Latest news with #AhmedHaidar
Newsweek
11-07-2025
- Newsweek
Teen Chases Taco Bell Job—Ends Up in Handcuffs
Based on facts, either observed and verified firsthand by the reporter, or reported and verified from knowledgeable sources. Newsweek AI is in beta. Translations may contain inaccuracies—please refer to the original content. An 18-year-old jobseeker was arrested after entering a Taco Bell in Michigan on Thursday, flashing what appeared to be a handgun and making threats when staff did not respond to his employment inquiries, Dearborn Heights police said. Newsweek contacted the restaurant via telephone, as well as Taco Bell's head office and the Dearborn Police Department via email outside normal working hours on Friday for comment. The Context According to a report by the U.S. Department of Labor, in June, the number of long-term unemployed (those jobless for 27 weeks or more) increased by 190,000 to 1.6 million, largely offsetting a decrease the prior month. The long-term unemployed accounted for 23.3 percent of all unemployed people. A report by Fox News showed Taco Bell advertising that they are actively hiring. A Taco Bell restaurant in Walnut Creek, California, on April 8, 2025. A Taco Bell restaurant in Walnut Creek, California, on April 8, 2025. Smith Collection/Gado/What To Know Police say the man, frustrated by the lack of response to his job inquiries at the restaurant on Telegraph Road near Ann Arbor Trail, showed up at the restaurant. "He came in pretty upset that he's been reaching out to that Taco Bell for the last week or so, trying to communicate on his cellphone and he wasn't getting any response from them," Dearborn Heights Police Chief Ahmed Haidar said, as reported by ABC News. Once the teenager arrived, he lifted his shirt to reveal what appeared to be a pistol, threatening and scaring employees who thought the gun was real. The man reportedly also overturned a table before fleeing. "[He] brandished a weapon at the time. Two times, exited, came back in, flipped over a table," Haidar said, according to ABC News. The restaurant locked its doors during the incident, pushing customers to use the drive-through as a precaution. No injuries were reported. Police handcuffed and arrested the man a few blocks away and recovered a BB gun. Officers later determined that the weapon was a modified BB gun resembling a Glock, Fox News reported. Haidar said the suspect has no prior criminal history and expressed hope that the young man would learn from the mistake and avoid entering the legal system over such an incident. What People Are Saying Dearborn Heights Police Chief Ahmed Haidar, as reported by Fox News: "[He] doesn't have a history. Sounds like he's an 18-year-old kid that's on a downslide right now. He's just trying to find a job, trying to do right. Made a poor decision." What Happens Next Authorities are continuing their investigation. Even brandishing a BB gun can lead to serious charges. Investigators plan to forward charges of felony assault and brandishing a firearm to the Wayne County Prosecutor's Office, Fox reported. While the incident could carry serious consequences, Haidar said police will work to ensure the man receives the support he needs, ABC News reported. The chief said a request for charges would be submitted to the prosecutor's office by Friday, noting that the final decision on any charges rests with the prosecutor, Fox reported.
CBS News
07-05-2025
- CBS News
Dearborn Heights police officers file lawsuit, alleges sexual misconduct by former sergeant
Two Dearborn Heights police officers are suing the police department and a former sergeant for alleged sexual misconduct. Marko Law, which is representing the officers, filed the lawsuit on Tuesday, claiming that the former sergeant demanded sexually explicit photos and to engage in sexual interactions. The former sergeant is also accused of sending pictures through social media and harassing several other young officers. "Every employer is responsible for ensuring a safe workplace and for preventing employees—including those in supervisory roles like sergeants—from causing harm to others. The Dearborn Heights Police Department failed in this duty by not protecting our clients from sexual assault, harassment, and discrimination carried out by one of its sergeants," said Attorney Jonathan Marko in a statement. "The Dearborn Heights Department did nothing to shield them from the daily humiliation and embarrassment they did and continue to endure." The Dearborn Heights Police Department said on Tuesday that it became aware of the allegations on April 9, 2025. The department confirmed that the sergeant has not been employed with them since 2023. The department said the incidents happened before Police Chief Ahmed Haidar took on the role in 2025 and has asked Michigan State Police to investigate the allegations. "Police Chief Ahmed Haidar said the police department will fully cooperate with this investigation and does not condone any acts of sexual assault, harassment, and/or behaviors negatively effecting members of this department or citizens," the department said in a news release. According to the lawsuit, the former sergeant allegedly texted one of the officers in 2021 and 2022 and demanded photos. The sergeant allegedly assaulted the officer and coerced him to perform sex acts in his office on multiple occasions. The lawsuit alleges that between 2017 and 2018, the former sergeant harassed the officer and threatened him and his job to keep him from saying anything. The lawsuit claims that the officer reported the harassment in 2023 to his superiors, but they refused to investigate the alleged misconduct. The former sergeant allegedly falsified reports against the officer, resulting in the officer's Michigan Commission on Law Enforcement Standards being suspended, according to the lawsuit. The officer was later suspended to the former sergeant's allegations, the lawsuit claims. The lawsuit alleges that the officers faced retaliation and suffered from post-traumatic stress disorder, anxiety and humiliation, even after the former sergeant left the department.
