While a woman was putting shopping bags in her car outside the La Mesa Walmart, someone stole her purse right out of the cart police said.
It’s a common practice, leaving a purse or valuables in the cart while you put your groceries or other purchases in the vehicle.
When one woman did that Wednesday around 4:50 p.m. in Grossmont Center, two people drove up behind her and robbed her officials said.
A man leaned out of the window of a silver-colored Ford Ranger and grabbed the woman’s. The woman tried to hang on to the purse but the suspect and an unidentified driver drove away on Murray Drive.
Anyone with information can call the La Mesa Police Department (619) 667-1400.
A man arrested for allegedly stealing a motorcycle escaped from custody Wednesday night while using the restroom at a hospital, sheriff’s department officials confirmed.
Suspect Isaac Nachbar, 18, was arrested around 10 p.m. near South Vulcan and Encinitas Boulevard in Encinitas after a deputy spotted Nachbar pushing a motorcycle in the area.
The motorcycle had been reported stolen earlier in the day, and the deputy questioned and arrested Nachbar on suspicion of theft.
Officials say Nachbar was taken to the Encinitas Sheriff’s Station for processing. At the station, he told officials he felt sick so he was transported to Scripps Encinitas Hospital.
Once at the hospital, Nachbar asked to use the restroom. He was accompanied into the bathroom by a deputy.
After Nachbar used the bathroom, the deputy began putting handcuffs back on Nachbar. That’s when officials say the prisoner pulled away from the deputy’s grip and ran out of the hospital’s emergency department.
Officials immediately began searching the area for the escapee using K-9 units and ASTREA and ABLE helicopter assistance, but deputies were unable to locate Nachbar.
On Thursday, officials released a photo of Nachbar and asked anyone with information on his whereabouts to contact the San Diego Sheriff’s Department at (858) 565-5200 or Crime Stoppers at (888) 580-8477.
Just before 7 p.m., the sheriff's department confirmed that Nachbar had been captures and arrested. Deputies say he was taken into custody, again, around 6 p.m. Thursday in Encinitas.
No further details were released.
A Ramona High School student died Wednesday after being hit in the chest with a softball during a P. E. class, officials confirmed.
The teen -- identified as Taylor Dorman by friends, fellow students and Ramona High School principal Tony Newman -- collapsed on a school field after being struck by a ball just before 11:30 a.m.
Dorman developed shortness of breath, then became unresponsive and had seizure-type activity according to the county's medical examiner's office.
Dorman was airlifted to Palomar Hospital where he was admitted to the ICU with an an irregular heartbeat. Officials say doctors discontinued lifesaving measures due to his grim prognosis.
Newman confirmed that Wednesday was the 10th grader's birthday.
"We will definitely review the sport and how that game is, the elements of that and discuss the safety. The safety of our students is our number one priority," said Newman.
On Wednesday night some students gathered at Ramona High School to mourn the sudden loss of their classmate. Students signed a memorial poster for Dorman and placed flowers near the poster.
"We felt it was right to celebrate his birthday the way he would want to. And I just wish he could be here for it," Alex Flynn said.
Friends brought "Happy Birthday" balloons, sang the song and remembered the young man who friends called "an "all-around good guy."
"I gave him a hug this morning. I was walking to class and saw him and said 'Hey Happy Birthday,'" Kaylene Stehlik said.
Principal Newton said losing a student is beyond anything anyone wants to go through.
“He was a fine young man, very well-liked by students on our campus,” said Newton. “It was very tragic and our hearts go out to the family and his friends and his classmates. Our thoughts and our hearts will be with them.”
On Thursday, Ramona High School students tried to get through the school day while coping with the sudden, sad loss of Dorman.
His best friend, Navar Findley, told NBC 7 he will never forget Dorman or the important life lesson they 16-year-old taught him.
“[Taylor told me] 'Enjoy what you’re doing while you’re doing it, and don’t let anybody put you down because it’s better that you be happy than be worried about what other people think about you,'" said Findley.
A memorial fund has been established for Dorman and his family. Those who wish to donate can do so at the Bank of Southern California Ramona branch located at 1315 Main Street by mentioning Sue Kohler, who is Dorman's mother.
Students, friends and family will gather at Ramona High School Thursday night for a candlelight vigil in honor of Dorman. On Friday, a 16th birthday party will be held for the teen at Collier Park.
Last May, an 18-year-old student at Mission Hills High School in San Marcos died suddenly after collapsing in the school gym.
In that instance, senior football star Anthony Vaeao was playing basketball with friends when he fell to the ground. He was rushed to hospital and was pronounced dead a short time later.
