it was in 2016, while living in the bay area, that jack lasota started writing under the online persona zs. in august 2022, the u.s. coast guard responded to a report that lasota had fallen out of a boat on san francisco bay, but no body was found. lasota was declared dead at the time. then that november that vallejo landlord tried to evict lasota and other positions. two days before the deadline, the landlord was attacked with a sword. then fast forward to this january. that's when the landlord was killed. also in january, the u.s. border patrol officer was killed in vermont. that incident is what led the fbi to start connecting the dots in their cross-country investigation. developing news in southern california los angeles mayor karen bass has fired the city's fire chief. bass says the removal of chief christine crowley is effective immediately. bass says 1000 firefighters could have been on duty the morning that the l.a. fires broke out last month, but that they were sent home on the chief's watch. the mayor is under heavy criticism herself for having been on an overseas trip while

prosecutors said 34 year old jack lasota from berkeley, appears to be the leader of an extremist group known as visions that has been linked to six murders in three states. also appearing alongside lasota were michelle, from pennsylvania and daniel blank from sacramento. the three were arrested in maryland over the weekend, ap reported. they wore gun belts, holding ammunition and possessed several weapons. a state attorney said lasota previously faked her own death, leading her bay area family to declare her dead from a san francisco bay, drowning a few years ago. the visions have ties to a 2022 murder in vallejo and an attack on a landlord there. suspect michelle joshua's parents were found murdered in pennsylvania that year as well. then in january of this year, the vallejo landlord, curtis lin, was found murdered and maximilian snyder was arrested and charged in what prosecutors say was a plot to prevent lin from testifying in court. snyder's fiancee, teresa youngblood, was then arrested in vermont a few days later for killing a border patrol agent, and a passenger in a car was also

the jack lasota is described as a leader of a cult like group known as the ians.aryland. the court documents reveal prosecutors think the group is linked to the murder of a u.s. border patrol agent back in january and five other homicides, including the 2022 stabbing of a man in vallejo. police say curtis lin, a landlord in vallejo, was stabbed in the chest with a samurai sword. lin fired back at his attackers, killing one of them. lin was then stabbed and killed last month. now, 22 year old maximillian snyder has been charged with that murder. snyder had recently applied for a marriage license with the person accused of the murder of the border patrol agent in vermont, jack lasota and michelle zajko face several charges, but no homicide charges. a lawyer for soto wouldn't confirm the arrest or any other details. >> we're getting some more information about an attack in the south bay that killed a teenage boy out on a date with his girlfriend on valentine's day. hundreds of people have donated to a gofundme account set up by the family of 15 year old david gutierr

especially about this arrest of jack lasota. >> who goes by ziz. >> and the group is called the zizians, is that they have. this charismatic. >> leader. >> and, you know, accused of of killings from california to pennsylvania. vermont. >> but cults always have a. charismatic leader who their. >> unquestioning loyalty from the followers. and at this point, we think they have about 30 followers. but other. traits like isolation from the outside world and mind control techniques, strict rules and regulations for if you want to be in this group, this is what you have to do. perhaps you have to commit a and us versus them. mentality. important because we already see them believing that it's us versus them, and that everyone in the outside world is the enemy. hopefully with these arrests, if they continue to follow through, we will be able to shut this cult like group down. >> compare jack lasota to people like charles manson and jim jones, leaders of cults that are that are so well known in our history. >> yeah, jim jones, charles manson, marshall applewhite of heaven's gate, david koresh of

jack lasota and michellee numerous charges, but no homicide charges. y for lasota would not confirm the arrests or any other details. >> coming up, a new exhibit at the black panther party museum just in time for black history month. plus. >> black history month celebration showcasing the talents of teens. we'll show you the highlights. >> then later in sports spring training in full swing. how some of the new faces on the giants looked in arizona as full squad star returns to sonoma state, where he once played ball to protest cuts to athletics. the message jalen wells had ♪ ♪ ♪ well, it's a message of hope and inspiration today. talented teens came together in oakland to celebrate black history. >> as ktvu is, amber lee reports, these teens say they want to encourage other young people to chase their dreams and always carry the torch of black excellence. >> this way. [music] i was born- [music] by the river. >> the voices of the naacp, imani youth council rang out at the chapel of the chimes in oakland. >> oh, beyond the sky. >> this is the 14th annual

