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Shot Fired in El Cajon Taco Shop Robbery

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Employees of an El Cajon taco shop who were robbed at gunpoint say one suspect fired his gun once at them but missed.

Two men entered the Sombrero Mexican Food restaurant on West Main Street just off Interstate 8 before 10 p.m.

One had a knife while the other had what appeared to be a handgun , according to El Cajon Police.

As someone inside the restaurant talked with a 911 dispatcher, a gunshot was heard in the background, police said.

It’s believed someone inside the restaurant followed the robbery suspects into the parking lot. A single round was fired at the witness police said, but the bullet missed and the witness was not injured.

The two men, described as 5-feet, 8-inches tall and in their 20s with medium builds, may have gotten into a newer black BMW four-door vehicle. They were believed to have gotten onto westbound I-8.

One suspect has a goatee, the other has a mustache, police said.

Anyone with additional information can call the El Cajon Police Department at (619) 579-3311. Individuals with information about this incident who wish to remain anonymous can call the Crime Stopper tip line at (888) 580-8477.


Deputies: Man Held Child, Exchange Students in Standoff

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A 7-year-old boy and two foreign exchange students were caught up in a standoff at a Spring Valley home early Friday, according to San Diego County Sheriff’s Deputies.

The confrontation with police happened inside a home near Ramona Avenue and Eucalyptus Street,  north of Jamacha Boulevard and east of State Route 52.

Deputies were called to the home around 9:30 p.m. Thursday when a woman reported she was struck with a stool. The woman suffered cuts to her face before running out of the home and calling 911, deputies said.

Deputies say Francois Konekotto, 30, was moving throughout the home with his 7-year-old son who appeared to be uninjured.

One concern for deputies was that the couple houses two foreign exchange students. The teenagers locked themselves in another room.

Deputies were not sure if Konekotto was armed when they began negotiations.

Just beofre 7 a.m., deputies used less-lethal force against the suspect and took him into custody. Konekotto was injured, deputies said. 

The victim's injuries were considered not life-threatening, deputies said.

Neighbors and friends said Konekotto is retired military and normally a nice guy.

However, they say he began acting strangely over the past couple of days, ranting about the government tapping his phone and monitoring his finances.

Knife Found on OJ's Former Estate

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Los Angeles police confirmed Friday morning a knife was found on the former Brentwood property of O.J. Simpson and said they are investigating a report that it was discovered years ago by a construction worker who handed it over to authorities.

A report, published Friday by TMZ and citing unidentified law enforcement sources, said a construction worker found a knife several years ago buried on the perimeter of the former Simpson home and gave it to a police officer working security for a nearby film shoot.

The officer, now retired, was recently ordered to surrender the knife for testing by authorities after he contacted a friend at the department for information about the 1994 murder case for which Simpson stood trial, according to the report.

LAPD Capt. Andrew Neiman told NBC4 Friday morning that police are investigating the report.

The mansion on Rockingham Avenue in Brentwood, where Simpson lived when his ex-wife and her friend were stabbed to death in June 1994, was demolished by a new owner in 1998. TMZ reported, citing law enforcement sources, that the knife was found sometime from "several years ago to 1998."

"We still don't know if that's an accurate account," Neiman said.

Neiman confirmed at a Friday morning news conference that an individual identified by the officer as a construction worker gave the knife to him when he was working security at a film shoot near the former Simpson estate. The officer retired in the late 1990s, but it's not clear whether the officer was retired at the time the knife was found, Neiman said.

"If this story is accurate, I would think an LAPD officer would know that anytime you come into contact with evidence you should submit that to investigators," Neiman said.

The officer will likely not face administrative charges because he is retired, Neiman said, adding that an investigation will determine whether criminal charges are possible.

Police became aware of the knife within the last month, but authorities did not discuss details about how they obtained the item. It has been submitted to an LAPD forensics team for examination.

