Community groups are asking the federal government to step in and investigate alleged misconduct by the San Diego Police Department when it comes to confrontations with mentally ill suspects.

In a letter sent to the U.S. Department of Justice and the U.S. Attorney’s Office, the ACLU of San Diego and Imperial Counties and more than two dozen other community groups offer a series of incidents as evidence of what they call “a pattern or practice of violating the fundamental rights of people with mental illness or experiencing a mental health crisis.”

The incidents include deadly confrontations involving Bradford Sarten in April 2010, Ja Ma Lo Day in July 2014, Nathan Manning in May 2010 and Fridoon Rawshan Nehad in April 2015.

“The incidents suggest that the SDPD has made an insufficient effort to supply necessary training and resources for responding to matters involving the mentally ill,” the letter states.

Read the entire letter here.

On April 26, 2010, 55-year-old Bradford Sarten of North Park was shot and killed in a confrontation with police on Alabama Street.

Sarten was diagnosed as mentally ill in the 1980s and had been committed several times, the family told the San Diego Union-Tribune after the shooting.

The shooting took place at 11 a.m. after officers said they were called to evaluate Sarten’s mental health, the paper reported.

Officers told NBC 7 Sarten was shot when he tried to attack them with a knife.

Approximately a month later, SDPD Detective Edward Jones was involved in the deadly shooting of 31-year-old Nathan Manning.

Officials said Jones tried to break up a fight between Manning and his roommate outside their apartment on Adams Avenue and Hawley Boulevard on May 27, 2010.

Investigators told NBC 7 that Jones shot and killed Manning after Manning attacked him.The DA's Office ruled the shooting was justifiable.

Manning's brother told the San Diego Union-Tribune that Nathan had been diagnosed with bipolar disorder at 17.

Ja Ma Lo Day was a refugee from Burma who settled in San Diego six years before his death.

On July 14, 2014, the 21-year-old man made threats to kill police officers and swung a machete at an officer, investigators told NBC 7. Two officers opened fire, killing Day.

The deadly confrontation occurred just after 10 p.m. in the City Heights neighborhood of Menlo Avenue near Landis Street.

A family member told NBC 7 Day had his share of troubles including previous arrests, drug use and mental issues.

On April 30, 2015, San Diego Police Department Officer Neal Browder, a 27-year veteran cop, shot and killed unarmed Fridoon Rashawn Nehad, 42, in San Diego's Midway District.

Nehad suffered from a long struggle with post-traumatic stress disorder and was diagnosed with schizophrenia and bipolar disorder.

San Diego County District Attorney Bonnie Dumanis decided Browder will not face criminal charges in the deadly shooting.

Meanwhile, Nehad’s family has filed a $20 million claim against the City of San Diego in connection with the killing of their loved one. The FBI and U.S. Department of Justice have also launched an investigation into the shooting.

Check back for updates on this developing story.

A couple aboard a flight from Seoul, South Korea tried to smuggle nearly $5 million in counterfeit cash into the U.S., officials said, NBC News reported.

U.S. Customs and Border Protection found 93 bundles of counterfeit U.S. $100 bills and 32 bundles of counterfeit Vietnamese dong in the pair's luggage upon their arrival at Detroit Metropolitan Airport on Friday.

The $4.65 million in so-called "Hell Money," currency printed on joss paper and burned as an offering to the dead in some Asian cultures, was recovered and seized by Homeland Secuirty Investigations and the U.S. Secret Service.

Iraq is searching for potentially deadly radioactive material that was stolen late last year, officials said.

The material was contained in an industrial radiography device that vanished in November, the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) told NBC News on Wednesday.

The IAEA said the missing "Ir-192 radioactive source in a shielding container" was classified as a Category 2 radioactive substance that, if not managed properly, could be fatal to someone exposed for a period of hours to days.

Its disappearance has raised fears the material could fall into the hands of ISIS fighters who control parts of the country.

Donald Trump acknowledged during MSNBC's town hall event on Wednesday that he shares a key similarity with Bernie Sanders, the Democratic presidential contender he has previously called a maniac.

"Morning Joe" co-host Mika Brzezinski had asked Trump who she was describing when she talked about a political outsider who tapped into voter anger, delivered a populist message before thousands at rallies, argued for hedge funders to pay more in taxes and called for health care for everyone.

"You're describing Donald Trump," the Republican presidential candidate said.

"Actually, I was describing Bernie Sanders," Brzezinski said.

Trump agreed that "there's one thing we're very similar in: He knows our country is being ripped off big league — big league — on trade."

But Trump said Sanders' problem is that "he can't do anything about it."

He added that he'd rather run against Hillary Clinton "just because I'd love to beat Hillary."

Police are looking for the man who struck a bicyclist returning from a memorial for a boy killed in a bicycle crash.