left is jack lasota, the alleged leader of this group.de you describescd the parents of these parentsd describe the crimes they are accused deb of being demonic, you could say. an elderly couple killed in pennsylvania shot execution-style in their homes on new year's eve a couple of years ago. and last month, one of the soul witnesses to end up coming murder go to attempt a murder trial, two members had his throat slit in the bay area of california.th so, you know, at the i dropped the ball on this because the killings go back to 2022. >> laura: we certainly hopen thdoe fbi does the justice that should have been done a whilelw ayago on this because we have dd g americans.ne andy, as always, to think you. coming up, big medicine and her kids and what trump is going to do about it. ♪ ♪ do you have a life insurance policy you no longer need? now you can sell your policy - even a term policy - for an immediate cash payment. we thought we had planned carefully for our retirement. but we quickly realized we needed a way to supplement our income. if you have $100,000 or more of life insuranc

jack lasota, a blogger and computer programmer, is believed to be the leader of the lasota once lived in berkeley. she identifies as transgender. in 2022, it's believed lasota faked her own death. an online obituary mentioned a boating accident near half moon bay, though her body was never recovered. during a coast guard search, an abandoned boat once belonging to lasota remains at pillar point harbor today. michelle zajko was also arrested in maryland on sunday. both zajko and lasota are facing charges of trespassing, obstruction and possessing a handgun. a third suspect, daniel blank, is facing charges of trespassing and obstruction. the trio had been on the run since 2023, when investigators were searching for leads in the double homicide of zac sos parents in pennsylvania. a linkedin page that appears to be blanks listed him as a graduate of monta vista high school and uc berkeley with a degree in computer science. he recently worked as a software engineer. his last known address is in sacramento, though his parents reportedly live in the east bay. blanks father told me via text t

now, jack lasota is described as a leader of a cult like group known as the ians.his morning in maryland. court documents reveal prosecutors believe that group is linked to the murder of a u.s. border patrol agent back in january and five other murders, including the 2022 stabbing of a man in vallejo. police say the curtis lin, a landlord in vallejo, was stabbed in the chest with a samurai sword. lin shot back at the attackers and killed one of them. lin was then stabbed and killed last month. 22 year old maximillian snyder has been charged with that murder. the snyder recently applied for a marriage license with the person accused of the murder of the border patrol agent in vermont. the jack lasota and michelle zatko are facing several charges, but no homicide charges. a lawyer for lasota would not confirm that he'd been arrested or give any other details. well, mexico says it's waiting now for a new response from google before it sues google over the gulf of america. name change on google maps. mexican president sheinbaum wants google to fully restored the name g

jack lasota, never been charged with murder. what comes next for him? and if i can also add, do we know who's funding their legal fees yet? right. so lasota has been arraigned this morning in maryland on charges of obstruction. and some weapons charges. we'll see what happens next with that case. it will proceed from here in maryland. and we'll we'll go from there. a lot happening. keep us posted, anna, with this really nice reporting from you guys there in vallejo. appreciate your time tonight. thank you. let's move on now. some big changes for the hillsdale shopping center in san mateo. this is a legendary shopping center. recently opened up part of the mall to outside strolling. now its owners are proposing an even bigger makeover. they want to demolish the enclosed part of the mall for a more open concept. that new design includes 2,000,000fts of retail, commercial and more than a thousand new homes. the northern part of that mall will remain as it is. the open concept is similar to stanford shopping center and santana row. our goal is to, you know,

this all started with founder jack lasota and lives in berkeley. this is the mugshot when she and two other zizians were arrested yesterday in maryland. they were charged with trespassing and hiding a gun in their car. they're being held without bail. michelle zajko is one of the people arrested. and the 2022 murders of her parents, richard and rita in pennsylvania, charged with obstructing the homicide investigation and living with other members of the group. they tried to evict them, stabbed in the eye with a sword and shoots and kills one of the zizians. this january, she was stabbed and killed if vallejo. a man named snyder was charged of the murder, trying to stop them from testifying. three days after that shooting, there was a shootout near the canadian border. the other member of the group was charged with gun charges. we know the fbi has searched the home where zizian was living with the two people involved and the border patrol shootout. and we're waiting on the next steps in the trespassing case out of maryland. so i know that there is a