It was not clear to whom the knife belonged and authorities are attempting to determine the identity of the individual who turned it over to the officer, Neiman said.

"With all cases that remain open, unless there's an actual arrest or conviction to prove we've actually closed the case, the case remains open," Neiman said of the killings of Nicole Brown Simpson and Ron Goldman.

Neiman did not provide a description of the knife at the Friday news conference, but multiple law enforcement sources familiar with the investigation told NBC News that the knife undergoing tests is a relatively inexpensive, smaller-bladed utility blade typically used by construction workers, gardeners, landscapers or other laborers.

The murder weapon in the case has remained a mystery. A 15-inch retractable-blade knife that Simpson bought at Ross Cutlery in downtown Los Angeles drew the interest of murder trial prosecutors, but the defense presented the knife in a preliminary hearing. Tests later showed the knife in pristine condition with no signs it had been used in the double killing.

In 1998, a residential construction crew found a folding-blade knife in Simpson's former neighborhood but police said there was no evidence to show it was related to any crime.

The mansion, where Simpson married Brown in 1985, was one of the landmarks of the murder trial. The infamous white Ford Bronco pursuit from Orange County ended in the mansion's driveway. It's also where Det. Mark Fuhrman said he found a bloody glove during the investigation into the slayings of Brown and Goldman.

Simpson was forced to sell the Rockingham Avenue estate to comply with requirements of the civil court judgment after the criminal trial. An investment banker hired a demolition crew to raze the house and clear the way for a new mansion four years later.

"It's not my house and I could care less," Simpson told The Associated Press in a telephone interview at the time the house was demolished. "I am a sentimental guy, but there's things you've got to compartmentalize."

The former NFL and USC football star was acquitted of murder in the slayings of ex-wife and Goldman, but a civil jury found him liable. In September 2007, Simpson was arrested in Las Vegas and charged with several felonies after an armed robbery and kidnapping at a hotel in an attempt to recover sports memorabilia.

He was sentenced to 33 years in prison.

No matter what is determined through the knife investigation, Simpson cannot be tried again in the Brown-Goldman murders because of the Double Jeopardy Clause of the Fifth Amendment. Attorney Carl Douglas, a member of Simpson's legal team that secured the 1995 acquittal, said an investigation involving the knife would be a waste of time and money.

"I am amazed at the latest frenzy surrounding this ridiculous frenzy about some knife found on OJ's former property," Douglas said. "As a proud citizen of Los Angeles, I will be offended if the Los Angeles Police Department spends one minute of city time or one dollar of the city's limited resources chasing this ridiculous, supposed lead. I hope there are other investigations more deserving of the city's resources than this failed attempt, now 22 years old.

"OJ left the house two days after the murders and never returned until October 3rd, 1995. I certainly hope the LAPD used all of the resources then to scour every inch of his property looking for relevant evidence. It is pure fantasy to believe that there's anything relevant with this knife that has now been turned over. I'd rather talk about the Easter Bunny instead."



Photo Credit: Associated Press

High Surf Arrives in Advance of El Nino Storm

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As San Diegans prepare for rainy weather this weekend, lifeguards are warning of high surf and dangerous conditions along the coast.

NBC 7 meteorologists expect the storm to arrive in waves with the first round of showers arriving late Saturday night, into Sunday. The second, bigger round, will arrive later Sunday into Monday.

On Friday, the National Weather service issued a high surf advisory around 10 a.m. Friday. Beachgoers can expect sets up to 10 feet with the biggest swells arriving Sunday.

Surfers told NBC 7 that they’re hoping the stormy conditions this weekend don't bring too much wind which can affect the surf.

Pete Weafer said he tried surfing earlier Friday in Pacific Beach but conditions were too choppy. Definitely not for beginners, he added.

Lifeguards recommend checking in with them before getting into the water. They will have the latest conditions.

Also, swimmers and surfers should avoid any rocky areas like Sunset Cliffs, they said.

