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2nd Suspect Arrested in Milford Shooting

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Police have arrested the second suspect in an armed robbery and shooting in a Milford garage earlier this month.

Daniel "DJ" Spencer, 22, of Ansonia, was identified as the second suspect in the robbery in the parking garage at 1 New Haven Avenue in Milford just after 1:30 a.m. on March 1. He turned himself in to police on March 11 and was held on a $650,150 bond for this case as well as a parole violation.

Police said a group of people who had left Eli’s Tavern, at 21 Daniel Street, were walking into the parking garage when two men approached them and demanded their personal belongings.

One of the robbers pointed a handgun at the group and fired a shot in the neck of one of the victims, police said.

In self-defense, another victim grabbed his own licensed firearm and returned fire, striking one of the robbers, police said. The second person ran off.

Police said they recovered two firearms at the crime scene and the wounded suspect, identified as Rumone Richard, 23, of Bridgeport, and the victim were transported to a local hospital.

The victim was treated and later released. Richard, who police said was is in serious condition, has been charged with criminal attempt to commit murder, four counts of criminal attempt to commit robbery in the first degree, conspiracy to commit robbery in the first degree, criminal possession of a firearm by a convicted felon, possession of a stolen firearm, unlawful discharge of a firearm and first-degree assault.

Police said they have also identified Spencer as a suspect. There are seven additional unreleated arrest warrants for Spencer.

Police ask anyone with information about the case to call the Milford Police Department Detective Division at (203) 877-1465, email tbassett@ci.milford.ct.us
or submit a tip online.
 



Photo Credit: NBCConnecticut.com and Milford Police

Bride From India Leaves Groom Over Math Problem

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An Indian bride walked out of her wedding ceremony after the groom failed to solve a simple math problem, police said Friday.

The bride tested the groom on his math skills and when he got the sum wrong, she walked out.

The question she asked: How much is 15 plus six?

His reply: 17.

The incident took place late Wednesday in Rasoolabad village near the industrial town of Kanpur in northern Uttar Pradesh state, local police officer Rakesh Kumar said Friday.

The groom's family tried persuading the bride to return, but she refused. She said the groom had misled them about his education.

"The groom's family kept us in the dark about his poor education," said Mohar Singh, the bride's father. "Even a first grader can answer this."

Local police mediated between the families and both sides returned all the gifts and jewelry that had been exchanged before the wedding, Kumar said.

Last month, another bride in Uttar Pradesh married a wedding guest after the original groom had a seizure and collapsed at the wedding venue.

The groom's family had not revealed that the groom was epileptic. While the groom was rushed to a hospital in Rampur town, the bride asked one of the wedding guests to step in and married him.

Most marriages in India are arranged by the families of the bride and groom. Except for brief meetings, the couple rarely gets to know each other before the nuptials.



Photo Credit: Getty Images/Blend Images RM

Meeting Ends Amid Tensions Over North Haven Mascot

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A meeting over the fate of the North Haven High School mascot got so heated on Thursday night that it had to be shut down.

Town leaders, supporters and opponents of the schools Indians mascot gathered at a Board of Education meeting to debate the continued use of the mascot. During the public comment period, shouting ensued.

North Haven’s First Selectman tells NBC Connecticut he’s in favor of the school keeping the Indians as the mascot, but said the debate over the issue needs to remain civil.

“One of the things we never want to see here in North Haven or in any city and town across Connecticut is an acrimonious display of emotion. If it’s not curbed, it can manifest itself and get into another situation” said Freda.

According to Freda, any decision about the future of the mascot is now in the hands of the Board of Education. There is no timeline for when any possible change could happen.

Police Make Arrest in Hamden Shooting

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A 27-year-old New Haven man is facing charges after shooting another person in the groin during a fight in Hamden in January, according to police.

Police said Michael Turner, 27, of New Haven, confronted the 24-year-old victim while the man was walking with his girlfriend on Dixwell Avenue in Hamden on Jan. 10.

The two men began to argue and stepped behind a nearby bar to fight, at which point Turner shot the man in the groin, according to police.

Police said the victim was taken to Yale-New Haven Hospital for treatment of non-life threatening injuries.

Turner was arrested March 12 with help from the U.S. Marshal Service Connecticut Violent Fugitive Task Force. He was charged with first-degree assault, criminal use of a firearm and criminal possession of a firearm.

Turner is due in court March 26.



