The city of Charlottesville was reeling Sunday, trying to understand how the college town was suddenly engulfed by chaos and violence as a white nationalist rally turned deadly, claiming the lives of three people. Late on Saturday night, the Department of Justice said it would launch a civil rights investigation into “the circumstances of the deadly vehicular incident” that killed one 32-year-old counter-protester and injured at least 19. Two state police officers also died Saturday when their helicopter crashed outside of town as they were assisting with the unrest in Charlottesville. Federal authorities are also looking into the circumstances surrounding that crash. “The violence and deaths in Charlottesville strike at the heart of American law and justice,” Attorney General Jeff Sessions said in a statement. “When such actions arise from racial bigotry and hatred, they betray our core values and cannot be tolerated.”

Everyone was bracing for chaos, but the violence in Charlottesville erupted much earlier and was more intense than many were anticipating. Fights erupted between white supremacists and counterprotesters Saturday morning ahead of a white nationalist rally, leading Gov. Terry McAuliffe to declare a state of emergency and call off the planned protest. At least eight people were reported injured in the clashes, and that was before a vehicle plowed into a group of people marching peacefully through downtown Charlottesville. One person was killed, according to Charlottesville Mayor Mike Signer. “I am heartbroken that a life has been lost here. I urge all people of good will--go home,” he wrote on Twitter. Nineteen people were injured and the driver was arrested.

The torch-lit rally recalled a similar event that took place in May amid a continuing dispute over the proposed removal of the statue of Confederate Gen. Robert E. Lee from the park. The torch carriers clashed with a small group of counterprotesters who described themselves as “anti-fascists.” At least one person was arrested and others were treated for minor injuries as fights broke out at a statue of former President Thomas Jefferson. It seems the counterprotesters circled the Jefferson statue and linked arms only to be surrounded by the torch-carrying white nationalists before scuffles broke out. There are several reports of the white nationalists deploying pepper spray against the counterprotesters, although the white nationalists also said they were hit by pepper spray.

A man launched into a xenophobic, racist rant on a Manhattan-bound Q train Tuesday afternoon, threatening a fellow rider to “get the f--k out my country before I murder your whole f--king nation.” The man, whose name was not immediately confirmed, also made racist comments, yelling about “your f--king Chinese eyes.” The incident took place on a Manhattan-bound Q train shortly after 3:00 p.m. on Tuesday August 8th, between Avenue U and Kings Highway in Gravesend, according to the victim, a 21-year-old Brooklyn woman. She spoke with Gothamist Friday on the condition of anonymity.

The blast was reported at 5:05 a.m. as about a dozen people gathered in a room nearby for morning prayers and jolted awake many residents of the neighborhood. Congregants and neighbors expressed relief that there were no injuries, but also reacted with shock and dismay. When police arrived, they found smoke and fire damage to the building, said Bloomington Police Chief Jeff Potts. Agents from the FBI and the federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives soon joined the investigation. A large area outside the center was taped off as investigators, including members of the FBI’s Joint Terrorism Task Force, combed through the grass. At an early evening news conference, Special Agent in Charge Richard Thornton said an “improvised explosive device” caused the blast, but that investigators still must determine “who and why.”

Police arrested a Trump supporter after they say he beat three people near Dupont Circle after a “heated political argument.” The man was wearing a “Make America Great Again” hat, which sparked the interaction that’s now being investigated as a hate crime. A woman and two men told police that 32-year-old Louis Travieso, of Riverview Florida, attacked them outside of a restaurant on New Hampshire Avenue around 6:30 p.m., according a report from the Metropolitan Police Department. Multiple witnesses also told police that Travieso initiated the brawl.

The video shows Darren William Beach, Jr. with a beard and a gasoline can right before the fire at one.n.ten on July 12 near Third Street and Indian School Road around 11 a.m., fire officials said. He's seen pouring gas all inside of the center, investigators said. The fire is started and the video shows the flames going through the center. "We were shocked and dismayed and hurt," Linda Elliot, one.n.ten executive director said. The building was vacant on one side and occupied on the other where one.n.ten used it to help LGBTQ youth and young adults ages 14-24. Elliot said most of the young people they help have been kicked out of their homes because they were gay. Firefighters said Beach, Jr. was a former member of the youth center who aged out in 2016.

Brandon Ricardo Pascual, of Irvine, was charged Wednesday with two felony counts of assault-hate crime with ability to cause injury, according to the Orange County district attorney’s office. If convicted, he could face up to three years in state prison. On the evening of March 1, authorities said, the women were walking to their car when Pascual pulled up next to them and yelled an “anti-Muslim expletive.” He briefly stopped his car behind theirs, which prevented them from leaving, officials said. After he drove off, the women left. A few minutes later, while the pair had stopped at a red light down the street, they heard clanking noises against their car. The same man, driving a Toyota Camry, was throwing coins at them through an open window, police said. One woman was hit but was not injured.