The OB Pier was still open Friday morning but that may change if conditions get worse.

Mountain Bikers in Limbo After Feds Confiscate Bikes

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It’s been 49 days since a group of San Diego County mountain bikers had their expensive bikes confiscated by federal police.

“They just don’t seem particularly interested in arriving at a resolution. They’ve got our bikes and they’ve got no specific incentive to resolve it,” said mountain biker John Frazier.

Frazier says he’s purchased a new bike in the interim because he doesn’t know “how long the corps is going to have my bicycle.”

He’s one of at least 45 mountain bikers who had their bikes confiscated on Jan. 15 near Sycamore Canyon. At the time, a spokesperson for MCAS Miramar said the bikers were repeatedly warned and signs were posted, saying they were not allowed to be on federal property.

Many of the bikers dispute the signage, but now are focused on getting their bike returned. The question, though: When is that going to happen?

The citations they’ve received imply a court date would be issued in 45 days. If not, they’re told to call a number on the back of the ticket. But the 45 days have since passed, and those who’ve called the number say they’ve been told to try back in a few weeks.

Michael Crowell owns North of the Border Bike Shop in Sorrento Valley. He had a bike worth almost $7,000 impounded.

“It’s absolutely ridiculous that it’s taking this long,” said Crowell.

A spokesperson for MCAS Miramar told NBC 7 to contact a federal magistrate regarding the citations. But the citations are not yet listed on a system used to track federal cases, so technically there is no case number to track.

A lawyer representing some of the cyclists says state law requires a citation to be filed in 25 days. But this is a federal case, where legally the citation must be “promptly filed,” according to attorney Richard Duquette.

Duquette plans on filing a motion, arguing there was no legitimate basis to impound the bikes in the first place. He says it typically takes 60 to 90 days for misdemeanor trespassing cases to be processed.

Meanwhile, the bikers frustration grows.

“Once it’s in the feds’ hands, dealing with the military, we’re not getting anywhere with them. It’s seems like it’s in absolute limbo,” said Crowell.

Body Cam Video Protocol Discussions Move Forward

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A rough draft of a policy detailing how local law enforcement body camera video will be released to the public is being shared with local officers and law enforcement agency attorneys, and could be shared with the public by the end of March, the president of the group responsible for drafting the policy said Friday.

Escondido Police Chief Craig Carter is the President of the San Diego Police Chiefs’ and Sheriff’s Association, the group responsible for working on the draft.

Carter would not reveal details of the draft policy, but said the San Diego County District Attorney's Office would be the only agency that would release video. He also told NBC 7 Investigates, video will only be released if there are no criminal charges filed against an officer.

“The DA would most likely call a press conference, show the video or a specific portion of that video and then blur out the faces of the officers and victims so they could have privacy,” Carter said.

In December, San Diego District Attorney Bonnie Dumanis said local law enforcement leaders would develop a policy on the public release of body cam and other video evidence. Since then, the San Diego Police Chiefs' and Sheriff's Association has been drafting the new policy in their monthly meetings.

NBC 7 Investigates asked Chief Carter and the DA’s office for a copy of the draft policy, but the request was denied. In an email, Steve Walker, spokesman for the DA’s office, said a copy could not be provided because “it’s constantly evolving.”

The discussion of developing a policy in San Diego County was spurred when local news outlets went to court to obtain surveillance video of a fatal Midway District shooting by a San Diego police officer. The judge granted the media's request to release the video and the DA's office made the video public at a December news conference.

At that news conference, Dumanis said prosecutors are bound by the law to protect the integrity of investigations, which she said generally prohibits them from releasing any evidence.

“But I also realize that times have changed,” she told reporters. “We live in a world where all kinds of video evidence is becoming more prevalent and it’s being shared in ways that go viral in minutes. We clearly need to reevaluate when and how this kind of video is responsibly released.”

