Anthony Miranda's booking photo courtesy of the Chicago Police Dept.

It’s a good thing this happened in Chicago, where strict “gun control” laws ensure convicted felons, like Anthony Miranda, don’t have access to firearms:

Robbing a man who turned out to be an ultimate fighter proved to be a bad decision for a convicted felon, who is now in bad shape as he is held on bond.

Police say around 11:30 p.m. Friday, Anthony Miranda, 24, walked up to a car parked at 55th Street and Kenneth Avenue, just a few blocks from Midway International Airport.

Miranda asked the driver for a lighter, and the driver said he didn’t have one. Then Miranda pulled a handgun and demanded that the driver hand over his money, police said.

I guess no one ever told Mr. Miranda, you don’t bring a gun to a fistfight… Especially when the other guy is an experienced mixed martial arts fighter.

According to media reports by the time police arrived on the scene the victim had pinned Mr. Miranda down, and well lets just say Mr. Miranda looks like he lost the fight… Badly. He was taken to Holy Cross Hospital for treatment (and hopefully career counseling).

Sheriff’s officials in southwest Florida say a clerk at a 24-hour food store shot and killed a man who tried to rob her and take her 1-year-old daughter.

According to news reports 22-year-old Elizabeth Easterly was alone in her families landmark corner store with her 1- and 2-year-old daughters. When a man, whose name has not been released by police, entered the store around 3:00 p.m. and demanded money from Ms. Easterly. He then grabbed the stroller holding her 1-year-old daughter and headed for the door. Ms. Easterly then did just what she’d been taught — she drew a gun and aimed for the would-be robber’s knee.

A store employee on his way to work then tackled the bleeding man outside the store and held him down until police arrived.

The suspect was transported to NCH Downtown Naples Hospital, were he died from his injuries.

Heh, rest in peace — asshole.

H/T: Jonn Lilyea, This ain’t hell…

Update (Thursday, October 20, 2011): It would appear early reports got the story mostly wrong… According to Collier County Sheriff’s Office spokesman Jamie Mosbach, Ms. Easterly shot Daniel Ramont Hernandez, 32, in the leg before he grabbed the stroller, not after:

Investigators said Easterly was alone with her two young children at the store, 2802 Thomasson Drive, when Hernandez walked in acting strangely. Easterly asked Hernandez to tell a school crossing guard at a nearby intersection that he needed help.

That’s when Hernandez ran around the counter toward Easterly, who grabbed a pistol from beneath the counter and shot him once in the leg, the Sheriff’s Office reported.

Easterly ran outside and alerted the school crossing guard. When she returned inside, she saw Hernandez grab the stroller with her daughter in it and head toward the front door, the Sheriff’s Office reported.

Brian Sanders, an employee and close friend of Ackerman, said he heard a scream as he stopped his car at the intersection of Thomasson and Bayshore drives and knew it was Easterly. He pulled into the Del’s parking lot and made for the front door as Hernandez was exiting the store.

Easterly was screaming “He tried to take my baby,” and that she had shot him, Sanders said.

Sanders held the bleeding Hernandez down in front of the store until deputies and paramedics arrived.

According to news reports Mr. Hernandez had an extensive criminal record, including arrests for driving with a suspended license, petty theft, and bounced checks… The Sheriff’s Office is continuing their investigation, the State Attorney’s Office will decide whether Ms. Easterly will face criminal charges after reviewing the investigators report.

Kenneth Melson, acting director of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, is expected to resign under pressure, perhaps in the next day or two, in the wake of the ongoing controversy over Operation Fast and Furious, two senior federal law enforcement sources said Monday.

In the operation, straw buyers were allowed to illegally purchase large numbers of weapons, some of which ended up in the hands of cartels in Mexico.

Attorney General Eric Holder will meet Tuesday with Andrew Traver, head of the ATF field office in Chicago, about potentially serving as acting director of the agency, according to the sources.

I haven’t been following all the twists and turns in the Gunwalker Scandal, but I think it’s safe to say Ken Melson is about to become the designated fall guy. Gunwalker, or Operation Fast and Furious as it was officially known was an ATF investigation that sought to track firearms purchased by straw purchasers in the United States and then smuggled to criminals in Mexico. The investigation fell apart after two of the weapons allowed to “walk” into the hands of criminals were used in a shoot-out that killed a US border patrol agent, Brian Terry.

The House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform is currently investigating the actions of the Department of Justice and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives in Operation Fast and Furious… So far the testimony from whistle-blowers inside the ATF has been damning, but what I want to know is why is the Department of Justice refusing to cooperate with Congressional investigators?

