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Driver arrested for killing couple, toddler at bus stop

Published

3 years ago

March 19, 2024

Driver arrested for killing couple, toddler at bus stop

The driver who ran her SUV into a San Francisco bus stop and killed a couple and their toddler on their way to the zoo has been arrested.

Mary Fong Lau, 78, was arrested Sunday on suspicion of vehicular manslaughter, driving the wrong way, driving at an unsafe speed and reckless driving.

On Saturday, three family members, Diego, 40, Matilde, 38, and their one-year-old child died after Lau rammed her Mercedes SUV into the West Portal Muni bus stop. Friends identified the victims, but declined to reveal their last names.

The couple’s other child, an infant, was with them at the time of the fatal crash as the four of them waited to board the bus and head to the zoo. The baby is in critical condition following the horror crash.

‘A lot of things I know about love, I learned from them. They were an amazing couple. They had no issues with anything. It was love, love, love. They took care of the kids and were going to the zoo for a nice day at the park,’ Rogerio Falerio, a close friend of the family, said.

Some witnesses said Lau suffered a medical incident before the crash. Other said she got out of the car yelling ‘What have I done?’ Police have not released details on what led to the horror crash.

Lau was initially taken to the hospital for injuries and it remains unclear what caused her car to hop the curb, crash into a fire hydrant, pole and side of the local library.

Matilde was taken to the hospital after the crash, while her husband and child died at the scene. She died on Sunday in the hospital.

Other people waiting for the bus to arrive were also injured from the crash and received medical attention.

Friends of the family told CBS News the surviving child is about two-months-old and suffered life-threatening injuries.

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They lived in the Mission District, a neighborhood in the Bay Area, and planned to spend a day at the zoo together for Diego and Matilde’s wedding anniversary, friends said.

Falerio said that Diego was from Brazil and his wife was from Portugal.

The crash site has since been covered with stuffed animals, flowers, candles, and a stroller with a heart-shaped cutout that reads: : ‘Remembering the precious lives lost on March 16, 2024.’

Advocates from Walk San Francisco added three pairs of shoes in honor of the mother, father and child who were tragically lost.

Witnesses said that the toddler went flying in the air from the impact of the crash.

Another witness, Nikki Mashburn, told The San Francisco Chronicle that she heard the crash and that is sounded like ‘an explosion.’ She said that the victims suffered head injuries.

‘When the paramedics showed up, you could tell … they didn’t know what to do first,’ Mashburn said.

‘The stroller was clearly destroyed. Yeah, so he was still strapped in there,’ Johanna Dimayuga, a resident in the area told CBS News.

Gabriel Cinquepalm, another witness, said that he saw Lau after the crash as she got out of her vehicle with a look as if to say: ‘What have I done?’ and that she was screaming at the sky.

The San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency said Saturday it was investigating the cause of the crash in collaboration with the San Francisco Police Department.

San Francisco Mayor London Breed said on X, formerly Twitter, that she had visited the scene of the collision on Saturday. She called it ‘heartbreaking.’

Walk San Francisco has planned a memorial for the family at 5pm on Monday at the crash site.

‘We are heartbroken and heartsick and horrified,’ Jodie Medeiros, the executive director of the advocacy group said.

‘This is one of the worst pedestrian tragedies to ever occur on San Francisco streets. It is almost beyond comprehension.’

Following the tragedy, the group and locals have voiced their concerns about the intersection of Ulloa Street and West Portal Avenue where the bus stop is located.

The group noted that around the intersection, there are multiple places where families and children frequent, like a library, schools and train stations.

‘It’s time to fundamentally rethink areas like where this crash occurred, where thousands of people walk and cross and wait every day,’ Medeiros said.

This was the second child killed in the city in less than a year, as deadly crashes like these have surged and left residents uneasy.

Driver arrested for killing couple, toddler at bus stop

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Court Orders 18-Year-Old Fraudster To Pay ₦1.2m Over $800 Lottery Scam

Published

11 hours ago

November 2, 2026

Trends Admin

Court Orders 18-Year-Old Fraudster To Pay ₦1.2m Over $800 Lottery Scam

A Federal High Court sitting in Ikoyi, Lagos, has convicted an 18-year-old man, Hassan Usman Olamilekan, for money laundering after he admitted obtaining $800 from a United States citizen through a fake $250 million lottery scheme.

Justice Dipeolu convicted Olamilekan on October 30, 2026, after he pleaded guilty to a one-count charge filed by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC).

The court imposed a fine of ₦200,000 and ordered him to pay an additional ₦1 million to the Federal Government, bringing his total financial obligation to ₦1.2 million. He is to remain in a correctional centre pending payment of the fine and the ordered amount.

The judge also directed the forfeiture of two mobile phones recovered in connection with the offence: an iPhone 11 Pro and a Poco C71.

According to the EFCC, Olamilekan defrauded an American citizen, identified as Gary Brewer, through the Zangi messaging application, where he allegedly impersonated a woman named Julie Leach.

Investigators said the 18-year-old told Brewer that he had won a $250 million lottery prize but needed money to activate the winnings before he could collect the supposed prize.

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The fabricated lottery story reportedly persuaded the American to send gift cards worth $800 through the messaging platform.

The EFCC said Olamilekan admitted selling the gift cards through the Cardsonic application, converting the proceeds into naira and transferring the money into his grandmother’s OPay account. He also admitted benefiting from the $800 obtained through the transaction.

The commission said the defendant operated several social media and messaging accounts, including Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, Zangi and iMessage, which investigators linked to his fraudulent activities.

