“I’m Going to F**kin’ Kill You All!”: Racist Black Ray Miles Smashes His Way into Topeka TV Station WIBW, and Punches, Bites, and Stabs White Workers

 
[Ray Miles' newest mug shot, May 23, 2012] Ray Miles was arrested in connection with aggravated assault, aggravated battery, aggravated burglary, aggravated criminal threat causing terror or evacuation, criminal damage and simple battery.
 

By Nicholas Stix

First story’s text and video provided by GCrowdy.
 


 

May 23, 2012

TOPEKA, Kan. (WIBW) -- Two employees injured when a disgruntled man broke into WIBW-TV, 631 SW Commerce Place, at 9:20 a.m. Wednesday were out of the hospital Wednesday night.

In surveillance video, the man, identified as Ray Miles, is seen punching two employees. Those workers and two others tackle him. They appear to have him subdued when sales manager Roger Brokke starts to sit up and other workers join the pile - that's the moment Brokke feels himself being stabbed and sees the man has somehow taken out a knife.

Before the violent outburst, the man was allowed into the front lobby and receptionist Lynda Janes called [N.S.: Her husband] News Director Jon Janes to talk with him. The man, identified as Ray Miles, told Janes he was upset by the way the VA was handling his case. Janes explained to the man that he needs to discuss the issue with the VA and that WIBW couldn't help him at this time.

Miles left the building, but returned about 10 minutes later and became agitated when Lynda Janes and Rob Peppers refused to let him in. When he saw Peppers pick up the phone to call police, the man pushed aside a sofa in the entryway, unplugged a lamp and smashed the glass front doors with it. He then reached through to open the door.

Lynda and Rob ran ahead of him toward the newsroom to warn other employees. Rob stopped in the master control area with the intent of issuing a page, while Lynda alerted newsroom employees, who evacuated to the rear garage area.

"He told me to hit him," said Dylan Schoonover, an employee who saw the man coming down a hallway near the newsroom edit bays. Schoonover slid out a side door unharmed and convened with other staff outside.

Master Control Operator Joe Garrett saw the man walk down a hallway after Lynda ran by alerting everyone to the situation.

"As I turned and came back into master control to call the 911 operator, I saw an African-American male, roughly 5'8", walk by master control with a black and green backpack slung over his shoulder," Garrett said.

A few moments later, Garrett watched on the security camera -still on the phone with 911- as several employees tackled the man near an east exit of the building.

Miles had made it to the newsroom, then turned around and started back toward the front of the building, encountering news director Jon Janes along the way. Miles shoved Janes into a wall, knocking him down. Brokke witnessed what happened and tried to stop Miles, but Miles punched him in the head. Chief Engineer Cary Lahnum and sales associate Greg Palmer then attempted to tackle Miles, with Brokke and Janes joining in.

The man was heard yelling, "I'm going to f**kin' kill you all!" during the struggle. The foursome appeared to have Miles subdued when Brokke, who had already been bitten three times in the back, felt a pain in his hip. He says he looked down to see a knife going into his leg and alerted his coworkers. Four other employees who had arrived in the hallway then joined in holding Miles down and trying to kick the knife out of his hand.

Brokke and Palmer both suffered cuts and were taken by ambulance to Topeka hospitals. Lahnum suffered a black eye and Janes also had bruises, but they did not seek medical treatment.

The employees held the suspect down until police arrived. Miles was taken to the hospital for treatment and booked in the Shawnee County Jail Wednesday afternoon. He's being held on charges of aggravated assault, simple assault, aggravated criminal threat resulting in terror or evacuation, aggravated burglary, criminal damage and aggravated battery.

Jon Janes says he has spoken with Miles once before, on March 22, when he came to the station to see about having a story done on the VA mistreating him. Janes also sent him away at that time and Miles became angry and left.

Miles is described as a homeless veteran. He was convicted in 2007 of obstruction and received a suspended jail sentence in 2010 for assault on a law enforcement officer.

[A tip ‘o the stun gun to Violence Against Whites.]

* * *
Man arrested in WIBW attack has assault history
By Steve Fry
May 24, 2012, 12:39 p.m.
The Capital-Journal

A man arrested Wednesday in connection with a melee at the WIBW-TV station has a history of battery and fighting, according to court records and information that surfaced at a hearing Thursday.

Ray Anthony Miles, 48, who is homeless, must post a bond of $100,000 cash or professional surety in order to be released from the Shawnee County Jail, Shawnee County District Court Judge Steve Ebberts told Miles during his first appearance hearing.

Criminal charges haven't been filed so far.

Miles was arrested in connection with aggravated assault, aggravated battery, aggravated burglary, aggravated criminal threat causing terror or evacuation, criminal damage and simple battery.

During Thursday morning’s fracas, two television station employees suffered minor stab wounds before WIBW employees subdued a man wielding a knife.

Before the violence erupted, the man had met with the station's news director and demanded WIBW do a story about an issue he was having with the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs.

The news director declined to do the story, the man left the station, and the disturbance occurred when the man re-entered by smashing a lamp through a locked glass security door, kicking in the door, then rushing past a receptionist.

During the first appearance on Thursday, Ebberts made a “conditional appointment” of a public defender to represent Miles.

Miles said he would accept the public defender, “but if he doesn’t look good, I’ll get rid of him.”

An assistant district attorney asked Ebberts to set Miles’ bond at $500,000 due to the severity of the crimes, the safety concern to the community, the allegation he broke into a public building, and a lack of ties to Shawnee County since he is homeless.

Ebberts declined to set the bond that high, noting Miles doesn’t have any income, and the judge didn’t want the bond to be "punitive."

Miles’ next court appearance is to be Aug. 29, but if criminal charges are filed, an earlier hearing will be scheduled.

Miles doesn’t have a job or receive government assistance. He does receive $200 a month in food stamps.

Miles has past convictions tied to run-ins with law enforcement officers, according to Shawnee County District Court records.

Miles recently had been put out of the Topeka Rescue Mission for fighting.

On March 7, Miles was released from serving a supervised parole for convictions of battery to a state law enforcement officer and criminal trespassing at the Memorial Building, S.W. 10th and Jackson. The incidents occurred Sept. 8, 2010.

Following a trial, a jury convicted him of the battery and trespassing charges. He was sentenced to concurrent terms of 12 months for the battery conviction and six months for trespassing, was credited with spending 98 days in jail, and was placed on parole, court records said.

On Sept. 6, 2007, a Kansas Highway Patrol trooper was investigating a report of a pedestrian on an interstate when Miles resisted the trooper, court records said.

Miles pleaded no contest to obstructing the legal process or official duty, and a second charge of pedestrian on an interstate was dismissed, court records said.

Miles was placed on three months of supervised probation, and he was credited with 55 days he spent in jail during the pending case.

Miles also had a conviction for battery in 2003 and a 1995 bad checks case, both in Arkansas, court records said.

The convictions in Kansas and Arkansas are misdemeanors.

Steve Fry can be reached at (785) 295-1206 or steve.fry@cjonline.com.