National Roundup

Pennsylvania Man charged in fight over Jordan and LeBron STATE COLLEGE, Pa. (AP) - Police say an argument over whether Michael Jordan or LeBron James is a better basketball player ended in a Pennsylvania man's arrest on aggravated assault and other charges. The Centre Daily Times reports that 22-year-old Daniel Mondelice was first arrested early Saturday after fighting with another man over whether Air Jordan or King James reigns supreme. He was released on bond and told not to return to the apartment. But police were called again Saturday night when Mondelice became argumentative and refused to leave. Online court records show Mondelice remained jailed Monday and was unable to post bail. A defense attorney wasn't listed. It wasn't clear whether Mondelice was on the side of the Chicago Bulls Hall of Famer or the Cleveland Cavaliers superstar. Alabama Suspect steals police car but doesn't get far BIRMINGHAM, Ala. (AP) - A handcuffed man who stole a police car in Alabama has been arrested again. WIAT-TV reports Birmingham officers got a call of a burglary in progress. Officers arrested the suspect Sunday and put him in handcuffs with his hands behind his back and placed him in the back of a police car. Officer Scott Thurmond says the suspect managed to get his handcuffs in front of him and drive away. Police say the unidentified suspect drove less than a mile before ditching the vehicle. Officers were able to take him back into custody later in the day. He was still in the handcuffs. Alabama Police shoot woman who shot home intruder HUNTSVILLE, Ala. (AP) - Police in Alabama say officers shot a woman who had shot an intruder during a home invasion after she didn't drop her weapon. Huntsville police spokesman Lt. Darryl Lawson tells AL.com the woman's estranged husband came into the house she shared with her mother armed with a gun Sunday afternoon. The woman opened fire with a shotgun, wounding him. Her mother called 911 and when police arrived, they heard gunshots and saw the woman in the garage holding the shotgun. They demanded she drop the weapon and when she turned toward them with the gun in her hand, at least one officer fired. Officers say the estranged husband's injuries are life threatening. The woman is expected to survive. Lawson says the officer who shot the woman has been placed on administrative leave. California Police: Seal or sea lion pup tak­en from LA beach LOS ANGELES (AP) - Whoever snatched a seal or sea lion pup from a Los Angeles beach early Sunday should not be fooled by the animal's cuteness - they could suffer a vicious bite, an animal rescue expert said. A witness to the abduction said four people wrapped the pup in a blanket and left in a car around 3:20 a.m. from Dockweiler State Beach, just west of the city's international airport, said Los Angeles Police Officer Rosario Herrera. The witness said the two men and two women in their early to mid-20s were harassing and taunting the animal prior to the abduction. The initial police report said the animal was a small seal. But a companion pup that escaped and was later found on the beach is a sea lion, according to Peter Wallerstein, the president of the group Marine Animal Rescue. The rescued pup weighs about 25 pounds and is probably 10 months old, said Wallerstein, who stays in a trailer at the beach and was woken by security guards seeking his help. Sea lions of this size are "really small, really look cute, but they're dangerous," he said. "These are wild animals." They're also not fit to be kept as pets. "The animal needs fluids, needs special treatments," he said. "You can't just feed it dog food. It's not going to work." The federal National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration is investigating the abduction because baby sea lions are a protected species. Police began a cruelty to animal investigation. Florida Diplomat's son pleads not guilty to murder charge MIAMI (AP) - The 15-year-old son of a Canadian diplomat pleaded not guilty Monday to murder and other charges in a drug-related shootout that killed his older brother and another teenager. Curt Obront, attorney for Marc Wabafiyebazu, entered the plea Monday on his behalf to felony first-degree murder, attempted murder and other charges. The teen is charged as an adult. Wabafiyebazu waived his appearance at the hearing, although he briefly showed up in court to meet with Obront. Wabafiyebazu is the son of Roxanne Dube, a veteran diplomat who is now the Canadian consul general in Miami. Her other son, 17-year-old Jean Wabafiyebazu, was fatally shot in the March 30 confrontation over a marijuana deal that also left 17-year-old Joshua Wright dead. Dube, who was in the courtroom Monday, waved and smiled when her shackled younger son walked through. Circuit Judge Richard Hersch set a tentative July 20 trial date. A hearing will be held next week on Obront's attempt to get Marc Wabafiyebazu released on bail. In general, it is difficult for people charged with murder in Florida to get bail, but under certain circumstances it can happen. In a motion filed Monday seeking bail, Obront said police have surveillance video showing that Marc Wabafiyebazu stayed in his mother's car while his brother went inside to the drug meeting. The video, the motion says, shows that Marc Wabafiyebazu went inside only after hearing gunshots and does not show him shooting at anyone. "This highly publicized case involves a 15-year-old boy who did nothing more than sit in a car while his brother made a series of bad decisions which cost him his life," Obront said in the motion. Two other young men - Anthony Rodriguez, 19, and Johann Ruiz-Perez, 21 - also pleaded not guilty Monday in the case. They face felony murder charges based on their roles in the underlying drug deal, which involved about two pounds of marijuana. Police say the gunfire erupted after the Wabafiyebazu brothers tried to rob the drug dealers, with Jean Wabafiyebazu and Wright fatally shooting each other. Marc Wabafiyebazu allegedly shot at Rodriguez, who had been wounded by Jean Wabafiyebazu, according to an indictment. The shootout happened only a few weeks after the brothers relocated from their father's home in Ottawa, Canada, to join their mother in Miami. They used their mother's personal car, which has diplomatic plates, but authorities say Marc Wabafiyebazu is not protected by diplomatic immunity. Under Florida law, a person can be charged with murder for participating in another crime, such as armed robbery, that leads to someone's slaying. Published: Tue, Apr 21, 2015