prosecutors said 34 year old jack lasota, from berkeley, appears to be the leader of an extremist group known as ians that has been linked to six murders in three states. also appearing alongside lasota were michelle zajko from pennsylvania and daniel blank from sacramento. the three were arrested in maryland over the weekend, ap reported. they wore gun belts, holding ammunition and possessed several weapons. a state attorney said lasota previously faked her own death, leading her bay area family to declare her dead from a san francisco bay, drowning a few years ago. the ians have ties to a 2022 murder in vallejo and an attack on a landlord there. suspect michelle, whose parents were found murdered in pennsylvania that year as well. then in january of this year, the vallejo landlord, curtis lin, was found murdered and member maximilian snyder was arrested and charged in what prosecutors say was a plot to prevent lin from testifying in court. snyder's fiancee, teresa youngblood, was then arrested in vermont a few days later for killing a border patrol agent, and a passenger in a car was

jack lasota, a blogger and computer programmer, is believed to be the leader of the lasota once lived in berkeley. she identifies as transgender. in 2022, it's believed lasota faked her own death. an online obituary mentioned a boating accident near half moon bay, though her body was never recovered. during a coast guard search, an abandoned boat once belonging to lasota remains at pillar point harbor today. michelle zajko was also arrested in maryland on sunday. both zajko and lasota are facing charges of trespassing, obstruction and possessing a handgun. a third suspect, daniel blank, is facing charges of trespassing and obstruction. the trio had been on the run since 2023, when investigators were searching for leads in the double homicide of zac sos parents in pennsylvania. a linkedin page that appears to be blanks listed him as a graduate of monta vista high school and uc berkeley with a degree in computer science. he recently worked as a software engineer. his last known address is in sacramento that his parents reportedly live in the east bay. blanks father told me via text that

the alleged head of the group, jack lasota, was arrested on sunday with two other alleged members of of interest in her parents. 2022 murders. now, lasota is a transgender who allegedly bought the gun used by another alleged decision to kill a border patrol agent in vermont. many of us are obsessed with cults, and so to see what seems to be a real life unfolding of a story that we imagine that in ten years we may be watching on netflix is absolutely fascinating. associate professor schaar, we just heard from her is alleged. who is? excuse me, an expert in cult says they aren't ready to label the ians as a cult, at least not yet. but this group has captured the fascination of a lot of people. also tonight, san mateo counties embattled sheriff is now at odds with the san francisco police officers union. they don't want the sheriff, cristina corpus, at their upcoming event. this comes as the sheriff faces calls to resign and a potential special election to remove her from office. the police officers association is holding an event next month celebrating women on the force. sheriff corpu

sunday, police in maryland arrested their daughter, along with jack lasota, on gun and trespassing charges. online writings from the group span multiple anarchist theories, including radical veganism, or they look to end the human consumption of animals. >> so that old story of going out and joining a cult doesn't hold anymore. the cults are here. they're inside our homes. they're on our streaming devices, on netflix. they're also on reddit. >> for the last five years. uc berkeley associate professor paulomi saha has taught the growing course cults in popular culture. >> what the cult name does is it draws the headlines. >> saha said. what we associate with that word has changed with the internet. >> the internet is so diffuse that it's really hard to pinpoint both connections between people and the kind of causality that, especially in a legal case, you might want. >> saha said. for this case involving former bay area residents, referring to the group as a cult may be oversimplifying a complicated situation. >> it is these tenuous connections that are holding together a story of many peop

prosecutors say jack lasota leads the zizians.was arrested, alongside two others and charged with trespassing, possessing a handgun in a vehicle and other crimes. authorities revealing few details of the arrest, but the group has been linked to at least six killings. in 2019 in california, authorities arrested lasota and three others for putting on robes and fox masks and blocking the entrance to a sonoma-area retreat related to a.i. >> one of the organizers told me lasota spoke with an intensity about her beliefs that were just very, very unnerving. and it seems that it was from these events that lasota started attracting followers. >> reporter: lasota and her associates eventually moved to the bay area onto 80-year-old kurt lind's property in vallejo. as relations soured things got strange. lasota's lawyer was told that lasota had died. months later, lind was attacked with a samurai sword, saved by his neighbor. >> you can see where he had his hand on the, where he was banging on the door. he said i'm dying. >> reporter: the att

