Three suspects broke into a home in Midtown, north of Little Italy just before 10:30 Saturday morning.

Police say the suspects were armed with weapons when they entered the home in the 3500 block of Jackdaw Street – one had a gun and the other two had Tasers.

One of the men is described as about 18 years old wearing a red hat and a gray hooded sweatshirt. There is currently no description of the other two men.

Police said the suspects took some cash and a laptop. No one was injured.

 As San Diego heads into what could be a wet winter, a lot of San Diego County residents may be unprepared for a strong El Nino.

Clean Earth Restorations, a company that specializes in disaster cleanup after flooding, handed out free sandbags in the mission Gorge area for residents.

Mark Esquivel with Clean Earth Restorations said many homeowners call them in hindsight, wishing they had the resources ahead of time.

“We get a lot of clients that call us up and say I wish we would've had this. I wish we would've done that,” said Esquivel. “So, we're just trying to get the word out there to have people be prepared."

The company had about 1,500 sandbags to give away.

The majority of Californians who live in high-risk flood areas do not have flood insurance, according to FEMA.

Rocky Balboa has survived a hole in his skull, a heart murmur, serious intestinal complications, and now it’s been determined he’s deaf – hence the fighter’s name.

The three-month-old Chihuahua, being cared for at the Helen Woodward Animal Center, was found by a Center partner with two other puppies and their mother who was struggling to care for them.

At three weeks old Rocky, his siblings and mother were brought to the Center to get medical care. Within a week Rocky’s weight had dropped to less than a pound, but care staff couldn’t figure out what was wrong with him because his tiny frame made his organs hard to see on an X-ray. After being placed on full-time medical foster care with a staff member, he began to heal.

For a month staff member Christina Bartlett fed Rocky with a syringe dozens of times a day, and slept with him on her chest so she would know when he struggled to breathe.

“He’s a very special dog,” stated Bartlett. “He just refuses to let life knock him down. I have no doubt that he will have an amazing life and teach everyone he meets something about never giving up.”

Rocky is now looking for a forever family – hopefully people as strong willed as him. Since he is deaf he will need to be trained with hand commands.

If you would like to adopt Rocky, please contact Helen Woodward Animal Center Adoption Department at: 858-756-4117 ext. 313, visit the Center’s website or stop by at 6461 El Apajo Road in Rancho Santa Fe.

Only 17 women have scored at least 1,000 career points as basketball players at the University of San Diego.

USD senior Malina Hood joined that select group Friday in her team's win over Valpo.

Then against Akron on Saturday, she tallied 16 points to help lead USD to a 86-65 victory.

Apparently it runs in the family because her younger sister Maya wound up with a game-high 23 points against the Zips.

USD is 6-0 and off to the best start in team history.

The USD men's team also beat Drexel 62-59 on Saturday.

It's the first win for the Torreros under new head basketball coach LaMont Smith.

Despite an injury to their starting quarterback, the San Diego State  Aztecs won their regular-season finale 31-14 over Nevada to cap off a perfect run through conference play.

It's the first time the Aztecs football team has finished 8-0 in the Mountain West.

The Aztecs lost signal-caller Maxwell Smith midway through the first quarter.

It happened on a short pass play when he was hit low in the pocket. Smith fell to the ground and clutched his left knee in pain. He had to be helped off the field and did not return.

Smith was replaced by redshirt freshman Christian Chapman, who hails from Carlsbad. Chapman did a good job taking care of the football in relief and the Aztecs didn't miss a beat.

They mainly let their offensive line and running backs do most of the work and Nevada had no answer for the SDSU ground game.

Rashaad Penny scored a 14-yard rushing touchdown by rushing to the left side minutes after Smith was injured to help SDSU take the lead 14-7.

Running back Donnell Pumphrey scored twice - including on a 72 yard touchdown run to eclipse 4,000 rushing yards for his career.

Pumphrey is second only to Marshall Faulk in that category in SDSU history.

He finished the game with 154 yards on 23 carries. 

Chase Price also racked up 114 rushing yards as the Aztecs gashed the Wolfpack on the ground. In all, five different SDSU players combined to carry the rock for a total of 320 yards against Nevada.

San Diego State (9-3, 8-0)  will play the Air Force Academy (which was upset by New Mexico 47-35 Saturday) in the MW Championship game on Saturday, December 5th. The Falcons fell to 8-4 overall after losing to the Lobos on the road in their regular season finale.

At least fourteen deaths have been blamed on a series of storms that brought freezing conditions across the nation's midsection since Thursday, and despite an increase in temperatures on Sunday, the relief was not expected to last long, forecasters said, NBC News reported.