Carter said a rough draft of the policy was sent to local police chiefs to be shared with officers and their attorneys. He said he hopes to get their suggestions back by March 14 to send to the DA's office.

Walker said the public will get the chance to give their input on the policy. Carter said that could happen as early as the end of March.

Carter told NBC 7 Investigates a specific time frame for when video is released will be included in the policy.

“When we talk about how soon (body camera video) will be released that depends on the complexity of the shooting,” Carter said. “What we are looking for is trying to get our officer-involved shooting cases to the district attorney’s office within 90 days. That’s from the moment of the shooting to putting the case in the district attorney's hands.”

As far as how long it would take to release the video to the public, Carter said it again would depend on the shooting.

“If everything goes according to plan, we would get it out as quickly as possible and not wait a year or longer to get that out,” he said.

When Dumanis made the announcement of a “working group” to draft a policy for the release of body camera video, the ACLU of San Diego and Imperial Counties provided this statement to NBC 7 Investigates:

"The purpose of access to public records is to hold government accountable to the community. Given the extraordinary and deadly powers vested in law enforcement, that principle applies especially to police videos. It is therefore essential that community members participate in a transparent process to establish the protocol for disclosure of body-camera videos. To open that process is a first step toward building community trust in law enforcement, which is undermined by secrecy and exclusion."

NBC 7 Investigates is working for you. If you have more information about this or other story tips, contact us: (619) 578-0393, NBC7Investigates@nbcuni.com. To receive the latest NBC 7 Investigates stories subscribe to our newsletter.

Philly Police Car Hit By Gunfire

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With guns drawn, Philadelphia police officers searched broken garages and dark alleys in the city's Frankford neighborhood Friday night in a search for four men who allegedly shot up a police car.

The shooting happened just after 7 p.m. along the 5300 block of Hedge Street near SEPTA's Frankford Transportation Center, police said.

An officer in an unmarked car was responding to reports of gunshots in the area when the men opened fire, police said.

As many as 12 shots may have been fired, based on witness accounts and evidence markers on the ground.

At least one bullet hit the front of the brown Ford sedan, police said. The officer wasn't hurt.

The men scattered after the shooting as police flooded the area on the ground and by air.

One person, who was seen being taken to a nearby ambulance, was taken into custody within minutes. The extent of the person's injuries are unclear.

Another man was caught sometime after, police said. Two others remain on the run.

This is a developing story. Check back for updates.



Photo Credit: NBC10

Bicyclist Hit by Car in Santee Dies

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A woman riding her bike in Santee was hit by a passing car and died on Friday afternoon.

The collision happened at about 4:30 p.m. when the woman was riding her bike north in the 9300 block of Cuyamaca Street when she rode across two lanes of traffic, sheriff’s deputies said.

A motorist driving north on Cuyamaca Street saw the bicyclist and tried to drive around her, but still clipped her, deputies said.

The woman was taken to Sharp Memorial Hospita, but died there.

The woman’s name and age have not been released.

Deputies do not believe the driver is at fault.



Photo Credit: Getty Images/iStockphoto

Post-Super Tuesday POTUS Race Gathers Momentum

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In the next four days, presidential caucuses and primary elections will be held in 10 more states.

How much closer could the outcomes get Donald Trump to the Republican nomination?

In the aftermath of an 11-state Super Tuesday, there's still plenty of suspense -- more on the Republican side, because of the newly hatched "#Never Trump" movement.

On Friday, NBC 7 asked Marco Rubio's spokesman, San Diego-based political strategist Jason Roe, why Rubio last night pledged to support Trump if he becomes the GOP nominee.

"Donald Trump's candidacy is obscene,” Roe replied. “But the reality is, what this is about is the future of our country. And what's more obscene than Donald Trump's behavior is Hillary Clinton's policies."

