Top Story with Tom Llamas - Thursday, April 10, 2025

Episode Date: April 11, 2025

Tonight's Top Story has the latest breaking news, political headlines, news from overseas and the best NBC News reporting from across the country and around the world.

Breaking news as we come on the air, a tour chopper crashing into the Hudson River in New York City. The horrifying new video of the helicopter falling out of the sky. Pieces of the aircraft coming apart mid-air raining down into the river. Images from the scene showing the skids jutting out of the water. All six of the six passengers on board, including three children, are dead. We'll have full-team coverage of the investigation now underway. Also tonight, another day of market mayhem, the Dow taking a thousand point hit after a historic rally yesterday, as President Trump slapped even higher retaliatory tariffs on China. Senior business correspondent Christine Romans standing by.

Anger at Augusta, master's champion, Angel Cabrera, teeing off for the biggest tournament in golf despite serving prison time for domestic violence, why the club is now defending their decision to let him play. Rocker's wife arrested. Police in Los Angeles in an armed standoff with the wife of Weezer bassist Scott Shriner, shooting her in the shoulder after she allegedly refused to put down her weapon. How an unrelated car chase apparently sparked the confrontation. U-Haul hostages. The couple kidnapped and shoved in the back of a box truck and taken on a high-speed chase through Santa Fe. How police finally brought the truck to a stop. And live from London, London, it's Saturday night. S&L now set to launch a British version. What we know about who could be in that cast. Plus, the House of Versace has a new owner. The deal just announced by Prada to takeover the iconic Italian brand. Top story starts right now. Good evening. I'm Ellison Barber in for Tom Yamis. We begin tonight with that breaking news right here in New York City. A tour chopper crashing into the the Hudson River with the pilot and a family of five, visiting from Spain on board,

all of whom are now confirmed dead. New video just in showing that chopper falling out of the sky and into the water below after appearing to come apart midair. From this angle, you can see what looks like a rotor, a part of the tail, dropping into the Hudson seconds after impact. Here's a look at the flight path. That chopper taking off from the southern tip of Manhattan, hooking around the statue of Liberty before traveling up the Hudson, then turning.

around and going down just short of its destination on the Jersey side of the river. These images taken moments after the crash showing the skids of the helicopter protruding from the water. A massive emergency response mobilizing on both sides of the river, three adults and three children pulled from the water, four pronounced dead at the scene, the other two later succumbing to their injuries. Our Sam Brock has been following the crash since the chopper went down, and he leads off our coverage tonight from the water's edge. The terrifying final moments of the helicopter flight It captured on video

As it fell out of the sky and plunged into New York City's Hudson River We have a focal vault still in the water Conductions for any additional oxygen for the aircraft Images showing the chopper turned upside down in the water The plane was turned around sitting there in the water Almost like it was floating tonight authorities say the crash happened around 317 p.m. That six people were on board that flight and there are no survivors. According to the manifest, aboard the helicopter were six people, one pilot, two adults, and three children. The mayor saying it was a tourist

sightseeing flight with a family from Spain on board that had taken off from Lower Manhattan. I have the entire family members. We were lifting them up in prayer. We were met by the first responders that they told us they did everything they can to try to save these victims. And you can see the trauma in their face. Dominic Cognada was walking to a flag football game on Manhattan's West Side when he witnessed the crash. What did you say? So I just happened to be walking and I heard like it sounded like an engine just dying.

And I just, it was like, do, do, do, do, do. And I just turned, I looked and I saw the helicopter crash and splashing to the water. And Sam joins us now from the scene. Sam, eyewitnesses are telling you more about what they saw when this chomper went down. Yeah, Alison, that's right. I mean, you saw that harrowing video, right? So another eyewitnesses, it looked like something happened to the tail. And then the main rotor seemed to dislodge, sending the helicopter into essentially a freefall as it was wavering back and forth into the water. Authorities also saying that they believe when the chopper crashed on the water, it was inverted at the time. But this is the kind of thing, Alison, where it's going to take weeks to perform an investigation that's happening on the local level. But the NTSB we've just learned has also launched its own team as well. Sam Brock reporting in New York City. Thank you. For more on this crash, former NTSB and FAA investigator, Jeff Gousetti, joins us now. He is also an NBC News aviation analyst. Jeff, we are seeing the video, multiple videos now, of that aircraft hitting the water. The main, different parts, you see some of it splashing there, but the tail rotor appeared to be detached at one point, falling separately from the main helicopter. Based on what you can see in the videos, we have so far. What do you think happened here? Well, Ellison, it's too early to tell, but obviously we had some sort of in-flight

structural failure or flight control malfunction with this helicopter. And the fact that the tail rotor blade or the tail rotor section came off first could indicate that it was actually struck by the main rotor blade. The Bell 206 Jet Ranger, which is what this helicopter was, is a two-bladed system. And on on a teetering, and perhaps that it's possible that one of those main rotor blades could have struck the tail rotor for some whatever reason. We don't know yet. Could be pilot-induced, could be gust induced. But obviously, this was an in-flight structural failure of some sort, and it's going to be up to the NTSB to piece together what failed and in what sequence.

You mentioned the model of this helicopter, the NYPD saying it was a Bell 206 helicopter. What else can you tell us about that model and any historic issues in terms of safety? The Bell 206 is an extremely common, if not the most common, make model helicopter out in the world. This was what they call a long ranger, which was an extended version. They've had a history of accidents, but really there's no one single common thread, or it doesn't have a certain reputation for a type of failure. It's a workhorse around the world. And I'd have to look at the accident statistics to see how many of these actually came apart in the air.

I haven't heard of too many of them. And that leads me to believe that there was something unusual going on in here. Or perhaps a maintenance issue, we just don't know. So the area where this crash occurred is not traditional or, quote-unquote, normal airspace, right? It has its own designation. It's known as the Hudson River Special Flight Rules Area. It's an area that extends from north of the George Washington Bridge down past the Statue of Liberty into Staten Island. What makes this airspace different compared to, say, the airspace near a big commercial airport like JFK?

Well, so this airspace is somewhat congested, right? You've got tall skyscrapers on both sides, and you've got three major airports nearby. So, pilots need to be cautious when they're flying up and down this corridor for the flying public and for air tours to see the beauty of New York City. It is controlled by FAA air traffic controllers that are monitoring. There have been collisions that have occurred, but this was not a mid-air collision. This isn't similar to the national airport where you have many aircraft mixing it up. This was an in-flight failure of some sort.

And hopefully it won't be, hopefully the airspace won't be the issue. If you were a part of the NTSB team leading the investigation here, what would you tell your team to start looking at first? Well, of course, you want to get to the wreckage, right? You need to get it out of the water. You need to examine all of your fracture points for the tail rotor, the tail rotor assembly, as well as the main rotor. And then you're going to send simultaneously teams of investigators to look at the maintenance records where the helicopter is operated from.

And you're going to be talking to ground witnesses. Unfortunately, this type of helicopter doesn't have a black box, although you could be sure that the passengers will have plenty of cameras on, and the NTSB can use that also. All right. Jeff Gazetti, thank you so much. We appreciate your time and insights on this breaking news. Today's crash sparking concerns about just how safe helicopter tours really are. NBC's Emily Aketa has this look at recent fatal crashes in New York City. In the wake of the terrifying crash on the Hudson, tonight new questions around the safety of helicopters and sightseeing flights.

As officials confirmed, today's aircraft was flying for New York helicopters tour company. This is based on a flight tracking software. A Bell 206 helicopter flying for the tour company, New York helicopters, took off from the downtown Manhattan heliport at 259 p.m. At least 32 people have died in helicopter crashes in New York City since 1977, according to the Associated Press. There was a fatal helicopter crash in New York City seven years ago when five sightseers drowned after an open door flight crashed in the East River off the Upper East Side. The pilots survived. In 2009, an even deadlier incident. Nine people died when a sightseeing helicopter collided with a private plane over the Hudson River.

The iconic skyline, a magnet for tour operators, while also seeing both private recreational and commercial aircraft traffic. And Emily, Aketa joins us now on set with more. Emily, do we know how common helicopter crashes like this are? So while there have been some high-profile tragedies in recent years, the number or the rate, rather, a fatal helicopter. Accidents actually hit its lowest level last year in 25 years. Sightseeing tours making up about 15% of those crashes last year. So tonight, there are some renewed calls we're hearing from some political leaders that say there should be a ban on all non-essential helicopter travel over the city, Ellison.

Emily Aketa, thank you. We appreciate it. Turning now to another aviation incident to American Airlines jets clipping wings on the taxiway at Reagan National near D.C. The FAA saying tonight, a flight headed to Charleston. clipped the wing of a plane heading for New York's JFK airport. No one on the flight was injured, but the passengers included six members of Congress. NBC's Tom Costello is covering this close call for us tonight and joins us now from Reagan Airport. Tom, how did this happen? Well, they were both

on the taxiway. Listen, the truth of the matter is, this is kind of a fender bender, right, as it relates to aviation incidents, and we rarely report fender benders. But the reason that this matters is because it's Reagan National Airport, and this airport right now is really in the hot seat. We had the fatal crash in January of K, of course, with 67 people who were killed. Then we had a close call last month between a military plane doing a flyover at nearby Arlington National Cemetery and a Delta plane. And then we had a fight in the cot in the tower, I should say, with a supervisor allegedly punching another controller. And so now the FAA has come in with new management into the town. here at Reagan Airport. No indication at all that the tower had anything to do with this particular

