Police Officers

Does the viral image show "Matthew J. Ruth", the deceased suspect in the shooting that left three law enforcement officers dead in Pennsylvania on the night of September 17, 2025? No, that's not true: The images show a different person, who is still alive. That was confirmed to Lead Stories by the man himself and by police. The claim appeared…

Does an authentic video document "fake HOA police" trying to arrest a Black man but finding out he is a feared agent of the FBI? No that's not true: The video is a production of a social media account that uses AI to produce videos. The account states the stories they share are not real but ones that "everyday people…

Does a viral bodycam video authentically show a cop mistaking a Black lawyer for a defendant and ordering him to sit in the back of a courtroom? No, that's not true: The video originated from a channel that publishes re-enactments using the same actors repeatedly in supposedly unrelated roles and situations. The channel's homepage description acknowledges that it posts "fictional…

Does a viral social media video show a Ford electric car malfunctioning, with its steering locked and accelerator to the floor? No, that's not true: Lead Stories used geolocation techniques to find the scene of the accident and obtain a police report that a malfunction did not cause the wreck. California Highway Patrol said the driver was arrested for driving…

Essex police have rebutted an X post that claims they called migrant protesters fascists. The video making the rounds on X shows a protest crowd walking with police in Epping, Essex, UK. The man filming says he heard the officer telling police to look out for "fascists", and shared his video on X. Later that day, Essex Police disputed his…

Did a widely-shared video show an argument between a police officer and four undercover FBI agents on an airplane? No, that's not true: The people in the video were simply acting out a scripted scenario. The page that posted the sketch routinely publishes similar scripted scenarios, and is affiliated with Network Media, a company that rents out film sets to…

Does a viral video document ICE agents seizing undocumented children from foster care to deport them? No, that's not true: It's a montage of unrelated clips about alleged juvenile crimes, disorderly behavior at school and other situations with no apparent connection to immigration roundups. The video's narrator provides no dates, places, case numbers or other information to permit independent corroboration…

Did a widely-shared video show a real nurse and police officers falsely accusing a Black man of being drunk, and calling him "Drunky McDrunk Pants? No, that's not true: The people in the video were simply acting out a scripted scenario. The page that posted the sketch routinely publishes similar scripted scenarios, and is affiliated with Network Media, a company…

Did a widely-shared video show a Black undercover FBI agent "schooling" a police officer in a supermarket after the officer stopped and questioned him at the checkout? No, that's not true: The people in the video were simply acting out a scripted scenario. The page that posted the sketch routinely publishes similar scripted scenarios, and is affiliated with Network Media,…

Did a widely-shared video show real police officers handcuffing a Black man in a restaurant who turned out to be an undercover FBI agent? No, that's not true: The people in the video were simply acting out a scripted scenario. The page that posted the sketch routinely publishes similar scripted scenarios, and is affiliated with Network Media, a company that…