Photo Credit: Hamden Police Department

Tsarnaev Judge Declines to Dismiss Charges

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In a formal filing in court late Friday, the judge in the trial of Boston Marathon bombing suspect Dzhokhar Tsarnaev declined to dismiss charges because of alleged jury pool bias.

The defense was seeking for a second time to dismiss charges because of what they say are fundamental flaws with the way jury pools are created in federal trials in Boston.

The ruling was not unexpected. The trial is scheduled to continue Monday at 9 a.m.

Three people died and more than 260 others were injured when twin bombs exploded at the finish line of the 2013 Boston Marathon.

An MIT police officer was killed in an ambush a few days later. 

Tsarnaev faces 30 charges, including using a weapon of mass destruction. He faces the death penalty, if convicted. 



Photo Credit: AP

Police Investigate Serious Assault in East Haven

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Police are investigating a serious assault in East Haven that sent a man to the hospital with severe traumatic injuries.

According to police, the man was attacked at 90 Gerrish Avenue around 2:20 a.m. Friday. He was driven to Yale-New Haven Hospital for treatment of serious injuries. Police said he's expected to survive.

Authorities are searching for two dark-complexioned men in connection with the case, according to East Haven police.

The victim has not been publicly identified. No additional information was immediately available.

The investigation is ongoing.

Anyone with information is urged to call the East Haven Police Department Detective Division at 203-468-3827 or dispatch at 203-468-3820. Callers can remain anonymous.



Photo Credit: NBC Connecticut

7 Adults, 3 Kids Displaced by Hartford Fire

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Seven adults and three children are displaced following a fire at the corner of Albany Avenue and Cabot Street in Hartford.

Footage from the scene shows smoke emanating from the roof of the burning building at 86 Cabot Street. Hartford Fire Capt. Helene Lynch said firefighters arrived to find flames on the third floor.

Lynch said three adults living on the third floor and three adults and three children living on the third floor will not be able to stay in their homes tonight. The second floor of the building is vacant.

The fire was under control as of about 4:45 p.m., but Lynch said crews are working to put out hot spots. The fire marshal is on scene investigating.

According to Lynch, the first-floor tenants were home when the the flames broke out but made it out safely. No residents or firefighters were hurt.

Although firefighters said six adults and three children were affected by the blaze, the American Red Cross said Friday night that volunteers are providing emergency housing to seven adults and three kids.

Check back for updates.



Photo Credit: NBCConnecticut.com

Natural Gas Leak Reported in Meriden

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Emergency crews are responding to a natural gas leak in the area of 48 Lewis Avenue in Meriden, according to the fire department.

Firefighters said the road will be closed for another hour while crews address the problem. The leak was reported around 3:30 p.m.

It's not clear what caused the leak. The fire department is not aware of any evacuations in the neighborhood.

No additional information was immediately available.



Photo Credit: NBCConnecticut.com

Milford Helps Nearby Towns With Pothole Repairs

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Milford and Ansonia have a new agreement in place to help both towns thaw out after one of the most road-damaging winters in a long time.

“We have an asphalt recycler which really no other town in the state has,” said Milford Mayor Benjamin Blake. “There are a few of them out there but we’re unique. We’ve had this piece of equipment for the last 10 years.”

The Milford Public Works Department’s Begala machine melts chunks of asphalt at 350 degrees Fahrenheit. The substance becomes what’s known in the industry as “hot patch” and is then used to repair potholes and sections of roads that have been damaged by combinations of plows, ice and snow, and product meant to improve traction for vehicles.

The Begala asphalt melting machine in Milford is valuable during a time of year where it’s difficult to find a place to melt asphalt.

“During the winter months, the asphalt plants are closed down so the other municipalities, if they don’t have asphalt recyclers, they’re out of luck,” said Blake

Ansonia’s Department of Public Works has struck a deal to pay Milford $50 per ton of hot patch. Trucks from Ansonia have been busy too.

“We’ve been averaging about 10 tons ourselves,” said Tom Hunt, a highway foreman with the Milford DPW. “The city of Ansonia has been coming down and we’ve been helping them out. We give them about 4-8 tons a day.”

Hunt describes this season as “the worst in a generation” for potholes.

Milford’s mayor said the deal to allow Ansonia to purchase hot patch at a reduced rate is catching on. Other towns are inquiring about using Milford's Begala, which Blake said is the kind of program that taxpayers expect.

“We’re always looking to make things more efficient and streamline the way our local government operates and looking for new streams of revenue,” he said.

