Alec Baldwin Defamed by "Rust" Arrest? | Crime Alert 6AM 08.12.25

Alec Baldwin’s countersuit tied to the fatal shooting on the film "Rust" back in court. A judge rules on whether the actor was defamed by the charges files against him in Halyna Hutchins death. 

President Trump has announced that more than 500 federal officers from the FBI, DEA, ATF, ICE, and the U.S. Marshals Service are being sent to Washington, D.C., for at least a week.

The FBI’s latest Uniform Crime Report shows a major nationwide shift: violent crime fell by 4.5% in 2024, and property crime by 8%.

In Atlanta, a routine arrest turned violent at the city’s Five Points MARTA station.

In New York, the life of 46-year-old security guard Aland Etienne was honored in Brooklyn by hundreds of mourners.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:00):
Crime, alert, imancy, grace breaking crime is now charges filed
and then dismissed against actor Alec Baldwin in the death
of cinematographer Helena Hutchins. Baldwin then sues the prosecutors, court officials,
and others for defamation and abusive process man he sure

(00:21):
kicked a gift horse in the mouth.

Speaker 2 (00:23):
A judge has now ruled in the case what About
It John linley Well Nancy. Alec Baldwin's counter suit tied
to that fatal shooting on the film Rust, has been dismissed.
The New Mexico judge's ruling leaves Baldwin thirty days to refile.
It was in twenty twenty one that cinematographer Helena Hutchins

(00:44):
was killed when a gun Baldwin was rehearsing with fired
a live round. Criminal charges against the actor were dropped
last year, but the film's armorer, Hanna Gutierra's reed was
convicted of involuntary manslaughter and release this May after serving
thirteen months. Hutchins's husband and family are still suing Baldwin

(01:05):
and other producers, alleging safety failures on the set. Court
records show Baldwin's deposition in that case has yet to
be rescheduled. President Trump has announced that more than five
hundred federal officers from the FBI, deaatf ICE, and the
US Marshall Service are being sent to Washington, d C.

(01:26):
For at least a week. Their mission bolster local law
enforcement and, in the words of the President, restore safety
to the streets. The plan also includes removing unhoused people
from public spaces and sending them to facilities outside the city.
The President said the measure was necessary to address what

(01:47):
he called lawlessness in the Capitol, but DC leaders point
out that violent crime has already fallen by more than
a quarter compared to last year, with homicides and carjackings
both trending downward. Mayor Muriel Bowser says the city is
open to federal help, but objects to the prospect of
National Guard troops or direct federal control of local policing.

(02:11):
She's urging the administration to instead fill vacant prosecutor positions
and judicial seats, posts she says are critical to sustain safety.
The coming week, we'll test whether this surge in manpower
strengthens the city's security or sparks new political conflict over
control of the nation's capital.

Speaker 1 (02:31):
Thanks John for the latest crime and justice news. Go
to crime online dot com and please join us for
our daily podcast Crime Stories. More crime and justice news
after this Now with the latest crime and justice breaking
news Crime Online John Limley.

Speaker 3 (02:49):
The FBI's latest uniform crime report shows a major nationwide shift.
Violent crime fell by four point five percent in twenty
twenty four and property crime by eight percent. Murders and
non negligent manslaughters dropped fifteen percent, the steepest decline in decades,

(03:09):
bringing levels closer to where they stood before the pandemic.
The statistics also showed decreases in robbery, aggravated assault, and burglary.
But the data is not all positive. Hate crime remains
alarmingly high, only a slight one point five percent drop
from the year before, and the total still ranks as

(03:31):
the second highest in more than thirty years. Anless say
these numbers reflect complex dynamics, with improved community policing and
targeted intervention programs helping in some cities, while deep rooted
bias driven violence continues to resist national downward trends. In Atlanta,
a routine arrest turned violent at the city's five points mortestation.

(03:56):
Two transit police officers were attempting to detain twenty five
six year old Christopher Daniels for public urination when he
allegedly pulled a gun and opened fire. One officer was
shot in the arm and underwent surgery. The second officer
was grazed in the knee and temporarily lost hearing from
the gunfire, Daniels fled aboard a train, tossing his weapon

(04:19):
onto a station rooftop before slipping away. The firearm was
later recovered and Daniels was arrested in Birmingham, Alabama, after
a multi state manhunt. He faces charges of aggravated assault,
public indecency, and weapons violations. MARTA official stress that serious
crime on the system is down overall, noting this year

(04:41):
has seen no homicides, a stark contrast to years past,
but they say the shooting underscores the unpredictable risks transit
police face daily. In New York, the life of forty
six year old security guard Alan Etienne was honored in
Brooklyn by hundreds of mourners. Etien, originally from Haiti, was

(05:02):
killed while shielding others during a July twenty eighth shooting
at a Manhattan Office Tower. The attack left four people dead,
including Etienne, a veteran NYPD officer, an investment executive, and
a real estate employee. A fifth person was wounded before
the gunman took his own life. Friends, family, and co

(05:22):
workers say Etienne was a devoted father and grandfather who
always put others first. His union is calling for greater
recognition of private security personnel, noting that many like Etienne
are immigrants working long hours in dangerous conditions. He is
remembered as a man who not only guarded a building,

(05:43):
but who in his final moments, protected the lives of others.

Speaker 1 (05:47):
Thanks John for the latest crime and justice news. Go
to crime online dot com and please join us for
our daily podcast, Crime Stories, where we do our best
to find missing people, especially children, and solve unsolved thomicides.
With this crime alert, I'm Nancy Grace.