Hillary Clinton teed off on Donald Trump and hardened her stance on free trade agreements Sunday night, zeroing in on two issues that have dominated the contest ahead of Ohio's Democratic presidential primary contest Tuesday.

"Donald Trump is running a cynical campaign of hate and fear for one reason, to get votes," Clinton said at a dinner event hosted by the Ohio Democratic Party. "Donald Trump is not who we are."

After a weekend marked by violence at Trump rallies across the Midwest, Clinton said the blame lays squarely with the candidate himself. "Trump encourages his supporters to beat up anybody who disagrees with him," she said.

And Clinton used her attacks on Trump to make an implicit contrast with Bernie Sanders, whose supporters have helped organize anti-Trump protests, including the one that shut down a rally in Chicago Friday night.

The high-speed pursuit of a stolen cruiser came to a dramatic end in a Southern California alley Sunday after officers rammed the patrol unit and then opened fire, authorities confirmed.

The officer-involved shooting occurred at the end of the chase after the driver of the stolen cruiser was cornered in an alley in Glendale, Glendale police confirmed.

Police began pursuing the stolen police cruiser in the West Covina area Sunday at 9:45 p.m.

The Los Angeles County Sheriff Department said that West Covina police were in pursuit of their own cruiser, and that no LA County Sheriff's units were involved.

The driver hit excess speeds of 100 mph, as well as drove on the wrong side of the road, weaving on and off of SoCal freeways. 

The pursuit came to a dramatic end at Jackson and Colorado Streets in Glendale. 

The driver of the cruiser entered an alley and officers rammed the car.

The driver hit reverse and sped backward through they alley before officers wedged the cruiser with their patrol units. The suspect hit the gas, and the tires began smoking as they burned rubber. 

Officers approached the cruiser with guns drawn at 10:45 p.m.

An officer-involved shooting occurred. Police did not say whether the suspect opened fire on them.

Officers also did not immediately comment on the driver's condition.

The San Diego County Sheriff’s Department, San Marcos Station will conduct a DUI and driver’s license checkpoint next weekend on March 18.

The intent is to educate the public about the dangers of drinking and driving and will hopefully be a deterrent to impaired driving.

Officers will focus on detaining drivers under the influence and those without a license or with a suspended one.

DUI and Drug Recognition Expert trained deputies will evaluate drivers’ abilities to drive safely.

The checkpoint is funded by a grant through the California Office of Traffic Safety.

The checkpoint will operate between 7:30 p.m. Friday to 2:30 am. Saturday.
 

A man shot several times in San Diego's Colina Del Sol neighborhood Saturday night is not expected to survive, San Diego Police (SDPD) said. 

The shooting happened Saturday evening in the area of 4800 block of El Cajon Boulevard in Colina Del Sol, near San Diego's City Heights neighborhood. Police say an unknown person, possibly wearing a dark hoodie sweatshirt and dark pants, walked up to the victim, identified as David Thorne by family members, and shot him several times, investigators with SDPD said. 

The 37-year-old suffered major trauma to his upper body when officers found him on the south side of the street around 8:22 p.m. following a 911 call, police said; paramedics attempted life-saving measures and the victim was taken to a local hospital. He is on life support and is not expected to survive. 

Joseph Bonner, the victim's cousin, told NBC 7 San Diego that Thorne is the type of person who always rushing to help someone in need, and the family is still grappling with what happened. 

"We just don't know, we don't know what happened," Bonner said. "We have no clue; it could've been a situation where he was just at the wrong place at the wrong time."

Bonner said his cousin is being kept on life support until everyone is able to come say goodbye and the family makes a decision on how to move forward. 

"He was shot in the back of the head," he said. "Where he was shot and how he was shot, doctors say there's no hope of survival."

"I think our focus as a family right now is healing and finding comfort in the bible," he added. 

The suspect fled southbound in the east alley of 4300 48th Street, police said. 

No further information was immediately available. SDPD's Homicide Unit is handling the investigation. Anyone with information is asked to call the Homicide Unit or Crime Stoppers at (888) 580-8477. 

Friends and family of a victim killed in San Diego's Gaslamp Quarter gathered in El Cajon Saturday night to remember their son and father. 

21-year-old Conner Kepple, who died Thursday on his 21st birthday, was a former Granite Hills High School student. That’s where dozens of his friends, co-workers and family members lit candles, prayed and remembered the good times from Kepple’s life.

“I may be smiling, guys, but this is one of the hardest things I've had to do,” Kepple’s mother, Annie Stuard, said. She stood in the bed of a pick-up truck in the parking lot of the high school addressing Kepple’s friends.

“Stop the partying, the drugs, the alcohol and really live life like Conner!” Stuard said.

The chanting and cheering from the crowd of loved ones made it seem unlike an ordinary candle light vigil. Then again, for the people in attendance, Kepple was not an ordinary guy.

“Most remarkable young guy you'd ever meet. So determined and ambitious and happy and courageous and full of life," Matt Carter said. Carter is engaged to Kepple’s mother, Stuard. He was looking forward to being Kepple’s step-dad.

“He was just an incredible man,” he said. 

Kepple was one of three children, an uncle a friend and an EMT. Friends say he liked to have fun and are heartbroken over his loss.

“I have no words for this tragedy that took place last Friday night,” Stuard said.

Kepple died on Thursday, his 21st birthday, five days after loved ones say he fell victim to violence in the Gaslamp District. 

San Diego police are investigating it as a suspicious death and believe he was involved in a violent confrontation in downtown's Gaslamp District. They believe the altercation happened in the early morning hours of March 5 at a business on 400 E Street. On March 9, police received a call from a local hospital reporting a patient who had suffered from possible blunt force trauma and was in serious condition.

Police are now creating a timeline to figure out how the young man died, and if anyone had a hand in it. Investigators say he visited several businesses in downtown San Diego on March 5, and they’re questioning multiple employees across those establishments, but say it's too early in the investigation to release the names of those businesses.

The day before Kepple died, hospital staff told police a patient with blunt force trauma was in serious condition. Kepple later passed away at Sharp Memorial Hospital.

“What happened to my son, our brother, our uncle our friend is a tragedy,” Stuard said. A tragedy for so many who loved Kepple and now who look to him as an example of how to live.

“If we can take anything from this, it is to live life like Conner would have,” Stuard told Kepple’s friends. 

A police officer was fatally shot Sunday afternoon outside Prince George's Co. police headquarters in the Palmer Park area of Landover, Maryland.

Police have identified the fallen officer as 28-year-old Jacai Colson, a four-year veteran of the Prince George's County Police Department. Colson was a narcotics officer and would have celebrated his 29th birthday this week.

"It is my sad duty to come to the community this evening and to tell you that one of your defenders, Jacai Colson...lost his life in defense of this county today," Prince George's County Police Chief Hank Stawinski said in a news conference Sunday night.

Stawinski said Colson was killed in an "unprovoked attack" on the District III police station at about 4:30 p.m. when one man started firing a gun at officers.

"It wasn't about anything. This man launched an attack on a police station and engaged several Prince George's County police officers in a gun fight, to which they responded - heroically."

News4's Mark Segraves reports the suspect was arrested at a Popeyes fast food restaurant nearby.

A second suspect was arrested a short time later. One suspect was wounded and taken to the hospital. Police could not confirm if the suspect was shot by an officer and said the he is stable and is expected to survive.

Police do not believe there are any more suspects.

Colson was transported to Prince George's Hospital Center in the back of a police cruiser and later pronounced dead.

"This is truly a dark day in Prince George's County. An unwarranted, unprovoked attack on our officers at a police station," said John Teletchea, Fraternal Order of Police Lodge 89 president. "We would ask for the community's prayers at this time...and we would ask for God to bless Prince George's County so we never see a day like this again."

Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan has ordered the flags to fly at half-staff in honor of Colson. He released the following statement:

"I am shocked and saddened by the news this evening of the death of Prince George's County police officer Jacai Colson in the line of duty. Our administration is committed to assisting Prince George's County officials during this time, and the Maryland State Police are working closely with local law enforcement to provide support as needed. The First Lady and I send our sincere prayers to the family and loved ones of Officer Colson, who made the ultimate sacrifice in service to his fellow citizens and community. It is my hope that his proud legacy of commitment and passion for law enforcement and serving others will provide some comfort in the difficult days that lie ahead."

County officials expressed similar sentiments at the police news conference the night of the shooting.

"The thing that we have to do as a county, as a government and as a society, is to do our best to make sure this never happens again," Prince George's County Executive Rushern Baker said.

The county state's attorney, Angela Alsobrooks, called the shooting an act of "evil" and "cowardice."

"This is a crime against this entire community and we will treat it as such," Alsobrooks said. "His life was precious."

The District III police station is next to Prince George's County police headquarters on Barlowe Road, police said. 

Several roads were closed in the area to allow for police response and investigation.

Police had called this an "active shooter" situation earlier in the evening and had encouraged residents to shelter in place and avoid the area. That shelter in place order has been lifted.

Colson was from Upper Chichester, Penn., near Philladelphia, NBC10 reports.

Two weeks ago in Prince William County in Virginia, 28-year-old Officer Ashley Guindon was shot and killed on her first day on the job. Two other officers were also shot. They were responding to a domestic dispute at a home in Woodbridge, Va.

Stay with News4 and NBC Washington for more on this developing story.

As Donald Trump's supporters begin to mobilize for Tuesday's voting, there are many who worry about the mounting confrontations between supporters and protestors accompanied by ever-escalating rhetoric from the candidate himself.

"I am worried about it," Jordan Vashey, a 25-year old Republican voter visiting from New Jersey said before heading into Trump's outdoor rally in Florida. "Something always seems to make the paper the next day and sometimes it's violence."

Vashey is undecided and likes some of Trump's platform, such as his pledge to build a border wall and crack down on drug smugglers, but said he was concerned by his tone.

After serving two tours in Afghanistan with the Marines, he thought Trump's proposed ban on Muslims entering the country distorted the "beautiful religion" he encountered abroad and heightened tensions.

The Aztecs are OUT.

After losing to Fresno State in the Mountain West Conference Tournament championship game San Diego State’s chances of earning an at-large berth in the NCAA Tournament were, at best 50-50. The Selection Committee, whatever their reasons, decided not to give the Aztecs a shot at their seventh straight tournament appearance.

Nobody will argue that the Aztecs are not one of the 68 best teams in the nation but with all the automatic bids from all the Division 1 Conferences they simply did not put together a strong enough resume to earn a spot (a weak Mountain West Conference did not help their cause).

SDSU instead earned a #2 seed in the National Invitation Tournament, which means they get to host at least one game at Viejas Arena. They play the IPFW (Indiana University Purdue University Fort Wayne) Mastodons at 7:00 p.m. on Tuesday night on Montezuma Mesa.

The Aztecs have one of the best defensive teams in the nation but have consistently had trouble scoring points. A lingering foot injury to freshman guard Jeremy Hemsley, who finished the season as the team’s second-leading scorer, certainly hindered their progress.

In the MWC Tourney championship loss Hemsley and leading scorer Trey Kell, who was battling the flu, combined for just nine points of 2-18 shooting. Had they been healthy SDSU would have very likely been able to hold off the Bulldogs and earn that automatic berth.

But, as head coach Steve Fisher said, “We have no excuses of sick, tired, hurt foot, that's not relevant.”

The Aztecs now need to overcome the disappointment of missing out on a chance to compete for a National Championship and embrace the chance to play a few more games and bring home another trophy.

A man found submerged off the coast of Ocean Beach has died in what a lifeguard called a "pretty horrific situation", officials confirmed. 

San Diego Lifeguards first responded to the area after getting a 911 call for a man struggling in the water off the pier Saturday evening.

Cesar Ughetto, 46, of La Mesa, went to dinner Saturday with friends and family, the ME's office said. After dinner, he went for a swim off the coast. At the time, the beach had been closed for the day by lifeguards. 

