Man Fatally Poisons Himself During Police Chase

Police were attempting to pull over rape suspect

A rape suspect died after poisoning himself during a freeway chase in Southern California on Wednesday, authorities said. The pursuit began during the morning commute in Ventura County when officers tried to pull the man over and he sped away, the California Highway Patrol said. The car drove onto the right shoulder of US 101, drifted across all northbound lanes and then came to a stop after crashing into the center median, CHP Officer Kevin Denharder said. Officers found the man dead inside the car from an apparent self-inflicted poisoning, Denharder said. He was not identified.

Television news footage showed a Nissan Versa stopped against a barrier surrounded by fire and police vehicles, including an armored SWAT truck, the
AP reports. A firefighter wore a gas mask during an initial inspection of the suspect's vehicle. The suspect was described as a man who was being investigated by the Los Angeles Police Department for his possible involvement in a rape, Denharder said. The LAPD could not immediately provide additional details. Several freeway lanes were closed during the investigation near Oxnard, about 60 miles northwest of downtown Los Angeles.

Future of Florida Shooter's Big Trust Fund in Judge's Hands - Nikolas Cruz reportedly due $800K inheritance

The 19-year-old man suspected of killing 17 people at a Florida high school last week is reportedly poised to inherit $800,000 being kept in a trust fund when he turns 22. At least that's what Nikolas Cruz told the family he was living with after his mother died of respiratory illness in November, the Miami Herald reports.

“The kid was not hurting for money at any point," a lawyer for the family says. “Everyone knows about [the trust fund]." Cruz's father Roger died of heart failure in 2004; a year later his estate was valued at more than $1 million. In 2008 Cruz's mother Lynda reached a medical malpractice settlement over Roger's death. Prior to her death she sold the family home for $575,000.

If Cruz is indeed in line for a massive inheritance, a judge could force him to use the money to hire a private lawyer to defend him. Cruz is currently being represented by the Public Defender's Office, which is funded by taxpayers. The Public Defender's Office asked a judge Tuesday to help figure out how much money Cruz may have. If Cruz comes into the money later, he could be forced to pay back the Public Defender's Office, reimbursing taxpayers, for what is certain to be an expensive trial. The Public Defender's Office has admitted Cruz's guilt and offered to plead guilty for the shooting at Parkland's Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in exchange for taking the death penalty off the table.

Nikolas Cruz: First a Breakup, Then the Cutting - Florida school shooting.

Teen posted images of himself cutting his arms on Snapchat, and investigation began

The problems reportedly started over a girl. Nikolas Cruz's mother in 2016 told investigators that his girlfriend had cheated on him and that she and the girl's mother had encouraged the teens to "end the relationship because it was unhealthy for everyone." Why Lynda Cruz told investigators this in the first place: Sheriff’s deputies and Department of Children & Family Services investigators looked into the teen after he posted images of himself cutting his arms on Snapchat in September 2016 and said he wanted to buy a gun. Lynda Cruz said her son began cutting himself after the relationship's demise. She told them her son did not have a gun but did have an air gun, though she had taken it from him because he broke her rules regarding where he could shoot it.

The Sun Sentinel quotes from the DCF report: "Mr. Cruz has fresh cuts on both his arms. Mr. Cruz stated he plans to go out and buy a gun. It is unknown what he is buying the gun for." Cruz didn't purchase his AR-15 for another five months, but the investigation occurred four days after he turned 18 and was legally able to buy a gun. The report's conclusion: "[Cruz’s] final level of risk is low as [he] resides with his mother, attends school and receives counseling through Henderson [Mental Health in Broward County]," which had determined he was "stable enough not to be hospitalized." "Every single red flag was being thrown up by this kid," says Chief Assistant Public Defender Gordon Weekes. CNN reports Cruz's attorney on Friday said the 19-year-old would be willing to plead guilty if he could avoid the death penalty in doing so.

A video monitor shows school shooting suspect Nikolas Cruz, center, making an appearance before Judge Kim Theresa Mollica in Broward County Court, Thursday, Feb. 15, 2018, in Fort Lauderdale, Fla. Cruz is accused of opening fire Wednesday at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland.

Here's How Likely It Is Tesla Comes Crashing Back to Earth - Elon Musk launched Roadster into space earlier this month

Scientists say there's a 6% chance Earth will having flying cars in the future. Specifically one flying car: the Tesla Roadster Elon Musk launched into space earlier this month. Researchers analyzing the car's orbit say there's a 6% chance it will crash into Earth at some point over 1 million years, Science reports. That chance goes up to 10% after 3 million years. The Tesla, which is being driven by a mannequin in a spacesuit, will have its first close call with Earth in 2091, when it could come closer than the moon, according to CBS News. Regardless, Hanno Rein at the University of Toronto says falling electric vehicles are nothing to worry about. “It will either burn up or maybe one component will reach the surface,” he tells Science. “There is no risk to health and safety whatsoever.”

