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A Batavia resident spent most of the afternoon carrying a protest sign in front of the Upton Monument at Ellicott and Main in Batavia that read "George Floyd is Every man!"

George Floyd, 46, died while in police custody in Minneapolis on May 25 while a police officer, based on a video made by a teenage witness, kept a knee on his neck for 8 minutes and 46 seconds.

Floyd was handcuffed and lying face down on the road, while the officer had his knee on his neck.

During the incident, Floyd told officers multiple times he couldn't breathe. At one point, he cried out, "Mama!" according to news reports. Floyd reportedly said, "My stomach hurts, my neck hurts, everything hurts," and requested water. The police do not audibly respond to Floyd who begged, "Don't kill me."

The police officer who kept his knee pressed against Floyd's neck is reported to be Derek Chauvin. He has been charged with third-degree murder and manslaughter. Chauvin along with fellow officers Thomas K. Lane, Tou Thao, and J. Alexander Kueng, were fired immediately after the incident.

Chauvin reportedly had 19 prior complaints against him for alleged misconduct.

Floyd was originally from Houston, Texas, and had a prior felony arrest but moved to Minnesota to start a new life and had no criminal record in Minnesota. He and Chauvin had worked together as security guards at a nightclub prior to closure of the establishment due to coronavirus.

At the time of the deadly incident, Floyd was accused of passing a counterfeit $20 bill.

The incident has touched off protests and riots nationwide.

Le Roy PD released these photos of one of the patrol vehicles involved in Wednesday night's chase of Joshua Blessed, the Virginia truck driver who tried to flee law enforcement following a traffic stop for speeding in the village.

Blessed rammed this patrol vehicle, along with other law enforcement vehicles, and fired several shots both during the pursuit and after coming to a stop near Geneseo. Police officers returned fire and Blessed died as an apparent result of bullet wounds.

Previously:

• Investigators using social media to work up profile of truck driver killed after police pursuit
• After high-speed chase that ended with shoot out, Le Roy chief kept thinking of the 'what ifs'
• FBI raids home in Virginia of truck driver killed after chase through Genesee and Livingston counties

Press release:

The Genesee and Orleans County Health Departments have received six more COVID-19 cases. Orleans has four new positive cases (bringing the total to 225) and Genesee has two (bringing the total to 188).

Contact tracing has been initiated and all who have had direct contact with the individuals will be notified by Health Department staff. Three of the Orleans County individuals are residents of Orchard Rehabilitation and Nursing Center and one is a community resident. The two individuals from Genesee County are both community members.

There is currently no further information to release on ages and locations. Mapping to include the positive cases from the weekend will be updated on Monday afternoon.

Now that we are in Phase 2, we ask residents to continue social distancing, mask wearing, and proper hygiene even in the company of whom we trust the most -- family, friends, and coworkers. We also ask residents to be respectful of the business owners and wear masks while you are in their establishment.

If you are unable to wear a mask due to a medical condition, call the business and ask for curbside delivery. We can all show people that we care and respect them by continuing these practices to keep everyone safe.

The home of Joshua Blessed, the truck driver who fled from Le Roy Police on Wednesday and eventually died in a shootout near Geneseo, was raided by the FBI according to a Harrisonburg, Va., TV station news report.

Blessed owned a home in the community of Weyers Cave, near Harrisonburg.

A source with the FBI's field office in Richmond, Va., told WHSV that Blessed was the subject of a joint investigation by the FBI and Virginia State Police following the incident in New York. No information was released about what investigators were looking for in Blessed's home or what may have been found.

Blessed, who claimed to speak directly with God, posted anti-police videos on his YouTube channel and on his website claimed to be called by God to start a second civil war.

The News-Leader, a newspaper in Waynesboro, Va., reports that Blessed was accused in 2015 of assaulting a teen relative. He was convicted of assault. Following an appeal, he was ordered to undergo anger management treatment and perform 100 hours of community service. The case was dismissed in 2018.

He has two adult children. In 2005, he and his family moved from California to Virginia.