Shortly after getting into the water, he disappeared from view, officials said.

Five lifeguards responded to the 911 call; one lifeguard jumped from the pier after spotting Ughetto as a rescue boat helped, Lifeguard Lt. Andy Lerum said. 

However, at one point during the rescue, the body started sinking, Lerum said. 

"The person had gone unconscious and submerged during out response," said Lerum. "It turned into a missing person call, we call a code X."

The conditions during the rescue were not favorable, Lerum said. High surf and strong rip currents made the rescue difficult in the dark. Lerum called the situation "pretty horrific." 

When lifeguards pulled the body onto the boat, they began chest compression right away, Lerum said. When they reached the shore, officials began performing CPR.

He was taken to a UC San Diego Medical Center's emergency room, where officials began performing advanced cardiac life support. He was pronounced dead at 9:44 p.m. Saturday, according to the ME's office.

In light of the death, Lerum warned against swimming in areas not protected by lifeguards, especially after dark. 

No further information was immediately available.

Massachusetts Sen. Elizabeth Warren says it's still "way, way, way premature" to consider a vice presidential bid and she doesn't "have a timeline" on when she'll make a presidential endorsement.

Known as one of the boldest voices in the U.S. Senate, Warren has been uncharacteristically silent when it comes to the 2016 race for the White House. The senator, however, is showing signs she may soon be playing a greater role in the election. 

Necn's Alison King sat down with the Bay State's senior senator at a restaurant in Roxbury, where she opened up about the race, and blasted front-runner Donald Trump, but only after voicing her outrage at Senate Republicans for refusing to consider any of President Obama's Supreme Court nominees.

"That is extremism. And it is the kind of extremism that has nursed and nurtured Donald Trump and Ted Cruz," Warren said of the GOP contenders.

She said the melee that erupted Friday at a canceled Trump rally in Chicago — leading to four arrests — "is on Trump" and that the Republican front-runner "has been fostering and fomenting" such behavior for months.

"It finally reached the next level. I think people are worried about what it means. We're in a new space and we're trying to figure out, how do we describe this?" she explained.

Warren later added, "I am not happy to see Donald Trump even threatening to get anywhere near the presidency. Don't take me there. That is a form of extremism. He advocates a form of ugliness that I don't want any part of."

She blasted 2012 presidential candidate Mitt Romney, who denounced Trump last week and announced plans to campaign with GOP contender John Kasich in Ohio.

"Where was Mitt Romney for the last eight years?" she said. "I'm sorry, where was Mitt Romney since he ran for president?"

The senator also said Democrats should take charge and unite against Trump.

"You know, I think we need to get up and we need to stand strong. We need to speak from the heart and speak loudly," she said, adding that she does plan to endorse a candidate but doesn't "have a timeline on it."

When asked what it would mean to elect Democratic front-runner Hillary Clinton, described by King as being "extremely divisive," Warren said it's important to focus on politics rather than people.

"You know, my view on this is we've got to make this fundamentally about the issues. It's not about our differences. It's not about who's liked and who isn't. It's about the things that we need our government to do," she explained.

She echoed that sentiment when asked in reference to Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders whether the electorate is "ready to possibly vote for a Jewish candidate," saying, "I think we are ready for having somebody who is going to fight on our side."

Warren said she loves her job in the Senate, adding that it's "way, way, way premature" to wonder whether she would consider running as vice president. But with her comments she did not categorically rule it out.

Hartford police have apologized and launched an internal investigation after a Donald Trump sticker was spotted inside a patrol car and a photo of the sticker began circulating on social media.

The sticker, which was on top of a police laptop, has since been removed and all officers have been reminded to "remain politically neutral," Deputy Chief Brian J. Foley said in an email.

HPD command staff was first made aware of the "irresponsible application" of the sticker Saturday morning and "immediately addressed" it, Foley said. 

Foley said the department is "embarrassed and sorry for this lack of professional judgment."

The officer was "counseled on the critical importance of remaining neutral and impartial," Foley said. 

The department also reached out directly to many community leaders to apologize.

