A father, wanted over the murder of his estranged wife, and his 15-year-old daughter have both died in a shootout with police in California.
Anthony John Graziano abducted his child, Savannah, a day earlier after allegedly killing his wife in Fontana near San Bernardino.
Police had issued an Amber Alert (a missing person alert) after Graziano fled with the teenager, describing him as armed and dangerous.
An emergency caller reported seeing his Nissan Frontier around Barstow, according to the local sheriff’s department.
Deputies located the pickup truck before chasing it down the highway for around 45 miles (72km) as Graziano, and possibly his daughter, “constantly shot back at deputies” through the vehicle’s rear window striking at least two patrol cars.
Graziano’s pickup eventually broke down by the side of the highway just outside the city of Hesperia and a firefight began.
During the shootout Savannah got out of the truck and ran towards the deputies before falling to the ground, San Bernardino County Sheriff Shannon Dicus said.
More on California
Related Topics:
The pursuing deputies reportedly did not initially realise it was the teenager when she exited the vehicle as she was wearing a helmet and a military-style vest that can hold armoured plates.
It is not immediately clear if she was shot by the responding deputies or her father.
Advertisement
The teenager was taken to hospital, where she was pronounced dead.
Her father was found dead in the driver’s seat and a rifle was found inside the car.
One deputy was injured by shrapnel during the firefight, Sheriff Dicus said.
Graziano is thought to have killed Tracy Martinez, 45, on Monday morning in a domestic violence event, according to Fontana police.
Family members told investigators that the couple had been going through a divorce.
Police in riot gear have raided Columbia University and arrested pro-Palestinian protesters after demonstrators occupied one of its buildings.
It comes after New York City Mayor Eric Adams said on Tuesday that the demonstration at the Ivy League school “must end now” and claimed it had been infiltrated by “professional outside agitators”.
University bosses said they called in the New York Police Department (NYPD) after protesters “chose to escalate the situation through their actions”.
“After the university learned overnight that Hamilton Hall had been occupied, vandalised, and blockaded, we were left with no choice,” the university said in a statement.
“The decision to reach out to the NYPD was in response to the actions of the protesters, not the cause they are championing.
“We have made it clear that the life of campus cannot be endlessly interrupted by protesters who violate the rules and the law.”
The protest began when students barricaded the entrance of Hamilton Hall at the Manhattan campus on Tuesday and unfurled a Palestinian flag out of a window.
Video footage showed protesters locking arms in front of the hall and carrying furniture and metal barricades to the building.
A group called Columbia University Apartheid Divest (CUAD) said they had renamed the building “Hind’s Hall” in honour of Hind Rajab, a six-year-old girl killed in a strike on Gaza in February.
Advertisement
Demonstrators said they planned to remain at the hall until the university conceded to the CUAD’s three demands: divestment, financial transparency and amnesty.
However, officers moved in on the campus on Tuesday night after university bosses wrote to New York City officials and the New York Police Department formally asking for assistance.
Follow Sky News on WhatsApp
Keep up with all the latest news from the UK and around the world by following Sky News
A large group of officers dressed in riot gear entered the campus late on Tuesday evening. Officers were also seen entering the window of a university building via a police-branded cherry-picker-style vehicle.
Earlier, Mayor Adams urged demonstrators to leave the site. “Walk away from this situation now and continue your advocacy through other means,” he said.
Columbia University also threatened academic expulsions for students involved in the demonstration.
Protests at Columbia earlier this month kicked off demonstrations which have spread to university campuses from California to Massachusetts.
Dozens of people were arrested on Monday during protests at universities in Texas, Utah, Virginia, and New Jersey.
Police moved to clear an encampment at Yale University in Connecticut on Tuesday morning, but there were no immediate reports of arrests.
Meanwhile, the president of the University of South California issued a statement on Tuesday after a swastika was drawn on the campus.
“I condemn any antisemitic symbols or any form of hate speech against anyone,” Carol Folt said.
“Clearly it was drawn there just to incite even more anger at a time that is so painful for our community. We’re going to work to get to the bottom of this immediately, and it has just been removed.”
Earlier, National Security Council spokesperson John Kirby said President Joe Biden believed students occupying buildings was “absolutely the wrong approach” and “not an example of peaceful protest”.
The former boss of the world’s largest cryptocurrency exchange has been jailed for four months for allowing money laundering.
The sentence was handed down to Binance founder Changpeng Zhao, nicknamed CZ, after he pleaded guilty to breaching US anti-money laundering laws designed to prevent terrorist financing and funds going to sanctioned countries.
The prison term was far less than sought by US prosecutors who wanted a three-year term – twice the maximum 18 months recommended under federal sentencing guidelines – to be tough on the man once thought to be the most powerful person in the crypto world.
The defence had called for probation with no prison time for their client. A $50m (£40m) fine has already been paid by Zhao.
Despite the massive fine, he remains a billionaire and the wealthiest crypto executive, according to Forbes, with magazine putting his wealth at $33bn (£26.4bn).
Zhao apologised before his sentencing at a court in Seattle, saying: “I failed here. I deeply regret my failure and I am sorry.”
But district judge Richard Jones told him: “You had the wherewithal, the finance capabilities, and the people power to make sure that every single regulation had to be complied with, and so you failed at that opportunity.”
He is the second major crypto boss to go to prison. Last month, the founder of FTX Sam Bankman-Fried was sentenced to 25 years for stealing billions of dollars from the now-bankrupt crypto exchange.
Bankman-Fried has appealed against his conviction and his sentence.
Advertisement
Please use Chrome browser for a more accessible video player
2:11
Sam Bankman-Fried jailed for 25 years
Follow Sky News on WhatsApp
Keep up with all the latest news from the UK and around the world by following Sky News
Zhao stepped down from his role at Binance in November after he and the company admitted evading requirements under the US Bank Secrecy Act.
The company agreed to a $4.3bn (£3.4bn) penalty as prosecutors said it used a “wild west” model that failed to report 100,000 suspicious transactions involving terrorist groups.
Prosecutors had also said Binance supported the sale of child sexual abuse material and received the proceeds of ransomware cyberattacks.
The US Justice Department brought the case as part of its clamp down on criminal activity within cryptocurrency, best known for Bitcoin.
A two-year-old boy has died after a bouncy castle was lifted off the ground by a strong gust of wind, US authorities have said.
The parents of the boy – named in reports as Bodhi Naaf – are “grappling with unimaginable grief” following the incident on Saturday, a Go Fund Me page said.
The “tragic accident” happened near Casa Grande, Arizona, according to a statement from the Pinal County Sheriff’s Office.
“Several children were playing in a bounce house when a strong gust of wind sent it airborne into the neighbouring lot,” the sheriff’s office said.
“A two-year-old child was transported to the hospital where he passed away.”
A second child was taken to hospital with injuries that were not considered life-threatening, Sky’s US partner NBC reported.
Follow Sky News on WhatsApp
Keep up with all the latest news from the UK and around the world by following Sky News
A GoFundMe page has been set for up for Bodhi’s parents Karl and Cristy, who are expecting a child in late May.
“This devastating loss has left Karl and Cristy grappling with unimaginable grief,” it said.
“Adding to their challenges, Cristy is due to give birth to their second child on 31 May 2024. Amidst their sorrow, they face the daunting task of preparing for the arrival of their newborn.
“As a community, we want to offer our support and alleviate the financial burden that accompanies such tragedies.”
The fundraising page has received than $138,000 (£110,000).