Previously:

• Investigators using social media to work up profile of truck driver killed after police pursuit
• After high-speed chase that ended with shoot out, Le Roy chief kept thinking of the 'what ifs'

Press release:

• Announces additional industries following strict safety and social distancing guidelines can reopen in Central New York, Finger Lakes, Mohawk Valley, North Country and Southern Tier as part of Phase 2 today.
• Implements new early warning system dashboard to aggregate and organize New York State's COVID-19 data in partnership with county, regional, state and global experts. 
• Confirms 1,551 additional coronavirus dases in New York State -- bringing statewide total to 368,284; new cases in 48 counties.

Governor Cuomo: "Phase one should bring about 400,000 employees back to work in New York City. Remember that reopening does not mean we're going back to the way things were. Life is not about going back. Nobody goes back. We go forward. It's going to be different. It is reopening to a new normal, it's a safer normal. People will be wearing masks, people will be socially distanced. It doesn't mean they don't like you, it's not a personal reflection, it's just a new way of interacting which is what we have to do." 

Cuomo: "Wear a mask, get tested, and socially distance. It is that simple, but that hard. It is that simple, but that hard. Those simple devices - wearing a mask, hand sanitizer -- they make all the difference. You talk to all the experts -- what advice, what should we do? Wear a mask. How can it be that simple? Because sometimes it's that simple." 

Governor Andrew M. Cuomo today announced that New York City will enter Phase 1 of reopening on June 8 and that five other regions—Central New York, Finger Lakes, Mohawk Valley, North Country and Southern Tier — can enter Phase 2 of reopening today. Phase 2 allows office-based workers, real estate services, in-store retail shopping and some barbershop services to resume.

Each industry is subject to specific state guidelines to maximize safety and social distancing. Business guidance for phase two of the state's reopening plan is available here.

Governor Cuomo also announced the implementation of a new early warning dashboard that aggregates the state's expansive data collection efforts for New Yorkers, government officials and experts to monitor and review how the virus is being contained on an ongoing basis.

It tracks new infections and their severity, hospital capacity by region, and other metrics. The early warning system dashboard was developed in consultation with internationally known experts who have been advising New York State. The early warning dashboard can be found here.

Three train cars of garbage caught on fire in Darien this afternoon and to enable volunteer firefighters to fight the blaze, the train was moved further up the track into Erie County.

Darien Chief Jeff Luker said given how tightly compacted the trash was in the cars, it was a hard fire to fight but the rain was expected to help.

Darien Fire Department along with Pembroke, Corfu, Indian Falls, and Alabama responded to the fire.

Photos by Alecia Kaus/Video News Service.

Public Health COVID-19 briefing for May 29, 2020.

Press release:

• As of 2 p.m.
  • Genesee County received one new positive cases of COVID-19, for a total of 186 positive cases.
    • The positive case resides in Batavia.
    • The positive individual is in their 20s.
    • The positive case was on mandatory quarantine prior to becoming symptomatic.
    • Two of the total active positive cases are hospitalized.
  • Orleans County received 10 new positive case of COVID-19, for a total of 221 positive cases.
    • One of the new positive individuals resides in Albion, three of the new positives live in Ridgeway, one of the new positive lives at The Villages of Orleans Health & Rehabilitation Center and five of the new positive individuals live at Orchard Rehabilitation and Nursing Center.
    • Of the new positive case one of the individuals is under 20, one of the individual is in their 20s, two individuals are in their 50s, two individuals are in their 60s, three individuals are in their 70s and one of the individuals is in their 90s.
    • Two of the new positive cases were on mandatory quarantine prior to testing positive.
    • One of the previous positive cases has recovered and has been released from mandatory isolation.
    • Nineteen of the total active positive cases are hospitalized. Please note those in the hospital may be from the community or a state-regulated facility. We do not separate them out to protect their privacy.
    • We are sorry to report that we have lost two more county residents due to COVID-19. The individuals resided at the Orchard Rehabilitation and Nursing Center. Our deepest condolences to the family and friends of these individuals during this very sad time.

Click here to view the Genesee and Orleans County online map of confirmed cases.