Here is Foley's statement on the matter:

"This political sticker situation has been addressed. The sticker, which was conspicuously affixed to the top of a HPD laptop computer within the marked patrol vehicle, has been removed. The officer was counseled on the critical importance of remaining neutral and impartial. We also reminded all HPD officers to remain politically neutral. Specific daily roll call training is being given at all shifts. The matter will now be referred for an internal investigation. I am, and we are, embarrassed and sorry for this lack of professionalism and judgment."

Hours after a judge ordered Tyshawn Lee's alleged killer held without bail Tuesday, the father of the slain 9-year-old allegedly shot three people on Chicago's South Side, according to police.

Tyshawn was gunned down in a Chicago alley last fall as part of a gang retaliation, authorities said. His suspected killer, Dwright Boone-Doty, 22, was charged with murder and appeared in court Tuesday, where a judge ordered him held without bail.

The same day, around 5:45 p.m., Tyshawn's father, 25-year-old Pierre Stokes, opened fire on two men who were arguing in the 7900 block of South Ashland Avenue in the Auburn Gresham neighborhood, police said.

A 30-year-old man was shot in the right arm and a 31-year-old man suffered a gunshot wound to the left forearm, according to police. Both were taken to Christ Hospital in stable condition.

Police originally said only the two men were shot, but later said a 29-year-old woman suffered a graze wound to the face and refused treatment.

Anthony Guglielmi of the Chicago Police Department identified Stokes as the shooter in a statement Sunday morning. Stokes was charged with three counts of aggravated battery with a firearm and one count of unlawful use of a weapon by a felon. 

"It's confirmed, he was picked up Friday and charged with the shooting. This represents the challenge that police grapple with. We are aggressively working to hold gun offenders and gang members accountable," Guglielmi said in the statement.

He added that Stokes has continued his involvement in "the same gang activity that started this initial cycle of violence" even after he "ultimately suffered an unspeakable loss with the calculated execution of his son."

It wasn't immediately known if Stokes has hired an attorney.

After the killing, Boone-Doty allegedly told police he had planned to kidnap and torture Tyshawn before killing him, law enforcement officials revealed Tuesday. Boone-Doty ultimately lured the 9-year-old into an alley and shot him numerous times at close range. 

"This was a targeted assassination," said interim Police Supt. John Escalante. "These are calculated killers whose actions define the words brutality and cowardice."

Cook County State's Attorney Anita Alvarez said Tyshawn's killing was "among the worst that I have ever seen in my more than 30 years as a prosecutor."

Officials said Boone-Doty and two others accused in the case, including 27-year-old Corey Morgan, had planned to go on a killing spree after Morgan's brother was fatally shot on Oct. 13, 2015. Morgan has repeatedly denied having any involvement in Tyshawn’s killing.

Prosecutors said Boone-Doty, Morgan and a third person went out "daily, armed with guns, looking to retaliate." They said Boone-Doty had planned to go back to the park where Tyshawn was playing and "shoot it up," allegedly saying he "should have killed all the kids in the park."

Boone-Doty was in the process of writing a rap song about the killing, prosecutors said.

He has also been charged in a separate gang-related shooting, which left Brianna Jenkins dead and Deshari Bowens injured on Oct. 18, the state's attorney's office said. He faces charges of first-degree murder, attempted first-degree murder and aggravated battery with a firearm.

In total, Boone-Doty has been charged with five felony offenses in connection with three separate cases. He was already in custody on unrelated gun charges, according to county records. The records did not indicate if Boone-Doty had an attorney.

Guglielmi said the police department is working to curb gang violence by opening members' eyes to the "casualties of that lifestyle" and offer them education and job placement opportunities.

California lawmakers are considering bills that could change how the public obtains information from the government and how that information is released.

Some of the bills would impact how the Brown Act and California Public Records Act are interpreted. The Brown Act was passed in 1953 and guarantees the public’s right to attend and participate in government meetings. The CPRA allows the public to request access to government information, including emails, video, photographs and data.

Both acts allow the public to understand and gain access to what is happening within local and state government agencies. The acts serve as a sort of checks and balance function for citizens to keep tabs on what the government is doing.

