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Law enforcement bust myth about 'pepperoni pizza' 911 code, despite Internet claims

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If you're in an emergency and need to call 911, don't pretend like you're ordering a pizza, despite what the Internet might tell you.

The suggestion, which has been circulating on social media, claims if you're in a situation where you can't call for help because someone's in the room with you, simply pretend you're ordering pizza and the emergency dispatcher will know what you mean.
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"Dial and ask for a pepperoni pizza. They will ask if you know you're calling 911. Say yes, and continue pretending you're making an order. They'll ask if there's someone in the room. You can ask how long it will take for the pizza to get to you and they will tell you how far away a patrol unit is. Share this to save a life!!!" one of the posts reads.

Many believe the false information stems from a Reddit thread from three years ago in which someone claiming to be a 911 dispatcher tells the story of a woman in a potential domestic violence situation who used this trick to call for help.

In 2015, during the Super Bowl XLIX broadcast, No More, an organization aimed at ending domestic violence and sexual assault, aired a PSA showing an example of woman in a dangerous situation at her home who calls 911 and orders a pizza to get help. "When it's hard to talk, it's up to us to listen," the tagline at the end of the commercial reads.

It's unclear why this information has resurfaced on social media in recent days, but police departments across the country want to make sure people know it's false. The LAPD shared the viral post on its Twitter account along with a statement about the content.

"Communications has seen this graphic circulating on various social media channels. This is false," the police department wrote on Twitter, along with a copy of the popular social media post. "Text to 911 is a much better option. Your exact location & the nature of your emergency is what's needed to send the right resources."

"This article gives the impression that asking for a pepperoni pizza is somehow a 'secret code' to the 9-1-1 operator. That is false. Operators are trained to recognize voice inflection, odd conversations that would indicate a dangerous situation, among other things," the LAPD added.

The Bremer County Sheriff's Office in Waverly, Iowa shared similar information dispelling the myth. "Calling 911 and asking for a pepperoni pizza is not some secret-squirrel, coded message that tells the call-taker that you are in trouble," the law enforcement agency wrote on Facebook. "Asking for pineapple on your pizza does not mean that someone has a weapon. Besides, pineapple never goes on pizza! No, never. This is an indisputable fact. #SorryNotSorry"
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"Asking how long the delivery will take, will not give you an estimated time for the deputy's arrival. Contrary to popular belief, there is not a Pizza Topping Academy of Emergency Call-Taking. (PTAECT) However, if you call 911 and ask to order a pizza, the dispatcher will inform you that you have called the emergency line and not a pizza restaurant. When you continue trying to order a pizza, the Comm. Tech. is going to figure out that there is a problem," the sheriff's office continued.

Michelle Gant is a writer and editor for Fox News Lifestyle.

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Law enforcement bust myth about 'pepperoni pizza' 911 code, despite Internet claims

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If you're in an emergency and need to call 911, don't pretend like you're ordering a pizza, despite what the Internet might tell you. The suggestion, which has been circulating on social media, claims if you're in a situation where you can't call for help because someone's in the room with you, simply pretend you're ordering pizza and the emergency dispatcher will know what you mean.

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Woman hit with baseball bat in Florida road rage attack

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A Florida woman says she suffered a broken nose when she was attacked by two sisters with a baseball bat during a road rage incident.

Mikaela Barboza tells the Miami Herald she cut off another driver on Thursday near Fort Lauderdale. The other driver and her sister, who was in another car, began yelling at her. Barboza says she pulled into a nearby parking lot because she was worried for her safety. She called 911 when the women followed her and blocked in her car.

She says she started recording on her cellphone as the women approached. They got into a tussle and one of the women hit Barboza with a metal bat.

The women left before deputies arrived.

In hindsight, Barboza says she should have stayed in the car.

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Information from: The Miami Herald, http://www.herald.com

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Woman hit with baseball bat in Florida road rage attack

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A Florida woman says she suffered a broken nose when she was attacked by two sisters with a baseball bat during a road rage incident. Mikaela Barboza tells the Miami Herald she cut off another driver on Thursday near Fort Lauderdale. The other driver and her sister, who was in...

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At least 64 dead after fire in Siberian mall.