During Friday’s recording session for Sunday's edition of NBC 7’s "Politically Speaking", Roe and political analyst T.J. O'Hara -- a registered independent -- parsed the results of the Super Tuesday events and turned their focus to the campaign trail ahead.

Both entertained the possibility of a contested GOP convention if Trump falls short of a first-ballot nomination.

At this point they see Hillary Clinton's nomination all but assured, depending on the status of the investigation into her private emails.

As for the prospect of a Clinton-Trump general election matchup, they expect what may be unprecedented interest in the fall campaign.

"I think we're going to see reality TV with ratings north of the Kardashians,” O’Hara said. “I think the battle back and forth, the things they'll call each other and the dirt that they'll dig up, will be beyond our wildest imaginations."

Roe, agreed, saying the GOP debates have become must-watched TV – and probably explain why Republican turnout is soaring with Trump in the race.

Why is Democratic voter turnout is lagging?

O’Hara speculated that there may be Democrats in open-primary states – and Democrats who registered as Republicans in other states – who have voted for Trump to set him up as a likely knock-over for Clinton in November.



Photo Credit: AP

Broken Window Falls From Downtown Skycraper

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A window fell from one of the upper floors of the Civic Center Plaza building in downtown San Diego and shattered on the ground below Friday.

Crews were working to replace the window and clean up the debris when an NBC 7 news crew arrived just after 11 a.m.

Gerry Braun, spokesperson for the City Attorney's Office, posted an update to Twitter saying a piece of furniture fell and pushed the window pane out.

No one was hurt. 



Photo Credit: NBC 7
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Woman Walking to Her Car Attacked in La Jolla

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A man has been arrested after police said he followed a woman to her car in La Jolla on Wednesday night and then sexually assaulted her.

The suspect, 25-year-old Marco Antonio Villasenor of Oxnard, Calif., was booked in jail on suspicion of assault with intent to commit rape, felony sexual battery and forced penetration with a foreign object.

San Diego police said the 25-year-old woman was walking to her car parked along the 7700 block of Exchange Place in La Jolla just after 9 p.m. Suddenly, a man walking behind her ran toward her, grabbed her from behind and threw her to the ground, police said.

The man started sexually assaulting her, police said, but she managed to fight him off, screamed for help and called 911.

The suspect, who ran away, was found by officers a short time later walking in the 7700 block of Fay Avenue.

Police said the woman identified the man, Villasenor, as her assailant.

San Diego police are continuing the investigation. Anyone with information should call police at 619-531-2000. If you wish to remain anonymous, you may call Crime Stoppers at 888-580-8477.

Trump Rallies: Tense, Racially Charged, Successful

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Among the many ways Donald Trump has redefined presidential politics, he stands alone for how he has used large, protest-ridden rallies, often bubbling with raw anger, to fuel his candidacy.

The Republican front-runner says the massive events are evidence of a "movement" of a "silent majority" frustrated by everything from the nation's uneven economy and immigration laws to a government run by "stupid people."

"And you know what?" he asked from the stage in Louisville, Kentucky, this week. "It's not about me. I'm a messenger. It's really about you. We're going to take our country back and make it great again."

While Trump generally exaggerates his crowd sizes, thousands routinely line up for hours to attend. There are almost always protests, and the response to them isn't always peaceful. Yet Trump supporters, some driving hours to see the former reality television star, appreciate the boisterous performance and see in it a strength they don't find in Washington leaders.

"Hell yeah, I'm voting for Trump ... that's a man right there — a man," said Joe Hash, a 57-year-old building contractor, after a raucous Monday rally at Virginia's Radford University.

In Texas last week, Arlene Smart attended her fourth Trump rally. "It's just the feeling," said Smart, 58, who said she'd be traveling the country to his events if she didn't have a construction business to run. "There's pride in America. There's a reason to believe."

Detractors see something darker.

"It's a spectacle driven by pure hate," said Michael Marmol, a 20-year-old student who was ejected from the Radford event after he yelled at Trump over his plan to construct a wall on the Mexican border.

