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New video captured the horrifying moment a Florida police officer’s body camera stopped a bullet from piercing his chest while conducting a routine investigation last month. 

The incident unfolded when Deputy Jose Rivera and his deputy trainee responded to a call regarding an assault and battery investigation at a home in Volusia County on Sunday, March 1, according to the Volusia County Sheriff’s Office. 

Upon arriving at the home, the deputies encountered the suspect, identified as Luis Diaz Polanco, police said. 

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While trying to speak with Polanco, he allegedly went back into the house and returned with a handgun before he allegedly started firing at the officers, according to authorities. 

Rivera was subsequently struck in the leg and shoulder “after a round ricocheted off of his chest-mounted body-worn camera,” the department said.

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Video shows the shootout and the aftermath, including fellow deputies pulling a bloodied Rivera to safety and applying tourniquets. 

Rivera, a father of three, is then placed into the back of a police car and transported to a hospital, where he is expected to make a full recovery.

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Additional video shows Polanco on the ground with his hands behind his back as police take him into custody. 

He was later charged with attempted murder, according to police.

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While in custody, Polanco allegedly told police he had a “horrible day” before the shooting and was previously involved in a confrontation with an unidentified woman, Sheriff Mike Chitwood said in a news conference. 

“When the deputies came up to the house, [Polanco] had every intention to shoot them,” Chitwood said, adding a direct quote from the suspect, “‘If I didn’t run out of ammunition, I would have killed them all.’”

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Polanco allegedly told officers he was experiencing a mental health crisis at the time of the alleged incident. 

The Volusia County Sheriff’s Office shared a photo on social media showing the damaged body camera that stopped the bullet from hitting Rivera in the chest, with the caption, “Deputy Rivera’s body cam took a bullet headed for his chest. His fellow deputies pulled him to safety. Thank God for that.”

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“There’s a lot of scumbags out there that have a lot of things to say,” Chitwood said. “What they did, what those deputies did, was absolutely outstanding. It was bravery, there was restraint involved. They did everything you could ever ask a law enforcement professional to do.” 

The Volusia County Sheriff’s Office did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital’s request for comment. 

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FIRST ON FOX: A man who used government loans meant to provide financial relief to small businesses pleaded guilty to defrauding taxpayers of more than $1 million for a company he claimed operated an amateur basketball league, authorities said.

Jamar Johnson, a U.S. citizen, entered his plea on Monday for his role in a scheme that netted him $1,047,824 in taxpayer funds through the U.S. Small Business Administration’s (SBA) Paycheck Protection Program (PPP), the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) said.

“Jamar J. Johnson exploited a critical pandemic relief program for personal gain, stealing more than $1 million meant to support American small businesses when they needed it most,” said acting DHS Assistant Secretary Lauren Bis. 

“This guilty plea sends a clear message: Those who defraud the American people and attempt to hide their crimes will be identified, investigated and held accountable. DHS remains committed to protecting taxpayer-funded programs and ensuring justice for those who abuse them.”

TRUMP ADMIN SAVES TAXPAYERS $1 BILLION IN FRAUD CRACKDOWN OF STUDENT AID PROGRAMS

In 2020, Johnson submitted a PPP loan application for a company he said ran an amateur league. However, once the funds were disbursed, Johnson used the money to fund his lifestyle, including purchasing cryptocurrency and transferring the funds to foreign markets in an effort to conceal the illicit proceeds.

In addition to depriving the government, the scam also hurt small businesses that needed access to government funds to avoid shutting their doors and laying off employees at the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, DHS said.

“Fraud of this nature weakens the effectiveness of federal assistance programs and places an additional burden on taxpayers who ultimately bear the cost of these crimes,” the department said in a statement to Fox News Digital.

Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), which operates under DHS, has authority over certain financial crimes and was involved in the investigation that ultimately led to Johnson’s guilty plea.

The federal government has cracked down on the massive scale of fraud stemming from the PPP loans.

The plea announcement comes as the U.S. Small Business Administration on Friday separately referred 562,000 suspected fraudulent loans totaling over $22.2 billion to the U.S. Department of Treasury for collections. 

“After extensive review, and with the strong support of the White House Anti-Fraud Task Force, we are taking our most decisive action yet to end a Biden-era scheme that protected over 560,000 borrowers tied to more than $22 billion in suspected pandemic-era fraud,” SBA Administrator Kelly Loeffler told Fox News Digital.

