Latest news with #Memphis
CNN
39 minutes ago
- Politics
- CNN
Memphis man charged with attempted kidnapping after allegedly trespassing at mayor's home
A man is accused of trying to kidnap the mayor of Memphis, Tennessee, after being seen on surveillance video climbing a wall in the city leader's neighborhood and beelining for his home late Sunday, according to police. A Taser, gloves, rope and duct tape were found in 25-year-old Trenton Abston's vehicle when he was arrested, Memphis police said Wednesday, noting the arrest was made after officers reviewed 'public and private security camera footage' from the area near Mayor Paul Young's home. 'Young looked at his Ring doorbell video and observed the unknown male wearing a hoodie and gloves standing at the door,' according to a police report obtained by CNN affiliate WHBQ. The mayor feared for his safety and didn't answer the door, the report said. Police say the suspect acknowledged looking up the mayor's address and said he wanted to confront him about crime in Memphis, WHBQ reported. The alleged attempted kidnapping of the Memphis mayor happened less than 48 hours after a gunman in Minnesota shot two state lawmakers and their spouses early Saturday. Democratic Minnesota Rep. Melissa Hortman and her husband, Mark, were killed, while Democratic Sen. John Hoffman and his wife, Yvette, were injured after being shot multiple times. Abston is charged with attempted kidnapping, stalking and aggravated criminal trespass, police said. The suspect allegedly 'walked straight to our home' and was then seen 'knocking on the door with gloves on, a full pocket and a nervous demeanor,' Young said in a statement on social media. The Memphis mayor, who took office in January 2024, tied the incident to 'angry online rhetoric' and noted its proximity to the Minnesota shootings. 'In today's climate, especially after the tragic events in Minnesota and the threats my wife and I often receive online, none of us can be too careful,' Young wrote in an Instagram post that included a photo of his family. 'The link between angry online rhetoric and real-life violence is becoming undeniable.' Abston is currently being held at the Shelby County Sheriff's Office jail, according to online records. He is set to appear in court on Friday. CNN is working to identify an attorney for him. Increasing threats to politicians and the Minnesota attacks have heightened concerns over the security of public officials. Last year, threats against federal lawmakers surged, with US Capitol Police investigating over 9,000 cases — a staggering 83% rise from the previous year. Memphis' mayor urged the country to 'do better' after the incident at his home. 'Let's raise our discourse, reduce the hate, and protect one another — no matter our beliefs. Let's reclaim our strength as one community. Let's choose love,' Young said.
CNN
an hour ago
- Politics
- CNN
Memphis man charged with attempted kidnapping after allegedly trespassing at mayor's home
A man is accused of trying to kidnap the mayor of Memphis, Tennessee, after being seen on surveillance video climbing a wall in the city leader's neighborhood and beelining for his home late Sunday, according to police. A Taser, gloves, rope and duct tape were found in 25-year-old Trenton Abston's vehicle when he was arrested, Memphis police said Wednesday, noting the arrest was made after officers reviewed 'public and private security camera footage' from the area near Mayor Paul Young's home. 'Young looked at his Ring doorbell video and observed the unknown male wearing a hoodie and gloves standing at the door,' according to a police report obtained by CNN affiliate WHBQ. The mayor feared for his safety and didn't answer the door, the report said. Police say the suspect acknowledged looking up the mayor's address and said he wanted to confront him about crime in Memphis, WHBQ reported. The alleged attempted kidnapping of the Memphis mayor happened less than 48 hours after a gunman in Minnesota shot two state lawmakers and their spouses early Saturday. Democratic Minnesota Rep. Melissa Hortman and her husband, Mark, were killed, while Democratic Sen. John Hoffman and his wife, Yvette, were injured after being shot multiple times. Abston is charged with attempted kidnapping, stalking and aggravated criminal trespass, police said. The suspect allegedly 'walked straight to our home' and was then seen 'knocking on the door with gloves on, a full pocket and a nervous demeanor,' Young said in a statement on social media. The Memphis mayor, who took office in January 2024, tied the incident to 'angry online rhetoric' and noted its proximity to the Minnesota shootings. 'In today's climate, especially after the tragic events in Minnesota and the threats my wife and I often receive online, none of us can be too careful,' Young wrote in an Instagram post that included a photo of his family. 'The link between angry online rhetoric and real-life violence is becoming undeniable.' Abston is currently being held at the Shelby County Sheriff's Office jail, according to online records. He is set to appear in court on Friday. CNN is working to identify an attorney for him. Increasing threats to politicians and the Minnesota attacks have heightened concerns over the security of public officials. Last year, threats against federal lawmakers surged, with US Capitol Police investigating over 9,000 cases — a staggering 83% rise from the previous year. Memphis' mayor urged the country to 'do better' after the incident at his home. 'Let's raise our discourse, reduce the hate, and protect one another — no matter our beliefs. Let's reclaim our strength as one community. Let's choose love,' Young said.