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The number of people killed in a devastating fire that swept through a shopping mall in Siberia has grown to at least 64, Russian emergency services have said.

The fire engulfed the upper floors of the Winter Cherry Mall in the city of Kemerovo on Sunday. Among the dead are feared to be dozens of children. On Sunday, Russia's emergencies ministry said that 40 children were missing and at least nine had been killed.

Russian police said another 44 people had been injured, with 10 hospitalized.

Firefighters were still searching the gutted fourth floor of the mall for bodies on Monday. The fourth floor contained a cinema and an amusements area where many of the children were when the fire broke out. The blaze was so intense that firefighters struggled to reach it. On Monday, part of the smouldering building briefly caught fire again before it was extinguished.

Russia's Investigative Committee, which handles especially serious crimes, said it had opened a criminal investigation around the fire due to possible safety violations. It said it had detained four people for questioning, including the director of the company that owns the mall.

The cause of the fire has yet to be established.

The Russian news agency RIA Novosti reported that the fire is one of the most deadly in recent Russian history and the worst since a blaze in a club in 2009 in the Siberian city of Perm killed 153 people.

Regional authorities have declared three days of mourning. Russia's main state channel, Channel 1, said it was cancelling entertainment programs in view of the catastrophe, the state news agency, TASS reported.

Russia's emergencies ministry said the identification of bodies has begun. Psychologists have been dispatched to provide support to victims' relatives. Over 650 emergency service workers were deployed at the site of the fire, the ministry said.

Much of the mall's roof has collapsed and workers were checking the building's structural integrity.

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At least 64 dead, including children, in devastating fire at Russian mall

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The number of people killed in a devastating fire that swept through a shopping mall in Siberia has grown to at least 64, Russian emergency services have said. The fire engulfed the upper floors of the Winter Cherry Mall in the city of Kemerovo on Sunday.

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A Florida woman was savagely beaten with a bat when an enraged sister-duo chased her through a shopping plaza during an alleged road rage incident.

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A Florida woman was savagely beaten with a bat when an enraged sister-duo chased her through a shopping plaza during an alleged road rage incident.

Mikaela Barboza told WSVN she hopes her cellphone video will help police capture the two women who assaulted her on Thursday. The 26-year-old said she was driving down U.S. 441 in Lauderdale Lakes when she cut a woman off. Barboza recalled another woman - said to be the sister of the woman who she initially cut off - was in a separate vehicle and began yelling at her.

"You cut my sister off, that's disrespectful," Barboza told WSVN on Sunday about what the sister said.

Barboza said the enraged siblings didn't stop there. The woman she had cut off began chasing her and allegedly yelled derogatory remarks. Barboza said she feared for her life and pulled into a strip mall, hoping to lose the two sisters - but they found her in the strip mall parking lot.

"Her sister actually blocked me in, and the other sister blocked me from behind," Barboza said. "I had nowhere to go."

She then got out of the car and began recording as the two sisters continued to yell at her. Barboza said one of the sisters grabbed a wooden baseball bat and began hitting her in the head.

"After I got hit the first [time], I just grabbed her and we started wrestling on the floor, so I got the bat away from her," Barboza recalled.

The other woman then grabbed the bat and began hitting the 25-year-old as she was wrestling with the sister, according to Barboza. A bystander eventually intervened and yanked the bat away. Another witness also recorded the incident.

Barboza was rushed to the hospital and treated for a gash on her head and a broken nose.

"Five stitches on the top and two inside," Barboza said. "I got seven staples in the back of my head from where the other sister was hitting me in the back."

"I'm just happy to be here; I'm happy to be alive and not brain dead or anything like that," she added. "Cause I know it could have been a lot worse."

Barboza told the Miami Herald she will be pressing charges and filed a police report while she was at the hospital treating her wounds. Broward Sheriff's Office did not respond to WSVN's request for comment.

Katherine Lam is a breaking and trending news digital producer for Fox News. Follow her on Twitter at @bykatherinelam

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Bat-wielding sisters savagely beat woman in alleged road rage incident

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A Florida woman was savagely beaten with a bat when an enraged sister-duo chased her through a shopping plaza during an alleged road rage incident. Mikaela Barboza told WSVN she hopes her cellphone video will help police capture the two women who assaulted her on Thursday. The 26-year-old said she was driving down U.S.

