US NATIONAL NEWS

U-Haul driver’s NYC ‘rampage’ leaves 8 hurt, police say

Published

2 years ago

February 13, 2023

Police vehicles surround a truck that was stopped and the driver arrested, Monday, Feb. 13, 2023, in New York. Police stopped the U-Haul truck and detained the driver after reports that the vehicle struck multiple pedestrians in New York City on Monday. Authorities say the driver of the truck fled the scene after mounting a sidewalk in the Bay Ridge neighborhood of Brooklyn and injuring several people. (AP Photo/John Minchillo)

NEW YORK (AP) — A man driving a U-Haul truck swerved onto sidewalks and plowed into scooter riders in New York City on Monday, injuring multiple people before police were able to pin the careening vehicle against a building following a mileslong pursuit through Brooklyn.

At least eight people were hurt, two critically. The driver was arrested. His son identified him as Weng Sor, 62, a troubled man with a history of harmful behavior and stints behind bars.

The mayhem unfolded over a harrowing hour as the truck tore through Brooklyn’s bustling Bay Ridge neighborhood, hitting people at several points along the way before veering on and off a highway as police gave chase.

Police Commissioner Keechant Sewell described it as a “violent rampage,” but said there was no evidence of “terrorism involvement.”

The truck, rented by Sor in Florida on Feb. 1, traveled a winding route before police stopped it near the entrance to a tunnel leading from Brooklyn to Manhattan, more than 3 miles (5 kilometers) from where the chase began.

Weng Sor’s son, Stephen Sor, 30, told The Associated Press that his father had a history of mental illness and, until recently, was living in Las Vegas, where records show he’s been convicted and served time for multiple acts of violence, including stabbing his own brother.

“Very frequently he’ll choose to skip out on his medications and do something like this,” Stephen Sor said in an interview outside his Brooklyn home. “This isn’t the first time he’s been arrested. It’s not the first time he’s gone to jail.”

The destruction shattered the late-morning routine and immediately evoked memories of other vehicle assaults on bikers and pedestrians in the crowded city, including a terrorist’s deadly 2017 attack that killed eight people on a Manhattan bike path and a disturbed motorist’s rampage through Times Square the same year that killed one and injured 20.

The first report of a truck crashing into pedestrians and cyclists came in at 10:30 a.m., police said, and other reports followed as the vehicle moved through a busy section of Brooklyn, just north of the Verrazzano-Narrows Bridge along New York Harbor.

The neighborhood, a melting pot of immigrants from Europe, Asia and the Middle East, is known as the setting of “Saturday Night Fever,” and parts of TV’s “Blue Bloods.” Each fall, it hosts a leg of the New York City Marathon.

Katherine Aronova said she saw the U-Haul run a red light, hit a delivery worker on an e-bike in the middle of the road and drag him a short distance.

“His face was covered with blood. He was unconscious,” and his shoes were scattered on the sidewalk, Aronova said. “The electric bicycle was destroyed completely.”

A security camera captured the truck clipping a scooter, then swerving onto a sidewalk and nearly plowing into a pedestrian, who dived to safety just in time. A police patrol car then followed the truck down the sidewalk at high speed.

“I was in shock and didn’t know what was happening until I saw the police patrol was chasing it,” a witness, Andrea Vasquez, said in Spanish. “Thank God that man saved himself,” she added of the person who narrowly escaped.

A police officer responding to the incident was among the injured.

Aerial video from news helicopters showed the truck on a sidewalk after the chase ended, its path blocked by a police cruiser. Authorities examined the vehicle to make sure it didn’t contain explosives.

Sor rented the truck in West Palm Beach, Florida on Feb. 1 and was due to return it there on March 3, U-Haul spokesperson Jeff Lockridge said. He provided a valid driver’s license and paid for a 30-day rental in advance. U-Haul had no record of Sor previously renting from the company, Lockridge said.

Stephen Sor said he was surprised when Weng Sor showed up in Brooklyn in the middle of the night about a week ago. He said they didn’t speak often and described their relationship as “rocky.”

“I try to just distance, as long as he leaves us alone,” Stephen Sor said.

In 2015, Weng Sor stabbed his brother in Las Vegas and served about 17 months in a Nevada prison, according to court and prison records. In 2020, he stabbed someone in the arm and chest with a knife and was sentenced to 364 days in county jail, with about 10 months of time already served.

Before pleading guilty in that case, Sor underwent several months of evaluations at state psychiatric facilities until he was found competent to face charges, court records show. The records don’t list a possible diagnosis, but note that Sor was placed on medications.

In an earlier Nevada case, Sor was ordered to undergo counseling and perform community service after pleading guilty to misdemeanor battery in 2005. The judge noted at the time that Sor was moving to New York and ordered him to submit to a mental health evaluation once there.