2020 Le Roy Jr.-Sr. High School Fine Arts Festival, produced by Principal Tim McArdle.

A man from Harrisonburg, Va., whose social media posts indicate he thought he spoke directly to God and received visions of the devil, has been identified as the driver of a tractor-trailer involved in a high-speed pursuit through three counties last night before he engaged in a shoot-out with police near Geneseo.

Joshua Blessed, formerly Sergio Jourev, 58, was killed in the incident. He had also posted a video to his YouTube account with the headline "Brave Patriot defending US Constitution and 2A vs. Domestic terrorist gang member 'blue devils.' "

The video is taken from the dashcam of a police patrol vehicle and shows what appears to be a traffic stop where the driver opened fire on the police officer and engaged in a protracted gun battle before fleeing in his sedan.  

The description of the video asks viewers to join Blessed's "militia" and links to a website where he claims that in February 2018 he received a new message from heaven calling on him to recruit an army to fight a new civil war.

Livingstone County Sheriff Thomas J. Dougherty said Blessed fired numerous rounds at officers and struck four patrol vehicles, two from Livingston County, one from Genesee County, and one from Le Roy PD.

The bullet that hit the Genesee County Sheriff's patrol car entered through the windshield, struck the headrest and became lodged in the plexiglass divider between the back and front seats.

"I believe if he wasn't ducking, then it would have been right to his head," Dougherty said.

Blessed was employed by a trucking company, Yurman Express, in Harrisonburg and was driving to Batavia to pick up dairy products when at 8:37 p.m. a Le Roy police officer attempted to stop his tractor-trailer for speeding through the village.

When he was uncooperative with the first officer, the officer called for backup. When the second officer arrived, both officers approached the cab of the truck, each getting onto the running boards on both the driver's and passenger's side of the vehicle.

Le Roy Chief Chris Hayward said the officer on the passenger side observed a handgun in the vehicle.  

One of the officers stepped down from the truck and at that point, Blessed began to drive off. The other officer was able to safely jump from the moving vehicle.

As he fled, Blessed rammed his truck into a Sheriff's patrol vehicle that had responded as backup for the Le Roy officers. He headed westbound on Route 5 toward Batavia. Batavia PD was alerted and officers responded to the city line but before Blessed reached Batavia, at some point after passing through Stafford at a high rate of speed, he managed to turn his truck around.

Sheriff Bill Sheron said he hadn't yet spoken with the officers involved, so it wasn't clear to him how the trucker managed to execute a U-turn on Route 5.

"I think they were quite amazed, too, that he was able to maneuver the vehicle the way he did," Sheron said.

Now eastbound, when Blessed returned to the Village of Le Roy, he proceeded south on Route 19 toward Pavilion. Sheriff's deputies attempted to stop the truck at the county line with spike strips. Blessed continued south through Wyoming County to Route 63 in Livingston County near Geneseo.  Livingston County deputies also tried to deploy spike strips to no avail.

In Livingston County, Blessed started taking shots at police officers.

At one point, Sheriff Dougherty pulled up along the passenger side of the cab of the truck and Blessed fired rounds in his direction. Neither the patrol vehicle nor Dougherty was struck. 

"This isn't a common type of situation where you not only have a heavy, heavy vehicle that is near impossible to stop but also the person then taking shots at cops," Dougherty said. "So it was a stressful, intense incident."

Once the vehicle was stopped, the gun battle continued. Sheron said at least one of his deputies fired shots at Blessed.

The official cause of death for Blessed has not been determined but Dougherty said he sustained multiple gunshot wounds.

On his website, Blessed wrote in February 2018:

This is Joshua Blessed the man of Yahweh, for the spirit of אליהו /EliYahu ( My El is Yahweh), is upon me!

As of February 12. 2018, I received from heaven a new task; “go, begin recruiting for a heavenly hosts/army,..”

