Month: October 2023

An Alaska Airlines flight made an emergency diversion to Portland, Oregon, on Sunday after an off-duty pilot , identified as 44-year-old Joseph Emerson, unsuccessfully tried to shut down the plane’s engines midflight.

Alaska Airlines said in a statement that the incident happened onboard Alaska Airlines Flight 2059, which was operated by Horizon Air. The flight was heading from Everett, Washington, to San Francisco with 80 passengers and four crew members onboard, including Emerson. The airline said Emerson was traveling in the jump seat in the cockpit and unsuccessfully tried to “disrupt the operation of the engines.” The Horizon captain and first officer detained Emerson and landed the plane just before 6:30 p.m. PDT in Portland, where Emerson was taken into custody without incident. The FBI said that no injuries were reported.

Emerson was arrested by the Port of Portland Police Department after the plane landed safely at Portland’s airport, and was charged with 83 felony counts of attempted murder, 83 counts of reckless endangerment and one count of endangering an aircraft.  The FBI’s field office in Portland said it was also investigating the incident, and adding: “There is no continuing threat related to this incident.”

On Monday, the Federal Aviation Administration sent guidance to U.S. air carriers that the incident was “not connected in any way shape or form to current world events.”  Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg expressed gratitude to the flight crew and air traffic controllers who safely got the plane to Portland, posting on social media that the FAA will focus on “any safety considerations for the future that emerge from investigations.”

Alaska Airlines said, “We are grateful for the professional handling of the situation by the Horizon flight crew and appreciate our guests’ calm and patience throughout this event.”

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Hamas released two more hostages Monday, identified as Israelis Nurit Yitzhak and Yocheved Lifshitz. The announcement comes three days after the release of two Americans who had been held captive by Hamas in the Gaza Strip — Judith Raanan and her teenage daughter, Natalie.

In a statement on Telegram, the military wing of Hamas said it had decided to release the two women for “compelling humanitarian” reasons. Video broadcast on Egyptian state television showed the women on stretchers inside ambulances, speaking with people who appeared to be health workers. The ambulances appeared to be near the Rafah crossing, on Gaza’s southern border with Egypt. The International Committee of the Red Cross said in a statement posted on social media that it had facilitated the release of the two captives and transported them out of Gaza on Monday night local time: “We hope that they will soon be back with their loved ones.”

According to Israel Defense Forces spokesman Daniel Hagari, at least 212 people were taken hostage by Hamas after terrorists attacked Israel on Oct. 7, killing more than 1,000 people. Israel and Hamas have since been at war, and according to the Palestinian Ministry of Health, retaliatory airstrikes in Gaza killing at least 5,087 people as of Monday morning.

More than 200 hostages remain captive, however, Hamas has said it does not have custody of all the hostages and that some were taken captive by the Palestinian Islamic Jihad, another militant group based in Gaza. Hamas has said it will free its captives only when Israeli airstrikes in Gaza come to a halt.

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Samantha Woll, a Detroit synagogue president who led the congregation of Isaac Agree Downtown Synagogue, was found fatally stabbed outside her home Saturday morning. The Isaac Agree Downtown Synagogue confirmed the 40-year-old Woll’s death in a statement, sharing: “We are shocked and saddened to learn of the unexpected death of Samantha Woll, our Board President. May her memory be a blessing.” Mourners attended a funeral service for Woll on Sunday.

Authorities said a 911 caller early Saturday reported a person lying on the ground unresponsive at Woll’s home. Police discovered multiple stab wounds on Woll’s body and found a trail of blood leading to her house, where they believe the crime occurred. Detroit Police Chief James E. White asked the public for patience regarding Woll’s death: “I am asking that everyone remain patient while investigators carefully examine every aspect of the available evidence. It is important that no conclusions be drawn until all of the available facts are reviewed.” White said on Sunday that investigators were working with the FBI to analyze forensic evidence to piece together a timeline leading to Woll’s death, and were interviewing “individuals with information that may further this investigation,” adding that “no evidence has surfaced suggesting that this crime was motivated by antisemitism.” He said more information would come Monday. The state chapter of the Anti-Defamation League, ADL Michigan, also asked the public to refrain from speculation on what led to Woll’s death: “As we mourn her tragic passing, we urge the community to refrain from speculation and allow law enforcement to gather facts.”

Woll had ties to state Democrats, having previously worked for Rep. Elissa Slotkin. She also served on state Attorney General Dana Nessel’s re-election campaign. Rep. Slotkin praised Woll’s dedication to serving Detroit communities: “She did for our team as Deputy District Director what came so naturally to her: helping others & serving constituents. Separately, in politics & in the Jewish community, she dedicated her short life to building understanding across faiths, bringing light in the face of darkness.”  Attorney General Nessel added: “Sam was as kind a person as I’ve ever known. She was driven by her sincere love of her community, state and country. Sam truly used her faith and activism to create a better place for everyone.”

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Police in Tennessee are searching for the estranged son of Nashville’s police chief as the suspect in the shooting of two suburban police officers outside a Dollar General store. Police say the shooting happened during an altercation Saturday night in La Vergne, a suburb of Nashville.

A statement issued by The Tennessee Bureau of Investigation shared a statewide blue alert in an effort to locate the suspect, John Drake Jr.  They warned that the 38-year-old, who is now wanted on two counts of attempted first-degree murder, should be considered “armed and very dangerous.” The Tennessee Bureau of Investigation, which issues blue alerts when there’s “an imminent threat to public safety and law enforcement personnel,” described the suspect as 5 feet, 11 inches tall, weighing 195 pounds. He has black hair and brown eyes. The agency said he was last seen in La Vergne around 2:30 p.m. Saturday “in the area of Stones River Road near Lake Forest Drive, wearing a black t-shirt with a hockey mask on it with red accents, and gray sweatpants.”

Metro Nashville Police Chief John Drake confirmed that the suspect is his son: “I am shocked and deeply saddened to learn that my estranged son, with whom I have had very minimal contact over many years, is the suspect in this afternoon’s shooting of the two La Vergne police officers. Despite my efforts and guidance in the early and teenage years, my son, John Drake Jr., now 38-years-old, resorted to years of criminal activity and is a convicted felon. He has not been a part of my life for quite some time.” Chief Drake added that his thoughts are with the wounded officers.

La Vergne Police Chief Christopher Moews said at a press conference: “Our officers were investigating a stolen vehicle. During that investigation, they made contact with a subject. They struggled with that subject, and during that struggle, the suspect produced a handgun and fired shots.” Moews said that the officers, who have both been with the force for less than three years, were transported to Vanderbilt University Medical Center with one officer shot in the shoulder, and the other shot in the groin and forearm. One officer was released Saturday evening and the other remains in the hospital in stable condition.

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