In August 2012, a report released by the medical examiner’s office determined Vaeao's cause of death stemmed from a heart problem with other contributing factors.
A shooting involving a 22-year-old East County security guard was staged, according to investigators with the San Diego County Sheriff's Department.
At around 4 a.m. on Friday, Lance Wright, a nightshift supervisor for Bravo Three Security, was on duty when he told deputies that he had been shot at while driving on Highway 67 near Woodside Drive in Santee.
He told deputies that some suspects in a red suburban had allegedly pulled up behind him on the highway and opened fire. Wright said he shot back.
At the time, Wright told officials he was also a victim of another shooting while on duty about a month ago on State Route 67.
On Thursday, after nearly a wekk-long investigation, officials announced that Wright had fabricated the entire shooting story. He admitted to investigators that he actually fired his weapon at his own car and falsely reported the incident as a car-to-car shooting.
Investigators say there was never a suburban on Highway 67 that morning that unexpectedly fired at Wright. During an interview with investigators Wednesday, Wright came clean and admitted to making the whole thing up.
Wright is now facing several felony and misdemeanor charges including negligent discharge of a firearm, planting evidence, filing a false police report and vandalism.
He’s also been fired from his job at Bravo Three Security. His employer says the company is shocked and disappointed by Wright’s actions, and they plan to pursue civil damages.
Wrights employer says the security guard was a well-liked, trusted employee who passed all training, background checks and firearm qualifications without a hitch. That’s what baffles them most about this case.
Sgt. Scott Enyeart of the San Diego County Sheriff’s Department says he’s just as baffled over this bizarre case.
“We don’t get these types of cases very often at all. Security guards are not normally the targets of this type of incident,” he said.
Sgt. Enyeart said the motive for Wright's elaborate shooting hoax is unknown.
Investigators say the only excuse Wright gave to deputies was that “he was looking for a way out of the security business.”
Investigators say they’re now looking into the other shooting reported by Wright back in February to see if that incident was also fabricated.
This case will now be submitted to the District Attorney’s office for review.
The San Diego County Sheriff’s Department is searching for an unknown man accused of posing as a law enforcement officer during a home invasion robbery in Spring Valley.
At around 11:50 a.m. on Thursday, a resident in the 10000 block of Sierra Madre called 911 to report that he had allegedly been robbed at gunpoint inside his home.
Deputies say an unknown suspect identified himself as a law enforcement officer in order to gain access to the victim’s home.
Once inside, the suspect pointed a gun at the resident and demanded marijuana from him. The victim gave the armed man an unknown amount of marijuana and the suspect fled the scene in a black sedan.
The victim’s adult daughter was also in the house during the robbery. Deputies said neither she nor the victim were injured.
Investigators describe the suspect as a black man, approximately 35 years old with tightly cropped, black hair. He was clean shaven and had a stocky build.
Investigators say the man was wearing all black clothing and some sort of fake badge around his neck at the time of the armed home invasion robbery.
As of Thursday night, he remains at large.
Anyone with information on this case is asked to call Crime Stoppers at (888) 580-8477. Tipsters can remain anonymous when providing information to officials.
The California Department of Education (CDE) has just announced its annual list of California Distinguished Schools and many schools in San Diego made the cut.
A total of 19 local high schools, middle schools and specialty schools rank among the 218 schools recognized by the CDE’s 2013 California Distinguished School Awards Program.
According to the CDE, the schools are chosen based on academic performance and closing the “achievement gap” among student subgroups.
The California Distinguished School Award honors schools that have demonstrated educational excellence for all students, regardless of their background.
In San Diego County, the following middle, high and specialty schools made the 2013 list of Distinguished Schools:
• Classical Academy (Escondido)
• Granite Hills High School (El Cajon)
• Grossmont High School (El Cajon)
• Eastlake High School (Chula Vista)
• Valley Center High School (Chula Vista)
• Del Norte High School (4S Ranch)
• Health Sciences High School (San Diego)
• Kearny International Business School (San Diego)
• EJE Middle Academy (El Cajon)
• Parkway Middle School (La Mesa)
• Aviara Oaks Middle School (Carlsbad)
• Olive Pierce Middle School (Ramona)
• Carmel Valley Middle School (San Diego)
• Bonita Vista Middle School (Chula Vista)
• Eastlake Middle School (Chula Vista)
• Earl Warren Middle School (Solana Beach)
• Mount Everest Academy (San Diego)
• Guajome Park Academy (Vista)
• School for Integrated Academics and Technology (Vista)
This year, middle and high schools were recognized. Elementary schools are recognized during alternate years.