incident, but yet again is really drilling down on safety, especially when you had those members of Congress on board the American flight to JFK. Right. Understanding that the airport that this took place at is why there are so many questions and why it's risen to this level of being reported on. You said right now there's no indication it had anything to do with traffic control. Is there anything indicating what may have caused this? could it have been pilot error, or do we think it was something different? Listen, the FAA will investigate, I don't know if this is going to rise to the level of an NTSB incident, FAA will investigate, American Airlines will investigate, because this was two American Airlines jets,

both jets suffering wing damage. And because, of course, it is getting high-profile attention, and because six members of Congress were on board, in fact, I talked to one member who said, listen, we're going to take a look at whether this is yet another incident that kind of feeds into the narrative that we as a country need to drill down on aviation safety. And the FAA is rolling out artificial intelligence nationwide looking at the data. Is there data out there suggesting more close calls at other airports that we need to be aware of to address it before it becomes a crash? You know, the NTSB chair said just a couple of weeks ago, the next crash out there, the next incident is already in our data. We need to find the data

before the crash happens. Really interesting context there. Tom Costello reporting from Reagan National Airport. Thank you. We appreciate it. Next to Wall Street, where it was another down day coming after those massive gains from the news yesterday that there would be a 90-day pause on most tariffs, but that the steep levies on China would stay in place. Here's NBC News, senior business correspondent Christine Romans. Another day of whiplash on Wall Street. The Dow closing down more than 1,000 points, reversing about a third of yesterday's historic gains. It's down 6.2% since President Trump announced new tariffs last week, and today the president hinting, the worst, is not over. There'll be a transition cost

and transition problems, but in the end, it's going to be a beautiful thing. Just 24 hours after he said people's nervous reactions to the market prompted his abrupt pause on most of the tariffs. I thought that people were jumping a little bit out of line. They were getting yippie, you know, they're getting a little bit yippy, a little bit afraid. But tonight investors showing they are still worried about the growing trade war with China. With the White House clarifying, its tax on Chinese imports will now total 145 percent. Well, we'll see what happens with China. They've really taken advantage of our country for a long period of time.

They've ripped us off beyond anybody. All we're doing is putting it back in shape. And today, the Treasury Secretary insisting what he sees in the market is not unusual that allies are calling now to make deals to lower their trade barriers on American companies. We will end up in a place of great certainty over the next 90 days on tariffs. We had very good inflation numbers today. That bright spot, consumer prices fell in March from the month before, bringing the inflation rate to 2.4%, better numbers than expected. But for so many small businesses, it's the ongoing turmoil over tariffs that's having the biggest impact.

little small business that you love to walk to, we're really going to be hurting. Kate Nelson owns the Greenwood Shop in California and on Instagram, where she sells goods from all over the world. She says she'll hold off ordering from China for now, but all other imports still face at least that baseline 10% border tax. We have Mother's Day coming up. Mother's Day for small business is basically mini Christmas. And we are all terrified that our mini Christmas is not going to happen. Christine Romans, thank you. And there is a new call tonight by Democrats to investigate whether or not President Trump

and his allies acted improperly after Trump posted this on true social. Quote, this is a great time to buy, DJT. It was just hours before he announced that 90-day pause on tariffs. Now high-ranking officials like California Senator Adam Schiff are asking whether or not the president or people close to him made trades ahead of the announcement. NBC News, senior White House correspondent, Kelly O'Donnell, has more and joins us now. Kelly, what else do we know about these allegations? Well, the posts that may have moved markets, that is the concern, because the president,

who is often a booster of investing in the market, he's talked about Tesla stock in the past, and generally was clearly aware that the markets had been down and would want to encourage participation broadly. The question is, was any violation of insider trading laws? taking place here. And so Democrats in Congress want to use their authorities of oversight to try to find out if anyone in the president's circle actually acted on that information and profited because of it. And that is a real question. Now, it'll be impossible to get inside the mind of the president to know if at that point he knew he was going to enact the pause, which then caused the market to certainly have very high volatile activity in a positive

direction. But the real question would be, what about those around them? Did people act on that? And that's what Democrats want to know. There are certain conditions under the law where insider information is forbidden to be used, and that does affect people in public office, although the president has protection for official acts. The Supreme Court gave him that. But it also raises a question about, even if it's not a specific legal investigation in terms of resulting in any kinds of charges. What is appropriate and what is the sort of nature of the president's own guardrails, if any, around him and how he communicates about things where he has the power to move markets. He's clearly aware he has that power. And we've seen it time and time again.