Rein and his fellow researchers found the Roadster's orbit will have it repeatedly crossing the paths of Mars, Earth, and Venus until it's destroyed. They say the car has a 50% chance of orbiting the solar system for tens of millions of years before that happens. It will cross Mars' orbit in July before reaching its farthest distance from the sun—154.7 million miles—in November. However Rein warns these are all just educated guesses due to the Tesla's chaotic orbit. Meanwhile, a Hubble Fellow at the University of North Carolina
tweeted that measuring the brightness of the Roadster shows it's rotating every 4.8 minutes or so. And Space.com put together a cool 80-second video showing the Roadster from its launch to the moment it becomes just a tiny dot traveling across the sky 500,000 miles from Earth.

13 Killed in Helicopter Crash After Earthquake — All on Ground

The dead, including 3 children, were spending night in open field

A military helicopter carrying officials assessing damage from a powerful earthquake crashed Friday in Mexico, killing 13 people and injuring 15, all of them on the ground, the AP reports. The Oaxaca state prosecutor's office said five women, four men, and three children were killed at the crash site and another person died at the hospital. A state official said the chopper crashed into a group of people who had been spending the night in an open field after a 7.2-magnitude earthquake hit the area. Aftershocks had caused people to flee their homes for fear they would collapse. The Defense Department said the Blackhawk helicopter suffered the mishap when it was preparing to land on a vacant lot in the city of Jamiltepec. The craft was carrying Interior Secretary Alfonso Navarrete and Oaxaca Gov. Alejandro Murat, neither of whom had serious injuries.

Jorge Morales, a local reporter who was aboard the helicopter when it crashed, described harrowing moments as the pilot lost control and the helicopter attempted to land in a swirl of dust. "The moment the helicopter touched down it lost control, it slid—like it skidded—and it hit some vehicles that were stationed in the area," he told a Mexican TV news program. "In that moment, you couldn't see anything, nothing else was heard beside the sound that iron makes when it scrapes the earth." Navarrete and Murat were evaluating reports of damage from the earthquake before their helicopter crashed. Both Navarrete and the defense department said they regretted the loss of life in Friday's accident. The US Geological Survey originally put the magnitude of Friday's quake at 7.5 but later lowered it to 7.2.

School Hid Sex Abuse for Decades - Now It's Paying Up Hawaiian school reaches massive $80M settlement with 32 victims

For 27 years, Dr. Robert Browne drugged, raped, and psychologically tortured students of Hawaii's Kamehameha Schools under the guise of psychiatric care, the
Washington Post reports. Now 32 of his victims and their families have been awarded what is believed to be the largest personal injury settlement in Hawaiian history, according to Hawaii News Now . Kamehameha Schools—"a towering symbol of Hawaiian pride" that uses its over $8 billion in assets to provide private educations for thousands of children of Hawaiian ancestry—will pay the plaintiffs $80 million. "It was an emotional journey for everyone involved on both sides of the table," says the chairperson of the Kamehameha Schools board. "While we brought closure, it's something we're going to carry for a long period of time." The school didn't deny accusations it failed to investigate and helped cover up Browne's actions.

Browne's abuse of mostly male students at the school dates back to 1958, and victims say they were abused weekly for years. The abuse was reported to school officials by a student as far back as at least 1966, reports the Honolulu Star-Advertiser , which has a timeline of events. Regardless Browne was still a psychiatrist for Kamehameha Schools in 1991 when he killed himself after being confronted by a former victim. Even then school officials failed to investigate accusations against Browne, some of whose victims killed themselves. "It's a lot of dollars, but there are a lot of people who wouldn't trade places with them," a lawyer for the victims says of the settlement, which will also create a hotline to report abuse and a recovery fund for sexual assault victims. "I'm excited that the men stood with me to do this," one of Browne's victims says. "We stood together and we were strong."

Black Panther Had Really, Historically Good Friday

Disney says film had 8th biggest day in movie history

Black Panther is so far raking it in over the holiday weekend, the
AP reports. The Walt Disney Co. estimated Saturday the Marvel Comics superhero movie earned $75.8 million domestically for its opening Friday, the eighth biggest day in industry history. Disney now estimates the movie will earn between $190 million and $210 million for the four-day Presidents Day weekend that started Thursday. Besides the strong box office, the movie has been a critical success. The Ryan Coogler-directed film stars Chadwick Boseman as Black Panther. It also features Michael B. Jordan and Lupita Nyong'o. Official box office estimates are out Sunday.