News out of California

Editor's note: This story contains mentions of possible domestic violence. Those facing domestic abuse can call the National Domestic Violence Hotline at 1-800-799-SAFE (7233) or visit its website for a virtual chat.

A man was arrested on suspicion of domestic violence after a woman used a social media-driven hand gesture asking for help at a 7-Eleven store in Southern California, authorities said.

Officers responded to a 911 call "regarding suspicious circumstances" at a 7-Eleven store in Alhambra, California, about 10 miles east of downtown Los Angeles, the Alhambra Police Department said in a social media post Aug. 31. Online inmate records indicate the incident occurred Aug. 19.

Further investigation revealed there had been a domestic violence incident, and the victim was asking for help by using hand signals behind her back, according to police. The suspect, identified as John Palombi, 38, of Glendora, California, was captured on an officer's body camera attempting to flee the scene after police asked to speak to him and the woman outside the store.

The body camera footage showed police asking Palombi to stand up for a pat down when he then discarded his Big Bite box and plastic bags and sprinted away from the officers. Palombi was immediately caught and arrested.

"Someone recognized what she was doing and called us to respond," police said in the social media post. "When asked to stand up for a pat down, the suspect attempted to flee but didn’t even make it out of the parking lot."

Palombi, who was carrying a stun gun at the time of the incident and also had an active warrant, was booked into the Alhambra Police Department jail, police said. Online inmate records showed Palombi is currently being held without bail at the Men’s Central Jail in downtown Los Angeles and is scheduled to appear in court on Sept. 11.

Hand gesture popularized on TikTok used to signal distress

The Canadian Women's Foundation, a nonprofit organization that focuses on gender justice and equality, helped launch the "Signal for Help" campaign in April 2020. The initiative, according to the foundation, is a "simple one-handed gesture someone can use, without leaving a digital trace, to communicate they need someone to safely check in and support them."

The hand signal has been popularized on social media platforms such as TikTok, and demonstrated by users and nonprofit organizations as a way for a person in distress or experiencing domestic violence to tell someone they are in trouble without alerting the abuser.

The Canadian Women's Foundation says an international, universal signal for help in a case of domestic violence or other distress can be made by facing your palm forward with your thumb tucked in, and closing your other fingers over your thumb to "trap" it.

The sign does not necessarily mean an observer must call authorities immediately, the organization notes, but rather its use indicates "reach out to me safely." People are advised to use the hand signal discreetly on web cameras or in other situations when they cannot freely speak about a dangerous situation or call for help.

The incident in Alhambra is the latest case in recent years involving the hand signal. In 2021, a 16-year-old girl who had been missing for several days was rescued after using the hand gestures to signal to a driver she was in distress.

And in 2022, a man in Tennessee was charged with aggravated kidnapping and aggravated domestic assault after his ex-girlfriend used the signal to notify gas station staff, reported the Tennessean, part of the USA TODAY Network.

Contributing: Jeanine Santucci, USA TODAY; Chris Gadd, Nashville Tennessean; Reuters

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Domestic violence suspect arrested after woman used hand signals for help, authorities say

Reporting by Thao Nguyen, USA TODAY / USA TODAY

USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect