Month: January 2018

Ford

DETROIT—On Sunday, Ford kicked off the start of the North American International Auto Show with a trio of new models. The event was in contrast to the company's appearance at CES; that was a forward-looking affair with a vision of the future; Detroit rather was all about real vehicles available soon. There was a new midsize truck with the return of the Ranger. The Edge SUV gets a performance variant. And to celebrate the 50th anniversary of one of the best car chases of all time, there's a special Mustang.

But those hoping to for hybridization or an all-electric Ford will have to be patient. Although the company announced it would increase its investment in battery electric vehicles to $11 billion, it is lagging behind rivals; neither the hybrid F-150 truck nor the Mach-1—a performance battery electric vehicle, possibly derived from the Mustang—will be ready until 2020.

Enlarge / Swatting suspect Tyler Barriss depicted in a 2015 mug shot released by Glendale police. (credit: Glendale Police Department)

A Los Angeles man accused of making a hoax phone call that led to the death of an innocent man in Wichita, Kansas, has been charged with involuntary manslaughter. 25-year-old Tyler Barriss was arrested in Los Angeles late last month, and authorities there extradited him to Kansas. He made his first appearance in a Kansas courtroom on Friday, court records show.

Authorities believe that Barriss made a hoax phone call that sent police to the home of an innocent man, Andrew Finch, on December 28. Finch opened the door with his hands up. But when he briefly lowered his hands toward his waistband, a police officer shot him, believing that Finch could be reaching for a gun.

The incident appears to have originated with an online feud over a $1.50 Call of Duty bet. One of the parties to that dispute reportedly approached online user SWAuTistic, who had a reputation for initiating "swatting" pranks against online gamers. SWAuTistic called the Wichita police, pretending to be a deranged man who had already shot his father and threatened to shoot other members of his family.

Enlarge / Swatting suspect Tyler Barriss depicted in a 2015 mug shot released by Glendale police. (credit: Glendale Police Department)

A Los Angeles man accused of making a hoax phone call that led to the death of an innocent man in Wichita, Kansas, has been charged with involuntary manslaughter. 25-year-old Tyler Barriss was arrested in Los Angeles late last month, and authorities there extradited him to Kansas. He made his first appearance in a Kansas courtroom on Friday, court records show.

Authorities believe that Barriss made a hoax phone call that sent police to the home of an innocent man, Andrew Finch, on December 28. Finch opened the door with his hands up. But when he briefly lowered his hands toward his waistband, a police officer shot him, believing that Finch could be reaching for a gun.

The incident appears to have originated with an online feud over a $1.50 Call of Duty bet. One of the parties to that dispute reportedly approached online user SWAuTistic, who had a reputation for initiating "swatting" pranks against online gamers. SWAuTistic called the Wichita police, pretending to be a deranged man who had already shot his father and threatened to shoot other members of his family.