Stop & Shop Recalls More Ground Cumin, Meat Rub

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Stop & Shop supermarkets are recalling a brand of rib rub and a second line of ground cumin over peanut traces not listed on the labels.

The first ground cumin recall, affecting La Flor brand products, was announced in January. Stop & Shop issued a second recall involving Badia Spices on Friday.

The following containers of Badia ground cumin are affected:

  • 2 oz., UPC 03384400007, lot number 116837, "best by" date of July 2019
  • 7 oz., UPC 03384400002, lot number 117151, "best by" date of July 2018
  • 16 oz., UPC 03384400516, lot number 116696, "best by" date of July 2019

Stop & Shop is also recalling Syliva's Rib & More Rub. The affected product comes in 5.5-oz. containers, has a UPC of 60862300068 and lot number 123117.

The supermarket has not received any reports of allergic reactions linked to either the meat rub or the ground cumin.

Customers who purchased the affected containers can bring their receipts back to the store for a full refund.



Photo Credit: Getty Images

New Haven Preps for St. Patrick's Day Parade

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The Saint Patrick's Day parade in New Haven is one of Connecticut's most popular events, one that's changed since police started enforcing the $99 fine for public drinking.

"There are really two events now," explained Win Davis, executive director of the Town Green Special Services District. "On Crown Street, there's a bar event. On Chapel Street, there's the parade."

For years, people looking for restrooms have gone into bars, restaurants and businesses that are open during the parade. One bar owner said it's been a battle between doing business and letting people do their business.

But across the street from his place, there will be portable toilets, two of 83 that the district and business community intend to spread throughout the area.

"I don't think you can ever have enough," Davis said, "but we're really trying to make it much easier for people to do the right thing when they need to relieve themselves."

He said authorities don't let people roll coolers off the trains anymore. He remembers parade-goers once putting a beer keg in a wheelchair and dressing it up as a disabled person, something that couldn't happen today.

But there's still a need for portable toilets.

"I think it's a good idea," said Will Abling, a Cromwell resident who plans to attend the parade Sunday. "That way, people aren't running in these businesses, trying to use the bathroom at the businesses. It makes it a little more convenient for people with kids, families, stuff like that."

Senators Push to Ban Armor-Piercing Ammunition

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Days after the Federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives backed off a ban on ammunition that critics say could pierce the armor of police, Connecticut’s U.S. senators want residents to act.

"Americans ought to literally protest to the ATF and tell this agency that they've made a mistake by failing to stand up and be strong against this special interest industry,” said U.S. Sen. Richard Blumenthal, who joined New Haven police and U.S. Sen. Chris Murphy, a fellow Democrat, on Friday.

Amidst fears that 5.56mm ammunition could be used in handguns involved in crimes, the ATF sought public comment on the proposal.

The National Rifle Association and other gun-rights advocates flooded the agency with comments, leading to this week's decision not to act on a possible ban.

Murphy said he believes the agency caved to the gun lobby.

"I really have no other way to explain ATF's behavior there other than it gave in to pressure from the NRA,” said Murphy. “They publicly said they were shutting down the comment period in part because they received so many emails and so many letters directed at them from the NRA."

The rounds could be used in the AR-15 rifle that was used in the 2012 massacre at Sandy Hook Elementary School.

A spokesman for the National Shooting Sports Foundation said a pair of national law enforcement groups – the Fraternal Order of Police and the National Sheriffs Association – have said the 5.56mm rounds don’t pose any additional risk to law enforcement.

Mike Bazinet with the NSSF said more than 200 members of Congress from both sides of the aisle opposed the ban on the ammunition.

“We would encourage the senators to work to address the true threats posed to our law-enforcement officers by criminal activity, instead of initiating news-cycle timed activities that do nothing to promote public safety” Bazinet said in a statement.

The NSSF also pledged to work with the ATF on the now-withdrawn proposal.

Murphy disagrees with that position. He and Blumenthal describe the ammunition as “cop-killers” and say Connecticut as a state has spoken on an issue it hopes will be settled at the federal level.

"Given the fact that we've banned them here in Connecticut, I haven't had one gun owner tell me that they haven't been able to hunt or shoot for sport because they don't have access to armor piercing bullets,” said Murphy.

Throat Slashed in Bias Attack: NYPD

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Authorities are looking for two suspects they say attacked a random couple in Queens, slashing the man's throat in what police are investigating as a racially motivated act of violence.

