Latest news with #JeremyBurkett
Yahoo
13-07-2025
- Yahoo
State police launch investigation after trooper allegedly shoots, kills man during pursuit
The Alabama Law Enforcement Agency has launched an investigation following the death of a man from Lawley, Alabama, who was allegedly shot by a state trooper during a pursuit. Capt. Jeremy Burkett, spokesman for the Alabama Law Enforcement Agency, said that at 8:08 p.m. on July 12, an officer attempted to stop 27-year-old Lawley resident Jacob B. Hutchinson, who was driving a Harley-Davidson Sportster on Cobbs Ford Road in Prattville. When Hutchinson allegedly failed to stop, a pursuit onto I-65 going south ensued, Burkett said. The pursuit continued for 11 miles into Montgomery's city limits and ended near the 2800 block of Springfield Drive, where Burkett said Hutchinson began running on foot. Burkett said that after Hutchinson allegedly pulled out a knife during the pursuit on foot, the ALEA officer involved discharged their weapon and fatally injured Hutchinson, though no officers were injured during the incident. The investigation — conducted by ALEA's State Bureau of Investigation — is still ongoing. The name of the officer has not been released. Sarah Clifton covers business for the Montgomery Advertiser. You can reach her at sclifton@ or follow her on X @sarahgclifton. To support her work, please subscribe to the Montgomery Advertiser. This article originally appeared on Montgomery Advertiser: State investigates after officer-involved shooting in Montgomery
Car and Driver
28-06-2025
- Automotive
- Car and Driver
GM Trucks Are Too Easy to Steal, According to a Key-Fob Lawsuit
A class-action lawsuit alleges that GM full-size trucks are too easy to steal. The lawsuit specifically covers the issue of ignition key fobs being cloned. 2010–2025 models of the GMC Sierra and Yukon; Chevrolet Tahoe, Suburban, and Silverado; and Cadillac Escalade are all named in the lawsuit. Modern vehicles are full of all sorts of factory-installed devices to prevent or deter theft, from immobilizers to alarm systems. The problem is, of course, that thieves evolve their toolkits to defeat whatever the current technology throws up as a defense. The days of hot-wiring or jamming a screwdriver into an ignition socket are long over, but a well-equipped thief is still perfectly capable of making your car gone in 60 seconds. Or less. Most manufacturers work hard on this thorny issue, trying to stay ahead of would-be car thieves. It's not just trying to please existing customers, but high rates of theft can impact insurance and drive shoppers elsewhere. However, a new class-action lawsuit brought against GM is claiming that General Motors isn't doing enough. Andi Hedrick The lawsuit, filed in Texas courts, alleges that GM ignored vulnerabilities in the keyless entry systems for certain full-size trucks and SUVs from Chevrolet, GMC, and Cadillac. It claims that GM knew the key fobs and ignition systems could be easily overpowered by inexpensive signal cloning devices, technology that's readily available to car thieves. Plaintiff Jeremy Burkett says his 2016 GMC Sierra was stolen right out of his driveway three years ago. He's since replaced the vehicle with a 2023 GMC Sierra, but in the lawsuit notes that he believes it to be vulnerable as well. Two years ago, Hyundai and Kia reached a $200 million settlement with owners of easily stolen cars. These vehicles, mostly the base models without keyless push-button ignitions, were the subject of a viral trend on the social media site TikTok. Dubbed the Kia Challenge, the fad saw the theft rate of Kia and Hyundai models skyrocket 25 times over the previous year's average. GM has previously faced a similar lawsuit over the security systems of the 2010–2023 Camaro. This new suit affects a wider range of cars, and as newer Yukons and Escalades are popular targets for theft, it could be a major pain for the company. Brendan McAleer Contributing Editor Brendan McAleer is a freelance writer and photographer based in North Vancouver, B.C., Canada. He grew up splitting his knuckles on British automobiles, came of age in the golden era of Japanese sport-compact performance, and began writing about cars and people in 2008. His particular interest is the intersection between humanity and machinery, whether it is the racing career of Walter Cronkite or Japanese animator Hayao Miyazaki's half-century obsession with the Citroën 2CV. He has taught both of his young daughters how to shift a manual transmission and is grateful for the excuse they provide to be perpetually buying Hot Wheels. Read full bio
Miami Herald
26-06-2025
- Automotive
- Miami Herald
GM Back in Legal Trouble Over Car Theft Vulnerabilities