Below is a look at some of the bills being considered in the California Legislature that could impact public access:

• Assembly Bill 1940, introduced by Assemblyman Jim Cooper (D), would ask the Legislature to enact legislation establishing policies and procedures to address issues related to peace officers' use of body-worn cameras. It was read in February and may be introduced to a committee this month.
• Assembly Bill 1957, introduced by Assemblyman Bill Quirk (D), would ask the Legislature to create a law revising the CPRA so peace officer body cameras footage related to use of force or death are released to the public if the interest in public disclosure outweighs the need to protect an individual's privacy. The bill was read in February and may head to committee this month.
• Assembly Bill 1707, introduced by Assemblyman Eric Linder (R), would require any response to a CPRA request to be in writing regardless of whether the request was in writing. It would also require the written response to include a list containing the name of each record requested but withheld and the reason why it was withheld, citing the exemption. The bill is being considered in committee.
• Assembly Bill 2533, introduced by Assemblyman Miguel Santiago (D), would require law enforcement and public safety officers be given notice before any audio or video recordings made by the officer are released on the internet. The bill says a minimum of five business days’ notice is required. It also allows the officer, a district attorney or United States Attorney to seek an injunction prohibiting the release. It was referred to committee.
• Assembly Bill 1648, introduced by Assemblyman Scott Wilk (R), adds to the CPRA and would prohibit state or local agencies from selling a public record subject to disclosure to a private entity that would prevent the public from sharing, distributing or publishing the record. It is currently being considered in committee.
• Senate Bill 877, introduced by Senator Richard Pan (D), would require the California Department of Health to create and maintain a database on violent deaths. It is being considered in committee.
• Senate Bill 1303, introduced by Senator Bob Huff (R), would require the Legislative Counsel to make all audiovisual recordings of legislative proceedings accessible to the public online and available for download for a minimum of 20 years after the date it was recorded. The bill would also allow televised or other audiovisual recordings of public proceedings of each house of the Legislature and committees to be used for any legitimate purpose, including political campaigns. Right now, anyone who does this, is guilty of a misdemeanor. The bill is being considered in committee.
• Senate Bill 1286, introduced by Senator Mark Leno (D), would allow the public to access investigations into peace officer misconduct. Right now, those documents are normally considered exempt from disclosure. The bill would also make other records related law enforcement personnel records, including complaints against officers, public record. The American Civil Liberties Union supports this bill. It is currently being considered in committee.

This is one of a series of posts from NBC 7 Investigates highlighting the public’s right of access to information. The stories were published to coordinate with Sunshine Week, an annual campaign bringing attention to federal and local access issues. In California, the public is able to request information from government agencies, offices and officials through the California Public Records Act. For more information on how to request information click here.
 

The City of Carlsbad has named a new police chief.

Neil Gallucci, an officer with the Carlsbad Police Department for 25 years, was picked for the post after serving as interim chief the past seven months.

The naming of the new police chief came after the retirement of former Police Chief Gary Morrison.

Gallucci started his law enforcement career in 1987 in Long Beach before joining the Carlsbad Police Department three years later. He rose through the ranks from an officer to serving as a police captain for six years before being named interim chief.

The city’s police chief oversees 162 full-time employees and a $32.8 million annual budget.

A U.S.-born ISIS fighter has been detained in northern Iraq, but it was not clear if he was captured or surrendered, according to reports.

The man pictured in photos released by local media was identified by an uncle as Mohamed Jamal Khweis, 26, of Alexandria, Virginia.

"That's him. I cannot believe it," the uncle, Kamal Khweis, told NBC News Monday. "He doesn't even speak Arabic. ISIS? I cannot believe this."

He said Mohamed told his family he was going to Europe for vacation and when they last heard from him, he said he was in Greece.

"They don't know anything about him going to the Middle East."

The fire that engulfed a vacant apartment in Escondido early Monday is considered suspicious, officials told NBC 7.

The fire was reported around 5:15 a.m. in a detached four-bedroom apartment on 1121 North Escondido Boulevard.