Nebraska, South Dakota, Iowa and Minnesota could see solid swaths of snow, according to Michael Palmer, lead meteorologist at the Weather Channel. Some areas in southern Minnesota could see a foot of snow, Palmer said.

Meanwhile, up to four inches of rain was forecast for Northeastern Texas and central Arkansas Sunday, adding to the threat of flooding in those states.

In Oklahoma, authorities were working to restore power to more than 91,000 after broken, ice-covered tree limbs downed power lines.

Fresh off of a visit to the Syrian refugee camps in Jordan, GOP presidential candidate Dr. Ben Carson came away thinking the United States needs to do more to support the country that is housing thousands of refugees.

"The facilities that have been offered to them [refugees] here in Jordan are very satisfactory. And when I asked them what Americans could do, they said, 'If Americans could support those facilities to a greater degree,' because they have much more capacity here in Jordan," Carson said in an interview via satellite on NBC's "Meet The Press" Sunday.

As for defeating ISIS, he repeated his calls for removing their oil revenue and their ability to move money. 

Despite a lack of evidence, GOP presidential candidate Donald Trump on Sunday kept pushing the claim that he saw cheering from Muslims in New Jersey on September 11, 2001.

Appearing on NBC's "Meet the Press", the Republican frontrunner said, "I saw it. So many people saw it ... So, why would I take it back? I'm not going to take it back."

Asked where he witnessed this, Trump replied, "I saw it on television. I saw clips."

While citing the Washington Post for his assertion there were "tailgate parties" following 9/11, Trump conceded, "We're looking for other articles. And we're looking for other clips. And I wouldn't be surprised if we found them…but for some reason, they're not that easy to come by."

 The enigma that is the 2015 San Diego Chargers continues to confound. The Bolts snapped their 6-game losing skid with a 31-25 win in Jacksonville thanks in large part to the feet of Philip Rivers.

Yes, I said the feet. Not the arm, the feet. In the fourth quarter the Chargers faced a 4th and 7 just inside Jaguars territory. Jacksonville had just scored a TD on a 4th and 7 okay of its own when quarterback Blake Bortles hit tight end Julius Thomas for a 21-yard score to cut the San Diego lead to 24-19.

Perhaps inspired by that success, head Coach Mike McCoy decided to go for it and Rivers, who had 10 rushing yards for the entire season, scrambled for 8 yards, diving out of bounds for a first down to sustain the drive. He finished it with a short touchdown pass to wide receiver Stevie Johnson to put the game away.

It was the final touch on a tremendous day for Rivers, who threw four touchdown passes, two to tight end Antonio Gates and one to wide receiver Dontrelle Inman, without a turnover.

The Bolts took control of the game late in the second quarter when Rivers hit Gates for a 9-yard touchdown. A few plays later linebacker Manti Te'o intercepted Bortles to set the Bolts up at the Jags 22 yard line. Just three plays later Rivers hit Gates again from 12 yards out to put San Diego up 21-9 at halftime.

San Diego's defense gave up its share of yards but played well close to the goal line. The Jaguars got in to the Red Zone three times but only came away with nine points.

Of course, in true Chargers fashion the Jags made it a lot closer than it should have been. A blocked punt with less than two minutes to play set up a Bortles TD pass to wide receiver Allen Robinson to make it 31-25 and give Jags fans hops for a miracle finish but their onside kick attempt was unsuccessful.

Jaguars kicker Jason Myers, a Chula Vista native, made all four of his field goal attempts for the Jaguars.

The Chargers improve to 3-8 while the Jaguars fall to 4-7 on the season.

 At least a dozen people were treated after smoking synthetic marijuana known as 'spice' in downtown San Diego, San Diego Police (SDPD) said. 

The incident happened at 2:52 p.m. on the 1200 block of Imperial Avenue near Petco Park, though the first call came in at 10 a.m., the San Diego Fire-Rescue Department (SDFD) and San Diego Police (SDPD) said. 

The patients were treated after they were suspected of smoking or overdosing on a "bad batch" of the drug, police said. Those officials treated suffered varying symptoms, including collapsing, respiratory distress to seizures and a loss of consciousness.

David Gerboth Battalion Chief, San Diego Fire-Rescue 1:48:00  "We have seen everything from mild status just anxiety, to patients unconscious, actively seizing, having difficulty breathing, that have been in life threatening situations that were transported to local hospitals," said David Gerboth Battalion Chief with SDFD. 

Two patients were taken to the hospital, while others were treated at the scene. Medics at the scene are looking for more patients at the scene. 

"We're still trying to work through this, trying to find out exactly where it's coming from and more importantly get some of it, sample see if we can do a toxicology on it," said Sgt. Edwin Garrette with SDPD. 