Police say the 24-year-old victim was walking with his girlfriend near Seneca and Gates avenues in Ridgewood early Thursday when a man and woman ran across the street into their path.

The male suspect walked up to the victim and said in Spanish, "I'm going to kill you, white boy," then slashed his throat with an unknown object while the female suspect acted as a lookout, police say.

The duo ran off after the attack. The victim needed multiple stitches to close up the wound to his throat, police said.

Police released surveillance video of the suspects approaching the couple.

Anyone with information about the attack is asked to call Crime Stoppers at 1-800-577-TIPS.



Photo Credit: NBC 4 New York

Florida Man Admits Sending Death Threats to Malloy, Judges

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A 35-year-old Florida man has admitted to mailing death threats to the Gov. Dannel Malloy, two federal judges and a dozen other Connecticut residents, according to federal prosecutors.

The U.S. attorneys office said Garrett Santillo, 35, of Hollywood, Florida, pleaded guilty in federal court Friday to one count of mailing threatening communications.

Prosecutors said Santillo mailed hand-written letters to the victim's home addresses over the summer and threatened to kill those who failed to comply with his requests. Santillo is also accused of writing a similar threat to the president that he never mailed.

“You [sic] home addresses in Conn. are public information and if you mask your identity by name or appearance, we can still track you to wherever you go and will kill you if you don’t follow what this letter instructs,” Santillo allegedly wrote in one of the letters.

A total of fifteen Connecticut residents, including the governor, received threatening notes, which each contained "a demand for action," including orders to lock up or release various killers.

According to paperwork filed in federal court, Santillo sent Malloy a letter on Aug. 15 saying the governor "will most definitely be killed for signing a bill ending the death penalty in CT."

One of the victims also received threatening voicemails from a number that investigators linked to Santillo and his family, according to the paperwork.

Santillo was arrested Sept. 29. According to federal prosecutors, he threatened to kill himself when law enforcement showed up, and authorities shot him with a Taser to prevent Santillo from hurting anyone.

Santillo will be sentenced May 27 and could face up to 10 years in prison.



Photo Credit: clipart.com

$1M in Vintage Aircraft Parts Stolen in Wallingford

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A New Haven man stole more than $1 million worth of vintage Pratt & Whitney jet engine parts — including one that was about to be given to the Smithsonian's Air & Space Museum in Washington — from a property on North Colony Road in Wallingford, police say.

Frank Westervelt, 45, of New Haven, was arrested at his home March 6.

Police said Westervelt burglarized a complex at 718 North Colony Road in November and stole vintage aircraft parts owned by Connecticut Corsair, a non-profit educational organization that sponsors high school and college STEM programs.

Westervelt is accused of taking $1 million worth of parts, including gearboxes, jet engine stators, vanes, engine cases, combustion chambers and a forklift on Nov. 18, 2014. One of the stolen items was set to be donated to the Smithsonian Institute's Air & Space Museum in Washington, D.C., police say.

Westervelt returned the property Jan. 7 and stole about 300 feet of copper piping from the same property, according to Wallingford police. The piping has been valued at $2,000.

So far, police have only been able to recover about $500,000 worth of stolen aircraft parts. Police believe Westervelt sold the parts at a New Haven scrap metal dealer for a fraction of their true value.

He was arrested last week and charged with first-degree larceny by ongoing scheme, two counts of third-degree burglary, first-degree criminal mischief and possession of burglary tools.

Westervelt was held on $100,000 bond and is due in court March 16.

Anyone with information about the stolen parts are urged to call the Wallingford Police Detective Division at 203-294-2845. The investigation is ongoing.



Photo Credit: Wallingford Police Department

Students, Parents Raise Money to Save Manchester School

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Parents and children are raising money in an effort to save the Assumption School in Manchester, a Catholic school in danger of closing due to declining enrollment.

Some suspect the demographics have changed and there may no longer be a need for three schools that serve pre-Kindergarten through eighth-grade students in town.

Sixth grader JoAnna Beaudry set up a GoFundMe account to raise money for the school.

"We're a big family. I love my teachers," JoAnna said Friday.

Assumption school alumna Amy Davis, whose daughter also attends the school, said a lot of parents were caught off-guard by announcements that the schooling have to close.

"We've been told that the church won't give us any more money and that we're running out of money, and they can't keep us open," Davis said.

Davis said there's a rift between the school and its parish and archdiocese, which helps fund it.

"What they fail to realize is that that the parents and our children are what's going to build this congregation," she explained.