When he or other top officials in the administration talk about significant policies, markets react. That's just hand in hand. So Democrats want some answers. The question will be how many answers will they get. Allison? And Kelly, President Trump signed an executive order today related to an investigation into a former cybersecurity chief. Why? Well, this actually happened yesterday, and Chris Krebs had worked in the first administration and was a part of the organization that looks at and supervises and protects the integrity electronically of elections. And Chris Krebs was very much involved in securing the 2020 election and has been vocal in the time since saying that it was secure, that there were no erroneous acts, no invasions, intrusions, hacking, none of those things that could have

adjusted the outcome. And that has been a major point of contention for the president. He is encouraging the Department of Justice using the power of his office to tell them to investigate Chris Krebs. And another figure who had worked at the Department of Homeland Security, Miles Taylor, also been critical of the Trump first administration and the president's leadership. So this is a sign of the retribution the president at times uses to go after people he perceives as adversaries and to use the power of his office to do it. Ellison? Kelly O'Donnell reporting from the North Lawn, thank you. Still ahead tonight, on the way home, the call that prompted President Trump to push for a prisoner swap that freed a ballet dancer being held in Russia. Plus, international

incident. The new crime allegedly committed by an escaped California inmate that's now got multiple countries looking for him. And high profile apology, the head of Barstool, Dave Portnoy, saying he regrets the company's involvement in a viral rumor involving a college student. Now to an update on an NBC News exclusive we brought you last week. A college freshman's life, turned upside down after a false rumor about her went viral. That rumor spread in part by national media personalities, including people associated with the influential Barstool sports. Late today, our very own Tom Yamis spoke with Barstool's founder. Tonight, Barstool sports founder, Dave Portnoy, says he has a message for old miss freshman Mary Kate

Cornett. If you could talk to Mary Kate tonight, what would you tell her? I would apologize. I get why the family's pissed. I'm sad, and I wish we didn't play any part in it, and I'd apologize and say I wish we didn't. Cornett told me last week how her life was turned completely upside down over a vile rumor that spread online that she'd slept with her boyfriend's dad. I was having thousands of calls come through,

thousands of texts coming through, calling me a whore, calling me a slut, telling me I deserve to die. All because of an internet rumor. All because of an internet rumor that has zero. Zero truth to it. Zero. But Cornett says it got so much worse when the rumor was amplified by popular sports talk host, including at least two personalities associated with Barstool and ESPN's Pat McAfee,

who said this in February without referencing Cornett by name. This is what is being reported by everybody on the internet. That had sex with son's girlfriend. I'm not a public figure that you can go talk about on your show to get more views. I'm not. Sorry. Portnoy says he's worked to up Barstool's editorial standards. How did you feel about some of your colleagues, some of your employees, talking about this, sharing this online on social media? Yeah, I thought they were really stupid. I found out kind of after the fact that they did it,

but my first, I thought we actually kept it totally off Barstool Sports, like 100%, and a couple of our employees posted it on their own personal socials. I really thought it was just dumb, to be totally honest. For me, I've been doing this long time. I thought it was clearly a fake story. I thought we were better than that. You've been so successful. You're so popular. Everyone knows you in sports. You kind of know the power you have. When Barstools gets connected to a viral rumor like this, how did it make you feel? I want to throw up. And I feel like we've matured and gotten better at this type of stuff. I actually congratulated our editorial team because we talked about it. I didn't think we touched it. I found out after it was on for seven minutes. And you've got to be better.

younger guys, and, you know, I almost made them cry when I read the riot act. McAfee also appearing to address the situation for the first time since our interview at an event last night. And for that whole thing that's happening, I didn't want to add any more negativity as it was taking place like I did. We will try to figure that out and make some sort of silver lining in a very terrible situation so that you can have that promise from me. McAfee is part of the reason that this has been so miserable for me.

He has done way more damage than he thinks he has, all for laughs and views. ESPN and McAfee have declined NBC News' request for comment. Portnoy says his lawyers and Cornett's lawyers are now in touch. I think they offered two paths, a mediation path or a lawsuit path. I think we're going to try to mediate. I don't know what we did legally wrong. That's a little different issue. morally we were wrong. What of anything did you take away from this?

Unfortunately, there's going to be a really cynical view. No, it didn't surprise me at all. How big, once I saw it, I mean, I saw it after it's going, but you know, it's an attractive girl with a salacious story in the internet's assess pool and we played a part and obviously, but that is the internet now and that's what I try to preach to our people like we don't want to be, you know, we want to make people laugh, we don't want to make people cry, but no, it does not surprise me. in today's internet. Either way, Cornet says her life is forever changed. It's awful. It's awful. And having your life ruined by people who have no idea who you are is the worst feeling in the world. That was Tom Yamis reporting. Coming up, we're following breaking news. The Supreme Court just ruling on a man wrongly deported to El Salvador, their decision tonight and kidnapped in a U-Haul, the all-out chase to stop a man who allegedly trapped two people in the back of a rental truck.