Police have not said if the 'spice' came from a singular bag or not. 

The drug, a hallucinogenic, consists of dried plant material sprayed with laboratory-produced cannabinoids and is used as an alternative to smoking marijuana. Synthetic marijuana is popular among teens and young adults and has been linked to altered mental status, increased heart rate and acute kidney injury, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. 

Synthetic marijuana or spice can cause hallucination, psychosis and agitation.

Last week, medics received 13 calls related to spice. This week, they received 20. 

The reports come approximately a week after more than a dozen, the youngest victim 13-years-old, were treated and some taken to the hospital after consuming a tainted batch of 'spice'. 

The SDFD said recent incidents have shown how prevalent spice use is right now across the county. 

No further information was immediately available. 

Refresh this page for updates on this breaking news story. 

A group gathered in downtown to protest the shooting of Lamontez Jones, a 39-year-old man killed by officers in the Gaslamp.

“The last time I checked when somebody murdered somebody they were out in jail,” protester Xaviar McGregor shouted through a bullhorn Saturday night.

“We’re here primarily to raise the cry that Africans are being killed in the streets indiscriminately across this entire country,” McGregor told NBC7. “Here specifically the San Diego Police Department has a very high rate of murder in the streets and we need to address it on a citywide level and so we have to get the community involved."

McGregor said economic development in underprivileged communities is the real issue more than police body cameras, sensitivity training or anything else. “When we see our children in schools failing and budgets being cut…we need to invest in education not building more prisons."

Moments before his death, Lamontez Jones ran into the middle of the street, pulled what appeared to be a large caliber handgun from his backpack and pointed it at the officers, according to police officials. The gun later turned out to be a steel replica.

Officers did not turn on their body cameras before the shooting something Police Chief Shelley Zimmerman defended.

"Things happened so very quickly, I think everyone will understand it's reasonable that officer safety and public safety will take precedence over an officer's ability to record," she said last month in a press conference.

“On October 20th SDPD took the life of Lamontez Jones on this very corner that we’re standing on,” McGregor exclaimed to fellow protesters and passersby.

Authorities say Jones had a history of violence. A suspected armed robber from Virginia, court records showed he pleaded guilty to voluntary manslaughter in the shooting death of his roommate.

“Justice for Lamontez Jones!” they cried in unison.

The protesters made a list of demands, which included the indictment of the officers who shot Jones, the release of the police report, and for local media outlets to revise their stories with the protesters' sources instead of the police.

"This is just another case where a young man was killed, where's there's not enough evidence and the community is really out here crying for more," McGregor said.

Upset over a series of experts' reports commissioned by Cleveland prosecutors that conclude the police shooting of 12-year-old Tamir Rice was justified, attorneys for the boy's family released reports from its own experts that say deadly force shouldn't have been used, NBC News reported.

"We think it is important that the grand jury be given the opportunity to consider the testimony and findings of true experts to explain why this killing was unjustified," attorneys for the Rice family say in a letter to Cuyahoga County Prosecutor Timothy McGinty dated Friday.

The attorneys want their experts to testify before a grand jury deciding whether to bring charges against the officer who shot Tamir. They called the reports that found the shooting justified "utterly biased and deeply flawed" and object to the use of experts' reports in the grand jury proceedings.

 A car that hit a storage unit may have caused some sort of explosion, officials confirmed to NBC7. 

The incident happened at 12:17 p.m. Sunday on the 10100 block of Mission Gorge Road in Santee, San Diego Sheriff's deputies (SDSO) and Heartland Fire officials said. 

Heartland Fire said there was some sort of explosion on scene and they are trying to figure out what happened. They asked Sheriff's officials to assist. 

One patient suffered burns to his back. 

No further information was immediately available. 

Refresh this page for updates on this breaking news story. 

The death of University of Colorado police officer Garrett Swasey is hitting hard for many not just in the world of law enforcement, but also competitive ice skating.

Friend and fellow skater Nancy Kerrigan took to Twitter to offer her condolences, tweeting: "My prayers and love go out to Garretts (sic) entire family. Remembering a wonderful friend and person whom will be greatly missed!"

Two-time Olympian figure skater Michelle Kwan also turned to social media to express grief over the loss of Swasey.

"My heart breaks for #GarrettSwasey - father, police officer, Pastor, skating champ. Pray for his family & end of senseless violence in #US," she tweeted.

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Swasey grew up in Melrose, Massachusetts. The mayor of Melrose, Rob Dolan, graduated with Swasey in 1989. Back then, according to Dolan, if you knew Garrett Swasey, you knew he was big in to ice skating.

"He trained, he was tired and he wanted to be in the Olympics and make a big mark," said Dolan.