My brother, the king of heaven Yahweh of hosts said to me,  “…the civil war is coming and many shall die and descended to hell for the fruits of their life,…”

Here is my confession; As for me, for many years I was blind /slave of “the Beast”,… but now my spirit is revived by my Redeemer Yahweh of hosts, and His holy spirit is upon me and causes me > love Yahweh unto death, for He took away the fear of death of me,…It is why now I seek to die as His warrior for His great name > the king of heaven Yahweh of hosts!

The Batavian's news partner 13WHAM is reporting that Blessed had been banned from a militia site for reportedly being "self-destructive."

He posted multiple videos equating law enforcement with the devil and domestic terrorists. He also posted videos, speaking in what may be a Russian accent, describing dreams and visions he had.  

His Facebook page indicates he was banned by the network for violating community standards in April, a ban that was extended to June 16. His offending posts were described as bullying.

Dougherty said investigators are looking into Blessed's social media posts in an attempt to work up a full profile of the man.

"(Among the) things that we're looking at: How extreme is he?" Dougherty said. "What other encounters has he had with police? What led to this yesterday? Again, there are so many unknowns that we can't interview him on. So these are things that we have to put together. And this is what police agencies do. We put together a timeline and try and get the best answers possible to conclude our investigation."

Dougherty praised the professional response of members of law enforcement from the multiple agencies who participated in the incident.

"Members from various agencies put their life on the line trying to warn traffic ahead, blocked the roadways, get everybody removed all the while knowing that he's popping shots," Dougherty said. "I can only tell you that it is simply unbelievable that nobody was injured."'

UPDATE 6:50 p.m.: An editor with the Harrisonburg Daily-News Record contacted the Sheriff there about Blessed and says the Sheriff told him his office never had any encounters with Blessed, at least nothing serious. Our news partner 13WHAM reports Blessed had a wife and two children.  

Also from 13WHAM: Drivers recall fearing for their lives as they got caught in middle of dangerous pursuit

Previously: After high-speed chase that ended with shoot out, Le Roy chief kept thinking of the 'what ifs'

Video provided by our news partner 13WHAM.

Press release:

• As of 2 p.m.
  • Genesee County received two new positive cases of COVID-19, for a total of 185 positive cases.
    • The two positive cases reside in Batavia.
    • One of the positive individuals is less than 20 and one is in their 50s.
    • One of the positive cases was not on mandatory quarantine prior to becoming symptomatic.
    • Two of the total active positive cases are hospitalized.
  • Orleans County received two new positive case of COVID-19, for a total of 211 positive cases.
    • One of the new positive individuals resides in Albion and one of the new positive individuals resides at Orchard Rehabilitation and Nursing Center.
    • Of the new positive case one of the individuals is in their 40s and one of the individuals is in their 80s.
    • None of the new positive cases were on mandatory quarantine prior to testing positive.
    • Two of the previous positive cases have recovered and have been released from mandatory isolation.
    • Eighteen of the total active positive cases are hospitalized. Please note those in the hospital may be from the community or a state-regulated facility. We do not separate them out to protect their privacy.
    • We are sorry to report that we have lost another county resident due to COVID-19. The individual resided at the Orchard Rehabilitation and Nursing Center. Our deepest condolences to the family and friends of this individual during this very sad time.

Army Spc. Ryan Blackmon, assigned to the 642nd Aviation Support Battalion, discusses his job at the Javits Center in New York City in support of the Department of Defense COVID-19
response, May 18. He is a native of Le Roy. (Army video by Spc. Genesis Miranda.)

No traffic stop is routine. Cadets are taught that truism at every law enforcement academy in the nation. Field trainers drum it into their heads when rookies first hit the road.

A "routine" traffic stop of a white tractor-trailer on Main Street in Le Roy last night turned out to be a stark reminder for his officers that they always need to be prepared for the unexpected, Le Roy Chief Chris Hayward said this morning.

Hayward got to bed late last night, slept fitfully and said what kept running through his head were all the "what if" scenarios. He considered how things could have turned out much worse after a trucker decided to lead local law enforcement on a high-speed pursuit through three counties. The trucker was killed in an apparent shoot-out at a location near Geneseo in Livingston County.