A school board member told NBC Connecticut the goal is to boost enrollment from 108 students to 150 by the end of the school year, or to raise at least $75,000. It's unclear what will occur if neither goal is met.

"There are some parents that have gone to homeschooling. There is the public and the magnet, there are many alternatives," said parent Rosemary Hills.

But those alternatives are not ideal for many parents. Davis explained that the 54-year-old school is a special place with a lot to offer.

"I graduated from here, I was married here, [my daughter] was christened here, we had her first communion here," she said. "You know, we're not only part of the school but we are also parishioners."

The school board member said closing altogether is a last resort; the more likely outcome would be narrowing the grade levels to focus on early childhood education, for example.


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Blue Bell Recalls Ice Cream Treats

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The FDA issued a consumer advisory about some Texas-made Blue Bell ice cream products Friday, after three patients who had eaten the ice cream in a Kansas hospital died of a foodborne illness.

The illnesses prompted the Brenham, Texas-based creamery to issue the first recall in its 108-year history. Blue Bell has stopped production and distribution of ice cream products from that line and has removed them from stores and any other retail outlets.

The problem was discovered about a month ago, Blue Bell CEO Paul Kruse told NBC 5. He said the company picked up the affected products approximately three weeks ago from hospitals and stores.

The contaminated products were traced back to one machine, which has been shut down, Kruse said.

This is the first time in 108 years the company has experienced this type of problem, he added.

The affected products include the following novelty items made on the line:

  • Chocolate Chip Country Cookie
  • Great Divide Bar
  • Sour Pop Green Apple Bar
  • Cotton Candy Bar
  • Scoops
  • Vanilla Stick Slices
  • Almond Bar
  • No Sugar Added Mooo Bar (regular Mooo Bars are not included)

Consumers should not eat these items and should discard any of these products they may have in their freezers.

The advisory does not include Blue Bell cups, pints or half gallons.

Recent laboratory tests of three ice cream products from the Brenham production line — Country Cookie, Great Divide and Scoops — indicated the presence of Listeria monocytogenes, a bacterium that can cause severe illness.

The company is calling back additional ice cream items because they were made on the same production line.

No Texas cases have been reported in connection to any Blue Bell products.

Five people in all developed listeriosis and three of them died at Via Christi St. Francis Hospital in Wichita after eating products from the one production line at the Brenham creamery between December 2013 and January 2015, hospital officials say.

The patients who fell ill with listeriosis during their hospital stays had all initially been hospitalized for unrelated causes, hospital spokeswoman Maria Loving said.

The hospital was unaware that some items produced on one of the 25 production lines at Blue Bell's Central Texas creamery had been contaminated with listeria bacteria, Loving said.

She said all Blue Bell Creameries products were immediately removed from all Via Christi Health facilities in Kansas and Oklahoma once the risk was discovered.

NBC 5's Holley Ford and Ray Villeda contributed to this report.



Photo Credit: Getty Images

Firefighters Suspended Over On-Duty Fight: Report

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Two New Haven firefighters have been suspended after allegedly getting into a fight at the scene of a fire on Winthrop Avenue last Wednesday.

Laurence Grotheer, spokesperson for the New Haven mayor's office, said Lt. Terrance Rountree and Firefighter Gennaro D'Amato "were recently disciplined by the New Haven Fire Department."

The New Haven Register reports that the two got into a physical altercation at the scene of a house fire last Wednesday evening. That two-alarm fire, and the explosion that accompanied it, has been deemed arson.

According to the Register, Rountree received a one-day suspension, while D'Amato was suspended for six days. City officials have not released details of the allegations.



Photo Credit: NBCConnecticut.com

Violent History of Suspect in Brawl

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The 16-year-old girl arrested in connection with a vicious brawl involving a group of girls inside a Brooklyn McDonald's earlier this week has been arrested half a dozen times since September on various offenses, including for allegedly attacking a pregnant woman in an emergency room and her own grandmother, records show.

Aniah Ferguson was arraigned Friday in Brooklyn on robbery and gang assault charges in connection with Monday's brawl, which was recorded on cellphone and posted on Facebook, prompting outcry from parents and community advocates. Ferguson is charged as an adult.

Two other teenagers were being questioned Friday in connection with the brawl, law enforcement sources said. Law enforcement officials said another person linked to the brawl was pulled off a plane in Atlanta Friday evening as she tried to fly to Jamaica. NYPD alerted authorities in Georgia that she was on the plane and they got to her right before take-off, law enforcement officials said.