The collision happened at 6:31 p.m. Wednesday at 52nd Street and El Cajon near San Diego's Talmadge neighborhood just east of Interstate 15, SDPD said. 

Omar Avila, 23, identified by friends at the scene, was riding home from the memorial for 13-year-old Jose Hernandez, killed as he rode his bike down a San Diego street with friends and hit a curb, sending him flying. Hernandez died at the scene from massive head trauma. 

Avila was heading westbound on El Cajon with his friend Jose Bautista when a Toyota FJ Cruiser made a left turn in front of them, Bautista said.

"He clearly saw us, he still took it (the turn). He almost took me out; I had enough time to get away," Bautista said. "As soon as I heard the impact, I knew it was just going to go downhill."

Bautista was able to divert right and bypass the car, he said, but his friend clipped the back passenger side of the car as it turned in front of him. They were passing through a green light and had the right-of-way, Bautista said. 

Bautista says he wishes cars would be able to share the road with bicyclists and others to prevent situations like these. 

"I come back to that certain situation and its just really sad how drivers just have no care for pedestrians, cyclists, people," Bautista said. "Just because you have a car doesn’t mean you own the road. You still have to watch out for a lot of other people."

Avila suffered some fractured ribs and head lacerations and was taken to an unknown hospital, though the extent or severity of his injuries is unknown, police said. His injuries are not considered life-threatening. The front fork on his bike is damaged. 

As for the man who hurt his friend and fled, Bautista said he just wants justice. 

"The guy knew what he was doing and he still fled. I just hope he gets caught," he said.

The suspect car is described as a blue and white Toyota SUV last seen heading eastbound on Monroe. The car may have a broken window or other damage on its back passenger side, police said. The driver faces felony hit-and-run charges. 

No further information was immediately available.

Less than two weeks after Marilyn Hartman was granted freedom to transfer out of a high-security locked psychiatric facility, the so-called "serial stowaway" was ordered held on $200,000 bond following another airport arrest.

Hartman was arrested on trespassing charges around 2:30 p.m. Wednesday when her electronic monitoring bracelet alerted authorities she had violated one of the restrictions placed on her new living guidelines. She had been ordered to stay away from Chicago's O'Hare and Midway airports, Union Station and the Greyhound Bus stops.

The 64-year-old was found at O'Hare's bus shuttle center and placed in custody. She appeared in bond court at 9 a.m. Thursday, where she was formally charged with felony probation violation and misdemeanor criminal trespass.

"As soon as she is given freedom of movement, she goes back," assistant state's attorney Jeff Allen said Thursday. "Her history is, once she's released she goes back."

Following a series of bizarre episodes at O’Hare and Midway airports last year, Hartman spent at least 145 days at Cook County Jail. She was later sentenced to mental health probation with a caveat that she must stay away from so-called "exclusion zones."

At a Feb. 4 hearing, Cook County Judge William Raines agreed to relax restrictions on Hartman’s mental health confinement, allowing her transfer from the locked mental health nursing facility on Chicago's West Side, where she had been living since December, to another facility where she would be allowed to come and go as she pleased. Raines hoped it would help Hartman to get to a place where she could begin a migration back into the community.

In granting her conditional release, Raines warned Hartman that "a lot of time and energy" had been spent on making sure she got the help she needed, and he advised her to follow the court's instructions, otherwised they would be forced to send her to jail.

“Clients who are in treatment they have relapses," said Parle Roe-Taylor, Hartman's attorney. "And we have to make sure they are getting the right treatment along the way.”

Taylor noted that Hartman's arrest has been difficult, but that officials believe she is making progress.

"This is a difficult time for her, especially having no family available who comes, who's here for her,” he said. 

Hartman has tried to get past security at Chicago's O'Hare Airport numerous times, most recently in July of last year.

Hartman also has had several run-ins at San Francisco International Airport and Mineta San Jose International Airport, where she once successfully slipped past security and boarded a Southwest Airlines flight to Los Angeles in 2014. San Mateo County authorities ordered Hartman, who was homeless, to a residential mental health program instead of jail in order to afford her a place to live and a way to access services, but she left there within a week. Her illegal airport escapades have also occurred in Los Angeles, Phoenix and Florida.

Last month in Chicago, Hartman told NBC5 Investigates that she wanted nothing more than to stop the transient life she has led for the last decade. Hartman said at the time she hoped to use her newfound freedom to make frequent use of a nearby library, or perhaps take computer training courses at Truman College.

"I prefer never to see you again," Raines told Hartman in last month's hearing. "People are trying to help you ... I’m not trying to be your dad. I’m doing everything in my power to keep you out of jail."

Now, it appears that warning was prophetic. She could face up to a year in jail.

Two veteran Los Angeles police officers accused of sexually assaulting four women were scheduled to be arraigned Thursday on charges that could result in life prison terms.

