Three Things for January 17
1. Man found with machine gun in his car sentenced to 30 months in federal prison
A man from Cleveland, Tennessee found with a machine gun in his car last February was recently sentenced to serve 30 months in federal prison.
David King appeared before Federal Judge Charles E. Atchley Jr. and was sentenced to 30 months in federal prison for having an illegal firearm.
King was originally pulled over in 2021 for not having a license plate on his Ford Taurus. A silver Mustang driving in front of King’s vehicle was also pulled over.
After questioning King, the officer discovered King had a gun in the back seat of his car.
A background check revealed King was out on bond for a murder charge. He was then taken into custody and the officers retrieved an automatic rifle from the back seat of his car.
According to the Chattanoogan, King claimed he didn’t know the people in the Mustang but “thought they put something in his gas tank” while his vehicle was parked in a hotel parking lot.
King’s murder trial is ongoing.
2. Underwater volcano erupts near Tonga, causing tsunami advisories for West Coast
On Saturday morning, tsunami advisories were triggered for the West Coast of the United States.
According to AP News, the tsunami was caused by an underwater volcanic eruption off the coast of Tonga. Many of the beaches in California, Oregon, Hawaii, Washington and Alaska were closed for the majority of the day on Saturday.
According to NPR, plumes from the explosion reached more than 12 miles above sea level. At its widest, the cloud caused by the ash and steam reached about 150 miles across, making it easily seen from satellites. The eruption was so massive that its shockwaves were felt as far away as Mount Hood in Oregon.
According to Kristan Lund, a National Weather Service meteorologist, “the advisory was fairly uncommon because it was due to a volcanic eruption and not an underwater earthquake.”
In Tonga, home to 105,000 people, the extent of the injuries and damage caused were still largely unknown, reports NPR.
Dave Snider, the tsunami warning coordinator for the National Tsunami Warning Center in Palmer, Alaska, said it was very unusual for a volcanic eruption to affect an entire ocean basin, and the spectacle was both “humbling and scary.”
3. Man holds four people hostage in synagogue in Texas
On Saturday, a man entered a synagogue in suburban Fort Worth, Texas and held four people hostage. The ordeal lasted 11 hours and ended in the death of the gunman.
The FBI identified Malik Faisal Akram as the man who entered Beth Israel Congregation. Akram was originally from the Blackburn area of Lancashire, in Northwest England, claim British authorities.
According to the New York Times, the church was live-streaming their service when the camera caught the beginning of the altercation before the stream was terminated by Akram.
Once the hostage situation was reported to law enforcement, the state and federal SWAT teams and the FBI Hostage Negotiation Team at Quantico were flown to Texas. Authorities evacuated residents from the area as a precaution while negotiators spoke with Akram.
Late on Sunday, the Greater Manchester Police Department in England announced it had detained two teenagers for questioning in connection with the investigation, reports the New York Times. The department did not say who they were or why they were being questioned.
The senior law enforcement officer at the scene was FBI Special Agent Matthew DeSarno.
"We do believe from our engaging with this subject that he was singularly focused on one issue, and it was not specifically related to the Jewish community, but we'll continue to work to find motive,” said DeSarno.
The ordeal ended in a barrage of flashes and gunfire that left Akram dead and his four hostages unharmed and thankful for their lives, reports the NYT.