Indeed, crowds from Nevada to New Hampshire have devoured Trump's hour-long offerings of economic populism and unrepentant nationalism, all wrapped in promises to "win, win, win" and "make you so proud of this country again."

A natural showman, Trump peppers his speeches with humorous asides, imitation and dramatic acting. In Texas last week, he threw water across the stage and then tossed the bottle behind him to mock a rival's sweat. He frequently holds events in open airplane hangars, circling in his private jet with giant gold "T-R-U-M-P" letters as thousands hold cellphones up to capture its descent as soaring music from the movie "Air Force One" plays.

The crowd anticipates applause lines like rock concert throngs.

"We're going to build a wall. And who's going to pay for the wall?" Trump shouts.

"MEXICO," they yell.

"Who's going to pay for the wall?"

"MEXICO," they thunder back.

But the atmosphere sometimes turns darker, with booming chants that can shake arenas. Young men pound their fists in anger, attendees sometimes shout racial slurs.

Police are investigating at least two alleged assaults against protesters at a recent Kentucky rally. One, captured on video, involves a young African-American woman who was repeatedly shoved and called "scum."

In recent weeks, one of Trump's biggest applause lines has been his vow to bring back waterboarding and other methods of torture. "We don't go far enough," he told a Las Vegas crowd before the Nevada caucuses, prompting thundering applause and chants of "USA! USA!"

Anti-Trump protesters have also becoming increasingly common as the election calendar has moved away from the more subdued early-voting states.

"Get 'em outta here, get 'em outta here," Trump often booms when he spots one. "Are you protesting, darling?" he asked a demonstrator at Radford. He mocked another: "He just got on television. He's happy." Sometimes, he suggests they're high on drugs.

Occasionally Trump complains police are being too gentle with protesters, bemoaning the "old days" when police didn't fear for their jobs when they roughed up citizens.

"You know what they used to do guys like that when they were in a place like this?" he asked in Las Vegas as a protester was removed. "They'd be carried out on a stretcher, folks." Amid cheers, he added, "I'd like to punch him in the face."

On Friday, Trump recalled an incident at a New Hampshire rally where a protester started "swinging and punching." Trump said some people in the audience "took him out."

"It was really amazing to watch," he told an audience in Warren, Michigan.

Later Friday in New Orleans, Trump's rally was interrupted by a near-constant stream of protesters, including many from the Black Lives Matter movement. At points, campaign manager Corey Lewandowski was spotted personally assisting police as they escorted protesters out of the building. Members of Trump's personal, private security detail were also on hand to assist.

Months ago, Trump's team began telling supporters they should not harm demonstrators. Instead, crowds are instructed before rallies to surround protesters with signs and chant "Trump! Trump! Trump!" until authorities arrive.

Some incidents have carried racial undertones. At Radford, Trump asked one protester, who appeared to be of Asian descent, "Are you from Mexico?"

Later, as black demonstrators were led out, Trump recalled Democratic presidential hopeful Bernie Sanders once yielding his microphone to Black Lives Matter protesters. "That's never gonna happen here," Trump boasted, saying the Vermont senator acted "like a little boy."

While Trump often talks about how much he likes protesters — suggesting he'll hire some because they encourage television cameras to show his crowds — his aides have, at times, become aggressive about ejecting them.

On Monday, black Valdosta State University students were escorted out of a campus event in Georgia before it began. Ameer Junious, 19, said police directed him to the back of the arena — with no explanation given — before Trump arrived. Videos shot by Junious show a person who appeared to be police officer telling him, "They asked me to have y'all moved," adding, "I can't explain that, OK?"

In a statement, Trump campaign spokeswoman Hope Hicks said the campaign "had no knowledge of the incident."

Video of a fall rally in Birmingham, Alabama, captured Trump supporters physically assaulting Mercutio Southall Jr., an African-American activist Trump ordered removed — "Get him the hell out of here, will you, please?" — after Southall shouted "black lives matter!"