James Christopher Nichols, 44, and Luis Gustavo Valenzuela, 43, who worked as partners in the LAPD's Hollywood Division, are scheduled to appear at the downtown criminal courts building Thursday afternoon to enter pleas.

Nichols, a 15-year LAPD veteran, is charged with five counts each of forcible rape and rape by threat to arrest or deport and one count each of forcible oral copulation, oral copulation under color of authority, attempted  forcible oral copulation, attempted oral copulation under color of authority and sexual battery.

He was arrested about 9:15 a.m. Wednesday by detectives from the department's elite Robbery Homicide division and was being held in lieu of $3.835 million in bail, according to LA County jail records.

Valenzuela, who has been with the department for 18 years, is charged with three counts each of forcible rape and rape by threat to arrest or deport and one count each of forcible oral copulation, oral copulation under color of  authority, attempted forcible oral copulation, attempted oral copulation under color of authority, assault with a firearm and sexual battery.

He was nabbed at 5:50 a.m. Wednesday, also by Robbery Homicide detectives, and was being held in lieu of $3.765 million in bail.

The charges stem from a series of alleged attacks on four women between 19 and 34 years old beginning in December 2008, after the two officers became partners, and continuing through March 2011 at various locations, including in their police vehicle, according to prosecutors.

All four of the women were arrested at various times by the officers in connection with narcotics-related offenses, and most of the alleged assaults occurred while the officers were on duty, according to the District Attorney's  Office.

Nichols and Valenzuela could face up to life in state prison if convicted of the charges.

According to the LAPD, both officers have been "relieved from duty" without pay but are still with the department.

"I will say again, any officer that abuses the public's trust is not welcome in the LAPD and we will continue vigorously investigating officers accused of alleged crimes and cooperate fully with the District Attorney's Office," Chief Charlie Beck said.

Information on attorneys for Nichols and Valenzuela was not immediately available.

City News Service contributed to this report.

Four people were killed during a special-forces raid at a charity-run hospital in Afghanistan on Wednesday night, according to government and army officials.

An Afghan special forces source told NBC News that fighters opened fire on troops during a raid targeting a Taliban commander who was receiving treatment at the clinic in the Day Mirdad district of Wardak province. The target was later arrested.

The Swedish Committee of Afghanistan — the non-governmental aid group which runs the medical center — said special forces troops searched the facility and arrested two injured patients as well as a caretaker for the patients, and took them out and shot them." The group said it was aware of a fourth death nearby.

The Swedish Committee declined to say whether those killed in the operation were Taliban fighters and condemned the raid in the "strongest terms".
 

Investors are combing over a wildlife refuge in Oregon, which was recently occupied by protestors until Feb. 11, and has turned up human waste, rotting food, firearms and explosives, prompting federal prosecutors to express concern over the land that could contain Native American artifacts, NBC News reported.

Trenches were also dug at the Malheur National Wildlife Refuge that is considered "a particularly sensitive cultural site," according to U.S. Assistant Attorneys Ethan Knight and Geoffrey Barrow. The FBI is concerned that some of the buildings or vehicles may be booby-trapped, prosectors said in court documents.

Ammon Bundy — a rancher who led the armed occupation of the refuge on Jan. 2. — in statement released by his attorneys Wednesday claimed that, when he was there, the occupiers cleaned up some buildings.
 

Toyota Motor is recalling 2.87 million vehicles due to a safety issue with the seat belts, the company announced Thursday.

The recall affects the RAV4 model produced from July 2005-August 2014 and sold worldwide, and models of the Vanguard SUV (October 2005-January 2016) sold in Japan.

Toyota said that the voluntary recall is due to faulty seat belts, where a metal part could shear off and slice through the seat belt in a crash. The company plans to add a resin cover to the metal framework of the belts.
 

Federal agents on Thursday morning served a search warrant at a Corona, California, home connected to the brother of Syed Farook, a shooter in the San Bernardino massacre.

FBI officials would not discuss the nature of the search, only saying federal agents were there seeking "evidence in an ongoing investigation." They seized a computer tower, envelopes and folders.

A Toyota SUV and a Lexus sedan belonging to Farook's brother and mother were also searched in the driveway.

No arrests were made, according to Laura Eimiller of the FBI.

"He's a very nice gentleman, very nice family, wonderful kid," neighbor Stacy Mozer said about Farook's brother. "I just know that, hopefully that if they know something they can pass it on because there's no reason that they should have to suffer what someone else did in the family that was wrong."

A federal judge earlier this week ordered Apple to give investigators access to encrypted data on the iPhone used by Farook, but the tech giant is pushing back.

Apple CEO Tim Cook said Wednesday the company will resist the order. Cook asserted such a move would undermine encryption by creating a backdoor that could potentially be used on future devices.

The ruling comes after 10 failed password attempts caused the device to automatically erase all of the phone's contents, which the FBI said were critical. The iPhone found in the couple’s car belonged to Farook and was given to him by his former employer.