No bystanders nor officers were injured or killed. That's a relief, Hayward said.

"It's one of those things that you try to convey to your officers, especially your young officers, that there is no such thing as a routine traffic stop," Hayward said. "I think this incident conveyed that effectively. I'm thankful nobody was hurt last night.

"I kept thinking of all the 'what ifs,' " he added. "What if he decided to open fire on our officers on West Main Street rather than in Livingston County? You think of all of those scenarios and you're thankful for all of the young folks involved. I thought of all those officers in this situation and they did a tremendous job, as did the dispatchers in both counties, keeping the information flow going in both counties. The dispatchers did a tremendous job."

The chase started when a Le Roy officer initiated a traffic stop of the truck for speeding on West Main Street. The driver stopped and the officer approached the driver's side, climbed up on the running board to talk to the driver. The driver refused to provide documentation or identification. At that point, the officer backed off and requested backup.

When a second officer arrived, they both approached the driver again. They spoke to the driver, each positioned on opposite sides of the cab. At one point, one officer stepped off. Then the driver rolled up his window and started to drive away. The other officer was able to jump off the running board of the moving truck and was not hurt.

A deputy was arriving on scene at that point and the trucker rammed the patrol vehicle.

The three patrol vehicles then gave chase westbound on Route 5.

A witness in Stafford told The Batavian the pursuit passed her house at a high rate of speed. A short time later, she called back to say the truck and seven patrol vehicles were then eastbound.

"It's wild, like something out of a movie," she said.

That was a description others shared, Hayward said this morning.

There was nothing suspicious about the driver or the vehicle that popped up when officers ran -- as is routine on traffic stops --  the truck's plates, the chief said. He didn't have information at hand on where the truck was registered. 

"We had nothing to explain at that time why the operator was doing what he was doing," Hayward said. 

Officers were positioned at locations on Route 5 to set up possible spike strips, and at one point the trucker rammed a Le Roy patrol vehicle participating in that operation. The vehicle sustained significant damage but the officer was not hurt.

Sheriff Bill Sheron said he hadn't yet spoken with the officers involved this morning, so it wasn't clear to him how the trucker managed to execute a U-turn on Route 5.

"I think they were quite amazed, too, that he was able to maneuver the vehicle the way he did," Sheron said.

The trucker led officers back into the Village of Le Roy where he made a right-hand turn on Route 19, going southbound into Wyoming County, where Wyoming deputies joined the pursuit. The trucker continued to Route 63 into Livingston County.

He then reportedly stopped and began shooting at law enforcement officers.

Genesee County deputies were involved in exchanging gunfire with the driver, Sheron said.

One bullet from the driver went through a window of deputy's patrol vehicle, Sheron said, narrowly missing the head of the officer. Sheron declined to name the officer involved at this time.

"God must have been watching over us last night because it could have ended up much worse than it did," Sheron said. "That one vehicle took a round through the windshield and you can't get much closer. Thank God for every day."

Top Photo: The truck involved from this morning. All photos courtesy our news partner 13WHAM.

Genesee County's unemployment rate jumped to 14.4 percent in April, the highest rate since the Great Recession, when 10 percent of county residents were without jobs in January and February of 2010.

The highest unemployment rate for the county since 1990 (the oldest data publicly available) was 10.8 percent in January 1992.

The unemployment rate a year ago for April was 3.7 percent. In March of this year, it was 4.9 percent, as it was in February, and it was 5.1 percent in January.

The unemployment rate in the state is 15 percent.

It's 19.2 percent in the Buffalo area and 14.9 percent in the Rochester area.

There are 4,300 people in Genesee County counted as unemployed and 25,200 county residents with jobs.