We're back now with the controversy on the golf course as round one of the masters tees off today. 2009 Masters champion, Anhelle Cabrera, appearing for the first time at Augusta National since he completed a prison sentence related to domestic violence charges. Cabrera was arrested in Brazil and extradited to Argentina in June 2021. You see that happening here after failing to appear at a prosecutor's office in Argentina on domestic violence accusations. Ultimately, he was later convicted and sentenced to 30 months in prison. He was released on parole in August of 2023.

Cabrera, who scored three over par today, said prior to the tournament, quote, obviously I regret what I did wrong, behaving badly, and lots of things I shouldn't have done, but for me, that's in the past. I have already put it behind me, and I'm thinking about the present and the future. We're joined now by NBC News National Correspondent Aaron Gilcrest from Atlanta, Georgia. Aaron, Augusta National Chairman Fred Riley defended the club's decision to invite Cabrera to this year's masters. What did he have to say? You know, the leadership at Augusta, Ellison, knew that there was going to be some controversy swirling around Cabrera as a result of what we know was a long prison

sentence, 30 months, as you noted, and then the time that he's been out, back in the golf world to some degree. But coming into this particular tournament, coming into the prestigious Masters tournament, leaders knew that there were going to be some questions about that. And so when the chairman was asked yesterday about Angel Cabrera playing in the tournament here, he did have this to say. He said that we certainly abhor domestic violence of any type. As it relates to Angel, Angel has served the sentence that was prescribed by the Argentine courts,

and he is the past champion, and so he was invited. There are a couple of different ways that they build this field of elite golfers, and one of those ways is that you are a past champion. Angel Cabrera won the Masters back in 2009, Ellison, and so, at least according to the chairman of Augusta National, that earned him a right to be here in Georgia for this tournament. When you look at the numbers, after one round of play, Cabrera is well past the cutoff for the weekend. Only the top 50 golfers make it to Saturday, right, and he is nowhere near that.

So it seems like this becomes a question of if he is not really a contender for the green jacket, was this all worth it? What have viewers of the tournament been saying? Yeah, it's a really good question. Was this all worth? And I think that's something that the Masters folks are going to have to think about, because we know that there have been people on social media talking about the fact that Cabrera was going to be playing. We saw people post things like, I won't be watching.

We saw some other people say things like, this is disgusting. And it's a slap in the face to domestic violence survivors. We've heard other people point out that because of the crimes of which Anhele Cabrera was convicted, he gave up his right to appear in this prestigious tournament. And that's something that, again, you'd have to assume that the leaders here in Georgia were aware of in inviting him to participate in this tournament, Allison. At the same time, as you noted earlier, Cabrera said that he won the Masters back in 2009, and so he believed he does have a right to be here and that he's trying to move forward with his life and his professional golfing career. All right. Aaron Gilcrest reporting from Georgia. Thank you. We appreciate it. Now to Top Stories News Feed, and we begin with breaking news.

Court just ruling the Trump administration must take steps to bring back a Salvadorian man wrongly deported to El Salvador. The administration has said that Kilmar Abrago Garcia was deported to El Salvador's mega prison as a result of an error. The High Court's ruling partially sides with a lower court judge that required the government to facilitate his release. The Supreme Court is now asking the administration to share what it can about the steps being taken to return Garcia. And a home explosion outside of Kansas City, Missouri. Missouri, leaving a young child dead. The city of Lexington says a subcontractor struck a gas line yesterday afternoon. Hours later, a home exploded, sending flames and debris flying into the air.

Another child and an adult suffered serious injuries. Gas remained shut off for the entire city. The NTSB is now investigating. And the Russian-American ballerina imprisoned in Russia for treason is free after a prisoner swam. Kessna Keralino was arrested while visiting family in Russia after she'd allegedly donated a little over $50 to a charity sending aid to Ukraine. U.S. officials say Carolina was released in exchange for Arthur Petrov, a dual German-Russian citizen accused of exporting sensitive microelectronics. President Trump says UFC CEO Dana White requested her release on behalf of her boyfriend, who is a boxer. And an escaped California inmate is now wanted for allegedly killing a Mexican police commander.

Mexican authorities say they'd closed in on fugitives, say. Heza Hernandez in Tijuana, and that's when a firefight broke out. An officer struck by gunfire was pronounced dead at a nearby hospital. Hernandez took off from the scene. He was serving an 80-year prison sentence when he escaped before a court appearance back in December. The rescue and recovery mission over in the Dominican Republic has ended following that deadly roof collapse. Authorities there now saying a total of 221 people were killed with dozens injured. The tragic incident sending the country into mourning as they continue.

continue to search for answers. Our Erin McLaughlin is on the ground with the very latest. Tonight in Santa Domingo, the death toll soared to at least 221 killed, the number missing unknown, and officials in charge of the recovery operation in tears. All Dominican people crying, believe me. I cry and all day. Christabel Moya is one of 189 rescued, now recovering in the hospital. He shows us this video, shot he says, by the people who saved him. Shortly after the Jetset nightclub's roof collapsed. You see him lying face down, covered in debris, surrounded by bodies and blood. He tells us he foresaw what looked like dust falling from the ceiling.