Fourteen people were killed and 22 others were wounded when Farook and his wife, Tashfeen Malik, opened fire at a holiday party at the Inland Regional Center in San Bernardino last December.

Tony Shin contributed to this report.

TV reality-star Big Ang died in the early hours of Thursday at a hospital in Brooklyn after a yearlong battle with stage 4 brain and lung cancer.

"Mob Wives" producer Jennifer Fraziano said the 55-year-old, whose real name is Angela Raiola, died surrounded by family and friends.

Raiola's friend Vinne Medugno posted a message to fans on her official Twitter account, informing them of her death.

"It is with sad regret that we inform you that at 3:01 a.m. Angela Raiola peacefully ended her battle with cancer, and was called home," the message reads. "She was surrounded by nothing but love from her immediate family, and closest friends. YOU, (Her fans) were some of the most special people in the world, and she loved you immensely."

Late Wednesday evening reports that Raiola had died circulated on social media, prompting Medugno to clarify in a Twitter post that Big Ange was still alive, fighting and "in the hospital surrounded by her loved ones."

The mother of two and grandmother of six had undergone several surgeries since she was diagnosed last March with throat and lung cancer. 

In a teaful interview on "The Dr. Oz Show" last month, Raiola said her family was her reason to keep fighting. 

"I look at my kids and my grandchildren and I know how much they need me," Raiola told Dr. Mehmet Oz, host of the syndicated TV series.

The native New Yorker's hair, once long and dark, was pale and cut close-shaven in anticipation to losing it to chemo.

Raiola was the niece of the late Salvatore "Sally Dogs" Lombardi, who was a reputed captain of the Genovese crime family.

After gaining celebrity on "Mob Wives," Raiola got her own spinoff series, "Big Ang" and "Miami Monkey."

To ease persistent traffic congestion in the South Bay, county officials on Wednesday unveiled plans for new rapid transit buses connecting Otay Mesa to downtown San Diego.

Construction begins this year on the $113 million transportation project; service is expected to start sometime in 2018.

The new MTS South Bay Rapid buses will run from the Otay Mesa Port of Entry and will have limited stops before arriving in downtown San Diego. The commute is estimated at 20-25 minutes.

The buses will stop in Chula Vista and National City along Interstate 5 before arriving near the Santa Fe Depot in downtown.

Rapid buses have already eased travel for many commuters in the North County, connecting them to downtown with limited stops.

San Diego County Supervisor Greg Cox said he hopes the new buses will alleviate the infamous freeway and highway congestion in the South Bay.

“We have a terrible problem in South County,” he said Wednesday. “There are 85,000 cars a day on Interstate 805, SR-125.”

Cox called the South Bay Rapid a “critical link.”

 Marco Rubio’s campaign is firing back at Ted Cruz over a new website that includes a Photoshopped image of the Florida senator appearing to shake the hand of President Obama, NBC News reported.

"This is not Marco Rubio. This person — we don't know who that is — but they photoshopped Marco's face onto somebody else. This is how phony and how deceitful the Cruz campaign has become," Todd Harris, messaging strategist for Rubio, told a gaggle of reporters Thursday.

The website, TheRealRubioRecord.com, says it is "Paid for by Cruz for President," and it depicts Rubio's record on immigration, the Environmental Protection Agency, sugar subsidies and the Trans-Pacific Partnership. It also labels Rubio "The Republican Obama."

Nearly four months after it was first detected, officials announced Thursday a leak of natural gas from a Southern California Gas Co. storage well in Porter Ranch has been permanently capped.

The utility temporarily stopped the leak last week by building a relief well more than 8,600 feet long and was injecting cement into the faulty well at the Aliso Canyon Storage Facility for a permanent cap.

Local, state and utility officials made the announcement at a press conference on Thursday.

"We have good news," said Jason Marshall, chief deputy director of the California Department of Conservation Division of Oil, Gas and GeoThermal Resources. "The leak in Aliso Canyon storage field is permanently sealed."

Final tests on the integrity of the cement cap were completed late Wednesday and air quality in the area has returned to normal levels, said Marshall, noting the California Air Resources Board and South Coast Air Quality Management District had also confirmed the flow of gas had stopped.

Thousands of families who relocated to temporary housing to get away from the noxious smell will have eight days to move back. People living in temporary housing with extended leases will have until those leases run out to return home.

"While the leak has been stopped and the well permanently sealed, we have much work to do, partnering with state and local agencies to help the local community and impacted residents return to normal," said Dennis V. Arriola, chairman, president and CEO of SoCalGas.

Arriola added that the utility started inspection of the other wells at Aliso Canyon to verify those could be operated safely in the future and that operations will shift to determining the cause of the leak.