Press release:

• As of 2 p.m.
  • Genesee County received two new positive cases of COVID-19, for a total of 183 positive cases.
    • The positive cases reside in Batavia and Darien.
    • One of the positive individuals is less than 20 and one is in their 30s.
    • One of the positive cases was not on mandatory quarantine prior to becoming symptomatic.
    • Two of the previous positive cases have recovered and have been released from mandatory isolation.
    • Two of the total active positive cases are hospitalized.
  • Orleans County received one new positive case of COVID-19, for a total of 209 positive cases.
    • One of the new positive individuals resides in Carlton.
    • Of the new positive case the individual is in their 70s.
    • None of the new positive cases were on mandatory quarantine prior to testing positive.
    • Twenty of the total active positive cases are hospitalized. Please note those in the hospital may be from the community or a state-regulated facility. We do not separate them out to protect their privacy.

Press release from AAA:

After dropping to a low of $1.76 in April, the national gas price average is pennies away from hitting the $2/gallon mark. Today’s average is $1.96, which is 8 cents higher than a week ago, 19 cents more than last month, but still a significant 87 cents cheaper than the end of May 2019.

The more expensive pump prices can be attributed to fluctuations in crude and demand.

In the past week, crude oil hit its highest price point – nearly $34 per barrel – since the Administration declared the COVID-19 outbreak a national emergency and many states started implementing stay-at-home restrictions. While demand has been increasing since the end of April, it is down 28 percent compared to the first three weeks of May last year. 

“Americans have seen significantly cheaper-than-normal gas prices the past two months," said Elizabeth Carey, AAA spokesperson. "However, those low prices – as well as crude oil prices – have been inching upward.

"While motorists will see pump prices continue to increase, AAA does not expect the summer average to be as expensive as last year’s season.”

One factor that could cause a sudden spike in gas prices is the Atlantic hurricane season, which is June 1 through Nov. 30.

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration predicts the 2020 season will be above-normal, potentially resulting in 13-19 named storms. An average Atlantic hurricane season typically produces 12 named storms, including three major hurricanes.

Here's a look at today’s average prices:

• Batavia -- $2.21 (up 1 cent since last week)*
• Buffalo -- $2.21 (up 2 cents since last week)
• Ithaca -- $2.12 (down 1 cent since last week)
• Rochester -- $2.20 (up 1 cent since last week)
• Rome -- $2.18 (up 6 cents since last week)
• Syracuse -- $2.08 (up 2 cents since last week)
• Watertown -- $2.18 (up 4 cents since last week)

From GasBuddy:

"Average gasoline prices across the United States continue to recover as more motorists take back to the roads as states relax previous shelter-in-place orders and begin filling their tanks, driving demand to continue rising," said Patrick DeHaan, head of petroleum analysis at GasBuddy.

"Since demand is a major ingredient in what drives gasoline prices and demand is likely to continue to rebound, it is also pushing the price of both crude oil and gas prices higher.

Unfortunately, thus far, refiners have started to input more crude oil into their refineries, but there has been some lag as refiners remain cautious on flooding the market with unwanted products.

As long as COVID-19 cases continue to drop over time and provinces reopen, I suspect it is only a matter of time before average price hits the $2 per gallon mark again, which could happen as early as this week."

*NOTE: Batavia's price is an average of gas stations throughout the Batavia micropolitan area (aka, Genesee County).

Two teenagers from Pembroke are in critical but stable condition at Erie County Medical Center following an accident on West Main Street Road, Batavia, last night.

A 2013 Chevy Impala driven by Daniel P. Sonnefeld, 19, was leaving Dave's Ice Cream at 9:15 when it apparently attempted to make a left turn, pulling in front of a 2020 Freightliner semi-truck that was eastbound on Route 5.

The tractor-trailer struck the driver's side of the Impala, sending the vehicle to the north shoulder of the roadway where it came to rest. 

Sonnefeld was transported by Mercy EMS to ECMC for serious injuries.

A second occupant, Gabriel Johnston, 18, was transported to ECMC by Mercy Flight with serious injuries.

Phouthason S. Kittisack, 18, of Batavia, also a passenger in the sedan, sustained minor injuries and was released at the scene.

The Freightliner was driven by Rondal J. Crosby, 45, of Buffalo. He was not injured.

The accident is being investigated by the Sheriff's Office, including the Crash Management Team. Assisting at the scene were Town of Batavia fire, East Pembroke fire, Oakfield fire, Batavia PD, Mercy EMS, and State Police.