The SBA accused former President Joe Biden of deliberately protecting suspected fraudsters by refusing to refer them to the Treasury.

In February, the SBA suspended more than 111,000 California borrowers after uncovering $8.6 billion in suspected fraudulent activity linked to the pandemic. In total, the agency suspended 111,620 California borrowers who received 118,489 PPP and Economic Injury Disaster (EIDL) loans, totaling $8.6 billion.

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“This staggering number represents the most significant crackdown on those who defrauded pandemic programs, and it illuminates the scale of corruption that the Biden administration tolerated for years,” Loeffler said at the time.

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Elizabeth Smart is proving she can conquer another challenge after new photos shared by the kidnapping survivor show her taking up a powerful new hobby — bodybuilding. 

The 38-year-old Smart, whose harrowing kidnapping story captivated the nation, announced her latest endeavor on Instagram over the weekend with a photo showing off her impressive physique.

“When I posted the pictures in my [Instagram] story of me standing on stage in a bikini it probably shocked many of you,” Smart wrote. 

“And I understand the shock because had you asked me if I would ever compete in a bodybuilding show a couple of years ago I would have said, ‘Absolutely not! Never in 100 years!’”

 CHILD ABDUCTION SURVIVOR ELIZABETH SMART WARNS OF ‘TERRIFYING TERRITORY’ FOR TODAY’S KIDS

Smart participated alongside hundreds of amateur athletes at the Wasatch Warrior Competition in Salt Lake City, Utah, Saturday and competed in the entry-level Fit Model Division.

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She secured first place in the competition’s novice category, second in Class D and third in the Masters 35-plus category, according to the tournament’s website. 

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“I am so proud of my body, and I want to celebrate it,” Smart added. 

“My body has carried me through every worst day, every hellish grueling experience, it’s created and nurtured three beautiful children, my body has risen to every single challenge life has presented it with and carried me through so I refuse to be ashamed of it.”

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Smart was just 14 years old when she was abducted from her family’s Salt Lake City home in 2002. 

Investigators subsequently learned she had been kidnapped at knifepoint and taken from her bedroom by Brian David Mitchell and his wife, Wanda Barzee.

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Smart was held captive by the pair for nine months, moving between campsites in the Utah foothills and later to California while being raped daily by Mitchell. 

In March 2003, authorities located Smart in Sandy, Utah, after witnesses recognized Mitchell and Barzee from media coverage in the case.

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Mitchell was later convicted in federal court and sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole. 

Barzee pleaded guilty to her role in Smart’s abduction and was released from prison in 2018 but was arrested a second time in May 2025 after violating the terms of her sex offender status by visiting a public park, according to FOX 11.

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Smart’s competition marked one year since her first time taking the stage at the same tournament. Throughout the past year, she has reportedly competed at the NPC Heart of Texas and moved on to the national stage at the NPC Masters USA in Las Vegas in pursuit of an IFBB Pro card.

“I refuse to feel embarrassed about trying something new and am embracing my chance at life to the absolute fullest I can,” Smart concluded in her post to social media. “I only hope that we all find the courage to chase new experiences, goals, bettering ourselves, and most importantly happiness.”

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One person is in custody in connection to two missing University of South Florida doctoral students, authorities said Friday.

The Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office said it closed down a Tampa neighborhood Friday afternoon and took into custody a barricaded person linked to the disappearance of Zamil Limon and Nahida Bristy, both 27, who were last seen separately on April 16.

“We are here today as our community has been shaken by the disappearance of two USF grad students. Nahida and Zamil,” Hillsborough County Sheriff Chad Chronister said Friday. 

“I am heartbroken to announce the discovery of human remains discovered on the Howard Franklin Bridge earlier this morning. Just now, those remains were positively identified to Zamil.”

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At about 9 a.m., deputies responded to a domestic violence call at the suspect’s home and removed family members from the residence safely.

Chronister said deputies repeatedly ordered the suspect to exit, but he refused for about 20 minutes. SWAT was activated and arrived at about 10:36 a.m., he said.

After SWAT ordered him to leave the residence, the suspect surrendered peacefully and was taken into custody.

