A mugger reportedly slashed a male teenager in the face and stole his cell phone aboard a New York City subway train Thursday evening — but the victim grabbed the knife from the mugger and fought back in a brutal way.The 18-year-old victim and his friend were on the Bronx No. 2 train as it approached the Pelham Parkway station near White Plains Road in the Pelham Parkway section of the Bronx around 7 p.m. when the suspect and seven others walked through the train car, stopped the victim, and asked to see his cell phone, the New York Daily News reported.'Case of beer for that young person!'The victim pulled out his phone, and the mugger grabbed the phone and started to walk off with it, which sparked a brawl, police told the Daily News.Amid the dustup, a knife fell upon the subway car’s floor, police told the paper.The mugger grabbed the knife and slashed his victim in the face, which left a deep gash on the teen's face, the Daily News said.But as the fight continued, the victim grabbed the knife from the mugger and stabbed him five times, police told the paper.Emergency medical services arrived and rushed the mugger to Jacobi Hospital, where he was expected to survive, the Daily News said, adding that he remained in the hospital Friday and was awaiting charges related to the incident.The teen was taken to Montefiore Medical Center, where his slash wound was treated, the paper said, adding that the victim's friend was punched in the face during the brawl.A police source with knowledge of the case told the Daily News that detectives said the mugger's pals — who ran off — are responsible for several similar robberies in the Bronx and on borough subway trains.Charges against the mugger and his victim were not immediately filed, the paper said.As you might expect, observers commenting under the Daily News' Facebook post about the incident gave many kudos to the teen who fought back:"Case of beer for that young person!" one commenter wrote."He took care of bizness!" another user exclaimed."Great job from the victim," another commenter noted."That's how it's supposed to be," another user declared."Given it's NYC, has the teen been charged yet?" another commenter quipped."People need to fight back, glad this happened!" another user said.Like Blaze News? Bypass the censors, sign up for our newsletters, and get stories like this direct to your inbox. Sign up here!

Republican Sen. Rand Paul of Kentucky said he might run for president again in 2028 and provide an alternative for the populist wing of the Republican Party. Paul said he would make a decision after the midterm elections in an interview with CBS News journalist Robert Costa. 'On many days, it's me in the Senate, the only one left for free trade. But I think there still is a desire among business for it.' "There's used to be a free market/Libertarian wing of the party, and now there's not much left. In fact, on many days, it's me in the Senate, the only one left for free trade. But I think there still is a desire among business for it," the senator said in a snippet posted to Instagram. "And it may make the so-called Libertarian vote, which might not be big enough to ever win anything," he added, "if you combine that with the Chamber of Commerce and the traditional business community that doesn't like protectionism, there may be a force out there for a different direction from the party other than being continued to be led by populism." Costa directly asked him about a news headline opining that it appeared already that he was running for president. "I don't know yet. So maybe they know something that I don't know," he joked. "We're thinking about it,” he added. “I would say 50-50.” Paul had a dramatic break with the Republican Party when he berated Republican Sen. Markwayne Mullin of Oklahoma, the president's nomination to lead the Department of Homeland Security. RELATED: Watch Rand Paul bulldoze through each global warming talking point Luke Sharrett/Bloomberg/Getty Images The senator objected to Mullin's quip that Paul's neighbor was justified when he assaulted him over a lawn dispute and broke several of his ribs in 2017. Paul was the lone Republican vote against Mullin, but Mullin was confirmed after Democratic Sen. John Fetterman (Penn.) crossed the aisle. He has also been very critical of the administration's justification for the U.S.-Israeli strikes on Iran. The entire interview airs on "CBS News Sunday Morning" on Sunday. Like Blaze News? Bypass the censors, sign up for our newsletters, and get stories like this direct to your inbox. Sign up here!

