News You Should Know

6 to Know: More Than a Dozen Arrested in $1 Million Car Theft Ring in Miami-Dade

It’s Friday, October 7th - and NBC 6 has the top stories for the day

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It’s Friday, October 7th - and NBC 6 has the top stories for the day.

No. 1 - After six months of jury selection, overwhelming evidence, gripping testimony, a tour of the crime scene, and tearful testimonials from many of the 34 victims’ families, the Parkland school shooter's sentencing is winding down.

Closing arguments are expected on Tuesday and deliberations will follow to determine if Nikolas Cruz should get the death penalty or life in prison without parole. He pleaded guilty a year ago to 17 murders and 17 attempted murders for the shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School on February 14, 2018. During Thursday’s testimony, state witness Dr. Robert Denney said Cruz picked that date for a reason. “I didn’t like Valentine’s Day,” Cruz said, in a video of their interview in jail. “I wanted to ruin it for everyone.” Closing arguments are schedules for Tuesday with jury deliberations to begin Wednesday.

No. 2 - More than a dozen people have been arrested and more are being sought in connection with a more than $1 million car theft ring in Miami-Dade.

After months of investigating, Miami-Dade Police said they've made multiple grand theft arrests of a group of criminals who they said have been selling stolen cars. Miami-Dade Det. Luis Sierra said months ago the police department's Sea Port Operations detectives received a call of cars being shipped out of the state that were possibly stolen. After investigating, they realized the cars had altered vins. The cars were rented out or sold, and in some cases even sold to dealerships.

No. 3 - President Joe Biden is pardoning thousands of Americans convicted of “simple possession” of marijuana under federal law, as his administration takes a dramatic step toward decriminalizing the drug and addressing charging practices that disproportionately impact people of color.

Biden's move also covers thousands convicted of the crime in the District of Columbia. He is also calling on governors to issue similar pardons for those convicted of state marijuana offenses, which reflect the vast majority of marijuana possession cases. Biden, in a statement, said the move reflects his position that “no one should be in jail just for using or possessing marijuana.”

No. 4 - More than a week after Hurricane Ian slammed into southwest Florida, families were getting a first look at the destruction the powerful storm left behind.

At one mobile home park in Bonita Beach, a barrier island just south of where Ian made landfall last Wednesday, the storm surge wiped away the entire community. Residents were allowed back Thursday to try to salvage whatever mementos they could but found most of the area wiped out. Some homes were found on the other side of the bay in mango trees, while others were stuck in docks. For Linda and Paul Wilczewski, who've lived in the area for 29 years, it was a total loss. Click here for their story in a report from NBC 6’s Jamie Guirola.

No. 5 - Before you open up your wallet to donate to Hurricane Ian relief, make sure you avoid scams by doing your research.

The destruction left by Hurricane Ian has many people looking for ways to help, but state officials are warning you to be on the lookout for scammers. “During times of disaster, scammers often take advantage of generous Floridians who want to help,” Florida Attorney General Ashley Moody said. There are steps you can take to make sure your donation doesn’t make it into the wrong hands. “You have to do a little bit of research before taking out your wallet and donating to all these different causes that are going on,” said Cinthya Lavin with the Better Business Bureau of Southeast Florida Lavin says it starts with a little research. Click here for more in a report from NBC 6 consumer investigator Sasha Jones.

No. 6 - A towering amusement ride in central Florida's tourism district where a Missouri teen fell to his death will be taken down because of the accident, the owner said Thursday.

The decision to remove the more than 400-foot Free Fall ride which opened last December in Orlando's International Drive district was directly linked to the death of 14-year-old Tyre Sampson last March, the owner, Orlando Slingshot, said in a statement. Sampson, who lived near St. Louis, Missouri, was visiting Orlando during spring break when he died from the fall. The company also said it planned to create a scholarship in the teen's name. An autopsy showed that Tyre Sampson suffered numerous broken bones and internal injuries in the fall, which was ruled an accidental death. It showed Sampson weighed 383 pounds, well above the ride manual’s weight limit of 287 pounds.

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