sunday, police in maryland arrested their daughter, along with jack lasota, on gun and trespassing chargesonline writings from the group span multiple anarchist theories, including radical veganism, or they look to end the human consumption of animals. >> so that old story of going out and joining a cult doesn't hold anymore. the cults are here. they're inside our homes. they're on our streaming devices, on netflix. they're also on reddit. >> for the last five years. uc berkeley associate professor paulomi saha has taught the growing course cults in popular culture. >> what the cult name does is it draws the headlines. >> saha said. what we associate with that word has changed with the internet. >> the internet is so diffuse that it's really hard to pinpoint both connections between people and the kind of causality that, especially in a legal case, you might want. >> saha said. for this case involving former bay area residents, referring to the group as a cult may be oversimplifying a complicated situation. >> it is these tenuous connections that are holding together a story of many people

jack lasota is head of zizians, linked to killing of u.s. border patrol agent last month in vermont and linked to other killings across the country. he will appear in court 11:00 eastern time. top official at social security administration stepping down from her position after supposed clash with doge employees over access to certain data. michele king had been serving as acting commissioner of the agency at time of the apparent dispute. doge employees looking for internal data system which included personal information of millions of americans. we showed this clip of music blaring from brian's office while he was on the couch down here conducting an interview. ♪ ♪ just want to let this story die ♪ ♪ >> carley: it was what was on brian's desk catching attention of some viewers, rich pointing out after all complaining about ainsley's heater, brian has a giant space heater front and center on his desk. very suspicious according to rich. excellent points, my friend. >> brian: very good point. >> steve: caught red-handed. >> lawrence: and in dc

her and met each other on line an end beliefs including -- they turned violent and 34-year-old jack lasota members arrested on charges of trespassing and gun possession and remote area of maryland. allegheny sheriff said he has no idea why they were there appear to us because they give different names. which is a telltale sign they are trying to hide something. the only thing i'm curious about why they chose this particular area to try to camp. we are still developing that. >> john: take a look zizians linked to six murders in three states killing california landlord in 2022 and the elderly couple in pennsylvania in last month, border patrol agent david maland in vermont near the border and journalist and he has been tracking them. >> i would describe the crimes they are accused of of being demonic and an elderly couple in delaware county and pennsylvania shot execution-style in their home on new year's eve a couple of years ago. fbi dropped the ball on this because the killings go back to 2022. >> john: that may be true, john, but the three in maryland held without bond and the officials

jack lasota, a blogger and computer programmer, is believed to be the leader of the lasota once livedtransgender. in 2022, it's believed lasota faked her own death. an online obituary mentioned a boating accident near half moon bay, though her body was never recovered during a coast guard search. an abandoned boat once belonging to lasota rem a pillar point harbor today. michelle zajko was also arrested in maryland on sunday. both zajko and lasota are facing charges of trespassing, obstruction and possessing a handgun. a third suspect, daniel blank, is facing charges of trespassing and obstruction. the trio had been on the run since 2023, when investigators were searching for leads in the double homicide of zac sos parents in pennsylvania. a linkedin page that appears to be blank listed him as a graduate of monta vista high school and uc berkeley with a degree in computer science. he recently worked as a software engineer. his last known address is in sacramento, though his parents reportedly live in the east bay. blanks father told me via text that he believes his son became a victim

sunday, police in maryland arrested their daughter, along with jack lasota, on gun and trespassing chargesonline writings from the group spanned multiple anarchist theories, including radical veganism, where they look to end the human consumption of animals. >> so that old story of going out and joining a cult doesn't hold anymore. the cults are here. they're inside our homes. they're on our streaming devices, on netflix. they're also on reddit. >> for the last five years, uc berkeley associate professor paulomi saha has taught the growing course cults in popular culture. >> what the cult name does is it draws the headlines. >> saha said. what we associate with that word has changed with the internet. >> the internet is so diffuse that it's really hard to pinpoint both connections between people and the kind of causality that, especially in a legal case, you might want. >> saha said. for this case involving former bay area residents, referring to the group as a cult may be oversimplifying a complicated situation. >> it is these tenuous connections that are holding together a story of many

