Woman Strangles Bobcat to Death In Front Yard in Georgia

Hartwell, Ga. — A 46-year-old woman strangled a rabid bobcat after the animal attacked her in her front yard in northeast Georgia.

The Athens-Banner Herald reported DeDe Phillips of Hart County went outside on June 7 to take a picture when the bobcat lunged at her. She then grabbed the cat by its throat and didn’t let go.

Phillips said she grew up in the country, where her father-in-law was once a trapper of bobcats.

As a result, she knew something about the animal’s behavior.

Phillips said she was afraid of calling for help because her 5-year-old granddaughter was in the house.

The woman is being treated for rabies and recovering from a broken finger and several bite and claw wounds to her hands, arms, chest and legs.

5 Dead When SUV, Chased by Border Patrol, Crashes in Texas

Big Wells, Texas — At least five people were killed and several others hurt Sunday as an SUV carrying more than a dozen people crashed while fleeing from Border Patrol agents in South Texas.

The SUV carrying 14 people went out of control at more than 100 mph and overturned on Texas Highway 85, ejecting most of the occupants, Dimmit County Sheriff Marion Boyd said.

“From what we can tell the vehicle ran off the road and caught gravel and then tried to recorrect,” Boyd said, adding that “caused the vehicle to turn over several times.”

Four victims were dead at the scene, Boyd said. He said at least one and possibly two others died at a hospital.

Most of the occupants were believed in the country without legal permission. Boyd said the driver and one passenger were believed to be U.S. citizens.

The driver was among those hospitalized, and a deputy who assisted the Border Patrol with the chase found the driver sitting upright in his seat and took him and the passenger into custody.

Gunfire Erupts at New Jersey Arts Festival; 22 Wounded

Trenton, n.j. — Gunmen opened fire at an all-night arts and music festival early Sunday morning, sending people running over each other in the scramble to safety, authorities said. One suspect was killed and 22 people, including two suspects, were injured.

Of 17 people treated for gunshot wounds, four of them, including a 13-year-old boy, were critically injured but three had been upgraded to stable by evening, leaving only one man believed to be a suspect in critical condition, Mercer County Prosecutor Angelo Onofri.

The shots rang out around 2:45 a.m. Sunday as an estimated 1,000 or more people were attending the Art All Night Trenton festival that showcases local art, music, food and films.

Onofri said numerous fights inside and outside had prompted police to tell organizers that the event needed to be shut down because “there was a report that the mood inside the venue had been changing.”

Organizers were in the process of doing that when the shooting started, he said.

Authorities believe several neighborhood gangs had a dispute at the venue, and multiple suspects began shooting at each other, with police returning fire, Onofri said.

— Wire reports