Seconds later, the entire club completely collapsed. How did you survive? When I was hit on the head, I fell forward, he says, and that saved me. Meanwhile today, across Santa Domingo, an icon was put to rest. Famed Marengue singer Ruby Perez was performing at the time of the tragedy. His daughter Zulinka was with him on stage in front of a packed audience. She says her dad was singing with his when a beam collapsed crushing him. An image she'll never forget. Authorities here say they don't know why it happened, declining questions about the

investigation. While the owner of the jet set says he's being transparent. Tonight authorities say they finished searching the rubble, a grim reality for many, still some moments of relief. But yesterday, this family discovered their loved one, once missing, was found in the hospital alive. Meanwhile, Moja shows us his injuries. God gave me a new opportunity at life, he says. His survival, bittersweet. He says three of his friends are still missing. Tonight, officials say of the 221 bodies pulled from the rubble, they've yet to identify 75,

leaving an agonizing weight for the remaining families. Ellison. Aaron McLaughlin in Santo Domingo. Thank you. Now to that stunning video out of New Mexico, capturing the high-speed U-Haul chase after two people were kidnapped and trapped in the back of the truck. The bizarre incident coming to a dramatic end.

NBC, Steve Patterson, spoke to the officers who eventually put a stop to the driver. And takeover to 18. Takeover Comps. A harrowing high-speed police pursuit tearing through the streets of Santa Fe, All started early Tuesday. Neighbors noticing the screaming, pleading, banging, coming from the back of this U-Haul box truck. Police say a man and woman were helping the driver, 50-year-old Stacey Walker, clean out the rental vehicle when he suddenly slammed the rear door, trapping them inside.

Regardless of how they got there, they were placed in a very dangerous situation. Responding squad cars nearly clipped by the U-Haul, running a red light at high speed. Then racing through residential neighborhoods, barreling over speed bumps, through stop signs, over sidewalks. And finally, it's crashing out. Let's crash you go. This spike, this spike. A spike strip. All tires are out. All tires are out. But the driver doesn't stop, veering into oncoming traffic, raining debris from the truck's rupture tires, before finally being brought to his stop.

Stop the vehicle! Shut the vehicle! Are we lucky that this didn't end in a different way? Absolutely. Walker, arrested at gunpoint, now faces fleeing assault and kidnapping charges. While police noticed that banging from the back of the truck one last time, rescuing the kidnapped couple with just minor injuries. Saved just in time, thanks to the high-speed heroics of a few good men. We're sworn to serve and protect, and I believe we did that. And Steve Patterson joins us now from our West Coast Bureau. Steve, do we know if there's any relationship

between the driver and this couple that police are looking at as a possible motive? Yeah, Alison, unfortunately, all we know about the two victims is that they are cooperating with detectives and told police they were simply helping Walker clean his truck when he suddenly slammed the door on them without consent. As to their identities, the nature of the relationship, or even the possibility that they were just good Samaritans, police have yet to say. Alison. Steve Patterson, thank you. Now, to a shocking scene in Los Angeles.

selling author and wife of a Weezer band member shot by officers while police were searching for suspects in an unrelated incident. Authorities saying she fired a gun at the officers and that she has now been arrested for attempted murder. NBC's Liz Croix has the details. Tonight, dramatic video capturing the wife of Weezer band member Scott Shreiner surrendering outside her Los Angeles home after being shot by police after she got involved with a Hollywood movie style chase that ended in her neighborhood. How's your wife doing? Yeah, she's all right. TMZ obtaining this video today showing Shriner brushing off questions.

You know, I can't comment on that. The bizarre incident all began following an unrelated hit and run. Authorities say three suspects fled the scene and ran into a residential area. It was then that they say best-selling author Jillian Lauren Shriner pulled out a gun. The LAPD says video footage and a shell casing found during the investigation are evidence she fired that weapon at the officers. There was some commands given to the female, multiple commands given to drop the gun, drop the weapon. Unfortunately, it did result in an officer involved shooting.

Police say an officer shot Shriner in the shoulder. She then ran back inside her home before emerging along with a child and another woman. One of the hit and run suspects who stripped down to his underwear arrested nearby. The shooting happening just days before the 90s band Weezer, known for Songs Island in the Sun and Say It Ain't So, is set to play at the music festival, Coachella. For now, Weezer still scheduled to appear as questions remain about why Jillian Shrineer didn't drop the gun when police approached. She hasn't commented and was treated at a hospital for non-life-threatening injuries. And Liz Croyd joins us now from Los Angeles. Liz, is Shriners still in police custody tonight?