Each school will be presented with a 2013 Distinguished School plaque and flag, according to the CDE.
For more information about the California Distinguished School Awards Program, visit this website.
One person was killed and another was injured in a shooting in City Heights Thursday afternoon, police confirmed.
Police officers rushed to the 4000 block of 39th Street and University Avenue at around 2:45 p.m. to investigate reports of shots fired near a neighborhood alley. News helicopter video showed more than a dozen officers investigating the residential area.
SDPD Lt. Kevin Mayer said one person was killed in the shooting, and homicide detectives are now investigating the deadly incident.
Detectives say the shooting happened after two victims got into some sort of physical fight with two suspects in a west alley on 39th Street.
Detectives say the victims were standing in the alley when two suspects pulled up in a car, got out and started physically fighting with the victims, shooting them multiple times.
Police say the shooting suspects then fled the scene in a truck that was last seen driving towards El Cajon Boulevard.
The victims have not been identified by name just yet. Police have not released suspect or vehicle descriptions at this point.
Officers say the shooting may be gang-related, but that is still under investigation. SDPD gang unit detectives were at the scene Thursday afternoon along with officers.
Neighbors told NBC 7 the neighborhood has its share of gang activity.
Local Jesus Sandoval grew up in the City Heights neighborhood. Sandoval used to be in a gang, but is now a pastor at New Harvest Church.
He says the mentally of those involved in gangs is a dangerous one that often costs lives.
“They’re shooting at each other. They’re part of a gang culture and to them, that’s their family, that’s all they know. It’s like war. A street war and we’re just trying to bring peace and promote change,” Pastor Sandoval told NBC 7.
Check back for updates in this developing story.
Three teenage boys are under arrest, facing possible charges in connection with what police say was the sexual assault of a 15-year-old female California high school student.
Attorney Robert Allard, who represents the girl’s family, says the teen committed suicide after photos of the alleged attack at Saratoga High School in Saratoga were published online.
“Based on what we know, she was unconscious, there were multiple boys in the room with her,” Allard said. “They did unimaginable things to her while she was unconscious.”
On Sept. 10, 2012, eight days after the alleged assault, the girl, Audrie Pott, committed suicide.
We don’t normally identify victims of sexual assault or suicide, but have used the girl’s name in this report with her parents’ permission. They are hoping the story will help prevent something like this from every happening to anyone else.
The family’s attorney says the girl took her life after learning that her attackers took photos during the assault, and then published them online and showed them around school.
Allard said, in the days that followed the attack, the girl wrote on her Facebook page, “The whole school knows…. My life is ruined.”
The Santa Clara District Attorney’s Office would not comment on the case because the suspects are minors.
The sheriff’s department tells NBC Bay Area all three boys are 16 years old and were arrested on charges of sexual battery on Thursday. Two of them were arrested on the Saratoga High School campus Thursday morning and the third was arrested in Gilroy. 
Allard says two of the boys are students at Saratoga High School and the third is a student at Christopher High School in Gilroy.
All three are being held at Juvenile Hall until a detention hearing on Monday or Tuesday, but as of yet, have not been charged with a crime.
The girl’s parents, who didn’t find out about the attack until after their daughter’s death, want the boys prosecuted as adults.
“What these boys did is beyond unconscionable,” Allard said. “They should be held to the highest standard of the law to make sure this never ever happens again.”
Federal investigators spent hours at the Cardinal Coach company's Texas headquarters Thursday night, hours after a bus crash outside Dallas killed two people and injured 40.
Investigators combed through evidence like maintenance records and log books. They could return to the Grand Prairie office several times over the next few weeks.
As the bus was towed away from the scene in nearby Irving, the video clearly showed one tire that was blown out. Some passengers told NBC 5 Dallas-Fort Worth they heard a loud popping sound before impact. That could have been a tire blowout.
"We've heard stories passengers heard a loud pop so we will be looking at tire safety and looking at the equipment on the bus itself," said former Department of Transportation official Brigham McCown.
But others passengers said they did not hear or see anything wrong in the seconds before the crash.
The bus driver, Loyd Reive, has been working as a commercial driver for nearly 20 years, according to his family.
NBC 5 dug through court records and discovered Reive was behind the wheel in a deadly bus crash in 2001. He swerved around an accident on I-35 and struck and killed a Good Samaritan who was trying to help victims. A grand jury chose not to indict him.
Reive remains in the intensive care unit at Parkland Memorial Hospital in Dallas.
Calls and messages to Cardinal Coach have not been returned.