In recent years, automakers have been the target of mounting legal scrutiny over product defects that pose safety or security risks. Hyundai and Kia faced nationwide backlash and lawsuits after design flaws made their cars exceptionally easy to steal. Now, General Motors is facing similar heat. A newly filed class action lawsuit claims GM knowingly sold vehicles with easily hackable keyless entry systems – technology that allegedly allows criminals to steal cars in under 30 seconds using cheap signal-cloning devices. Filed in the Eastern District of Texas, the case centers around popular Chevrolet, GMC, and Cadillac models produced from 2010 to the present, accusing GM of ignoring known vulnerabilities in its key fob and ignition systems. According to the lawsuit, the core issue lies in how GM's keyless entry system works. It transmits a low-frequency signal between the vehicle and the key fob. Criminals can intercept this signal using a cloning device – typically no larger than a smartphone – and replay it to the car. Once cloned, the signal allows the thief to unlock and start the vehicle without setting off the alarm. The affected vehicles are GM's full-size SUVs and trucks, including the Chevrolet Tahoe, Suburban, and Silverado; GMC Sierra, Yukon, and Yukon XL; and Cadillac Escalade and Escalade ESV. These models, the suit alleges, also have onboard diagnostic (OBDII) ports that are vulnerable to hacking. With inexpensive gear, thieves can reprogram new key fobs in minutes and drive away undetected. The plaintiff in this latest case, Jeremy Burkett, claims his 2016 GMC Sierra was stolen directly from his driveway in 2022 without any signs of forced entry. After replacing it with a newer 2023 model featuring the same keyless system, he says he now lives in constant fear of another theft. This isn't GM's first brush with lawsuits over its allegedly flawed keyless entry technology. In 2023, the automaker faced another proposed class action involving the 2010–2023 Chevy Camaro. That complaint mirrored the current case, alleging that Camaro key fobs were also susceptible to radio signal interception and cloning. The previous lawsuit reported a spike in Camaro thefts tied to cloned key fobs. Despite these public alerts and increasing thefts, the suit alleged GM failed to take corrective action, issue a recall, or inform customers of the risk. Other automakers like Jaguar-Land Rover have begun implementing ultra-wideband protection to defend against these types of "relay thefts," yet the lawsuits argue GM continues to do nothing. While there are ways to protect cars from these thefts, both class actions accuse the company of deceptive and fraudulent practices for selling vehicles with known security flaws. Copyright 2025 The Arena Group, Inc. All Rights Reserved.
Sydney Morning Herald
30-04-2025
- Sydney Morning Herald
‘Is that a kangaroo?': Runaway Sheila causes chaos on US highway
Tuskegee, Alabama: A runaway kangaroo named Sheila shut down a stretch of highway before state troopers and the animal's owner captured her. The state law enforcement agency said the kangaroo was spotted on Tuesday, Alabama time, hopping along the side of Interstate 85 in Macon County, which is between Montgomery and Auburn. The sight snarled traffic, and state troopers shut down both sides of the highway for the safety of motorists. The animal's owner and troopers were able to capture it, Captain Jeremy Burkett of the Alabama Law Enforcement Agency said. 'When somebody said there was a kangaroo, of course I didn't believe it, and nobody believed it. But I'm looking at him,' Macon County Sheriff Andre Brunson said in a Facebook video as the animal was captured. The owner used a dart to tranquillise the animal. Brunson's video showed the drugged kangaroo being carried to a vehicle to be returned to its home. The animal was captured on the side of the highway between Tuskegee and Auburn, the sheriff said. 'We see a little bit of everything here,' the sheriff said.
The Age
30-04-2025
- The Age
‘Is that a kangaroo?‘: Runaway ‘Sheila' causes chaos on US highway
Tuskegee, Alabama: A runaway kangaroo named Sheila shut down a stretch of highway before state troopers and the animal's owner captured her. The state law enforcement agency said the kangaroo was spotted on Tuesday, Alabama time, hopping along the side of Interstate 85 in Macon County, which is between Montgomery and Auburn. The sight snarled traffic, and state troopers shut down both sides of the highway for the safety of motorists. The animal's owner and troopers were able to capture it, Captain Jeremy Burkett of the Alabama Law Enforcement Agency said. 'When somebody said there was a kangaroo, of course I didn't believe it, and nobody believed it. But I'm looking at him,' Macon County Sheriff Andre Brunson said in a Facebook video as the animal was captured. The owner used a dart to tranquillise the animal. Brunson's video showed the drugged kangaroo being carried to a vehicle to be returned to its home. The animal was captured on the side of the highway between Tuskegee and Auburn, the sheriff said. 'We see a little bit of everything here,' the sheriff said.