Firefighters said the unit was fully-involved when crews arrived.

Fire officials said the apartment is available for rent and was left with the doors unlocked.

The landlord showed the apartment to a prospective tenant Sunday.

No further information was immediately available.

Sarah Palin canceled a campaign stop for Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump in Florida Monday after her husband, Todd, was injured in a snow machine crash.

A source told NBC News that Todd Palin was in "a very serious" crash Sunday night and is in intensive care.

In a brief unplanned appearance before Trump's afternoon event in Tampa, Palin referenced the "little wreck" and thanked audience members for their prayers.

The former Alaska governor, who endorsed Trump earlier this year, stopped by the Trump town hall in Tampa but canceled her other planned appearances. She has been in contact with medical personnel and will be traveling back to Alaska today, the source said.

The Smithsonian's National Museum of Natural History revealed a newly discovered dinosaur species Monday — one that shows how the Tyrannosaurus rex evolved to become a top predator.

The new species, Timurlengia euotica, lived 90 million years ago and was about the size of a horse, scientists said Monday. Weighing up to 600 pounds, the Timurlengia is a member of the tyrannosaur family, but not an ancestor of the T. rex, scientists said.

"It had long legs and was likely a fast runner," said a release from the Smithsonian on Monday.

"Timurlengia was a nimble pursuit hunter with slender, blade-like teeth suitable for slicing through meat," said Hans Sues, chair of the Department of Paleobiology at the Smithsonian's National Museum of Natural History, in a news release.

But at that size, there's still a big difference between the Timurlengia and the T. rex, which could have weighed up to 7 tons.

Fossils of the species were discovered in Uzbekistan between 1997 and 2006. Only once scientists began studying the remains did they realize they had an entirely new species on their hands.

The remains fill in a major gap in the evolution of tyrannosaurs, the family of dinosaurs to which the T. rex belongs. The fossils show how tyrannosaurs evolved from smaller-bodied creatures into massive predators, according to a new study published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.

"The ancestors of T. rex would have looked a whole lot like Timurlengia, a horse-sized hunter with a big brain and keen hearing that would put us to shame," said paleontologist Steve Brusatte in the Smithsonian's release. "Only after these ancestral tyrannosaurs evolved their clever brains and sharp senses did they grow into the colossal sizes of T. rex. Tyrannosaurs had to get smart before they got big."

Paleontologists have long known that this transition took place over about 70 million years — but the new fossils suggest that most of it occurred suddenly, toward the end of that period.

The study also shows that before even before tyrannosaurs grew larger, they'd already developed "keen senses and cognitive abilities, including the ability to hear low-frequency sounds," according to a release from the museum.

Sues said they probably preyed on large plant-eaters, especially early duck-billed dinosaurs.

"Clues from the life of Timurlengia allow us to fill in gaps and better understand the life and evolution of other related dinosaurs, like T. rex," he said.

The fossils at the center of the study were collected by Sues and Alexander Averianov, a senior scientist at the Russian Academy of Sciences, in the Kyzylkum Desert.

As they were studying the fossils, Sues and a team of paleontologists led by Steve Brusatte at the University of Edinburgh discovered they were from a previously unknown species. The team later reconstructed the Timurlengia's brain using CT scans of its brain case. While its skull was much smaller than the T. rex's, scientists say key features of the skull show the Timurlengia's brain and senses were already highly developed. 

Fort Worth police removed an officer from patrol duties after a video posted to YouTube showed him spraying Mace on motorcycle riders as they rode past him Sunday afternoon.

The department announced Officer Figeuroa, whose first name was not given, would be reassigned to an administrative job while an internal investigation is underway. 

Police spokeswoman Cpl. Tracey Knight confirmed late Monday that the officer used pepper spray on the passing bikers and documented it in a report. 

The video was posted to Chase Stone's YouTube channel with the caption, "MUST WATCH!!! This is how our law enforcement chooses to 'protect and serve.'"