Passengers Injured, Organizer Killed
Casino trip organizer Sue Taylor, 81, of Hurst, and Paula Hahn, 69, of Fort Worth, died in Thursday's crash, the Texas Department of Public Safety said.
Family friends described Taylor, who went by the name "Casino Sue," as a "firecracker" of a woman.
"We're devastated," Janet Denham said.
Her friends said Taylor often planned casino trips and would entertain her guests with games during the road trips. Her daughter told NBC 5 that her mother had been organizing the trips for 10 years.
Information from area hospitals had 13 patients still receiving treatment at Parkland, three at Baylor Irving, one at Baylor Dallas, and one at Methodist. All patients were treated and released at the UT Southwester St. Paul Medical Center. Las Colinas Medical Center did not respond to calls for updates on the seven patients transported there.
Dan Risik, who spoke with NBC 5 both from the scene of the crash and later from his home, said he felt "very lucky" to be alive after the crash.
"After hearing what I've heard and seeing what I've seen in person, I feel extremely fortunate to be virtually injury-free -- a few scrapes, whatever," Risik said. "Other than that, I feel very lucky."
Deadly Texas Bus Crash Coincides with Safety Crackdown
Thursday's deadly crash happened in the middle of an aggressive push by federal regulators to shutter unscrupulous carriers and ramp up safety inspections.
The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration has shut down more than a dozen private bus companies — nearly half of which it deemed "imminent hazards" — over the past couple months. Last week, the agency announced it was deploying a team of more than 50 safety investigators throughout the country to conduct a wider examination of "higher risk" carriers, including many small charter operations. The FMCSA also asked local police to join the crackdown by boosting traffic enforcement.
The inspection teams headed out into the field on April 1, with orders to target 250 companies with lackluster safety records, according to the American Bus Association, a trade group whose officials were briefed by federal authorities.
Among the carriers already shut down by the FMCSA was Fung Wah, a popular discount bus service between New York City and Boston that had a history of crashes and safety violations.
It's not clear whether the owner of the bus that wrecked Thursday, Cardinal Coach Line, would have been targeted in the crackdown had the crash not happened. According to FMCSA's online record system, Cardinal Coach Line was given a "satisfactory" safety rating in 2009. In the past two years, none of the company's five buses has been in a crash, the records say. But the company's two inspections over that period found violations that resulted in putting a bus and/or or a driver out of service.
Read more on the federal bus safety crackdown here.
A mountain lion was tranquilized and captured after being spotted in a developed, residential area of northern Glendale Thursday, more than a mile from the animals' typical foothill habitat.
A resident called Glendale police at about 1:30 p.m. to report a mountain lion spotted in the backyard of a home in the 4500 block of New York Avenue, near New York Park, Police Sgt. Tom Lorenz said.
A nearby homeowner who called NBC4 said the mountain lion was seen on a neighbor's front porch. An initial sighting was reported at noon.
"There he was, just looking at me," said homeowner John Yankowsky, who saw the cougar through a sliding glass door.
Yankowsky's dog rushed to the door and barked uncontrollably. His owner called 911.
The area where the cat was spotted in a couple of blocks from Clark Magnet High School, an 1,100-student campus. The principal there said the school had been on "reverse lockdown," meaning doors were kept closed till classes ended at 3 p.m.
Video from the scene had shown the big cat leaping powerfully over a white fence in a home's yard, and aerial video showed the animal later strolling cautiously across the grass of another home, as seen below at right.
The lion then apparently hid under the deck of a home on Fairmount Avenue at New York Avenue (map).
It crawled under the home and was tranquilized and then moved into a pickup truck by California Department of Fish and Wildlife wardens just before 4 p.m.
As the limp animal was laid into the truck's bed, as shown below, dozens of area residents, police and media surrounded the vehicle and snapped photos.
Wardens said the big cat was a 125-pound male that was tranquilized three times before it was subdued.
He was moved away from the crowd to the parking lot of Clark Magnet for assessment before the animal was set to be returned to the mountains of the Angeles National Forest.
The mountain lion population in California is relatively high and are often found in foothills and mountains. Attacks on humans are rare, with only 16 verified attacks in California since 1890, according to the state.
They tend to avoid humans, but are often found wherever deer -- their favored prey -- are found.
Police in Connecticut are looking for a mother seen tossing her baby on a city bus in an alarming video posted on YouTube.
The disturbance happened on a bus Wednesday morning along Albany Avenue in Hartford, according to officials.
For several minutes, the mother sat, with her baby on her lap, and screamed at a woman a few seats up and passengers recorded it on their cell phones.
Seconds later, the situation grew more heated.
