Morning Brief: West Coast Guard Surge Meets Holiday Storms as Police Incidents Turn Deadly

The California National Guard has been authorized under state law to support the effort. More than 80 Guardsmen from the 649th Engineer Company are deploying with dozers, excavators, loaders, and dump trucks to clear debris basins and haul material away before slopes fail. Aircraft, including HH-60 and CH-47 helicopters, along with high-water vehicles, are on standby for hoist rescues, evacuations, and route clearance if roads are cut off. The mission set looks nearly identical to what Guard units are doing right now in Washington. Engineers monitor slopes and channels for early signs of failure, crews reinforce barriers with silt fencing and large sandbags, and patrols keep eyes on known weak points around the clock. In previous operations, California Guard engineers have moved tens of thousands of cubic yards of debris and helped evacuate hundreds of households before flows reached populated areas. This is not reactionary disaster relief. It is prevention under pressure. The goal is to spot erosion, seepage, or slope movement early enough to intervene before gravity and water take control. Once debris starts moving downhill, options disappear fast. Taken together, the Washington flood response and California mudslide posture tell the same story. Atmospheric river systems are hitting the West Coast at the same time, stretching state resources during the holidays. The National Guard is filling the gap as the swing force that shows up. Different terrain. Rain and mud in the north, mud and ash in the south. While most people are focused on travel and family plans, Guard units are standing watch on rivers, slopes, and roads so communities don’t wake up to something worse.   A man was killed after firing at police in a suburb of Charlotte, North Carolina, during a child custody exchange. Image Credit: WBTV Police Shootout During Child Custody Exchange Leaves One Dead, Two Officers Critical A routine child custody exchange in a quiet North Carolina suburb turned into a gunfight Thursday morning, leaving one man dead and two police officers critically wounded. The shooting happened around 10:45 a.m. outside an Edible Arrangements shop in Mint Hill, just east of Charlotte. According to police, officers were present to keep the custody handoff orderly. Instead, the situation escalated fast. The man involved opened fire on officers at close range. Officers returned fire, killing the suspect. Two officers were struck and rushed to a local hospital in critical condition. Witnesses described chaos in seconds. One officer was seen helping another while under fire. A location meant for a controlled, low-risk exchange became an active shooter scene in the middle of a commercial area. Shoppers and employees nearby were forced to take cover as rounds were exchanged. This incident highlights a pattern law enforcement has been warning about for years. Custody disputes are emotionally charged, unpredictable, and often involve people already under extreme stress. When firearms enter the picture, there is little margin for error. Even with officers on scene, violence can erupt without warning. The location matters too. These exchanges often happen in public places under the assumption that visibility equals safety. Thursday’s shooting shows that assumption does not always hold. A public setting may limit some behavior, but it does not stop a determined individual from pulling a trigger. Two officers are now fighting for their lives because a situation everyone expected to end quietly did not. This was not a traffic stop or a warrant service. It was a custody handoff that went sideways in seconds.   Washington State Police recapture a stolen squad car. Image Credit: NBC News Suspect Steals Washington State Patrol Cruiser After Dragging Trooper From Vehicle A Washington State Patrol trooper was assaulted and had her patrol vehicle stolen during a traffic stop along Interstate 5 near Seattle, turning a routine enforcement contact into a high-risk felony incident. The suspect was later taken into custody. The trooper survived the attack. According to authorities, the trooper initiated a stop when the suspect became violent, dragging her from her patrol car before taking off in the stolen cruiser. The encounter escalated rapidly from a standard roadside stop into a full emergency response involving multiple agencies. Stolen law enforcement vehicles present a serious danger to the public. Patrol cars are equipped with radios, emergency lighting, and in some cases weapons or sensitive equipment. When one is taken by force, it immediately becomes both a mobility threat and an impersonation risk. Other drivers may not recognize the danger until it is too late. The incident triggered an aggressive response focused on containment and recovery rather than pursuit at all costs. Chasing a stolen patrol car through populated corridors carries significant risk, especially in urban and suburban traffic. This case is another reminder that traffic stops remain one of the most dangerous tasks in law enforcement. Officers are exposed, stationary, and often dealing with individuals who have already decided they are not going back into custody. Violence can occur without warning and escalate faster than backup can arrive. The trooper’s survival is the key outcome here. The suspect is in custody. But the incident reinforces a hard truth: even routine stops can turn into life-or-death fights in seconds, and officers absorb that risk every day on the side of the road.