The blowout at the largest natural gas-storage facility in the West was first detected on Oct. 23, and has spewed more than 2 million tons of climate-changing methane.

Residents have complained of headaches, nausea, nosebleeds and other symptoms. Public health officials blame the woes on an odorant added to the gas and said there shouldn't be long-term health problems.

Governor Jerry Brown has declared a state of emergency because of the leak, and SoCalGas is facing nearly a dozen lawsuits from regulators, residents and the city.

On Wednesday, SoCalGas pleaded not guilty to misdemeanor charges involving reporting of the leak to authorities and discharging contaminants into the air.

The company is charged with three counts of failing to report the release of hazardous materials from Oct. 23 to Oct. 26, and one count of discharging air contaminants, beginning Oct. 23 and continuing for the duration of the leak.

"We do not believe a criminal prosecution is warranted here," said SoCalGas spokesman Mike Mizrahi. "We will look forward to presenting our evidence to the district attorney through the legal proceedings."

Meanwhile, Mayor Eric Garcetti said the city's Emergency Management Department will open an office in the Porter Ranch area to offer residents such information as potential refunds for city services, updates from the county assessor about possible impacts on tax bills, disaster relief for businesses and access to mental health services.

"Stopping the leak is only the first stage of recovery,'' Garcetti said. "Thousands of lives were upended by this disaster -- and the city of Los Angeles is here to help people return to their homes, start doing business again and get back to normal as quickly as possible.''

As of last week,  4,645 households were living in temporary housing at Gas Co. expense. Another 1,726 households have already returned home, according to the utility. The Gas Co. said it also has installed 5,467 air scrubbers at Porter Ranch-area homes and performed "weatherization'' work on 5,410 homes.

LA County health officials said testing and air monitoring will continue in the area.

Residents can get updates on the Aliso Canyon leak, including  the return home process, at SoCalGas' website here.

The Associated Press and City News Service contributed to this report.

The mysterious killings of local residents Ilona Flint, Salvatore Belvedere and Gianni Belvedere have rocked and saddened San Diego. Now, six months into this case, many questions remain unanswered as the San Diego Police Department continues to put together pieces of the puzzle.

Here’s a timeline of key events in this triple homicide case, which first began on the early hours of Christmas Eve with a deadly shooting outside Westfield Mission Valley Mall.

Dec. 24, 2013 – The Christmas Eve Shooting:
At around 1:15 a.m., Ilona Flint and Salvatore Belvedere, both 22 years old, are critically shot in a parking lot outside the Macy’s department store at San Diego’s Mission Valley Mall. Despite being shot in the head, Flint manages to call 911 to report the shooting, telling dispatchers she’s injured near the mall. Minutes later, officers locate the wounded duo inside a vehicle in the 1600-block of Camino Del Rio North. Flint is pronounced dead at the scene. Salvatore, suffering life-threatening gunshot wounds to the head and torso, is transported to a local hospital. SDPD Lt. Mike Hastings holds a briefing on the Christmas Eve shooting and says police are looking for a possible suspect, described as a 5-foot-9 to 5-foot-11 man wearing tan pants.

Dec. 26, 2013 – Gianni Belvedere is Missing:
Two days after the parking lot shooting, the families of both Flint and Salvatore hold a brief news conference announcing that 24-year-old Gianni Belvedere – Sal’s older brother and Flint’s fiancé – has gone missing. Police confirm Gianni was last seen on Dec. 23 around 10 p.m. at his Tierrasanta home. “Gianni, we need you to come home,” pleads one family member, between tears. "Please call us." Investigators confirm the Christmas Eve shooting does not appear to be connected to any sort of robbery. Lt. Hastings says a possible vehicle of interest in the case is a 2008-2011 dark gray Honda sedan.

Dec. 27, 2013 – Salvatore Succumbs to Injuries, Search Continues for Gianni:
The Belvedere family confirms that Sal has died from injuries sustained in the Christmas Eve shooting. Police say they’re still searching for Gianni, and issue a missing person bulletin describing Gianni as an Italian-American man with brown hair and brown eyes. He’s 6 feet tall, 165 pounds and likely driving a four-door, dark green 2004 Toyota Camry XLE with the Utah license plate B154VZ. The Belvedere family says Gianni may have also been at the mall with Flint and Sal at the time of the shooting.

Dec. 28, 2013 – Vigil Held for Flint:
Loved ones hold a public candlelight vigil for Flint at La Jolla Shores. Friends describe Flint as a loyal friend and hard worker. Friend Andre Briones tells NBC 7 that Flint and Gianni had been dating for about eight years and were engaged to be married. Both Flint and the Belvedere brothers were originally from Utah. Flint moved to San Diego after Gianni and his family relocated here from Utah. Briones also says the Belvedere brothers would often take turns picking Flint up from work and says the trio were the best of friends.