The mother tossed her baby into the people sitting across from her, then ran down the aisle and got into a fight with that woman she had been arguing with. The video also shows the baby holding her ears throughout the ordeal.
NBC Connecticut showed the video to people who ride the bus and live in the area around Albany Avenue and they were appalled.
"It's alarming, especially being parents. You think we would have more control, especially in a public place,” Gary Williams said.
In addition to YouTube, the video has been posted on Facebook.
“It’s really looking bad for Hartford," Ebony Mitchell said. "You got a kid, that's the first thing you got to think about.”
Hartford police and Connecticut Transit are investigating.
The bus company told NBC Connecticut the driver did everything right and stopped the bus right when the fight got physical.
Police said the mother and the baby walked off the bus seconds later.
Students from Ramona High School came together on campus Thursday night to mourn the sudden loss of beloved fellow student, Taylor Dorman, 16.
Dorman died on Wednesday – which was his 16th birthday -- after being accidentally hit in the chest with a softball during a game of “over-the-line” in P.E. class.
Ramona High School principal Tony Newman said the teen collapsed on a school field following the incident. He was airlifted to the hospital, where he died a few hours later.
According to a report released by the county medical examiner’s office, Dorman developed shortness of breath following the hit to the chest and “became unresponsive and had seizure-type activity.” Despite aggressive cardiac life support efforts to save Dorman’s life, the teen succumbed to his injuries.
On Thursday, the mood was somber on the Ramona High School campus as students tried to come to terms with Dorman’s unexpected death.
During the school day, his friends shared fond memories of Dorman with NBC 7, remembering what a great person he was and saying how much he will be missed.
His best friend, Navar Findley, told NBC 7 he will never forget Dorman or the important life lesson the teen taught him.
“[Taylor told me] 'Enjoy what you’re doing while you’re doing it, and don’t let anybody put you down because it’s better that you be happy than be worried about what other people think about you,'" said Findley.
Principal Newman, who’s been in communication with Dorman’s family, handed out a letter to students Thursday during the school day inviting them to take part in a vigil on campus later that night organized by Dorman's loved ones.
The letter said Dorman’s family, friends and classmates would be holding a candlelight vigil in front of Ramona High School on Hanson Lane starting at 7:15 p.m.
Dozens of people showed up to remember Dorman, including the teen's mother, Sue Kohler.
Kohler told NBC 7 that the county medical examiner had told her that her son had an enlarged heart at the time of his death, which could have contributed to his sudden passing.
Loved ones will continue honoring Dorman's life and spirit Friday evening with a special birthday party at Collier Park on East Street in Ramona, according to Newman’s letter.
A memorial fund has been established for Dorman and his family. Those who wish to donate can do so at the Bank of Southern California Ramona branch located at 1315 Main Street by mentioning Dorman's mother, Sue Kohler.
A “saggy pants” crackdown could begin any day now in a Louisiana city.
The Terrebonne Parish Council passed an ordinance that prohibits people from wearing pants that hang below the waist in public, exposing underwear or skin, WGNO.com reported.
Violators of the ordinance would face a $50 fine on the first offense, even community service for repeatedly letting their pants hang low.
The council members voted Wednesday night 8-to-1, WWLTV.com reported. It now goes to Parish President Michel Claudet, who is expected to sign it into law.
Terrebonne Parish Councilwoman Beryl Amedee was the only member who voted against the ordinance, claiming it violates Americans’ constitutional right to free expression.
Similar "saggy pants" bans have been adopted in six Louisiana cities and parishes, as well as other cities, including Hawkinsville, Ga. and Cocoa, Fla.
The mother of a boy killed in the Sandy Hook Elementary School massacre will deliver the president's weekly address this week, the White House said.
Francine Wheeler, whose 6-year-old son, Ben, was killed along with 19 other first-graders and six educators in Newtown, Conn. on Dec. 14, will give the remarks, White House spokesman Jay Carney said Friday.
Carney said it would be the first time anyone other than Obama or Biden has given the address during the administration.
Carney said Obama has been in regular contact with many of the Newtown families this week and "believes their voices and resolve" have been critical to lobbying efforts for gun control in the Senate.
The Senate rejected an effort by conservatives on Thursday to block debate on Democrats' gun control legislation, which is backed by Obama. Next week the Senate will consider a proposal to expand federal background checks to gun shows and online firearm sales.
Wheeler said in a statement that she was "honored" for the opportunity.
"We were grateful this week to be able to speak directly to senators about our children and our hopes that no other parent should have to experience our grief," she said. "I am equally grateful today to speak directly to the American people about the common sense solutions that are currently under debate."
