It's About Crime

Tag: Crime News

  • ‘We’re Going to the Cemetery’: Woman Pulls Machete on Taxi Driver for Playing the Wrong Music

    ‘We’re Going to the Cemetery’: Woman Pulls Machete on Taxi Driver for Playing the Wrong Music

    In a terrifying incident captured on video in Samara City, Russia, a taxi driver experienced a “ride from hell” after his passenger threatened him with a massive machete. The reason for the attack? She couldn’t stand the “dance music” blaring in his cab and demanded he play “chanson” instead.

    ‘I Don’t Like This Kind of Music’

    The shocking event was caught on the cab’s internal camera, showing a woman believed to be in her fifties lounging in the back seat.

    Footage shows her rummaging through her bag before suddenly brandishing a large machete, thrusting it between the front seats and near the driver’s face. In a moment of sheer panic, the driver sways to the side, wincing as he tries to edge away from the blade.

    “I don’t like this kind of [dance] music,” the woman states calmly.

    The petrified cabbie stutters, “I understand, I understand. I’ll turn it off.”

    She then presses him: “Couldn’t you understand the first time?”

    A Demand for ‘Criminal Underworld Songs’

    The woman wasn’t satisfied with silence. She had a specific request, ordering him: “Turn on chanson.”

    She promised, “When you turn on [my favourite chanson], I’ll put [the machete] away.”

    For Russians, the “chanson” genre is a broad term, but it is often associated with blatnaya pesnya, or “criminal underworld songs,” which romanticize the lives of convicts and gangsters.

    The driver, who had slipped off his seat belt and appeared ready to bolt from the car, desperately switched to the station she demanded. Only then did the woman casually set the lethal blade down.

    “We’re going to the cemetery.”

    After the music was changed, the driver nervously asked, “Do you know where we’re going?”

    She replied simply: “We’re going to the cemetery.”

    Reports state the terrifying trip ended at a local cemetery without any physical violence, despite the woman’s onslaught of demands.

    woman threatens taxi driver machete

    Police Launch Investigation

    Although the driver did not make a formal complaint, the disturbing video quickly went viral, prompting a police investigation. Officers from the Smyshlyaevka police station in Samara have launched a search for the machete-wielding passenger.

    Officials are now working to trace the mystery, headscarf-wearing woman and her weapon.

  • ‘I’ll Gang Rape You’: Millionaire Boss Who Threatened Air Hostess in Front of His 3 Children Has “Lenient” Sentence Tripled

    ‘I’ll Gang Rape You’: Millionaire Boss Who Threatened Air Hostess in Front of His 3 Children Has “Lenient” Sentence Tripled

    A millionaire recruitment boss who launched a horrific tirade of abuse at a Virgin Atlantic air hostess, threatening to have her gang-raped and set on fire in front of his own young children, has had his “unduly lenient” jail sentence significantly increased by the Court of Appeal.

    Salman Iftikhar, 38, was on a first-class flight from London Heathrow to Lahore, Pakistan, in February 2023 when the shocking incident unfolded at 39,000 feet.

    100 Rants and Vile Threats

    Isleworth Crown Court heard that Iftikhar, who was travelling with his wife and three children, directed a series of over 100 profanity-laced rants at cabin crew member Angie Walsh.

    During the harrowing ordeal, Iftikhar told Ms. Walsh that she would be dragged from her hotel room, gang-raped, and then set on fire.

    A shocked passenger, who filmed a portion of the tirade, could be heard saying “holy s***” as Iftikhar repeatedly and falsely accused Ms. Walsh of being a racist, yelling, “You called me a p*** in front of everybody.”

    Public Outrage and “Two-Tier” Justice

    Iftikhar, who is reportedly married to a second wife, supermodel Abeer Rizvi, in Pakistan, initially cried as he was jailed for just 15 months last August.

    The light sentence sparked immediate public outrage and accusations of a “two-tier” justice system. Many contrasted it with the 31-month sentence given to Lucy Connolly for her tweets during the Southport riots. The case’s high profile led Shadow Home Secretary Chris Philp to refer Iftikhar’s sentence to the Attorney General for being “unduly lenient.”