The video appears to show a Fort Worth police officer engaged in a traffic stop with the driver of a red pickup truck when a large number of motorcycles begin to pass their location. As the riders pass, video recorded on a camera worn by one of the riders shows the officer exit his patrol car and spray a yellow mist into the air in the direction of the roadway.

The footage was slowed down and zoomed in to highlight the officer's actions.

Fort Worth police said several motorists called 911 Sunday afternoon to report motorcyclists blocking traffic, racing and weaving through cars along Highway 287. An incident report obtained by NBC 5 confirmed Fort Worth Police Officer W. Figueroa pulled over a red pickup truck along Highway 287 at about 3 p.m. Sunday for "blocking traffic to rocord [sic] motorcycles driving recklessly."

Brittany Botella, who is six months pregnant, said she was driving the red pickup truck and was cited only for driving without a license. She said the officer initially confiscated their phones but later returned them. One of her passengers, Markus Hernandez, has asthma and had to be hospitalized and given breathing treatments after being exposed to the mist.

"I looked out my mirror and I seen [sic] all the Mace going towards all the bikes. And then it hit us. And then I started choking and that's exactly what happened," Botella said.

Hernandez told NBC 5 he and another passenger were riding in the back of the pickup truck and were each ticketed for standing in the back of a moving vehicle.

"I think it's not right. I don't think officers should be able to do that just because they've got a badge. We weren't showing no force of hurting him, none of that. He just jumped out with brute of force and sprayed everybody," Hernandez said. "If he would have gotten one of those bikers there would have been a lot of deaths. It wouldn't just be hurt. People would be dead."

Medstar records show police called an ambulance shortly after 3 pm. Five people were treated and released at the scene and one man was transported to the hospital with minor injuries, said Medstar spokesman Matt Zavadsky.

Stone's YouTube channel does contain at least one video showing dozens of trick riders performing stunts on highways, driving in emergency lanes and riding in both lanes of traffic on inner-city roadways.

Knight said in an email Monday morning, "The Fort Worth Police Department takes any complaint of officer misconduct very seriously and this incident will be investigated thoroughly. If anyone has information they are asked to please contact FWPD at 817-392-4270 or 817-355-4222."

NBC 5's Scott Gordon contributed to this report.

A San Diego man has been sentenced for lying to officials during a terrorism-related international investigation, telling them he did not know any members of the Islamic State and did not fight in coordination with a terrorist organization, the U.S. Attorney's office announced.

 Mohamad Saeed Kodaimati, 25, a naturalized U.S. citizen of San Diego, was sentenced to eight years in prison for making false statements to the FBI and State Department officials. He pleaded guilty in October 2015 to one count of False Statements Involving International Terrorism. 

Kodaimati traveled to Istanbul, Turkey, in December 2012, U.S. Attorney Laura Duffy said in a release. During that trip, he traveled to Syria as well. 

As part of the plea agreement, Kodaimati admitted that he lied when asked whether he knew any members of the Islamic State in Iraq, a foreign terrorist organization known as ISIL. He also lied when he told officials he was never involved with Al Nusrah, a terrorist organization, according to the plea. Officials said he lied when he claimed he never engaged in combat or fired a weapon at anyone. 

“The defendant deliberately hid his connections to terrorists and the fact that he participated in combat in Syria,” said U.S. Attorney Laura Duffy in a statement. “This is an appropriately severe sentence that underscores the very serious nature of a crime that has the potential to jeopardize our national security.”

Kodaimati admitted he fought against the Syrian regime, shooting at others, in coordination with Al Nursrah fighters, according to the plea agreement. 

In March 2015, Kodaimati spoke with officials at the U.S. Embassy in Ankara, according to the release. It was during this meeting he lied to them. 

“This investigation underscores the serious threat posed by the violent propaganda being spread by international terrorist organizations both here and abroad,” said Dave Shaw, special agent in charge for U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s (ICE) Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) in San Diego, in a statement.

Kodaimati was born in Syria and became a naturalized citizen in September 2008. Kodaimati returned to San Diego on March 29 2015. He was arrested by FBI agents and members of the San Diego Joint Terrorism Task Force in Rancho Bernardo on April 22.