Update (1245ET): President Trump has not taken kindly to the DoJ dropping their case against the former Olympian for vandalizing the Reflecting Pool, exclaiming his displeasure in a post on X:
I disagree 100% with Jeanine Pirro, the U.S. Attorney for the District of Columbia, on the Reflecting Pool. I don’t know what she was thinking? To me, it was a pure case of VANDALISM...
...that included the grass, which had a big 86 47 emblazoned in giant letters on it, and other elements of the surrounding area.
There may have been some contractor difficulty, but the major damage was caused by VANDALS!"
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As we detailed earlier, the Department of Justice dropped the case against a former Olympian accused of vandalizing the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool in a court filing on July 31.
Former U.S. Olympic canoe racer David Hearn, 67, was accused of vandalizing the landmark this summer by allegedly pulling up and tearing the protective liner at the bottom of the Reflecting Pool after a $14.7 million renovation.
According to Jacki Thrapp, reporting for The Epoch Times, court documents reveal that after Hearn was indicted, the Department of the Interior provided additional documents to prosecutors which showed that damage in June 2026 was the result of flawed installation by the contractor, Atlantic Industrial Coatings.
According to Friday’s filing, the flawed installation happened during “the rush to complete the project prior to events associated with the America 250 celebration in the weeks surrounding Independence Day 2026.”
A defense expert inspected the pool when it was drained, to fix the damage, on July 17 with United States Attorney Jeanine Pirro and staffers and “immediately noted extensive damage.”
The discovery prompted them to dive deeper into installation documents, which showed there were “repeated failures of the lining during the installation process,” according to court docs.
“Given all of this newly discovered information, it is difficult to attribute the widespread damage to the Reflecting Pool to vandalism, let alone to establish that fact beyond a reasonable doubt,” the 20-page filing by U.S. Attorney Jeanine Pirro said.
Hearn’s lawyers said in a statement that the case should have never been brought.
“Its dismissal today does not erase the abuse of government power in arresting and charging a patriotic American who did nothing wrong,” the statement read. “The government’s approach was ready, fire, aim. The administration owes Mr. Hearn an apology.”
The Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool in Washington on June 26, 2026. Madalina Kilroy/The Epoch Times
The athlete, who previously owned a company that manufactured materials for vessels and competed in the Summer Olympics in 1992, 1996, and 2000, denied allegations that he intentionally tried to damage the pool.
Hearn previously said that he only reached into the water to inspect a section after he saw that the coating was already peeling.
The patriotic pool is nearly 2,030 feet long, 167 feet wide, and can be as deep as 30 inches at its center.
The Maryland-born competitor’s trial was expected to start on Sept. 28 in D.C. Superior Court before the case was dropped on Friday.
Tyler Durden Sat, 08/01/2026 - 15:45Authored by Arthur Zhang via The Epoch Times,
Two Chinese men have been identified as suspects in the shooting and kidnapping of a Chino Hills resident who was later found mortally wounded in the trunk of their vehicle after one suspect fired into it during a police stop, the San Bernardino County Sheriff's Department said in a July 31 statement to The Epoch Times.
A home on the street in Chino Hills, Calif., where the shooting and kidnapping occurred. Zhao Ziting/The Epoch TimesThe department identified the suspects as Bo Zhengfeng, 67, and Bo Jianquan, 66, both Irvine residents. The victim was identified as Shukur Aikebaer, 60, of Chino Hills.
The sheriff's department did not identify the suspects' citizenship.
Investigators said power to Aikebaer's home was interrupted on the night of July 29. When he went outside to inspect the electrical panel, the two men allegedly shot and kidnapped him.
Deputies later stopped the suspects' vehicle after a short pursuit. Bo Jianquan surrendered, but Bo Zhengfeng exited the vehicle, approached its open trunk, and fired into it, the department said.
Deputies then shot Bo Zhengfeng and discovered Aikebaer inside the trunk with a gunshot wound. Both men were pronounced dead at the scene.
Gunshots and Screams ReportedDeputies were dispatched to the 2100 block of Monteverde Drive at about 10:14 p.m. after a caller reported hearing gunshots and someone screaming.
While deputies were responding, they spotted the suspects' vehicle traveling at high speed and attempted to stop it. The driver refused to yield, leading deputies on a short pursuit that ended in the 2400 block of Wandering Ridge Drive.
Deputies ordered both occupants out of the vehicle.
Bo Jianquan, the passenger, complied and was taken into custody. Bo Zhengfeng, the driver, did not comply, according to the department.
Bo Zhengfeng then shot Aikebaer, and deputies opened fire, striking him. Deputies attempted lifesaving measures on both wounded men. Both were pronounced dead at the scene.
Bo Jianquan was not injured, and no deputies were injured.
Prior Business RelationshipThe sheriff's department said Bo Zhengfeng and Aikebaer knew each other through a prior working relationship.
California corporate records show both men were connected to Panshi Inc., an investment company formed in 2018.
Bo Zhengfeng was listed as the company's chief executive and director. Aikebaer - under the name Aikebaer Abuduxukuer - was listed as secretary and registered agent.
Both were listed at the same Irvine address.
Public property records identify Aikebaer Abuduxukuer as the owner of the Chino Hills home where the kidnapping began. The age and address in those records match the victim identified by the sheriff's department.
Irvine Home SearchedInvestigators later searched the Irvine home that Bo Zhengfeng shared with Bo Jianquan, according to the sheriff's department.
Public property records identify the address used by several of Bo Zhengfeng's companies as a home owned by Bo since 2018. Panshi Inc. records also listed the victim, under the name Aikebaer Abuduxukuer, at that address.
The search was carried out with assistance from the Irvine Police Department.
Bo Jianquan was booked at the West Valley Detention Center on suspicion of murder and kidnapping and was being held without bail.
The sheriff's inmate system listed his first court appearance for Aug. 3 at the Rancho Cucamonga Courthouse.
The sheriff's department said the investigation would be forwarded to the San Bernardino County District Attorney's Office for review and the filing of charges.
Tyler Durden Sat, 08/01/2026 - 15:10