Law enforcement records indicate Ferguson has a history of violence. She was arrested last month on assault, weapons and other charges after allegedly stabbing her brother with a knife during an argument. Ferguson was arrested twice in October for allegedly attacking her grandmother.

In one of the cases, she allegedly scratched the woman's face and punched her twice. Eight days later, Ferguson allegedly harassed her grandmother and resisted officers trying to get her into custody.

In December, Ferguson was arrested in yet another altercation involving her grandmother. Earlier arrests in September stem from fighting with police in an emergency room after allegedly punching a stranger and stealing watches from her niece.

It wasn't immediately clear if those cases were all still open.

Marie Josef, the woman Ferguson was accused of attacking in the ER in September, told NBC 4 New York in an exclusive interview that she hadn't forgotten the teenager's face. Josef was a month pregnant at the time of the encounter and having complications, which is why she went to the ER.

"This girl assumed that I was staring at her and I wasn't even paying her no attention. I was waiting for my name to be called and go into the triage," Josef said. "She was like, 'What the hell? What the f you looking at?' I was like, 'I'm not looking at you, you're nobody to me, you're not important, I don't know you.'"

Josef says Ferguson was cursing, picking a fight with other people, then zeroed in on her.

"She says she don't care my face not pregnant my stomach is not my face she's gonna hit me that's what she says," Josef said.

Then, Josef says, Ferguson punched her in the head. Now seven months pregnant, Josef says she has lingering physical and emotional problems stemming from the random violent encounter.

"She needs to be put somewhere and never let out because this girl is very violent," Josef said.

In court Thursday, Ferguson's public defender said the teen has been attending counseling once a week for the past year in an effort to "better her life." Prosecutors allege she was the ringleader in the McDonald's beatdown and stole the victim's bag, makeup and phone after the attack.

They also allege she is part of the Young Savages gang, a violent group known to be involved in patterns of violence and credit card scams.

Ferguson, who lives with her mother and grandmother she has been accused of attacking, was ordered held on $500,000 bail. She also has a 1-year-old daughter. None of the three attended her arraignment Friday.

Video of the McDonald's attack, which was posted on Facebook, shows four girls, all believed to be Erasmus Hall High School students, repeatedly punching and kicking another teen wearing a blue hooded sweatshirt while throngs of bystanders shout in the background.

The larger group continues to attack the teen in the blue sweatshirt, even pulling out her hair extensions, until the girl huddles underneath a table with her hands over her head. At one point, one of the girls in the group stomps on the victim's head. The victim suffered a concussion, bruises and contusions, according to a criminal complaint.

At several points during the fight, bystanders can be heard saying, "She’s dead," and, "You murdered her."

The video ends with several students picking the girl up off the ground and putting her on a bench.

Police initially said the investigation had been hampered by a lack of cooperating witnesses, including the girl in the blue sweatshirt in her mother, but NBC 4 New York learned Friday that the victim had come forward to file a police report.

The Department of Education, meanwhile, called the actions seen in the video "abhorrent."

-Jonathan Dienst contributed to this report 

More Than 80 Animals Seized From Bridgeport Home

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More than 80 pets have been seized from a home on Goddard Avenue in Bridgeport after authorities discovered conditions that police said were cause for concern.

Bridgeport police said emergency responders found the animals while responding to a medical call at 169 Goddard Avenue about two weeks ago, when one of the residents died.

Police subsequently called animal control officers, who removed about a dozen animals from the multi-family home. Public safety spokesperson Bill Kaempffer said police also contacted the health department and state's attorney's office.

"They were trying to do the best they can because they love animals," neighbor Sandra Crowel told News 12 Connecticut. "Sadly enough, it was a good gesture, but it just went to an extreme."

Over the past week and a half, authorities have formulated a plan to confiscate the remaining animals out of concern for their well being, Kaempffer said.

A second resident of the home was brought to the hospital Thursday for a mental evaluation, according to Kaempffer.

Crews also seized 68 additional cats and dogs, mostly Chihuahuas, which were taken to the vet to be checked out. Kaempffer said the animals will be brought to the Bridgeport Animal Shelter.

Police said they're conducting a potential criminal investigation. As of Friday, they have not filed charges. According to Kaempffer, the primary concern has been the well being of the residents and animals.

The confiscated animals are not currently up for adoption, but Kaempffer said many other animals at the shelter are in need of a loving home.

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