His high school yearbook echoed those sentiments, captioning his graduation photo: "Hampton Beach class of 89, watch 96 Olympics. See you there."

Swasey chased his Olympic dream to Colorado Springs, Colorado, where U.S. figure skating is headquartered.

U.S. Figure Skating released a statement saying in part, "the figure skating community mourns the tragic loss of Officer Garrett Swasey, a former U.S. junior ice dance champion. Garrett is remembered as a kind and selfless man who was well liked by friends and competitors alike."

Sawsey even competed at "Nationals" in the early 90s, winning the National Junior Ice Dance title with partner Christine Fowler at the 1992 U.S. National Figure Skating Championship.

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But like for so many, the Olympic dream faded though a love for skating remained. Swasey became a police officer and a leader at his church. It was in those roles at the age of 44 he died a son, husband and a father of two.

Melrose is working to send a few police officers to Swasey's funeral.

 Temperatures in San Diego's deserts are expected to drop as low as 26 degrees Saturday and Sunday night as a second night of chilly temperatures sweeps across the county. 

The National Weather Service (NWS) issued a freeze warning for San Diego late Saturday night through Sunday morning. A freeze watch was also issued for late Sunday night through Monday morning. 

Areas impacted by this freeze warning include the lower deserts, including Borrego Springs, the NWS said, and the region will experience “several hours of sub-freezing temperatures.”

Those temps will likely be between 26 and 32 degrees.

The chilly weather can harm unprotected crops, sensitive plants and pets who are outside, so the NWS said locals should take precaution to protect their crops and bring their pets indoors in a house or barn.

Get weather updates from NBC 7 here, plus track the rain with our interactive radar and map tools.

A bicyclist suffered life-threatening injuries after she was injured in a hit-and-run crash in Escondido late Saturday. 

Escondido Police and Fire responded to the call at Grand Avenue and Broadway around 6:50 p.m. When they arrived, the woman was lying in the eastbound lanes of Grand Avenue, unconscious. 

Police said witnesses and physical evidence at the scene showed the woman had been riding northbound on Broadway when she was hit by a car heading east on Grand Avenue. 

"The car never stopped and fled the scene," Escondido Police Department Officer Stephen Braucht said in a statement. 

The woman was taken to transported to Palomar Hospital with significant, life-threatening injuries at the time. 

A witness may have seen the crash and may have further information involving the car involved, police said. Police initially said the suspect was believed to have been driving a Toyota Corolla. 

The victim's identity is unknown at this time. Traffic Division is investigating.

San Francisco police are investigating why a set of spiked baseball bats were chained to telephone poles around San Francisco on Thanksgiving, which a spokesman said was "very strange."

As many of 27 of these bats, some of which had nails protruding from them, were found in a number of locations around the city, Sgt. Michael Andraychak said.

The bats were discovered throughout Thursday, beginning in the morning. The last one was found at around 4:45 p.m. at 19th Avenue and Buckingham Way, Andraychak said. Gerrie Burke snapped a photo of the odd sight -- a bat attached to a pole meter as if it were a sleeping dog.

"I thought it was someone trying to be sick, then I thought it's an art project," Burke said. "And then I thought maybe they are trying to freak people out."

Andraychak said there are no indications currently of who placed the bats or why. Police are investigating various aspects of what Andraychak described as a "very strange" episode.

Police said possession could be considered a probhibited deadly weapon with a felony charge.

Bay City News contributed to this report.

A man faces criminal charges after police were tipped off to a "foul odor" coming from the basement of an apartment building in Midlothian, Illinois, only to discover his roommate's body hidden in storage, according to police. 

On Friday night, Midlothian police were flagged down by a resident of an apartment building in the 14500 block of Keystone Ave. The resident reported a foul odor from the storage area and escorted police downstairs. 

There, the police found a suitcase inside a storage unit that contained the decomposing body, later identified as Kimberly Putterlik. Her official cause of death is pending the results of a toxicology report, but when officers interviewed her roommate, 23-year-old Alexander Acevedo, he stated that Putterlik died of an overdose on or around Nov. 13. 

Acevedo said he was afraid of calling the police and being kicked out of the apartment, so the following day he placed Putterlik in the suitcase downstairs where authorities found her. 

Acevedo has been charged with concealment of death and obstructing justice.

The El Cajon planning commission will hold a hearing on Tuesday concerning marijuana dispensaries.

The hearing will be at 7 p.m. in the City Council Chambers.

They will discuss how to regulate the dispensaries and marijuana growers within El Cajon, as well as considering amendments to Title 17.

Title 17 explains the prohibition of marijuana dispensaries, its storage, manufacturing and transportation.