The suspect, identified as Hisham Abugharbieh, 26, faces charges including domestic violence-simple battery, domestic violence-false imprisonment, tampering with evidence, failure to report death to the medical examiner’s office or law enforcement, unlawfully hold or move a human dead body in unapproved conditions.

Chronister said that the suspect was Limon’s roommate, and he was taken into custody at their shared home.

At about 11:15 a.m. Friday, the sheriff’s department said it had closed the entrance and exit of the Lake Forest Community “due to a police investigation related to the missing USF students.”

“The situation has been resolved. One individual is in custody,” it said.

Limon, a USF doctoral student pursuing a degree in geography and environmental science and policy, was last seen at his home around 9 a.m. April 16.

Bristy, a USF doctoral student studying chemical engineering, was last seen around 10 that morning on the USF Tampa campus at the NES Building. Bristy’s location remains unknown. 

HCSO Deputy Chief Joseph Mauer said detectives believe Abugharbieh acted alone.

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A family friend notified police April 17 at approximately 4:50 p.m. after concern grew over being unable to contact Limon and Bristy.

Anyone with information about this case or who may know Bristy’s whereabouts is asked to contact the Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office at 813-247-8200.

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A 14-year-old boy has been charged with assault after video shows him allegedly body-slamming a teen girl onto a New York City sidewalk and stomping on her head.

The incident began after the girl refused to give her attacker her phone number, the New York Post reported, citing unidentified sources.

Footage of the violent encounter shows a masked 14-year-old confronting a 15-year-old girl on an East Harlem street in Upper Manhattan around 3:30 p.m. Monday, shortly after school let out.

While blocking her path in a crosswalk, the unnamed teen suspect threatens to “knock the s— outta” the girl.

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“Do it,” someone is heard saying off-camera, egging on the suspect.

“Nah, nah, you stand right here,” the teen says as the girl tries walking around him.

“Get the f— away from me,” she responds as he pushes her back, according to the video.

The girl then walks around a parked car in an attempt to get away from the aggressive teen. As she makes her onto the sidewalk, the masked teen is seen grabbing her from behind and lifting her into the air before slamming her onto the pavement.

The teen then stomped on her head as she lied on the ground in pain, before walking away.

The New York Police Department said officers responded to a 911 call for an assault in progress Monday and upon arrival, were informed that a 15-year-old had been assaulted by an unidentified individual.

“The individual threw the victim to the ground and kicked her in the head, causing minor injuries. EMS responded and transported the victim to NYC Health+Hospitals/Harlem in stable condition,” police told Fox News Digital.

The suspect, a 14-year-old boy, was arrested Wednesday and charged with assault, police said.

FORENSIC GENEALOGY UNMASKS COLD CASE SUSPECT AS STRANGLER, SEXUAL PREDATOR DECADES LATER: OFFICIALS

“This is not even bullying, this is outright assault — and he could have killed her,” the victim’s mother Lucinda Arroyo said, according to the Post. “She was very angry at why he escalated so quickly from one thing to another. And you can tell [in the video] she just wanted to walk away from him because he’s bad news. She’s known him as someone who’s bad news for a while.”

The attack caused a concussion, bleeding, a possible brain injury, splitting headaches, and a twisted neck, injuries that will necessitate ongoing physical therapy, the mother said, according to the outlet.

“The video was passed around like entertainment, and that pissed me off the most. She’s ignoring him, so he basically forced her to pay attention to him. And his friends are laughing after that. It’s not just one bully, but community bullying,” the mother noted, according to the outlet.

“She’s not going back to that school… that school can’t keep her safe,” she said.

But the suspect’s mom, Selma Allen, described her son as a “humble” Christian and claimed that the girl had bullied him at school, the outlet reported.

“She was being a bully to him, that’s it,” she told the outlet. “He’s been complaining about her. I bring it to the principal’s attention, but he don’t address it. The way my son is being bullied, he doesn’t want to go to school.”

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The suspect’s mother denied that her son was attempting to obtain the girl’s number, saying that they were friends who regularly exchanged messages on Instagram and WhatsApp, the Post reported.

“It’s retaliation because she pushed him first,” Allen said, failing to supply video she claimed she had of the girl shoving the boy, the outlet noted. “He don’t provoke nobody. But if you provoke him, he will lash out.”