Hundreds of bikers ride in memory of Graham Hoffman Saturday
The ride started at Outlaw Harley-Davidson in Blue Springs and ended at Worth Harley-Davidson in the Northland.
Liberty 9-year-old battling cancer competes for national title
Organizers didn't expect to see as many riders as they did, and around 400 motorcycles took to the streets to honor Hoffman.
'When you hear 400 Harley-Davidsons, many with very open exhaust systems on them, it rumbles right in your chest and gets you right here,' said Darrell Smith, pointing to his heart.
He's the co-founder and CEO of HeroFundUSA, a private funding source for safety gear for first responders.
'But it also gets you right here because you know why they're here.'
Hoffman was injured while responding to a 'routine medical call' according to Kansas City Police. The patient turned on Hoffman and his partner, stabbing Hoffman in the chest. He would die from his injuries.
The motorcycle ride was an emotional moment for many of the riders.
'I had goosebumps for pretty much an hour,' said Ame Eikel.
'It was pretty moving,' said biker Mary Beth Biland.
'For every bridge we went under, having the fire engines with everyone waving, it was emotional in several points along the ride.'
Not only did organizers plan the ride to honor Hoffman, they also started a scholarship in his name. Some of the proceeds from the ride will go towards the fund.
'So that every year we can honor Graham by awarding paramedic scholarship funds to young people that want to enter a field as a paramedic or a firefighter paramedic,' said Smith.
'They will never know Graham Hoffman, but they're going to know who he was and they're going to be able to go to school in his name.'
Driver suffers critical injuries in I-29 crash Saturday evening: KCPD
For some bikers, it means just a little more. Dave Arnold is a retired firefighter and says that when things like this happen, honoring the ones who have been lost is just what you do.
'It's a big brotherhood in the fire service,' he said.
'You may have never met the man or woman in uniform but, you know, they've gone through what you've gone through. In this situation, when someone is lost, it just has to be done.'
Arnold said that he wishes Hoffman could see the impact that he leaves behind through the scholarship. '
.It's a shame that he didn't get the opportunity to see what he's going to do for somebody,' Arnold said.
Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
San Francisco Chronicle
3 days ago
- San Francisco Chronicle
Family of motorcyclists killed in Santa Cruz Mountains crash seeks answers
The family of a Hayward couple is seeking answers after a head-on crash with a Tesla killed the pair as they were riding a motorcycle on a winding highway in the Santa Cruz Mountains on Saturday. The couple's daughter identified the pair as Ernest Latta, 61, and Lisa Latta, 59. 'They were opposites, but they were the best pair,' Christina Gonzales Latta said of her parents. 'They were like French fries and ice cream.' She added: 'The love they had was the strongest I've ever known.' The couple was riding a Harley-Davidson south on Highway 9, south of Highway 35, around 4:45 p.m. when the motorcycle and a northbound Tesla Model 3 collided head-on, the California Highway Patrol said. The impact threw the couple onto the road, where they died. The Tesla driver, an 18-year-old San Jose woman, was not injured, the CHP said. As of Wednesday, no one was arrested and the crash remained under investigation, the CHP said. The agency released few other details. Gonzales Latta described her step-father as an avid motorcyclist who prioritized safety, especially with her mom on the bike. 'He's a protector,' Gonzales Latta said. For that reason, Gonzales Latta suspects the Tesla driver was at fault, she said, adding that she wonders whether the driver was texting or speeding. 'I don't know why my mom and dad are gone,' she said. 'It's very hard.' She said she believes her parents, who were together for 40 years, were headed to Santa Cruz to eat at a nice restaurant. The couple commonly rode to coastal cities on weekends. With a shared love for the ocean, Santa Cruz and Monterey were among their favorite destinations, Gonzales Latta said. She remembered her step-father as a quiet, humble, intelligent and adventurous man. Her mother was loud, thoughtful and caring, she said. Lisa Latta had her when she was 17. 'We grew up together,' Gonzales Latta said. The couple met in San Jose when Gonzales Latta was 2 after her mother relocated from Staten Island in search of a better life for Gonzales Latta and her brother. Their family later grew when Ernest and Lisa Latta had a son. Gonzales Latta said something felt wrong Saturday after her parents did not come home to pick up their 7-month-old Yorkie, named Arlington. Concerned for her parents, Gonzales Latta called hospitals across the Bay Area. It wasn't until authorities called her and referred her to the Santa Cruz County coroner the next day that she learned the tragic news. She said she hopes for justice for her parents. For now, she feels a sense of peace because 'they're always going to be together now,' she said. As for Arlington, Lisa Latta's brother took him in. 'For him, that's a piece of her,' Gonzales Latta said. The family created a GoFundMe page to raise funds for funeral expenses. Gonzales Latta said her immediate priority was to make arrangements for her parents' funeral. 'After I lay my parents to rest,' she said, 'I need answers.'