Jan. 1, 2014 – Vigil Held for Sal:
Approximately 100 loved ones gather at Crystal Pier in Pacific Beach at sunset on New Year’s Day to pay tribute to Sal in an emotional vigil. The family says Crystal Pier was one of Sal's favorite surfing spots. The Belvederes also say Gianni is still missing and announce that a reward for information leading to his safe return has climbed to $10,000. "If you've seen the car, seen him, think you've seen him, please report it to Crime Stoppers, San Diego PD, to the news media, anybody," Gianni's uncle Paul Donato pleads. "We need any clues we can get our hands on to bring him home to put a little closure to this whole nightmare that we're living right now."

Jan. 7, 2014 – No Gianni, No Answers:
Two weeks to the date of the shooting outside Mission Valley Mall, investigators say there is still no trace of Gianni. Lt. Hastings tells NBC 7 that this is one of the most unusual cases he’s seen in his 20-year career. Officials also confirm that Gianni’s cell phone and credit cards have not been used since he vanished.

Jan. 17, 2014 – Body Found in Trunk of Missing Man’s Car in Riverside, Calif.:
The dark green Toyota Camry with the Utah license plate described in the SDPD’s missing person bulletin for Gianni is found in Riverside, Calif., about an hour-and-a-half north of San Diego County. A passerby calls authorities at around 11:45 a.m. and reports that a foul odor is coming from the trunk area of vehicle, which is parked at a shopping center. When officers arrive on scene, they open the trunk and find the decomposed body of a man inside. On Jan. 18, a Belvedere family member confirms the victim in the trunk is Gianni. The SDPD says it’s working with the Riverside Police Department on this development. An autopsy is scheduled for the following week.

Jan. 23, 2014 – Confirmed by PD: Victim in Trunk is Gianni:
Police officially confirm that the man found dead in the trunk of the car in Riverside is, in fact, missing San Diego resident Gianni Belvedere. The cause of death is not released but detectives clarify that Gianni was a victim of homicide.

Jan. 24, 2014 – New Suspect Details Released, Police Determined to Solve Case:
At a press conference, SDPD Lt. Mike Hastings releases more details of a possible suspect tied to the triple homicide case. He says the suspect – seen at Westfield Mission Valley on Dec. 23 and Dec. 24, 2013 – is a man wearing a black hoodie with white bands in the biceps area of the sweatshirt, tan pants and white tennis shoes. He is described as standing 5-foot-10 to 6-feet-tall. It's believed the suspect was at the Mission Valley mall at 11:15 p.m. the night before the shooting of Flint and Sal and then returned to the mall at 12:15 a.m. on Dec. 24. Lt. Hastings assures the Belvedere family and the public that the SDPD is working diligently to find answers and says investigators have spent hundreds of hours on the case. “If this case can be solved, this case will be solved,” Lt. Hastings says.

Feb. 7, 2014 -- SDPD Confirms Gianni Suffered Shot(s) to Head:
In the first bit of new information released in two weeks, the SDPD confirms that Gianni died as a result of gunshot wound(s) to the head, according to preliminary findings from an autopsy. The autopsy has not yet been completed by the Riverside Medical Examiner, so police say this is the only insight into Gianni's manner of death at this time.

March 2014 -- Family Launches New Website in Search for Leads:
After three months with no leads, the Belvedere family sets up a new website filled with new information on the case and the victims.

April 2014 -- Family Desperate for Answers:
Desperate to find answers to the murders, the Belvedere family hosts fundraisers to raise money to add to the reward fund.

June 21, 2014 -- Police, Family Confirm Arrest in Triple-Homicide Case:
Nearly six months to the date of the Mission Valley Christmas Eve murders, the Belvedere family and SDPD confirm that an arrest has been made in the slayings of Ilona, Sal and Gianni. Carlo Gallapo Mercado, 29, was booked on three counts of first-degree murder in connection with the killings.  The SDPD schedules a news briefing for Monday, June 23, to share more information.

June 22, 2014 -- Homicide Suspect's Attorney Denies Accusations:
Mercado's attorney, Michael Berg, says his client "adamantly denies any involvement" in the triple homicide case, and assures that he will prove Mercado's innocence. Berg tells NBC 7 that Mercado was hospitalized for unspecified injuries sustained sometime after he was booked into jail on June 21.

June 23, 2014 -- SDPD Shares Details of Mercado's Arrest:
SDPD Chief Shelley Zimmerman and homicide Lt. Mike Hastings hold a news briefing to share a few details of the case and the arrest of Mercado. The chief says she hopes this arrest will begin to bring some closure to the Flint and Belvedere families.

June 25, 2014 -- Mercado Arraigned; Pleads Not Guilty:
Mercado is arraigned in court and formally charged with three counts of first-degree murder. A deputy district attorney says that because this is considered a capital case, Mercado could face the death penalty or life in prison for the slayings of Flint and the Belvedere brothers. Mercado is scheduled to appear in court again on July 11.