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US NATIONAL NEWS

Mia Love, First Black Republican Woman in Congress, Passes Away at 49

Published

19 hours ago

March 24, 2025

Willie David

U.S. Congresswoman Mia Love of Utah speaking at the 2015 Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC) in National Harbor, Maryland. Credit: Gage Skidmore

SALT LAKE CITY (FNN) — Former U.S. Representative Mia Love, a trailblazing Republican and the first Black Republican woman elected to Congress, passed away Sunday at the age of 49 following a battle with brain cancer.

Her family confirmed the news on her official X account, stating that she passed away peacefully at her home in Saratoga Springs, Utah.

Family’s Statement & Public Reactions

“With grateful hearts filled to overflowing for the profound influence of Mia on our lives, we want you to know that she passed away peacefully,” the statement read. “We are thankful for the many good wishes, prayers, and condolences.”

Utah Governor Spencer Cox expressed his condolences, referring to Love as a “true friend” whose legacy of service inspired all who knew her.

Her Political Legacy

Love, the daughter of Haitian immigrants, made history in 2014 when she won Utah’s 4th Congressional District seat, making her the first Black Republican woman elected to the U.S. House of Representatives.

She first entered politics in 2003, winning a seat on the city council in Saratoga Springs before becoming the city’s mayor. Her rise in the Republican Party was marked by her conservative views, strong stance on fiscal responsibility, and emphasis on self-reliance.

Battle with Brain Cancer

Earlier this year, Love had been undergoing treatment for brain cancer at Duke University’s Brain Tumor Center, receiving immunotherapy as part of a clinical trial. However, earlier this month, her daughter revealed that she was no longer responding to treatment.

What’s Next?

Utah leaders are expected to hold a public tribute to honor Mia Love’s legacy.
Congressional colleagues and former political opponents are offering tributes, recognizing her impact on politics and her community.
Arrangements for memorial services will be announced soon.

_________________________________________________________

J Willie David, III
Florida National News and FNN News Network
News@FloridaNational News.com

US NATIONAL NEWS

UFC Star Conor McGregor Criticizes Irish Government Over Immigration During White House Visit

Published

1 week ago

March 17, 2025

Willie David

WASHINGTON (FNN) — UFC superstar Conor McGregor strongly criticized the Irish government’s handling of illegal immigration during a press conference at the White House on Monday. His comments came ahead of a St. Patrick’s Day meeting between Ireland’s Prime Minister and U.S. President Donald Trump.

Speaking from the White House briefing room, the 36-year-old former mixed martial arts champion accused Ireland’s leaders of neglecting public concerns about immigration.

“The Irish government has abandoned the voices of the Irish people,” McGregor declared. “Rural towns in Ireland are being overrun by immigrants.”

McGregor warned that the country’s cultural identity was at risk, adding:

“Ireland is at the cusp of potentially losing its Irishness.”

His remarks drew swift backlash from Ireland’s Prime Minister, who condemned the comments as divisive and harmful.

McGregor’s outspoken stance on immigration has ignited public debate, with supporters praising his defense of Irish culture and critics accusing him of spreading inflammatory rhetoric.

US NATIONAL NEWS

White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt Clashes with AP Reporter Over Trump’s Tariffs and Taxes

Published

2 weeks ago

March 11, 2025

Willie David

White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt Clashes with AP Reporter Over Trump's Tariffs and Taxes

WASHINGTON (FNN) – Tensions escalated between The Associated Press (AP) and Trump’s White House Tuesday during a heated exchange between White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt and AP reporter Josh Boak.

During the briefing, Mr. Boak questioned President Trump’s economic policies, claiming his proposed tariffs amounted to tax hikes on Americans. However, Ms. Leavitt pushed back on that assertion.

“He’s actually not implementing tax hikes. Tariffs are a tax hike on foreign countries that, again, have been ripping us off. Tariffs are a tax cut for the American people,” Ms. Leavitt said firmly.

She further defended President Trump’s economic agenda, emphasizing his commitment to eliminating:

Taxes on tips
Taxes on overtime
Taxes on Social Security benefits

“He is committed to all three of those things, and he expects Congress to pass them later,” she added.

Mr. Boak pressed further, asking, “Have you ever paid a tariff? Because I have. They don’t get charged on companies; they get charged on the imports.”

In response, Ms. Leavitt countered, “And ultimately, when we have fair and balanced trade, which the American people have not seen in decades, revenues will stay here, wages will go up, and our country will be made wealthy again.”

The confrontation revealed the ongoing rift between the White House and the AP, particularly after the AP was barred from some press events for refusing to adopt the White House’s requested terminology of renaming the Gulf of Mexico to the ‘Gulf of America’ in its widely used AP Stylebook.

Despite this strained relationship, Ms. Leavitt still called on the wire service during Tuesday’s press briefing, which led to the fiery exchange.

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What’s Next for AP?

The AP has yet to respond to the White House’s renewed pressure on terminology changes. Media analysts predict the standoff could intensify as the administration continues its push to redefine traditional media language.

_____________________________________________________________________

J Willie David, III
Florida National News and FNN News Network
News@FloridaNationalNews.com