Yahoo
3 days ago
- Yahoo
Illinois man arrested after multi-state pursuit, vehicle theft in Wisconsin
CALEDONIA, Wis. (WFRV) – A 36-year-old Illinois man is in custody following a multi-state vehicle theft and police pursuit that began in Columbia County early Thursday morning. According to the Columbia County Sheriff's Office, the incident started just after 4:00 a.m. on July 24, when deputies received an automated 911 call reporting a crash from a cell phone near Mile Marker 108 on I-90/94/39. However, no crash was found. 20 years later, search continues for missing Wisconsin teen Madeline Edman About 20 minutes later, dispatchers received a call from the Days Inn hotel on Kinney Road in Caledonia, where a woman reported that an acquaintance had stolen her vehicle along with her phone and money. Authorities later determined that the automated crash alert was triggered when the suspect discarded the victim's phone while fleeing the scene. The suspect was identified as 36-year-old Michael Hoffman of DeKalb, Illinois. Deputies issued an alert to law enforcement agencies between Portage and DeKalb. Just after 5:00 a.m., a Wisconsin State Patrol trooper spotted the stolen vehicle in Janesville. After initially stopping, Hoffman reportedly became non-compliant, prompting a short standoff. He then fled in the vehicle, leading authorities on a pursuit. The chase was later terminated before the vehicle crossed into Illinois. Shortly after, the South Beloit Police Department attempted to stop the vehicle again as it traveled southbound on I-90/39 toward Rockford. Authorities chased the vehicle for about 20 miles before terminating the pursuit east of Rockford. At around 7:30 a.m., the Illinois State Police informed Columbia County officials that the stolen vehicle had been located abandoned on I-90 in McHenry County, Illinois. A search for the suspect was unsuccessful. Columbia County investigators were eventually able to confirm Hoffman's identity with assistance from the DeKalb Police Department. On July 28, a warrant was issued for his arrest on charges including taking and driving a vehicle without consent and theft of movable property. Hoffman was arrested by the DeKalb Police Department on July 29 and is currently being held in the Winnebago County Jail in Rockford. He faces charges related to the pursuit in Illinois, and Columbia County officials say they will seek extradition to Wisconsin. Traffic stop leads to arrest of two Wisconsin women, meth and cocaine seized 'This investigation is another great example of teamwork and communication between numerous law enforcement agencies to identify, locate and take a suspect into custody,' said Captain David Clark of the Columbia County Sheriff's Office. No further details were released. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Buzz Feed
25-07-2025
- Buzz Feed
Trump Hangs Up After CNN Question About Epstein Photo
President Donald Trump hung up on a CNN reporter during a phone call Tuesday that lasted a mere 30 seconds after the journalist questioned him about resurfaced images showing Jeffrey Epstein at Trump's 1993 wedding to his second wife, Marla Maples. While appearing Tuesday on Erin Burnett OutFront, reporter Andrew Kaczynski shared details about the abrupt phone call with Trump that ended in name-calling. The call took place after CNN's KFile found photos of Epstein and Trump that had not been widely reported on before. One photo showed the disgraced financier and sex offender attending Trump's Plaza Hotel wedding to Maples. In a separate image, Epstein was seen with Trump and his children at a Harley-Davidson Cafe that same year. CNN also released a video of Trump and Epstein chatting with each other at a Victoria's Secret Fashion Show in New York in February 1999. Kaczynski told host Burnett that the call, in which he asked Trump about the images, ended with the president slamming CNN as 'fake news' and hanging up after he refused to answer questions about his past connection to Epstein. 'We were not on the phone very long. I think our call was about 30 seconds or so,' Kaczynski told Burnett. 'But when I asked him about the wedding photo, he said, he sort of paused for a second and then said, 'You've got to be kidding me,' before calling CNN 'fake news' and then hanging up on me.' In a statement to CNN, Kaczynski said, White House communications director Steven Cheung said, "These are nothing more than out-of-context frame grabs of innocuous videos and pictures of widely attended events to disgustingly infer something nefarious." Cheung added: 'The fact is that the president kicked [Epstein] out of his club for being a 'creep.'' Kaczynski's heated yet ultra-brief conversation with Trump comes after the Department of Justice and FBI released a two-page memo earlier this month, claiming their Epstein investigation determined that there was no evidence Epstein was murdered or had a 'client list' of powerful figures he could potentially blackmail. Following the memo release, Trump faced scrutiny over his administration's handling of the Epstein files, particularly from his own base. Since then, both Republicans and Democrats have called on the president and his administration to release more information.