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"Some were lying in their bedrooms, and the children were playing, one in one part of the room and the other in another part of the same room," Pech said..Iowa officials identified the family as Kevin Sharp, 41; his wife, Amy Sharp, 38, and their children Sterling, 12, and Adrianna, 7. They were from Creston, Iowa.

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A prosecutor in Mexico said Monday that a gas leak in a water heater is suspected in the death of an Iowa couple and their two children last week.

The head prosecutor of the Caribbean coast state of Quintana Roo told local media Monday that an inspection over the weekend revealed that the water heater at the rented condominium in the resort town of Tulum was leaking gas.

"Unfortunately, they found the area where the water heater was letting gas escape, perhaps because of a lack of maintenance, perhaps because it was in use, perhaps because of the age of the equipment," prosecutor Miguel Angel Pech told the Radio Formula station.

"In fact, a high concentration of this toxic (gas) was found in the room," Pech said.

He described a grisly scene: The family was found on Friday and had been dead for 36 to 48 hours by that time, according to autopsy results.

"Some were lying in their bedrooms, and the children were playing, one in one part of the room and the other in another part of the same room," Pech said.

The autopsies indicate the family died from inhaling toxic gas, but the source or nature of the gas hadn't been determined.

Pech said forensic samples had been sent to labs in Mexico City on Monday, and officials hope to identify the gas within eight to 10 days.

Iowa officials identified the family as Kevin Sharp, 41; his wife, Amy Sharp, 38, and their children Sterling, 12, and Adrianna, 7. They were from Creston, Iowa.

The family was reported missing by relatives about a week after they left for vacation. Creston police contacted the U.S. Department of State, and the bodies were found during a welfare check at their condo in Tulum, on the Yucatan Peninsula.

The Creston News Advertiser newspaper reported that the family flew to Cancun on March 14. According to her sister, Amy Sharp texted their mother the next day to say they had reached Tulum, but relatives didn't hear anything else.

The sister, Renee Hoyt, said the Sharps were scheduled to depart from the Cancun airport last Wednesday and fly to St. Louis on a non-stop flight. The family had planned to then drive about 200 miles (322 kilometers) to Danville, Illinois to watch a basketball game Thursday, Hoyt said.

When the family didn't arrive in St. Louis, family members contacted authorities, she said.

Contacted Friday, the developer of the condo complex where the deaths occurred declined to comment.

It wouldn't be the first time that faulty gas connections killed tourists in the area.

In 2010, the explosion of an improperly installed gas line at a hotel in the nearby town of Playa del Carmen killed five Canadian tourists and two Mexicans.

In that case, prosecutors said the heating-gas line, apparently meant to fuel a pool heating unit, was not properly installed or maintained. They claimed a leak from the line may have been set off by a spark from an electric switch or plug.

A judge later dismissed criminal charges against five contractors and employees at the hotel.

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Iowa family died from water heater gas leak: Mexico official

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A prosecutor in Mexico said Monday that a gas leak in a water heater is suspected in the death of an Iowa couple and their two children last week. The head prosecutor of the Caribbean coast state of Quintana Roo told local media Monday that an inspection over the weekend revealed that the...

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A 33-year-old man wielding a machete attempted to kidnap two children at a Walmart store in Kenner, Louisiana.

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A 33-year-old man wielding a machete attempted to kidnap two children at a Walmart store in Kenner, Louisiana on March 23.

Police said Billy Yoe Budier-Herrera allegedly entered the Walmart around 2 p.m. on Friday with a backpack. He then approached a mother and her 2-year-old child and threatened the mother if she did not follow his instructions, Kenner Police said in a press release.

The woman attempted to move away from the suspect, who then blocked the victim's way and placed his hand on the handle of a machete, causing the mother to fear fo her and her child's safety. According to police, Budier-Herrer told the woman that if she did not listen to him, her son would die.

As the woman called for help, Budier-Herrera grabbed the toddler and attempted to remove the boy from the grocery cart and run. A struggle ensued when the mother grabbed at her child and managed to run behind a deli counter.