jack lasota was arrested sunday in maryland along with 33 year old michelle zatko.ect is described as the leader of a cult like group known as assassins. a bail hearing scheduled this morning in maryland. in court documents, prosecutors believe the group is linked to the murder of a u.s. border patrol agent in january and five other homicides, including the 2020 stabbing of a man in vallejo. police say curtis linde, a landlord in vallejo, was stabbed in the chest with a samurai sword, then shot back at his attackers, killing one of them, and then stabbed and killed. last month, 22 year old maximillian schneider has been charged with that murder. schneider has recently applied for a marriage license with the person accused of the murder of the border patrol agent in vermont. lacosta and zatko faced numerous charges, but no homicide charges. an attorney for lasota would not confirm the arrest or provide any other details. >> more information now. on an attack in the south bay that left a teenager dead on valentine's day. about 500 people have donated to a gofundme acc

lind had been renting property to the group in vallejo, including the reputed leader jack lasota, and was trying to evict them when he was killed. >> new developments today. in the push to resentence lyle and erik menendez, after 35 years in prison for the murders of their parents. at a news conference today, l.a. district attorney nathan hochman said he has not made up his mind whether to support the resentencing hearing. but he said he does oppose a new trial for the brothers. he cast doubt on alleged evidence of sexual abuse of erik menendez by his father, and said it was not pertinent to the case. >> we believe it's inconceivable, as we've argued in our papers, and defies common sense, that if they had evidence that would show that that sexual abuse had been communicated not just six years before the events, but nine months before the 1989 killings, that it would it would absolutely have come out during one or both of their testimonies. >> the previous la district attorney, george gascon, had pushed for resentencing, saying that the brothers had paid their debt to society. the pro

arrested the leader of what is being described as a cult like group called the zizians. 34 year old jack lasota was taken into custody sunday and charged with trespassing, obstruction and also had a firearms charge. the group that he has been leading has been linked to several homicides, including the murder of a border patrol agent near the canadian border in january. their goals of the. the goals of the group are not entirely clear, but online writings span topics from radical veganism and gender identity to artificial intelligence. and another member of the group are scheduled to appear in court today. u.s. and canada are gearing up for a rematch thursday in the four nations faceoff championship. canada seeking revenge apparently after saturday's loss in quebec that had been dubbed. that has been dubbed fight night because three fights broke out within the first nine seconds of the game. the u.s. went on to beat canada 3 to 1, and in that one. the coaches are now previewing what it could all now mean for thursday's rematch. >> i would anticipate. >> the next one. >> will be as every bit as c

two others arrested alongside him this week include on the left the suspected ringleader, jack ziz lasota. on the right, michelle. the cult is said to have a highly intelligent set of member who is all met online. michelle was questioned back in 2022 after the murder of her parents in pennsylvania. she was never charged. lacosta was taken into cust for refusing to cooperate in that murder investigation. >> it's shocking. you know, it's something that you wouldn't imagine even happening here. >> reporter: neighbors react to the shocking double murder. >> you know, just passing, going for walk as a family, he was always outside cutting his grass or cleaning the leaves. they always had impeccable christmas lights every single year. >> reporter: most recently the accused cult members were linked to the death of a border patrol agent killed during a shootout in vermont along with another zizian member. the trio was in court in maryland. he spoke to a judge maintaining his innocence. >>> people on board a delta flight that skidded on the runway before flipping over are sharing their stories and

jack lasota and michelle zajko on sunday.hree are charged with trespassing and obstruction and are currently in jail without bail. prosecutors say the three are part of a larger group of young former tech workers who call themselves zizians lasota, who goes by ziz, is transgender, and lasota was originally declared dead in a 2022 boating accident, according to an obituary. however, since then, officials have linked the zizians to several homicides in california and pennsylvania and vermont. one includes the killing of a border patrol agent, david may, land in vermont last month. authorities say writings online from the zizians range from conversations about veganism and gender identity to artificial intelligence. daniel blanks father told the san francisco chronicle this about his son, quote, he went under the influence of a cult, which i believe it is. joining us now is san francisco chronicle crime reporter megan cassidy. megan, when did this group first emerge and how large are they? >> so they first emerged. >> publicly,