The charge against him accused him of indirectly disguising the origin of $800 in gift cards, which represented proceeds of unlawful activity. The offence was brought under Section 18(2)(a) and punishable under Section 18(3) of the Money Laundering (Prevention and Prohibition) Act, 2022.

Following his guilty plea, an EFCC operative, Ebuka Abanga, presented the facts of the case before the court. Justice Dipeolu subsequently found him guilty and convicted him.

Olamilekan was among 21 suspected internet fraudsters arrested by EFCC operatives during a sting operation at Applewood Estate, Orchid Road, Lekki, Lagos State, on October 26, 2026.

The arrest was carried out by operatives of the commission’s Lagos Zonal Directorate 1, four days before his conviction.

The EFCC disclosed the conviction in a statement issued on Monday through its Head of Media and Publicity, Dele Oyewale, as part of its ongoing efforts to prosecute financial and cyber-related crimes.

Court Orders 18-Year-Old Fraudster To Pay ₦1.2m Over $800 Lottery Scam

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Footballer Dies as Trailer Rams Car Into Bus on Lagos-Ibadan Expressway

Published

11 hours ago

November 2, 2026

Trends Admin

Footballer Dies as Trailer Rams Car Into Bus on Lagos-Ibadan Expressway

A footballer has died in a fatal multiple-vehicle crash along the Lagos-Ibadan Expressway in Ogun State after a trailer allegedly rammed into the car conveying him and other members of his football academy.

The accident occurred on Monday, November 2, 2026, around the Magboro axis of the expressway in Obafemi-Owode Local Government Area of Ogun State.

The crash reportedly involved a Mercedes-Benz C300 and a commercial bus, with officials of the Ogun State Traffic Compliance and Enforcement Agency (TRACE) and police officers confirming that one person died at the scene.

According to an eyewitness, the footballer and other members of his football academy were travelling in two vehicles to participate in a football match when the incident occurred.

The witness said a trailer suddenly crossed from the opposite side of the road and rammed into the Mercedes-Benz, forcing the car into a commercial bus.

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The collision reportedly killed the footballer inside the Mercedes-Benz, while other occupants of the vehicles survived.

“We were going for a match. We just saw a trailer cross from the other side and hit this Benz, then it hit the bus. Only one person died in the car while the rest of us survived. Everyone in the bus is fine, too. The trailer driver fled with his vehicle afterwards,” the eyewitness said.

The witness, who spoke on condition of anonymity, further alleged that the trailer driver fled the scene with the vehicle immediately after the collision.

The Mercedes-Benz, which had registration number SMK-878KX, was badly damaged in the accident, while efforts were reportedly made to evacuate its wreckage from the expressway.

The identity of the deceased footballer had not been established as of the time of reporting.

The circumstances surrounding the crash, including the alleged escape of the trailer driver, were expected to be investigated by the relevant authorities.

The incident adds to concerns over road safety on the busy Lagos-Ibadan Expressway, a major route connecting Lagos and several communities in the South-West and other parts of the country.

Footballer Dies as Trailer Rams Car Into Bus on Lagos-Ibadan Expressway

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Gunmen Intercept Family Car, Abduct Woman, Two Children, Release Husband in Abuja

Published

12 hours ago

November 2, 2026

Trends Admin

FCT Police Command Spokesperson, CSP Adeh Josephine

Gunmen Intercept Family Car, Abduct Woman, Two Children, Release Husband in Abuja

Gunmen have abducted a woman, identified as Mrs Attah Arome, and her two children after intercepting the family’s vehicle in the Kagini area of Bwari, Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Abuja.

The attackers reportedly released her husband, Attah Arome, but took his wife and the two children to an undisclosed location, triggering fresh concerns over the safety of residents in the outskirts of the nation’s capital.

The incident occurred at about 11pm on Sunday, October 25, 2026, as the family was returning from an outing.

According to a report by The Whistler published on Monday, November 2, the gunmen double-crossed the family’s vehicle around Kagini, forcing it to stop before taking the woman and her children away.

A source close to the family confirmed the incident, disclosing that the abductors had contacted relatives and demanded ransom for the victims’ release.

The source, however, declined to disclose the amount demanded by the kidnappers.

“Yes, it’s true. The gunmen double-crossed their car around the Kagini area of Bwari. They released the husband and went away with the wife and two children. They have contacted the family and demanded ransom,” the source said.

The circumstances surrounding the decision to release the husband while abducting the other three family members were not immediately clear.

It was also unclear whether the abductors had given the family a deadline to meet their ransom demand or issued any threats over possible consequences of non-payment.

Efforts by The Whistler to contact the spokesperson of the FCT Police Command, CSP Josephine Adeh, for comments were unsuccessful. The police had yet to issue an official statement confirming the abduction as of the time of the report.

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The latest incident comes amid continuing concerns over kidnapping in Bwari Area Council, where several communities have experienced attacks by armed groups.

In March 2026, the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reported a series of abductions in communities around Byazhin and Peze in Bwari. Residents described repeated attacks on homes and farm settlements, with families reportedly receiving ransom demands.

In another report published in March, Premium Times disclosed that troops of the Nigerian Army’s 7 Guards Battalion, working with police officers and local vigilantes, rescued 19 kidnapped persons during a search-and-rescue operation around Gidan Dogo in Bwari Area Council.

The rescued victims included a retired military officer, children and farm workers who had been abducted in separate attacks.

The recurring incidents have prompted residents to call for stronger security deployments, improved surveillance and a permanent security presence in vulnerable communities.

For the Arome family, however, the immediate concern remains the safe return of the abducted woman and her two children.

Relatives are reportedly facing the difficult task of negotiating with the kidnappers while seeking the intervention of security agencies to secure the victims’ release.