Liquor store owner faces assault charges, state police sued for K9 use, a 90 degree weekend is here
Detroit liquor store owner charged with assault after he says woman spit in his face
Bassam Yatooma, who runs a liquor store on Detroit's west side will appear in court Friday after he allegedly assaulted a woman he says spit in his face. He said he grabbed her because he's paranoid about coronavirus and didn't want her to spit again.
FRIDAY NEWS HIT - The owner of a Detroit liquor store on the city's west side will appear in court Friday after he allegedly assaulted a woman while he was trying to remove her from his store.
Video caught the aftermath of the scene, which showed a woman on the ground, with blood dripping from her face.
But Bassam Yatooma said he was acting in self-defense because the woman spit on him and he is paranoid about germs due to deaths in his family following the pandemic.
Yatooma, 50, of West Bloomfield, was charged with assault with intent to do great bodily harm less than murder, and one count of aggravated assault.
A release from the Wayne County Prosecutor's Office said Andera Warren had entered the convenience store in the 15000 block of Puritan Street to purchase a drink. Yatooma did not want her in the store and allegedly walked over to Warren, grabbed her, dragged her across the floor of the store, punched her in the face, and strangled her.
"The facts in this case are very unsettling. The alleged actions taken by this defendant are really beyond comprehension when the totality of the circumstances are examined," said Prosecutor Kym Worthy.
A witness said Warren's right eye was visibly red and swollen. Medics that responded to the scene saw the victim bleeding from her nose. She was later hospitalized and diagnosed with a fractured nose.
"He came out here, grabbed her by the collar, dragged her around the store, and started beating on her like she was a man," said Malvetta Gibson, Warren's aunt.
The aftermath of the scene, which occurred in mid-March sparked outrage on social media and calls to boycott the store. Protests were also organized against Yatooma, who kept his store closed in the following days. According to the city of Detroit, the liquor store does not have a certificate of compliance or a cigarette license. The building and safety department will be issuing tickets for those violations.
Yatooma also had supporters back him in the days that followed. Some accused the outrage to that of a knee-jerk reaction to any viral video.
Others disputed claims of racism.
Yatooma faces up to 10 years in prison. He'll be in court after 10 a.m. Friday.
MSP sued over K9 dog attack
A man who fled state police after crashing his car had a K9 dog sicced on him for almost four minutes, leading to additional injuries to his body from bites and scratches. And that's after he broke his leg, hurt his him and "couldn't even move."
Robert Gilliam has sued the officer and Michigan State Police, arguing he was unfairly targeted before suffering serious injuries from the dog, his attorney said.
"This dog was biting him on his head, neck, his legs, grab them in the face, he bit him on his hips, he bit him at one point on his genitals," said Maurice Davis, his attorney. State police released an extensive statement arguing the officer, identified as Parker Surbrook was ordered to perform a traffic stop, believing Gilliam's passenger was armed.
However, his use of the dog did violate MSP policy and has been on unpaid suspension. He is facing one count of felonious assault.
How Whitmer wants to spend Michigan's surplus
A $15 wage, child care, and support for small businesses are the three ways that Gov. Gretchen Whitmer wants to spend Michigan's $3.5 billion surplus. After federal aid lifted the state from an equal but opposite deficit, the state has a unique opportunity to uplift many of its citizens.
"Under the Michigan Economic Jumpstart plan, we can harness these once-in-a-lifetime economic opportunities and channel it to raise wages, invest in small businesses, and uplift families," said Whitmer in a release.
The state would offset the difference for charging a $15 wage for businesses, while also committing $180 million to assist with tuition for families. Small businesses would also receive $300 million in investments to cover costs inflicted on the pandemic or not. Other money would go toward entrepreneurs starting their own businesses.
Whitmer would also like to send $370 million to expand child care access for 150,000 families in the state.
Lawsuit: Server found razor blade in salad at Madison Heights Red Robin
A Black woman is suing a suburban Detroit restaurant where she used to work, saying co-workers put a sharp metal object in her salad after she complained to managers that they frequently used a racial slur in her presence.
Zenarra James filed the lawsuit Thursday in Oakland County Circuit Court against the Red Robin in Madison Heights and the Farmington Hills-based Ansara Restaurant Group. It alleges racial discrimination, a hostile work environment, intentional infliction of emotional distress, and direct negligence.
On several occasions starting in February, James, who was a server for the chain restaurant, said she overheard several white staffers use racial profanity in the kitchen and dish room. The 26-year-old said she complained to her white managers that the language was inappropriate and made her "feel uncomfortable," according to the lawsuit.
When the issue resurfaced again in April, James wrote a note to her manager. At the end of her shift the following day, James ordered a chicken salad to-go, and when she got home, she ate the salad before finding what appeared to be a razor blade.
- Associated Press
Murder, drug trafficking, robberies: 40 members of Detroit gang arrested
In one of the largest racketeering and conspiracy busts in Detroit's history, 40 members of the Detroit gang Almighty Vice Lords have been arrested on charges ranging from murder to drug trafficking, and weapons.
Federal prosecutors unsealed a 172-page indictment that lists 40 members of the gang based out of Chicago but with a large presence in Detroit.
Feds conducted 12 raids in Detroit and one in Chicago on Thursday. Fordham was picked up at a home off Hubbell near McNichols.
The 172-page indictment spells out a conspiracy that started in 2012 and included recorded phone calls and social media traffic. But also crimes including murder, prison hits, drug trafficking, robberies, extortion, and weapons.
What else we're watching
- The Michigan health director is standing by the reported number of nursing home deaths in Michigan. During testimony Thursday, Elizabeth Hertel clarified how the state counts its nursing home deaths, rebuking claims that Michigan could be off by as much as 40%.
- In a blow to believers everywhere, intelligence officials released a report Friday that concluded the U.S. has found no evidence that aerial phenomena witnessed by pilots are alien spacecraft. Even so, they cannot explain some of the unusual movements of UFOs.
- The graphic chip craze is continuing as people are lining up outside the Micro Center in Madison Heights to get one of the coveted RTX 3800 ti chips. People were previously lined up in front of a Best Buy in Novi on Thursday.
- Amazon has announced its Prime Day will be June 21 this year. Online commerce hasn't slowed down since the pandemic and the unofficial holiday celebrating will only boost things up more.
- Emagine Entertainment is hosting the Summer Kids' Movie Series that starts this weekend. The cost is just $3.00 a person for a ticket.
Live on FOX 2
Daily Forecast
Some showers are expected to sweep through Metro Detroit Friday as summer weekend weather arrives. Today will be hot, reaching about 86 degrees. Saturday and Sunday will hit the 90s.
Pence: Trump and I may never see 'eye to eye' on Capitol riot
Former Vice President Mike Pence says that he isn’t sure that he and former President Donald Trump will ever see "eye to eye" over what happened on Jan. 6 but that he would "always be proud of what we accomplished for the American people over the last four years."
Pence, speaking at a Republican dinner Thursday in the early-voting state of New Hampshire, gave his most extensive comments to date on the events of Jan. 6, when angry Trump supporters stormed the Capitol, some chanting "Hang Mike Pence!" after the vice president said he did not have the power to overturn Democrat Joe Biden’s election victory.
"As I said that day, Jan. 6 was a dark day in history of the United States Capitol. But thanks to the swift action of the Capitol Police and federal law enforcement, violence was quelled. The Capitol was secured," Pence said.