jack lasota and another group member were arrested on sunday. they are charged with trespassing, obstructing and firearms possession. the group has been linked to several homicides, including the killing of a u.s. border patrol agent near the canadian border in january. so this morning, the rematch is set. usa and canada in the finals of the four nations face-off. they just played saturday and it was a doozy. three fights within the first nine seconds of the game, one of my friends texted me the best first nine seconds in sports history. the u.s. won that game. this is what the coaches are saying about the rematch. >> i would. anticipate the next one will be. as every bit. >> as competitive, if, if not more. and now it's win. one more game. it just happens to be against the team that beat us. after the. >> fireworks that. >> went off on saturday night. >> so i. >> think. it should be a pretty good made for tv event. >> the puck puck drops at 8 p.m. in the hub of the hockey universe, boston, massachusetts. kate just dripping with with bias drippi

border control agent near the canadian border, was just denied bail. 34 year old jack lasota was arrestedthe charges against them, trespassing, obstruction and hindering a police officer and possession of a gun. the judge presiding over the case called lasota a flight risk and a danger to the public's safety. today, president donald trump's controversial executive order banning transgender americans from serving in the military is facing its first challenge in court, with 20 states filing a brief saying the order is unconstitutional, discriminatory and harmful to our national security. i want to bring in nbc senior national security correspondent courtney qb. courtney, i understand the judge pressed the d.o.j. lawyer on the impact using someone's pronouns would have on their military readiness. can you explain what what happened here? >> yeah. that's right. so u.s. district judge anna reyes really pressed the department of justice attorney on this executive order that president trump issued on january 27th. but as part of that, one of the things that she asked the attorney was about the u

jack lasota michelle zajko and daniel blank were taken into custody over the weekend in maryland. they're charged with trespassing and obstruction and are currently being held without bail. now, prosecutors say that lesotho, who goes by the moniker ziz online, is the alleged leader of the zizians, the group that's been linked to homicides in california and pennsylvania and vermont, including the death of a u.s. border patrol agent, david maland. joining me now is cnn senior law enforcement analyst john miller. so what do we know about this zizians? i've never heard of this. >> well, they're pretty new on the radar, and it tells us a few things. it starts with lesotho, a blogger, and the blogging is about radical veganism, animal rights, gender fluidity. they rail against a different group. that may be another cult, although different against rationalization theory. so the the difference here, though. >> is they're arguing over rationalization theory. >> yeah. and when you get into the rationalization. >> people. >> it takes a lot of rationalization to understand them to. but this

two others arrested alongside him this week include on the left the suspected ringleader, jack ziz lasota. on the right, michelle. the cult is said to have a highly intelligent set of member who is all met online. michelle was questioned back in 2022 after the murder of her parents in pennsylvania. she was never charged. lacosta was taken into cust for refusing to cooperate in that murder investigation. >> it's shocking. you know, it's something that you wouldn't imagine even happening here. >> reporter: neighbors react to the shocking double murder. >> you know, just passing, going for walk as a family, he was always outside cutting his grass or cleaning the leaves. they always had impeccable christmas lights every single year. >> reporter: most recently the accused cult members were linked to the death of a border patrol agent killed during a shootout in vermont along with another zizian member. the trio was in court in maryland. he spoke to a judge maintaining his innocence. >>> people on board a delta flight that skidded on the runway before flipping over are sharing their stories and

jack lasota, a blogger and computer programmer, is believed to be the leader of the lesotho once liveddentifies as transgender. in 2022, it's believed lasota faked her own death. an online obituary mentioned a boating accident near half moon bay, though her body was never recovered. during a coast guard search, an abandoned boat once belonging to lasota remains at pillar point harbor today. michelle zajko was also arrested in maryland on sunday. both zajko and lasota are facing charges of trespassing, obstruction and possessing a handgun. a third suspect, daniel blank, is facing charges of trespassing and obstruction. the trio had been on the run since 2023, when investigators were searching for leads in the double homicide of zac sos parents in pennsylvania. a linkedin page that appears to be blanks listed him as a graduate of monta vista high school and uc berkeley with a degree in computer science. he recently worked as a software engineer. his last known address is in sacramento, though his parents reportedly live in the east bay. blanks father told me via text that he believes his