    Sentence Increased to 3 Years

    The case was referred to the Court of Appeal, which agreed with the assessment and increased Iftikhar’s sentence to three years.

    Solicitor General Ellie Reeves said: “Salman Iftikhar made horrific threats of rape and violence against an air steward who was simply doing her job. His tirade of hate and abuse caused distress and anguish for the whole flight, and all of our thoughts today should be with the cabin crew and passengers who suffered from Iftikhar’s vile behaviour.”

    The court heard that Iftikhar has an “appalling record of misconduct,” including six previous convictions from 15 offences, such as common assault in 2004 and multiple drink-driving incidents. In 2021, he was fined £3,000 after he was caught driving his Rolls Royce while under the influence of both alcohol and cannabis.

    “Appalling Incident, Devastating Consequences”

    The judge, Ms. Recorder Annabel Darlow KC, noted that Iftikhar had failed to address his long-standing “drug and alcohol problem.”

    She also highlighted the devastating impact on the victim, Ms. Walsh, who gave up the job she loved for 14 months due to the trauma. Thankfully, she has now been able to return to work.

    “Your threats to kill were made in the presence of children, specifically your three young children,” the judge told Iftikhar. “Your children had to be comforted by cabin crew staff while you made those threats. This was an appalling incident which has caused long lasting and devastating consequences.”

  • Indiana House Cleaner Shot and Killed at Wrong Address

    Indiana House Cleaner Shot and Killed at Wrong Address

    The early morning quiet of a Whitestown, Indiana subdivision was shattered Wednesday by a fatal misunderstanding. A house cleaner, arriving for a routine job, was shot and killed on the front porch of a home she was never supposed to be at, marking another tragedy in a disturbing string of “wrong address” shootings.

    The family of the housekeeper killed in Whitestown is questioning the thoughts behind the shooter.

    A Deadly Case of Mistaken Address

    At 6:49 a.m., the Whitestown Metropolitan Police Department (WMPD) responded to a 911 call reporting a possible break-in. When officers arrived, they found a man and a woman on the home’s front porch. The woman, shot and unresponsive, was pronounced dead at the scene. The man was uninjured.

    The investigation quickly revealed this was not a break-in, but a devastating error.

    The pair, identified by CBS affiliate WTTV as Maria Florinda Rios Perez, a mother of four, and her husband, Mauricio Velazquez, ran a cleaning crew. They had mistakenly arrived at the wrong address for their first job of the day.

    Police stated the couple did not appear to have made any attempt to enter the home.

    “They Should’ve Called the Police First”

    In a heartbreaking interview with WTTV, Velazquez recounted the moments that led to his wife’s death. He told the station that the shot that struck Perez was fired through the home’s door. A bullet hole was reportedly visible.

    Velazquez said he never saw who fired the fatal shot.

    “They should’ve called the police first instead of just shooting out of nowhere like that,” Velazquez told the station through an interpreter.

    The investigation is active and ongoing. Police have not released the identity of the person inside the home but confirmed in a statement that “all individuals involved” are being interviewed. Investigators have also recovered a firearm.

    The WMPD stated it was working with the Boone County Prosecutor’s Office “to ensure every aspect of this case is handled with care and diligence.”

    A Disturbing National Trend?

    This tragic incident is not an isolated event. It adds another name to a growing, and terrifying, list of shootings involving people who simply went to the wrong address.

    This pattern gained national attention in April 2023, a month that saw multiple, similar tragedies:

    • Ralph Yarl: The 16-year-old was shot and wounded in Kansas City after ringing the doorbell at the wrong house while trying to pick up his younger siblings.
    • Kaylin Gillis: The 20-year-old was shot and killed in upstate New York when the car she was in turned into the wrong driveway.
    • Robert Dotson: Police in New Mexico, responding to a domestic violence call at the wrong address, shot and killed the 52-year-old homeowner when he answered the door.

    The WMPD has asked for the public’s patience, stating, “We understand that incidents like this can cause concern and speculation. … These cases are often complex and require time to fully understand.”

    As the investigation into the death of Maria Perez continues, it leaves her family and community grappling with how a simple, everyday mistake could turn so deadly.