Related

• A Drug-War Plan Goes Awry – Gail O’Grady, Wall Street Jounal
• Report: Four ATF Agents Working on Controversial Operation ‘Fast and Furious’ Tell their Story – House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform
• The Definitive Scandal: ‘Gunwalker’ Much Worse Than ‘Iran-Contra’ – Bob Owens, Pajamas Media
• Operation Fast and Spurious – W. James Antle, III, The America Spectator
• Obama Eyeing Anti-Gun Backer to Run ATF – Newsmax

The former college student who guessed his way into Sarah Palin’s Yahoo e-mail account during the 2008 U.S. presidential election was sentenced to a year and a day in prison Friday.

David Kernell’s lawyers had been hoping for probation only; federal prosecutors had asked for an 18-month sentence.

The judge in the case recommended that Kernell serve his time at a halfway house rather than federal prison, but that decision is up to the U.S. Bureau of Prisons, the U.S. Department of Justice said. Following his one-year sentence, Kernell must serve three years’ probation.

Kernell, a 20-year-old college student at the time of the incident, got into Palin’s gov....@yahoo.com account by guessing answers to the security questions used by Yahoo to reset the account’s password. In chat logs, Kernell said he was hoping to find information that would “derail” her 2008 vice presidential election campaign.

Palin was then governor of Alaska, and her critics thought she may have been conducting state business via the Yahoo account, in order to sidestep Alaska’s open records law. Kernell found no such evidence after examining her Yahoo account.

Politics aside. one year in prison followed by three years probation seems reasonable. In her autobiography, “Going Rogue,” Ms. Palin describes the incident as  “the most disruptive” of the campaign because it cut off easy communication with her colleagues in Alaska.

Mr. Kernell, who went  by the internet handle “Rubico,” was able to gain access to Ms. Palin’s private Yahoo! mail account by correctly the answers to her “secret questions” — her date of birth, her postal code, and information about where she met her husband Todd and then resetting her password.

Mr. Kernell then posted examples of Ms. Palin’s private emails, the addresses of her friends & family, and family photos on Wikileaks. Mr. Kernell also bragged that hacking into the vice-presidential candidate’s Yahoo account was child’s play… and it was. Standard challenge questions like “What is you date of birth?”, “What is your home zip code” or “Where did you meet your spouse?” are marginally effective for Mr. and Mrs. Average, but for a public figure like Ms. Palin whose life is well documented they’re pretty much useless… The answers can found in a matter of minutes using public sources like Wikipedia.

Previous

• Sarah Palin’s Private E-mail Account Hacked
• Palin E-mail Hack Follow-up
• A Quick Update on the Palin E-mail Hacking Case
• Newsflash: Palin E-mail Hacker Indicted
• Palin E-mail Hacker Hit With Additional Charges
• Palin E-mail Hacker Convicted on Two Counts

The Mojave Cross saga took yet another unexpected turn Thursday, when the contested symbol that vanished last week reappeared briefly before being taken down by federal officials.

National Park Service officials learned Thursday morning that a cross again was on top of Sunrise Rock, about 10 miles south of Interstate 15 near Cima Road, a sparsely traveled route into the Mojave National Preserve. It’s about 30 miles east of Baker.

Some version of the cross has stood there for 75 years as a tribute to fallen World War I soldiers. Vandals made off with the cross May 9, 10 days after the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that it could remain pending the outcome of a decade-long court battle over whether it should be permitted on public land.

Once federal officials discovered Thursday that it was a replica of the stolen cross, the Justice Department said it had to be taken down.

This is beyond silly, it shouldn’t matter whether it’s the old cross or a new cross to replace the one that was stolen.

The 7-foot-tall metal cross in a 75-year-old war memorial that withstood the heat of the Mojave Desert and a blazing battle in the Supreme Court over its legality was ripped down and stolen Sunday night, according to federal officials.

“This is an outrage, akin to desecrating people’s graves,” said Kelly Shackelford, president of the Liberty Institute, which represents the caretakers of the Mojave Desert War Memorial. “It’s a disgraceful attack on the selfless sacrifice of our veterans. We will not rest until this memorial is re-installed.”

The National Park Service says someone cut the metal bolts holding the metal-pipe cross to the top of the memorial’s Sunrise Rock and made off with it Sunday night or before dawn on Monday.