(Initial Report)

Press release:

New Cases

• As of 2 p.m.
  • Genesee County received one new positive case of COVID-19, for a total of 181 positive cases.
    • The positive case resides in Batavia.
    • The positive case is in their 50s.
    • The positive case was not on mandatory quarantine prior to becoming symptomatic.
    • Four of the previous positive cases have recovered and have been released from mandatory isolation.
    • Two of the total active positive cases are hospitalized.
  • Orleans County received five new positive cases of COVID-19, for a total of 208 positive cases.
    • One of the new positive individuals resides in Ridgeway, one of the positive individuals resides in Yates, one of the positive individuals resides in Shelby and one of the positive individuals resides in Albion.
    • One of the new positive cases is a resident of Orchard Rehabilitation & Nursing Center
    • Of the new positive cases one individual is in their 20s, one of the individuals is in their 30s, one of the individuals is in their 40s, one of the individuals is in their 60s and one of the individuals is in their 80s.
    • None of the new positive cases were on mandatory quarantine prior to testing positive.
    • Eleven of the previous positive community cases have recovered and have been released from mandatory isolation.
    • Twenty of the total active positive cases are hospitalized. Please note those in the hospital may be from the community or a state-regulated facility. We do not separate them out to protect their privacy.
    • We are truly saddened to receive word that 2 of our residents have died related to COVID-19. Both of the residents lived at Orchard Rehabilitation & Nursing Center. Our deepest condolences go to the family and friends of each of these individuals during this very difficult time.

A driver reportedly choked on coffee, causing him to lose control of the car before his vehicle collided with a silo at 2767 Judge Road, Oakfield.

The driver has spoken with dispatchers, although he is reportedly injured.

Oakfield Fire Department is responding. All Mercy EMS ambulances are tied up on other calls. An ambulance from Medina is requested.

The vehicle is a pickup truck with a trailer. There are propane takes in the area.

UPDATE 7:12 p.m.: A hazmat team requested to the scene for a propane leak.

UPDATE 7:13 p.m.: Judge Road is being closed.

UPDATE 7:24 p.m.: Firefighters have secured one tank and are working on the second.

UPDATE 7:30 p.m.: Both tanks are secure.

As temperatures have gone up the past couple of days tempers have flared, it seems, in some parts of the city.

Over the past 24 hours, there have been multiple calls for disturbances on State Street, as well as calls to Hutchins Place, Jackson Street, Watson, and Thorpe.

On State Street, Police Chief Shawn Heubusch said it appears there are multiple neighbors who can't get along and he suggested they never have and they never will. 

"Nothing has risen to the level that we can arrest anybody," Heubusch said, though it would be helpful if witnesses to incidents were willing to put their statements in writing.

After a call on State Street this afternoon, which brought a response from Batavia PD and the Sheriff's Office, including a K-9, one deputy on State Street, when asked what was going on said, "A whole lot of 'I saw nothing.' "

"Neighbors have been calling, and that's good, but our hands are tied by changes to criminal justice this year," Heubusch said. "Without a statement, the most we can do is write an appearance ticket."

The local landlords are also more restricted in how they can respond to troublesome tenants, Heubusch noted, because of the moratorium ordered by Gov. Andrew Cuomo on most evictions, especially evictions related to missed rent payments.

Speaking of the COVID-19 pandemic response, Heubusch said, he doesn't think the recent spate of disturbances is the result of eight weeks of being on lockdown. 

"These calls mostly involve people we've dealt with before," Heubusch said. "I don't think the lockdown is coming into play."

Batavia PD does have cameras installed to help monitor the situation on State Street and at Watson and Thorpe.

He said he understands the public might want more done but that takes cooperating witnesses.

One of the objectives of a police response to a crowd of people involved in a ruckus is to get the people to disperse, Heubusch said. If police can do that, it will help defuse the situation and hopefully help avoid an escalation of violence.

It might be a long summer, the chief said.

"(The disturbances are) definitely a concern," Heubusch said. "That's for sure."