CNN
an hour ago
- Politics
- CNN
Memphis man charged with attempted kidnapping after allegedly trespassing at mayor's home
A man is accused of trying to kidnap the mayor of Memphis, Tennessee, after being seen on surveillance video climbing a wall in the city leader's neighborhood and beelining for his home late Sunday, according to police. A Taser, gloves, rope and duct tape were found in 25-year-old Trenton Abston's vehicle when he was arrested, Memphis police said Wednesday, noting the arrest was made after officers reviewed 'public and private security camera footage' from the area near Mayor Paul Young's home. 'Young looked at his Ring doorbell video and observed the unknown male wearing a hoodie and gloves standing at the door,' according to a police report obtained by CNN affiliate WHBQ. Police say the suspect acknowledged looking up the mayor's address and said he wanted to confront him about crime in Memphis, WHBQ reported. The alleged attempted kidnapping of the Memphis mayor happened less than 48 hours after a gunman in Minnesota shot two state lawmakers and their spouses early Saturday. Democratic Minnesota Rep. Melissa Hortman and her husband, Mark, were killed, while Democratic Sen. John Hoffman and his wife, Yvette, were injured after being shot multiple times. Abston is charged with attempted kidnapping, stalking and aggravated criminal trespass, police said. The suspect allegedly 'walked straight to our home' and was then seen 'knocking on the door with gloves on, a full pocket and a nervous demeanor,' Young said in a statement on social media. The Memphis mayor, who took office in January 2024, tied the incident to 'angry online rhetoric' and noted its proximity to the Minnesota shootings. 'In today's climate, especially after the tragic events in Minnesota and the threats my wife and I often receive online, none of us can be too careful,' Young wrote in an Instagram post that included a photo of his family. 'The link between angry online rhetoric and real-life violence is becoming undeniable.' Abston is currently being held at the Shelby County Sheriff's Office jail, according to online records. He is set to appear in court on Friday. CNN is working to identify an attorney for him. Increasing threats to politicians and the Minnesota attacks have heightened concerns over the security of public officials. Last year, threats against federal lawmakers surged, with US Capitol Police investigating over 9,000 cases — a staggering 83% rise from the previous year. Memphis' mayor urged the country to 'do better' after the incident at his home. 'Let's raise our discourse, reduce the hate, and protect one another — no matter our beliefs. Let's reclaim our strength as one community. Let's choose love,' Young said.
New York Times
9 hours ago
- New York Times
Man Is Charged With Trying to Kidnap Memphis Mayor, Police Say
A 25-year-old man who said he was angry about crime in Memphis and wanted to confront the city's mayor scaled a wall at the mayor's home late Sunday night and, armed with a stun gun, knocked on the front door, according to the Memphis Police Department. The man, Trenton Abston, was arrested on Wednesday and charged with attempted kidnapping, stalking and aggravated criminal trespass in connection with the episode at the home of Mayor Paul Young. The police said that they had later recovered the stun gun, as well as gloves, rope and duct tape, from Mr. Abston's car. Mr. Young was home, along with his wife and two young children, when he saw the man knock on his door through his doorbell camera, the police said. 'Paul Young reported that he did not know the male and his presence at his door at a late hour wearing a hoodie and gloves put him, his wife and children in fear for their safety,' according to a criminal complaint filed on Wednesday. According to the complaint, in footage recorded by the mayor's doorbell video camera, the man appeared to have 'a lumpy bulge' in the pocket of his hoodie when he knocked on the door. Mr. Young did not open the door, and the man fled. Mr. Young recounted the events of Sunday night in a Facebook post on Wednesday under a family portrait in which he, his wife and their two school-age children are smiling. Want all of The Times? Subscribe.
CBS News
12 hours ago
- Politics
- CBS News
Memphis mayor targeted in stalking and attempted kidnapping incident, police say
A man has been charged with stalking, attempted kidnapping and aggravated criminal trespass after allegedly scaling a wall and knocking on the door of Memphis Mayor Paul Young's residence in Tennessee, police say. The Memphis Police Department said Wednesday that it recovered "a taser, gloves, rope and duct tape" from the vehicle of 25-year-old Trenton Abston as he was arrested. The suspect allegedly approached the home on Sunday "with gloves on, a full pocket, and a nervous demeanor," Young wrote Wednesday on Facebook. Abston was listed as an inmate in the Shelby County Sheriff's Office database, which showed a hearing for him scheduled for Friday. It was not immediately clear if he has an attorney who could speak on his behalf. CBS News has reached out to the Shelby County Sheriff's Office. The incident comes on the heels of what officials called politically motivated shootings last week in which Minnesota state Rep. Melissa Hortman and her husband were killed in their home and state Sen. John Hoffman and his wife were wounded. The suspect, who has been taken into custody, impersonated police officers as he approached their homes and shot his victims, according to investigators. Young wrote on Facebook that political violence "simply cannot become our norm." "In today's climate, especially after the tragic events in Minnesota and the threats my wife and I often receive online, none of us can be too careful," Young said. "The link between angry online rhetoric and real-life violence is becoming undeniable." "What starts as reckless words online can all too quickly become something much more dangerous," the mayor continued. "The angry rhetoric, the hateful speech, and the heated threats create a culture where violence feels like a next step instead of a red line." Young was elected mayor in 2023 and was sworn in on Jan. 1, 2024. He was previously the director of Memphis' Division of Housing and Community Development. State and local officeholders reported increasing levels of threats in recent years, according to a January 2024 report from the Brennan Center, a nonpartisan law and policy institute. The threats range from insults to physical attacks, according to the report, with 18% of local officeholders experiencing threats. The same day of the Minnesota shootings, June 14, the Texas Department of Public Safety Capitol Region said it was notified of a threat made against Texas lawmakers. A suspect was taken into custody for further questioning and the investigation is ongoing, the agency wrote on X.