Sept. 2, 2014 -- Mercado's Preliminary Hearing:
Mercado appears in court for his preliminary hearing, where new details of the triple homicide are released for the first time, including DNA evidence.

Sept. 3, 2014 -- Mercado is Bound Over for Trial:
A judge rules enough evidence has been presented in the pretrial to send Mercado to trial on all three counts of first-degree murder.

Sept. 4, 2014 -- Search Warrants Reveal Details:
Search warrants obtained by NBC 7 reveal the exhaustive investigation into the triple homicide case, but still, no motive.

Sept. 17, 2014 -- Mental Competency Exam Ordered:
During an arraignment, Mercado's attorney raised questions about his client's mental competency to stand trial. The judge ordered Mercado be held without bail until he can be evaluated on Oct. 10. Until then, criminal proceedings would be suspended.

Nov. 3, 2014 -- Mercado Committed to State Hospital:
Judge Joseph P. Brannigan found Mercado not competent to stand trial and ordered he be treated at Patton State Hospital for three years or until he is found competent to assist in his own defense.

Sept. 9, 2015 -- Mercado Returned to Jail, Mental Competency Questioned:
The San Diego County District Attorney’s office confirmed Mercado was returned to San Diego Central Jail after evaluators from Patton State Hospital – a psychiatric facility in Southern California where Mercado had been receiving treatment – found him competent to stand trial. The defense requested a competency hearing for Mercado.

Nov. 3, 2015 -- Judge Sets Date for Mercado's Competency Hearing:
A judge decided Mercado will undergo a mental competency trial on Dec. 14, 2015. At the bench trial, the defense has the burden of proving the suspect is mentally incompetent to stand trial.

Dec. 14, 2015 -- Judge Finds Mercado Competent to Stand Trial:
A judge rules Mercado is competent to stand trial and face murder charges in the triple homicide case. Meanwhile, Deputy District Attorney Brian Erickson says the killings appear to be random, perhaps stemming from a "road rage incident." The Deputy DA says Mercado did not know his victims.

Feb. 18, 2016 -- DA to Seek Death Penalty Against Mercado:
Deputy DA Brian Erickson says the DA's office will seek the dealth penalty against Mercado when he stands trial. Mercado pleads not guilty to the three murders. Erickson says he hopes to send Mercado to trial within this year. Mercado's attorney, Gary Gibson, says prosecutors will have a lot to prove in this complicated case, including the motive, which remains a mystery.

Local beer enthusiasts are opposing a project that would bring an Anheuser-Busch-owned brewery to San Diego’s East Village.

The Downtown Community Planning Council on Wednesday approved the plan for beer giant Anheuser-Bush to open up 10 Barrel Brewing Brew Pub in the 1500 block of E Street.

But critics are opposing the brewery representing itself as a craft brewery.

Organizers of the San Diego Brewers Guild said they strongly oppose the brewery’s opening. They say the brewpub will devalue local craft breweries whose beer is actually made in San Diego.

“It’s OK to put your name on Petco, Qualcomm – any stadium you want to – and say, ‘Guess what? We are Budweiser. We’re here.’ That’s fine. But don’t say we’re a San Diego craft company where you are really a wolf in sheep’s clothing,” said Kevin Hopkins of the Brewers Guild.

In response, the planning council said it doesn’t have authority to regulate competition and looked at the proposal strictly from land-use perspective.

To officially open up shop, the proposed brewery still needs city council approval.

When Beyoncé kicks off her 2016 Formation World Tour in Miami later this spring, members of the Miami Fraternal Order of Police don't plan to be there.

In an announcement released Wednesday evening, Miami FOP president Javier Ortiz said the union is urging all law enforcement labor organizations to boycott not just Beyonce's Miami performance, but all her concerts.

The planned boycott is in reaction to the singer's politically-charged music video for her latest single and her equally controversial Super Bowl performance of the song.

The "Formation" music video, dropped the night before Super Bowl 50, features provocative imagery referencing Hurricane Katrina and the Black Lives Matter movement, and lyrics that celebrate natural hair and black pride.

Included among the controversial visuals are images of a young black boy wearing a hoodie and dancing in front of police in riot gear who then surrender with their hands up.

The video also cuts to a brick wall spray painted with the words "stop shooting us" and ends with the singer sinking underneath flood waters while on top of a submerged police car.

The Super Bowl performance drew even more controversy, as it featured beret-clad back-up dancers in an homage to the 50th anniversary of the Black Panther movement.

Both the video and performance were attacked as "outrageous" by conservatives like former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani.

A Tennessee sheriff recently suggested that Beyoncé's performance and music video may be directly related to an alleged rise in violence against police officers.

An anonymous online petition also called for a Beyoncé protest outside of NFL headquarters in New York City, which was reportedly sparsely attended.