Authorities had no immediate motive for the theft but National Park Service officials are considering a range of ideas from scrap metal scavengers to people “with an interest in the case,” said Park Service spokeswoman Linda Slater.

I’m really at a loss for words here, whoever did this, whatever their motivations, is a despicable rat bastard.

That said I can’t help but think this cowardly act was perpetrated by some politically motivated ideologue… you would have to have been freeze dried for the last decade not to know the significance of the Mojave Cross, I can’t imagine even the sleaziest  of scrap metal scavengers would be foolish enough to steal it.

Related

• WWI memorial cross stolen from Mojave National Preserve – Stars and Stripes
• Mojave cross theft shows planning; veterans groups vow to rebuild – The Christian Science Monitor
• WWI memorial cross stolen from Mojave National Preserve – Jonn Lilyea, This Ain’t Hell
• Mojave desert cross stolen by vandals – Allahpundit, Hot Air
• Mojave Cross Torn Down and Stolen! – Riding and Ranting
• Mojave Cross Gone. Don’t read if you are afraid of expressions of outrage – morongobills backporch

(Reuters) – A college student who hacked into former Republican vice presidential candidate Sarah Palin’s e-mail account and posted some of its contents on the Internet was found guilty Friday.

After four days of deliberations, a federal jury found David Kernell, the 22-year-old son of a Democratic Tennessee state legislator, guilty of obstruction of justice, a felony, and unauthorized access of a computer, a misdemeanor.

Kernell was cleared of a wire fraud charge, and the jury could not agree on a verdict on a charge of identity theft.

Judge Thomas Phillips declared a mistrial on the identity theft charge but did not set a date for sentencing.

The obstruction charge alone carries a prison sentence of up to 20 years, while the misdemeanor count is punishable by up to one year in jail.

Ms. Palin issued a statement via her Facebook page, thanking the jury and prosecutors their efforts and explaining the case’s importance:

My family and I are thankful that the jury thoroughly and carefully weighed the evidence and issued a just verdict. Besides the obvious invasion of privacy and security concerns surrounding this issue, many of us are concerned about the integrity of our country’s political elections. America’s elections depend upon fair competition. Violating the law, or simply invading someone’s privacy for political gain, has long been repugnant to Americans’ sense of fair play. As Watergate taught us, we rightfully reject illegally breaking into candidates’ private communications for political intrigue in an attempt to derail an election.

I want to thank the public servants who worked so hard on this case, particularly the jurors who gave up precious time from their jobs and families to listen to the evidence and reach a decision.

My family and I appreciate the good people of Knoxville, Tennessee, who showed us true Southern hospitality. We can’t wait to visit again – but without having a subpoena in hand.

Although I expect Mr. Kernell will see some jail time it’ll be far less than the 20 year maximum, federal sentencing guidelines set a range of 15 to 21 months and allow for probation in cases like this. I do think prosecutors overreached a little in this case and as one witness said “put on a dog and pony show“. They had to though, never mind basic privacy considerations… Sarah Palin was a Vice Presidential candidate in the middle of hotly contested election, investigators and prosecutors had to aggressively pursue this case to send  a message that these types political dirty tricks won’t be tolerated.

Related

• Jury convicts Palin e-mail intruder on two counts; mistrial declared on ID theft – Knoxville News Sentinel
• Protecting Against Password Reset Attacks – Randy Abrams, Eset Software.

Previous

• Sarah Palin’s Private E-mail Account Hacked
• Palin E-mail Hack Follow-up
• A Quick Update on the Palin E-mail Hacking Case
• Newsflash: Palin E-mail Hacker Indicted
• Palin E-mail Hacker Hit With Additional Charges

An attempted copper theft at an Eagan substation early Wednesday knocked out power for thousands of residents and sent a would-be thief to Regions Hospital.

Eagan police said the 33-year-old suspect from St. Paul suffered severe burns but was in stable condition Wednesday and is expected to survive.

Two other St. Paul residents found near the substation, a 28-year-old woman and a 31-year-old man, were arrested on suspicion of felony criminal damage to property. They were booked at the Eagan Police Department and released.

Joe Miller, a spokesman for Dakota Electric, said the injured suspect scaled a chain-link fence, cut through the barbed wire at the top and then climbed on top of a transformer, where he was injured when he came into contact with a 69,000-volt transmission line.

Witnesses reported seeing a flash of light and hearing a boom at the substation before the power went out at about 12:35 a.m. About 7,100 Dakota Electric customers in western and southwestern Eagan were without power until 3 a.m.

I guess his friends will be calling him “Sparky” from now on.

