in court documents. The legal age of consent in Maryland is 16 in most cases.
The Salisbury Police Department started investigating after two witnesses told campus police that they had seen a video of the assault, according to charging documents.
New Jersey
Two states sue Glock over switch that allows pistols to fire like machine gun
NEWARK, N.J. (AP) — New Jersey and Minnesota sued Glock on Thursday, calling on the gunmaker to stop selling firearms that can be adapted with dime-sized switches to fire up to 1,200 rounds a minute.
New Jersey Attorney General Matt Platkin and Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison also announced that top law enforcement officials in 14 states and the District in Columbia are forming a coalition to reduce gun violence by coordinating enforcement of the states’ consumer protection laws.
The moves by mostly Democrat-led states amount to early pushback against President-elect Donald Trump’s second administration, which Platkin, a Democrat, said “routinely sides with the gun industry.”
Before speaking at a Boys & Girls Club in New Jersey’s largest city, Platkin’s office played a video of a law enforcement officer demonstrating how to use the Glock switch. The video shows an officer first firing the pistol without the switch, requiring a pause between shots. The officer then installs the switch and is able to fire multiple rounds without any pause.
Women wearing red Moms Demand Action T-shirts in the gymnasium hosting the attorney general let out a gasp.
“For decades, Glock has knowingly sold weapons that anyone with a screwdriver and a YouTube video can convert into a military-grade machine gun in a matter of minutes,” Platkin said.
The Associated Press emailed Glock requesting comment. The Austrian company’s U.S. subsidiary based in Smyrna, Georgia, has not responded to previous AP requests for comment on lawsuits involving the switches.
A September report from the anti-violence organization Everytown for Gun Safety concluded that Glock pistols are a popular choice for gun crimes, in part because the switches enable easy conversions into fully automatic weapons.
Authorities believe shooters who killed four people and injured 17 others in Birmingham, Alabama, in September were using conversion devices to make their guns more powerful. About 100 shell casings were recovered from that scene.
Glock isn’t the only gunmaker whose weapons can be adapted with so-called “Glock switches,” but critics say Glock’s guns are among the easiest to convert. Platkin said Glock is profiting by continuing to sell the adaptable version in U.S. markets, even as they make and sell handguns in Europe that cannot accommodate such a switch.
Also known as “auto switches,” the devices, which are already illegal in New Jersey and some other states, can be bought for about $20 or 3D-printed, and are about the size of a small Lego brick. When added to a pistol, the weapon can be fired like a machine gun, which has been prohibited under federal law since the gangster-era of Al Capone.
Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison, speaking at a news conference in St. Paul, said Glock has long known that its guns can be easily and illegally converted to fully automatic fire. He said two of every three handguns sold in the U.S. is a Glock.
“Glock has known about this problem for decades and has done nothing. A change of design could prevent these handguns from being turned into illegal automatic weapons. But Glock has turned a blind eye. And again and again, the death toll continues to rise.”
The Minnesota lawsuit, filed in Hennepin County District Court, alleges violations of Minnesota laws against consumer fraud, deceptive trade practices, false advertising, public nuisance, negligence and product liability. The New Jersey suit, brought in state Superior Court in Essex County, alleges violations of the state’s public nuisance laws.
Ellison also alleged that Glock advertises its fully automatic handguns to civilians who can’t legally own them, depicting them as fun and cool, knowing that it’s very easy for members of the public to convert its semi-automatic handguns.
In addition to New Jersey and Minnesota, the coalition includes California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, District of Columbia, Hawaii, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Nevada, Oregon, Rhode Island, and Vermont.
Illinois
Chicago is ordered to pay nearly $80M for a police chase that killed a 10-year-old girl
CHICAGO (AP) — A jury awarded nearly $80 million to the family of a 10-year-old Chicago girl who was killed during a police chase and crash in 2020.
The city had acknowledged liability in the death of Da’Karia Spicer. The only issue for the Cook County jury was the financial award.
Attorneys representing the city of Chicago said the amount should be between $12 million and $15 million, but the jury settled on $79.8 million after hearing closing arguments Wednesday.
Da’Karia was among family members in a Honda Accord when the vehicle was struck by a Mercedes that was traveling about 90 mph (145 kph) while being pursued by Chicago police, according to a lawsuit.
Officers saw the Mercedes cut through an alley but otherwise had no reasonable grounds to chase the vehicle, lawyers for the family alleged.
“We recognize fully that there are instances where the police must pursue. But that wasn’t the case here,” Salvi said.
The crash occurred while Da’Karia’s father was taking her to get a laptop for remote learning during the COVID-19 pandemic.
“The city is reviewing the verdict and has no further comment at this time,” said Kristen Cabanban, spokesperson at the city’s law department.