A Los Angeles-area father fed up with his city's inaction apparently painted "stop" on a street and installed 30-inch reflective stop signs at his own cost. He has been arrested.Joseph Brandlin said he had seen numerous near-crashes at the intersection outside his home in El Segundo, according to the Los Angeles Times.The neighbors immediately organized and wrote 74 letters of support for Brandlin, who handed the letters over to city officials shortly after his arrest. The 44-year-old has lived at the location for nearly four decades and said the city was ignoring complaints about the intersection of Loma Vista Street and Acacia Avenue."I care deeply about the safety of our neighborhood and the families that live here," Brandlin told the Times.He got together with other residents and presented a petition with about 50 signatures asking the city to install additional stop signs. The city said its traffic analysis found insufficient reason to merit the signs, but residents said they saw no evidence of the survey."There’s a park right there, and it’s a magnet for children," said Gary Sanders, a 62-year-old resident of the neighborhood."A tragedy could occur," he added. "I wonder if a tragedy does have to occur for the city to do something about it."Brandlin said the last straw was when his son was nearly hit by a car at the intersection because of low visibility.He began installing the stop signs on the early morning of March 14, according to the El Segundo Police Department. While the city may not have made the requested safety changes at the intersection, the city rushed to prosecute Brandlin when he took matters into his own hands.He was arrested at about 1:30 a.m.Brandlin said the arrest was excessive, as he was charged with multiple felonies. Among the charges were interfering with a traffic control device, grand theft, and vandalism exceeding $400. He was released later that day and is scheduled for a court hearing in June.The neighbors immediately organized and wrote 74 letters of support for Brandlin, who handed the letters over to city officials shortly after his arrest. "I’m asking the council for a straightforward action to install stop signs on intersection of Loma Vista Street and Acacia Avenue or complete and transparent evaluation with the community," said Brandlin at a city council meeting days after his arrest.The Times report noted that there have been other incidents in which residents have been arrested for their vigilante improvements to street safety.RELATED: 'I am mortified': Video shows 'serial defecator' nabbed by police drone in city park Brandlin says the city council has not responded to his requests.The Times said the city council did not respond to request for comment."The city just wasn’t listening," Brandlin said.The single dad told KCBS-TV that he would do it again to keep kids and families safe. Like Blaze News? Bypass the censors, sign up for our newsletters, and get stories like this direct to your inbox. Sign up here!

An Oklahoma City attorney, who identifies as “transgender,” was arrested for contempt of court during an early February hearing after repeatedly interrupting the judge and resisting arrest, according to a video circulating on social media.A clip of the video shared on X showed Hopkins Law and Associates attorney Rob Hopkins, a female who claims to identify as a man, shouting at the judge overseeing the hearing and another attorney involved in the case before being arrested by multiple officers.'Wanted to be a "tough guy" and then started screaming for a female officer when officers treated him like a guy.'Despite the judge instructing Hopkins to stop, the attorney continued to interrupt her.“You interrupt me one more time, you are being held in direct contempt of court,” the judge remarked. “And you can wipe that smirk off your face.”After the judge again accused Hopkins of interrupting her, the lawyer appeared to toss a phone on the ground in frustration.When the judge scolded Hopkins for throwing the phone, the attorney responded, “I did not throw. It fell off the bench. Please stop stating things that are not true, ma'am.”RELATED: NHL team to have 'Cowgays' sing national anthem on LGBTQ+ night — and the backlash is brutal Spencer Weiner-Pool/Getty ImagesThe judge instructed Hopkins to “settle down,” claiming the lawyer was “red in the face.”Hopkins blamed the judge’s alleged targeting on the idea that it was “maybe because I’m a transgender attorney practicing all over the state.”Hopkins began shouting at another attorney, claiming he was lying about the client Hopkins was representing in the case. “Get out of my face, sir,” Hopkins yelled several times at the other attorney. The chaos reached a fever pitch when two officers approached Hopkins and attempted to initiate the lawyer’s arrest for contempt of court. However, Hopkins resisted.“Stop resisting,” one officer instructed.“I’m not resisting,” Hopkins claimed, while refusing to be handcuffed by the officers.After several failed attempts to put handcuffs on Hopkins, the officers began to wrestle the attorney to the ground before the incident devolved into a chaotic struggle. “I can’t breathe,” Hopkins yelled multiple times. “Help! Somebody call 911.”Two more officers entered the courtroom to assist in Hopkins’ arrest. “Get a female officer, now!” Hopkins demanded. RELATED: Olympic Committee adopts new policy on 'trans' athletes Heather Diehl/Getty ImagesOnline commentators criticized Hopkins for demanding to be identified as male and then requesting a female police officer during the arrest.“Totally unprofessional,” Collin Rugg wrote. “Wanted to be a ‘tough guy’ and then started screaming for a female officer when officers treated him like a guy.”“How shallow the delusion is even for them. Their identity is constantly evolving depending on the victimhood quotient in any given moment,” one individual stated. Hopkins shared a video on Facebook after the incident, announcing that Hopkins Law and Associates would be closed. “We are closing our doors, but we would like to thank you all for your kindness, support, and most of all loyalty for the last 13 years! If your matter remains open no worries we will be wrapping it up with a nice bow before then! And if for any reason it remains outstanding we will get it to the end zone!” the firm wrote in a separate post.Hopkins Law and Associates did not respond to a request for comment.Like Blaze News? Bypass the censors, sign up for our newsletters, and get stories like this direct to your inbox. Sign up here!