No, Ellison, she's been released. She was booked into jail on attempted murder of a peace officer, but she has been released on a million dollars bond. She has a hearing that we know of now scheduled for the end of April, Ellison. Liz Kreutz in L.A., thank you. Moving overseas now to Top Story's Global Watch, police in Kenya firing tear gas at a crowd gathering to watch a high school play. The performance was part of Kenya's national drama competition and had been accused of being critical of Kenya's president.

The author was even arrested this week, but later released. Would-be audience members tried to get into the building to watch that show, and that's when police fired the tear gas. And six activists have been arrested for dumping fake blood in a pond, rather, outside the United States Embassy in London. Among them, the leader of the UK branch of the Environmental Justice Group Greenpeace. Police claim they poured roughly 80 gallons of blood red dye in the pond. The group says the stunt was in protest of U.S. arms sales to Israel. Charges include suspicion of and conspiracy to cause criminal damage. And Pope Francis making a surprise appearance in the Vatican St. Peter's Basilica after his long stay in the hospital.

The pontiff's seen in a wheelchair greeting basilica visitors, not dressed in his usual papal attire, also wearing nasal tubes to receive supplemental oxygen. Francis's appearance happening while he takes two months' rest, further recovering from double pneumonia. The family of a Maryland man found dead on the popular beach resort in the Bahamas, the Atlantis, still desperate for answers tonight. Local police have ruled that he drowned, but the family says they do not accept that explanation. NBC's Kathy Park reports. Tonight, a Maryland family desperately looking for answers after a tragic loss while on vacation. 23-year-old aspiring music producer Denari McHalmont was found dead on the beach at the Bahamas Atlanta's Paradise Island Resort.

They arrived at the sprawling, globally recognized vacation destination last Friday. But less than 24 hours into their trip, his aunt told NBC News Washington, Denari was gone. The Royal Bahamas police say a pathologist determined Denari's cause of death to be drowning, adding no foul play is currently suspected as the investigation continues. continues. But his aunt says that doesn't add up. We don't have answers. We don't really know, but it's very frustrating. Seems as though everything is being pushed under the rug. His family saying they were initially told by police that there was an altercation at a restaurant before the death. They said he spat on someone and ran through a door. Denari's grief-stricken mother telling Bahamas eyewitness news, she was shown a photo of her son's body and it didn't look like just a drowning. said was beaten. He was traumatized. His face is damaged. That tells me they beat my son down in the son. I need justice for my baby. I need justice. The Royal Bahamas police not immediately responding to NBC News's request for comment on the family's allegations. Atlanta's Paradise

Island saying in part, our condolences are with the guest's family and loved ones during this difficult time, adding we are fully cooperating with the investigation. Denori's disappearance is now the second high profile case in recent years to raise concerns about police response in the Bahamas. Last June, a Chicago woman, Taylor Casey, went missing at a yoga retreat on the island. Her family accusing the police of mishandling the investigation and dragging their feet. I need them on the island to act like it's their child that's missing. Police at the time rejecting those allegations. We used our drone technology. We used our canine. We have used our divers.

Today, Casey's whereabouts are still unknown. Meanwhile, DeNari's family living their own nightmare as he demand more answers amid the heartache. But we're just here in the dark. We really need some help, some eyewitness, somebody to come forward and help us to just solve this puzzle. Kathy Park, NBC News. Up next, the New Deal, bringing together two of Italy's most iconic brands. how Prada's acquisition of Versace is shaking up the world of high fashion. Stay with us.

Back now with a major shake-up in the world of luxury fashion. Two iconic Italian brands joining forces, Prada announcing their plans to buy rival fashion house Versace for $1.4 billion. NBC's Maya Eaglin has more on what this deal means and the looks that made both brands household names. Two fashion powerhouses now under one roof. The product group announcing a deal to buy Versace for an estimated $1.4 billion, bringing the Italian Titans together. Versace's designs became part of the color and texture of the American experience. Versace founded in 1978 by Italian fashion designer Gianni Versace quickly soared in global popularity for its bold patterns ready to wear luxury fashion and hoageture.

They're colorful. He was he dares to do things that other designers don't. Warned by AILA celebrities at award shows and movie premieres. Johnny Versace was incredible man. But the iconic brand hit with tragedy. Versace was shot twice in the back of his head. In 1997, its founder and visionary Gianni was murdered on the steps of his Miami Beach mansion. It's not fair. His murder sending shockwaves through the fashion industry and the world. With more than than 2,000 people attending his funeral, including Princess Diana, Madonna, and Sting. Gianni's younger sister, Donatella Versace, taking over after his death, ushering in a new era of iconic looks on stars like Britney Spears, Lady Gaga, Beyonce, and of course, Jennifer Lopez's