Store employees intervened, prompting Budier-Herrera to flee into the meat and poultry section of the store, police said. As he attempted to flee, the suspect reportedly grabbed a machete from his waistband and "aggressively swung" it at employees.

Budier-Herrera began to run from store employees again when he spotted another mother with her infant child. Police said he then tried to grab the infant from the grocery cart but was thwarted because the baby was strapped in. Store employees and a Kenner Police officer working an off-duty detail inside the store tackled Budier-Herrera and detained him.

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The suspect was found to be in possession of a 10-inch machete, pepper spray and a makeshift shiv made of a plastic handle and duct taped razor blades.

Budier-Herrera was charged with two counts of second degree kidnapping of a child, two counts of aggravated assault, two counts of illegal carrying of weapons and disturbing the peace. He was also charged with an immigration detainer.

According to the police release, Budier-Herrera remains in custody with no bond set. It is unclear if he has a lawyer, The Associated Press reported.

Kenner Police Lieutenant Brian McGregor did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

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Machete-swinging man tried to kidnap two children from their mothers at a Walmart

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A 33-year-old man wielding a machete attempted to kidnap two children at a Walmart store in Kenner, Louisiana on March 23. Police said Billy Yoe Budier-Herrera allegedly entered the Walmart around 2 p.m. on Friday with a backpack.

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The US is taking the action after joining the United Kingdom in accusing Russia of being behind the attempted murder earlier this month of a former Russian spy living in the United Kingdom.

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Of those being expelled, 48 of the alleged intelligence agents work at the Russian embassy in Washington and 12 are posted at the United Nations in New York, senior administration officials said. The US is taking the action after joining the United Kingdom in accusing Russia of being behind the attempted murder earlier this month of a former Russian spy living in the United Kingdom.

"The United States takes this action in conjunction with our NATO allies and partners around the world in response to Russia's use of a military-grade chemical weapon on the soil of the United Kingdom, the latest in its ongoing pattern of destabilizing activities around the world," White House press secretary Sarah Sanders said in a statement.

"Today's actions make the United States safer by reducing Russia's ability to spy on Americans and to conduct covert operations that threaten America's national security. With these steps, the United States and our allies and partners make clear to Russia that its actions have consequences," she said. "The United States stands ready to cooperate to build a better relationship with Russia, but this can only happen with a change in the Russian government's behavior."

Sanders also added that the closure of the Russian consulate in Seattle was tied to the consulate's "proximity to one of our submarine bases and Boeing." A senior administration official declined to say whether the US believes Russian agents were spying on US submarine bases.

The consulate closure and the expulsion of dozens of diplomats came on the heels of the UK's expulsion of 23 Russian diplomats. Fourteen European Union member states also moved on Monday to expel Russian diplomats, European Council President Donald Tusk said.

"Additional measures, including further expulsions ... are not to be excluded in the coming days and weeks," said Tusk, speaking in Varna, Bulgaria.

He said the European Council agreed with the UK "that it is highly likely the Russian Federation is responsible" for the poisoning.

"We remain critical of the actions of the Russian government," Tusk added.

Senior Trump administration officials said the actions were being taken not only as a direct response to that attack, but also to rebuke Russia's "steady drumbeat of destabilizing actions."

The actions came less than a week after Trump spoke with Russian President Vladimir Putin to congratulate him on his reelection. Trump did not raise the nerve agent attack during the call, and senior administration officials said the two leaders have not spoken since.

But a senior administration official said the United States' retaliatory action was "absolutely" Trump's decision, saying it was "something he was involved in from the beginning and that he personally made after several meetings with his team last week."

The expulsion comes about 15 months after the Obama administration expelled 35 Russian diplomats in response to Russian meddling in the 2016 US presidential election.

CNN's Angela Dewan contributed to this report.

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trump expelling 60 russian diplomats in wake of uk nerve agent attack - cnnpolitics

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Trump expelling 60 Russian diplomats in wake of UK attack

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President Donald Trump on Monday ordered the expulsion of 60 Russian diplomats the US identified as intelligence agents and the closure of a Russian consulate in Seattle in response to Russia's alleged use of a nerve agent in the United Kingdom.