(H/T: Ed @ Hot Air)

Four police officers have been shot and killed near McChord Air Force Base.

Pierce County Sheriff’s spokesman Ed Troyer says that the officers were in a coffee shop near 116th Street and Steele Street on the east side of the Air Force base at about 8:30 a.m.

The officers were reportedly preparing for their shift when they were ambushed by an unknown number of assailants.

Our thoughts and prayers go out to the families of the officers involved and to the members of the Pierce County Sheriff’s Department.

Update (10:25 p.m.): KING TV is reporting that police have identified a person of interest in the killings of four Lakewood police officers:

Pierce county sheriff’s spokesman Ed Troyer said they are looking for Maurice Clemmons, 37.

Troyer said Clemmons has an extensive violent criminal history from Arkansas, including aggravated robbery and theft. He has also recently been arrested and charged in Pierce County for assault on a police officer and for rape of a child.

Troyer said Clemmons is one of several people investigators would like to talk to and can’t be called a suspect at this point.

Lakewood Police Chief Bret Farrar identified the four officers who were killed as Sergeant Mark Renninger, and Officers Ronald Owens, Tina Griswold, and Greg Richards. All were veteran police officers with families.

Update (11:00 p.m.): The Seattle Times is reporting that then Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee granted clemency to Maurice Clemmons nine years ago:

Maurice Clemmons, the 37-year-old Tacoma man being sought for questioning in the killing this morning of four Lakewood police officers, has a long criminal record punctuated by violence, erratic behavior and concerns about his mental health.

Nine years ago, then-Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee granted clemency to Clemmons, commuting his lengthy prison sentence over the protests of prosecutors.

“This is the day I’ve been dreading for a long time,” Larry Jegley, prosecuting attorney for Arkansas’ Pulaski County said tonight when informed that Clemmons was being sought for questioning in connection with the killings.

Clemmons’ criminal history includes at least five felony convictions in Arkansas and at least eight felony charges in Washington. The record also stands out for the number of times he has been released from custody despite questions about the danger he posed.

I’ve never been a Huckabee fan and after this I wouldn’t give him the time of day!

(H/T: Confederate Yankee)

Update (Wednesday, December 2, 2009): Maurice Clemmons, the man wanted in connection with the killings of four Lakewood, Washington police officers on Sunday was shot and killed by a police in south Seattle on Tuesday:

A man accused of gunning down four police officers was shot and killed by authorities on Tuesday in a case that could affect a potential 2012 U.S. presidential candidate who granted him clemency in the past.

Maurice Clemmons, wanted in the Sunday morning fatal shootings of four officers in a coffee shop near Tacoma, Washington, was shot dead by a police officer in south Seattle, the Pierce County Sheriff’s Department said.

I suspect police would have preferred a different outcome but I doubt anyone is going to be shedding a tear of Clemmon’s passing.

“I’d do it again if I had to.”

Those were the first defiant words out of no-nonsense businessman Charles Augusto Jr.’s mouth yesterday as he came back to work less than 24 hours after opening fire with his trusty shotgun on four robbers — killing two of them.

The four men had picked the wrong shop — and the wrong man — to mess with. And they would have known it had they read the prophetic words from Dante’s “Divine Comedy” written in marker above the door: “Abandon all hope all ye who enter here.”

The thugs entered a world of hurt when they barged into Augusto’s Harlem restaurant-supply shop, Kaplan Bros. Blue Flame Corp., Thursday afternoon, pulling out a 9mm pistol and pistol-whipping an employee as they demanded cash.

“I told them there wasn’t any money. ‘Take your gun, put it in your pocket, and go home.’ They had a chance to leave,” Augusto said.

But they didn’t listen.

So Augusto, 72 — known to most as “Gus” — channeled his inner Dirty Harry and pulled out the Remington shotgun he had hidden under his desk for 20 years. He opened fire three times, peppering all four men with buckshot.

“I did what I had to do,” he said. “It wasn’t my choice; it was their choice.”

The wounded men tried to run but didn’t make it far.

The man armed with the pistol, 29-year-old James Morgan — who had a long rap sheet with nine prior arrests — took the first shot directly to his face and made it only as far as the shop door before crumpling dead to the ground.

A second man, Raylin Footman, 21 — who had a prior arrest for robbery and a relative who was a cop — made it across 125th Street before collapsing. He’d died by the time he was taken to a hospital.

Good shooting, Gus.

I wonder how long it be before the usual suspects show up and start protesting this guy for protecting himself and his employees?