Others, meanwhile, have celebrated both the singer and the performance. In an interview with NPR, filmmaker and writer dream hampton called it "an homage to the black South," adding "It's about a black future (where) we are imagining ourselves having power and magic, and I think it's beautiful."

The New York Times described the video as being "among the most politically direct work she’s done in her career," and posed the question pf whether Beyoncé should be considered a singer, an activist, or a combination of both.

"Saturday Night Live" even parodied the reaction to the video in the form of a panic-filled trailer for a horror movie entitled "The Day Beyoncé Turned Black."

For Ortiz, the video and the controversy are no laughing matter. In his statement, he accuses the pop star of spreading an anti-police message and lacking support for law enforcement.

"While Beyoncé physically saluted the 50th anniversary of the Black Panthers movement at the Super Bowl, I salute NYPD Officer Richard Rainey, who succumbed to his injuries on February 16, 2016 from being shot by two Black Panthers who he had pulled over in a traffic stop. I also salute the dozens of law enforcement officers that have been assassinated by members of the Black Panthers," he wrote.

He also referenced the report written by the Department of Justice on the 2014 death of Michael Brown in Ferguson, Missouri - which inspired the "hands up, don't shoot" mantra. Ortiz claims the report suggests that the hands up, don't shoot accounts of witnesses are "inaccurate because they are inconsistent with the physical and forensic evidence."

In the letter, Ortiz said he did not watch the halftime show "out of respect for our profession" but "mistakenly" watched the controversial music video.

Ortiz concludes the letter with a call for law enforcement labor organizations nationwide to join the boycott.

Beyoncé, meanwhile, has not commented publicly on the controversy.

The tour will kick off April 27 at Miami Marlins Stadium and will include shows in North America and Europe. The tour wraps on July 31 in Brussels.

Construction is underway on Creekside Pointe, a new $20 million, 118-unit apartment complex in western Chula Vista.

A statement from Xpera CM, which is providing construction management services, said the project is being developed by Creekside Vista LLC, a partnership controlled by Mexico City-based consumer electronics manufacturer Diamond Electronics. The site is at Third Avenue and L Street, across from the San Diego Country Club and west of Interstate 805.

Officials said this is the first multifamily project to be built in that part of Chula Vista in 15 years. Plans call for 118 market-rate apartments, with four live-work loft units and a small commercial unit, along with a resort-style pool and spa, and a park with a playground and open-space trails.

The partnership acquired the 5.5-acre site in 2012 in a distressed-property sale. Xpera CM officials said this is the development group’s first foray into building a new project from the ground-up, after previously buying already-developed multifamily complexes in markets including San Diego, Phoenix and Seattle.

In addition to San Diego-based Xpera CM, the project team includes general contractor R&R Construction of San Marcos, and design firm Rodriguez Associates Architects & Planners Inc. of San Diego.

Construction on Creekside Pointe is expected to be completed in spring 2017.
 

Meteorologists see signs that the super El Niño is weakening ever so slightly, but they caution months will pass before people in the Americas will feel it.

The World Meteorological Organization said Thursday that El Niño has passed its peak based on specific temperature, wind, and atmospheric pressure conditions.

That's technically true, but Michelle L'Heureux, lead El Niño forecaster for the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's Climate Prediction Center, said there's a few months lag time before the changes affect the Americas.

El Niño is the occasional but natural warming of the central tropical Pacific which, along with changes in the atmosphere, alters weather patterns worldwide. It often brings more rain to California and parts of the U.S. West and South, warms temperatures globally a bit, and causes droughts elsewhere in the world.

In December and January, El Niño measurements showed it tied 1997-1998 for the strongest since records started being kept in 1950.

"It's still strong, but it has reached a peak value and it's starting its decline," said University of Oklahoma meteorology professor Jason Furtado. "It's still there; it's not like we don't have El Niño anymore. We can still expect (El Niño) like conditions in March and April and even into May, as well."

Mike Halpert, deputy director of the climate prediction center, said this El Niño hasn't brought drought-struck California as much moisture as previous strong El Niños, but there are still two months to go to get significant rainfall.

With El Niño still kicking, NOAA forecast a spring that's wetter than normal throughout the South, much of the West and part of the East. Only the Great Lakes region and Pacific Northwest are forecast to be dry.

It also predicts warmer than usual weather along the entire West Coast and most of the country north of Colorado, Missouri and Tennessee, with only Texas, parts of Oklahoma and New Mexico cooler than normal.

The International Research Institute at Columbia University forecast that once this El Niño fades, there's a 50 percent chance it will be followed directly by El Niño's flip side, a La Nina.

La Nina often means droughts in parts of the Great Plains and Southwest with more rain in the Northwest. La Ninas often mean warmer winters in the Southeast and cooler winters in the Northwest.