green jungle dress at the 2000 Grammys. Gianni's sister oversaw the sale of Versace to the Michael Coors Group in 2018 and stepped down as chief creative officer this past March. Now Prada says it's taking out a debt of over a billion euros to fund the acquisition of Versace. How big of a deal is this purchase of Versace? It's the biggest deal of the year. An acquisition that New York Times fashion critic and director Vanessa Freeman says will bring together two very different styles. They certainly have very different aesthetics, but in a funny way that makes them a good fit

for one group. Versace is brash and in your face and kind of hedonistic. And Prada is much more intellectual and cerebral, much more about the female. gaze as opposed to the male gaze. And in a way, they're complimentary. The transaction coming right on time for Versace, parent company Capri Holdings reporting a loss of over $100 million in February. Revenue dropping 11%. Prada now forming an Italian umbrella that could rival French luxury conglomerate LVMH, which owns over 75 brands like Louis Vuitton, Dior and Fendi, a move that Freeman says could be good for consumers. We've been waiting for this for a while. There were some

doubts about whether it would happen given the turmoil in the financial markets at the moment, but it went through. So it's kind of exciting. And Maya Eglan joins us now in studio. So Maya, luxury brands have actually been struggling recently, right? What is causing that decline? One thing that's causing the decline, Ellison, is a change in consumer preferences and trends. We're kind of seeing this rise of a softer, more subtle fashion. Some people call it quiet luxury. And that's in direct contrast to some of these flashy brands like Versace. We did see a peak in luxury fashion in 2022, 2023. Those markets have cooled off also in part because of the global economy

and with tariffs and the cost of goods really influencing how much these items cost and who can afford them. All right, Maya Eklund, thank you. We appreciate it. Coming up, the Great British Sketch Show, S&L, launching a spinoff show in the United Kingdom. What you can expect when London goes live. Stay right there. We're back now with a big announcement from London.

UK broadcaster Sky revealing a British version of Saturday Night Live will debut next year with an all-new local cast and a familiar face at the helm. But this isn't the first time America's favorite sketch show has been tried out overseas. NBC's Chloe Malas has this one. Could it be live from New York. It's Saturday night. One of the most iconic lines on TV is about to get a new twist across the pond. Came out this way, how to explain.

An all-British version of NBC's Saturday Night Live set to debut next year on UK broadcaster Sky, with show creator Lorne Michaels serving as executive producer. And I care about what you're saying because... Sky says the London-based series will follow the same live, fast-paced style that has made the show a cultural phenomenon. Adding it will feature iconic hosts, musical guests, and a core cast of the funniest British comedians around. Sky is owned by Comcast, the parent company of NBC News. SNL, which has won the most Emmy Awards in television history, celebrated its 50th anniversary in February. The major milestone fueling rumors, Michael's now 80 years old, would step down.

But biographer Susan Morrison says she's not surprised that he's showing no signs of slowing down. I don't think there's ever been a chance in hell that he was going to step away after the 50th anniversary. I mean, the show is his life. He is the show. I think he's the beating heart of it. And he's not going anywhere soon. SNL has launched the careers of veteran comedians, including Mike Myers. Tina Faye.

Eddie Murphy and countless more. For dozens, if not hundreds of people, Lauren is the person who at one point just looked at them and said, you. You know, he opened the door to comedy. He opened the door to the world for so many of them. And this isn't the first time that a version of the American sketch show has been launched in another country. Largivos, Varshael and Polska. Largely short-lived versions of S&L airing in countries like Italy. Egypt and Saturday Night and Germany.

South Korea's S&L still on air today. In some cases, those shows paying homage to some of America's most popular in time-enduring skits, like Will Ferrell's classic More Cal Bell. With Spain and France airing their own versions. While the UK had an unofficial version of Estenelle in the 80s, featuring acts like Hugh Lorry and Stephen Fry. A hot snap. A hot snap, if you like.

Audiences can expect Sky's official late-night show to usher in a new era of comedy. And Chloe Malas joins us now in studio. I mean, this is an iconic franchise. I personally loved the Traders. UK version loved it a lot when it came here. Do we think this is going to actually work, though, in the UK? I mean, and I love the office, right, which started in the UK and then came over here. When we were talking to a biographer earlier today who was featured in our piece, Susan, you know, she says that this.

will work because when you look at the cultures and the things that we're interested in both here in the United States, I mean, look, we love the Royals and in the UK, they're equally obsessed, if I dare may say, with the Kardashians. Aren't we all? So when it comes to these iconic skits, it's very easily transferable overseas, especially when it comes to London, where many of those individuals they have heard of Saturday Night Live. But when you're looking at some of the other countries that have adapted versions of S&L, it's been a little bit more difficult. And when you look China and the real culture clashes there, that is where some of that nuance of what makes SNL so great, where it can get lost. But this and London, I think that that's a very, very

smart decision and it's here to stay. All right, Chloe Malas, thank you. And thank you at home so much for watching Top Story. I'm Alison Barber in New York for Tom Yamis. Stay right there. More news is on the way. You know,