Trump later said on Fox News, "Maybe he should have been roughed up."

Yet as he continues his march toward the nomination, Trump reassures his backers they have the moral high ground. "I'm not an angry person," he said at Radford. "You're not angry people." Then, pointing at demonstrators, he said: "They're angry people."
 



Photo Credit: AP
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Victims Ask Judge to Go Easy on DUI Driver

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The family of a woman killed on her way home from her mother-in-law's deathbed asked a judge to go easy on the man who caused the fatal crash. 

Anthony Perez Rodriguez cried in court as he was sentenced Friday to six years in prison. He could have recieved up to 10 years behind bars.

Rodriguez was traveling on Carmel Valley Road on July 22 when his vehicle collided head-on with a car driven by Chula Vista resident Enid Diane Mayer-Sheaf.

Mayer-Sheaf was driving home from saying goodbye to her mother-in-law when she was killed. Within a few hours her husband lost his mother and his wife.

Family members asked the judge for leniency as they did not think prison would reform Rodriguez.

"I don't think the prison term is going to be the answer to the problem," said the victim's husband Danny Sheaf. "Alcohol is out there and [...] people take advantage of it and they wind up making mistakes."

"If he truly regrets and understands the dangers of alcohol, I would want you to look towards leniency in deciding this matter," the victim's son Christopher Sheaf said Friday.

After undergoing a roadside sobriety test, Rodriguez was taken into custody on suspicion of DUI. His blood-alcohol level was measured at 0.16 percent or twice the legal limit two hours after the crash.



Photo Credit: NBC 7 San Diego

Knife Found on Simpson Property Inconsistent With Killings: Sources

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A knife found a dozen years ago on land where O.J. Simpson once lived appears to be inconsistent with the 1994 murders of the former football star's wife and her friend, multiple law enforcement sources told NBC News.

Los Angeles police said Friday they were testing the knife, which was recently handed over by a retired LAPD traffic officer, for any possible connection to the murders of Nicole Brown Simpson and Ron Goldman.

Simpson was acquitted in the case, and can't be retried for the killings. The case has remained open.



Photo Credit: Getty Images

Italy Seeks UNESCO Recognition for Neapolitan Pizza Making

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Italy has submitted the Neapolitan pizza as a candidate for inclusion in UNESCO'S cultural heritage list for next year.

The national commission for UNESCO said in a statement it had voted unanimously to protect the Neapolitan pizza as part of the country's cultural and gastronomic tradition.

If UNESCO accepts the bid it will win a place on the world body's list of Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity as "The Traditional Art of Neapolitan Pizza Makers." 



Photo Credit: File -- Bloomberg via Getty Images

CA Pension Debt Could Fall on Taxpayer Shoulders

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California’s pension liabilities are primed to rob the state’s piggy bank.

That’s the alarming claim coming from a new report by the right-leaning Pacific Research Institute (PRI) called California’s Pension Crowd-Out.

And it’s true, says UC Berkeley pension expert, Sarah Anzia.

“There is no doubt in my mind that this system is under serious pressure and that something is going to have to happen down the road to change things,” she said. “This path we're on is unsustainable.”

The report’s author, Wayne Winegarden, cautions that the state needs to face the facts about its pension system and take action now.

“We need to accept that there are these costs and we need to address it, and not just ignore it and pretend it’s not there,” he said.

The costs he mentions are pension payouts and healthcare benefits owed to more than a million public workers in California.

Today, we’re about $170 billion short.

That’s equivalent to almost one-and-a-half times the state’s annual budget or $10,000 for every person living in California.

UC Berkeley’s Anzia says that lack of action now in solving the hefty shortfall could have serious repercussions in the future.

“It's either going to mean cuts to services, big increases in taxes, or they could issue more debt which just kicks the can down the road,” she said. “So the situation is bleak.”

