81-year-old attacked in Detroit • Debate recap • Lawsuit after Mustang prototype crash severely hurts kids

WEDNESDAY NEWS HIT - Former President Donald Trump and Vice President Kamala Harris took to the debate stage Tuesday night to share their views ahead of November.

Abortion, immigration, and Trump's legal issues all came up during the debate that included muted mics to keep the candidates from speaking over each other.

It kicked off with Harris focusing on the middle class. Harris said during the debate she was "raised as a middle class kid" and would be focused on creating an "opportunity economy." She also sharply criticized Trump for policies that she said would increase costs for Americans.

Trump rejected the description, and he said he would focus on tariffs on imports from foreign countries. And he swiftly shifted focus to immigration, saying people were "pouring into the country."

The debate included several false claims, especially in reference to immigration and abortion, with the former president claiming that migrants are eating pets and some states allow abortion after birth.

Read a full moment-by-moment recap.

Man accused of attacking 81-year-old tourist 

A 30-year-old man is accused of attacking and sucker punching an 81-year-old man who was visiting Detroit over the weekend.

According to the Wayne County Prosecutor's Office, Lawrence Deonte Gilchrist, 30, approached the victim in the 1000 block of Woodward Avenue around 10:15 a.m. Saturday and hit him. The victim, who is from Berlin, Germany and was visiting family in Detroit, suffered a head injury when he fell. 

Gilchrist was arrested and charged with assault with intent to do great bodily harm and aggravated assault.

"The suspect, simply walked up to him and immediately and violently hit him," said Diana Lynch, with the Wayne County Prosecutor's Office. "The probability of conviction and sentencing is strong given the entire assault took place on video camera."

"You informed the officer quote "I knocked his a** out," the judge said during Gilchrist's arraignment on Tuesday.

The victim, who was visiting the city from Germany, may not survive the assault.

"The victim remains unconscious and is unresponsive," Lynch said. "And we are waiting for updates hourly. We are not certain the victim will survive this incident."

Lawsuit filed after kids hurt by Mustang prototype 

A violent crash at a test track in Auburn Hills that led to two kids being catastrophically injured is now the premise of a lawsuit against the test track's operator, Ford, a Detroit-based nonprofit, and the driver of the vehicle involved in the crash.

The carnage unfolded at a July event in 2023, where kids interested in the STEM field were invited to observe a vehicle demonstration during a summer camp.

The episode happened after the driver of a vehicle lost control after accelerating out of a turn in front of children who were watching from behind a guardrail. After losing control, they plowed into the barrier and struck many of the onlookers. An 8-year-old and 10-year-old suffered severe injuries.

According to the attorney in the case, the vehicle that was loaned from Ford was a prototype sports car called a Mustang Dark Horse.

The victim's injuries range from skull fractures and brain damage, to broken bones and tinnitus.

FOX 2 has reached out to all parties listed in the lawsuit for comment. Ford declined to comment on pending litigation. 

3 arrested during raid

Three people are in custody after a drug raid turned into a barricaded situation early Wednesday in Detroit.

Michigan State Police F/Lt. Mike Shaw said drug teams were prepping to raid an apartment on Greenfield near Verne around 6 a.m. when they saw a person come to the door with a gun.

"We never made it inside the threshold. As soon as we saw that person with the gun, we just backed out to prevent any type of injuries," Shaw said.

Police said three people eventually came outside and were taken into custody. As of 7:40 a.m., the bomb squad was using drones and robots to clear the apartment complex before entering it.

"We don't know what's inside that apartment left," Shaw said.

Boar's Head recall store list

More than 200 Michigan stores sold deli meat linked to the Boar's Head recall, including numerous Kroger stores and local markets.

The nationwide recall list, which was updated on Sept. 4, includes 850 pages of stores, restaurants, and more. Michigan stores where the now-recalled products were sold include nearly four dozen Kroger locations, several Family Fare stores, and more. The recall also includes other locations that serve Boar's Head meat, including several breweries and Trinity Health Ann Arbor Hospital in Ypsilanti.

Nine people have died nationwide as a result of a listeria outbreak connected to Boar's Head meat.

In addition to the deaths, at least 57 people have been sickened and hospitalized in the outbreak. Illnesses were reported starting in late May and continued into August, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said. 

See the full list of Michigan stores.

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Daily Forecast

Dry and warm is the theme this week.

What else we're watching

1. A Clinton Township boy is being charged as an adult after authorities say he killed a woman and shot her son last week in Detroit. Anthony Deshawn Sneed, 15, is accused of shooting both victims during a fight last week.
2. Former Warren police officer Matthew Rodriguez will spend a year behind bars after assaulting an inmate while booking him last year. Authorities say it wasn't the first time the cop assaulted someone while on duty.
3. A week into a Marathon refinery strike, picketers claim scab workers were brought in ahead of the strike. FOX 2 reached out to Marathon for comment, which said it had "full-time, trained and qualified Marathon employees currently operating the refinery are primarily local, Detroit-based employees who are familiar with this refinery, along with a small group of employees drawn from our nationwide operations."
4. Thousands of people will gather on Wednesday morning in New York City to remember those whose lives were lost on Sept. 11, 2001. Here's how to watch the somber ceremony. 
5. Cider mill season is in full swing! Find one to visit here.

Francine strengthens into hurricane as Texas, Louisiana rush preparations

Hurricane Francine has intensified into a Category 1 hurricane in the Gulf of Mexico and is forecast to make landfall in Louisiana on Wednesday. The storm is expected to bring significant flooding, a dangerous storm surge and damaging winds to the U.S. Gulf Coast.

Multiple parishes in Louisiana have issued mandatory evacuation orders, as state and local leaders urged people to prepare for the storm's fury.

Heavy rain is hitting South Texas as the storm intensifies offshore on Tuesday. Eventually, that rain will move north into places like Galveston, Houston and Beaumont, where an inch or two of rain could trigger flash flooding.

As Francine approaches the Texas and Louisiana coastlines, Shell has taken precautionary measures by pausing drilling operations at its Perdido and Whale offshore platforms in the Gulf of Mexico – both of which lie directly in the storm's path.