How did we get here?

Each year, California is expected to meet an actuarially calculated estimate, or ARC, each year. This is an estimate that is intended to ensure that pension funds remain solvent.

For the past 11 years California has neglected to meet its ARC obligation, thus creating the $170 billion hole in its coffers.

That fact has increased worry public workers, like San Jose Middle School science teacher Paul Nyhof, who’s only been teaching for about ten years.

“I do have real concerns that thirty years down the road when it's time for me to retire that it will be there, and I think a lot of teachers share that same concern,” he said.

Where does the state go from here?

One solution begins in Sacramento, where state legislators would have to change a long-standing law that says pension benefits for current state employees are untouchable.

Doing so would require changing the state constitution, says Berkeley’s Anzia, which could be tough.

“That is the provision in the state Constitution that is so critical here and that actually makes it very difficult for the state to do anything to address the problem.”

Another option if for the state to change the pension formula for future employees, asking them to contribute more or receive less, but Paul Nyhof worries that would have negative repercussions in his field.

“Teachers already struggle to keep up with the cost of living in this area,” he said. “Asking teachers to pay more is going to be a disincentive. That is going to compound the problem we have of convincing teachers to come into this field.”

Those are similar concerns for other public workers, like cops, first responders, healthcare workers and administrators.

The reality is taxpayers could end up footing the bill for the state’s pension liabilities, a reality Winegarden would rather not face.



Photo Credit: NBC Bay Area

SoCal Murder Suspects Arrested in Carlsbad

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Two suspects wanted for a deadly stabbing in Los Angeles last month were arrested Friday evening in Carlsbad, police confirmed.

The Carlsbad Police Department received information from the Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD) that the two murder suspects – Michael Lee Stotler and Maya Sharene Mcinnis, both 22 years old – were living in San Diego’s North County. The suspects are accused of stabbing a victim to death in Los Angeles on Feb. 20.

Just before 6 p.m. Friday, Carlsbad detectives spotted a vehicle in the 4600 block of Carlsbad Boulevard being driven by Stotler. Mcinnis was in the passenger seat.

Both Stotler and Mcinnis were taken into custody. They were then turned over to homicide detectives with the LAPD.
 

Newspaper Takeover Protesters Tear-Gassed In Turkey

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Turkish police fired tear gas and rubber bullets on Saturday to disperse protesters outside the country's biggest newspaper after authorities seized control of it in a crackdown on a religious group whose leader the government accuses of treason.

A court on Friday appointed an administrator to run the flagship Zaman, English-language Today's Zaman and Cihan agency, linked to U.S.-based cleric Fethullah Gulen, who President Tayyip Erdogan says was plotting a coup.

Rights groups and European officials condemned the takeover, seeing it as proof that Turkey's government silences dissident views. 



Photo Credit: AP

Dad in Hot-Car Death Indicted for Sexual Exploitation

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The Georgia father accused of intentionally leaving his toddler to die in a hot car two years ago was indicted Friday on new counts involving the sexual exploitation of minors, NBC New reported.

Justin Ross Harris is now facing an additional two counts of sexual exploitation of children and six counts of disseminating harmful material to minors, his attorneys said.

The charges stemmed from an investigation into the June 2014 death of Harris’ 22-month-old son, Cooper. He is accused of exchanging lewd photos with two underage girls and sending nude photos to another underage girl, and then engaging in sexually explicit conversations with all three from January to May 2014. 

Harris is set to go on trial in April on multiple murder-related charges, including malice murder and felony murder, and cruelty to children.



Photo Credit: AP

Flowers Mark 15 Years Since Santana HS Shooting

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A mini memorial of flowers, balloons and photographs was laid out at the entrance of Santana High School Saturday to mark the 15th anniversary of the deadly shooting that shook the campus in a quiet community in San Diego’s East County.

Photo Credit: Mark Deesing
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