One person was rescued after their Prius crashed into a tree off Interstate 8 Thursday, California Highway Patrol (CHP) officials said. 

The crash happened at approximately 11:43 a.m. off westbound I-8 near Mollison in El Cajon, officials said. 

The Prius struck a tree off the freeway, trapping one passenger inside. It is unclear if other passengers were also in the car. 

Firefighters rushed to the scene, working to free the victim. 

It is unclear what injuries the victim suffered. 

No further details were available. 

The city of San Diego is launching a new effort to clean up nine specific areas of the city struggling with excessive litter and illegal dumping.

"We've identified nine hot spots for illegal littering and dumping," said Angela Colton, waste reduction deputy director in the city's Environmental Services Department.

A one-year pilot project will target Ocean Beach, Point Loma, Logan Heights, San Ysidro, City Heights, Paradise Valley. The project will also focus on three combination zones: Mission Beach/Pacific Beach, Webster/Mount Hope in southeastern San Diego and the South Bay area near the international border.

Mayor Kevin Faulconer included $800,000 for the program in revisions he made to his proposed budget for the fiscal year that began July 1.

Because the new program is a one-year experiment, the city plans to rely on workers supplied by the Urban Corps of San Diego instead of hiring new employees.

Many of those staffers work for the Urban Corps to fulfill community service requirements of plea bargains.

"They will be going to each of these nine areas throughout the week and picking up any illegal littering or dumping and identifying any graffiti and reporting that over to the Streets Division," Colton said.

Under the new program, which will supplement work already conducted by city crews and people on probation, each of the areas will be visited by crews cleaning up litter and dump sites at least four days a week.

While the workers won't be eradicating graffiti, they will help speed up the city's response by reporting it more quickly than private citizens generally do.

If you have any tips or complaints about excessive litter, illegal dumping or graffiti, click here to check out the “Get it Done,” app launched by the city last year.

A South Bay psychiatrist, Dr. Greg Paniccia, is accused of gross negligence and overprescribing controlled substances to five patients, according to an accusation filed by the Medical Board of California.

The 41-page document also asks an administrative judge to revoke or suspend Paniccia’s license.

The accusation, filed in the administrative law court on May 1, alleges Paniccia prescribed narcotics, sedatives and other powerful drugs “...without an appropriate prior examination and medical indication,” and that “...he knew or reasonably should have known” that four of those five patients were drug addicts who would use those controlled substances “...for a non-medical purpose.”

The accusation notes that one patient, a 29-year-old woman identified as R.M., had a history of alcohol, methamphetamine and heroin abuse. According to the accusation, the Medical Board’s investigation revealed Paniccia did not document R.M.’s history of drug and alcohol abuse and prescribed two controlled substances (gabapentin and alprazolam) that are not “standard treatments” for the bipolar disorder for which R.M. sought treatment.

In the accusation, the Medical Board also alleges Paniccia gave R.M. a prescription for hydrocodone, a powerful, potentially addictive opioid, without documenting the prescription in R.M.’s file.

According to the accusation, “(Paniccia) repeatedly prescribed benzodiazepines to patient R.M. while she was pregnant without any informed consent, regarding the dangers associated with benzodiazepines…”

Paniccia did not respond to messages left at his current and former offices in Kearny Mesa and National City. His attorney also did not respond to a request for comment on the accusation.

Paniccia has not yet had a hearing on the allegations.

The California Attorney General’s office, which represents the Medical Board, also alleges Paniccia repeatedly failed to review the state’s controlled substance database before prescribing those controlled substances.

That database, known as “C.U.R.E.S.”, informs doctors if their patients are getting narcotics, sedatives and other dangerous drugs from other providers, and is a safeguard against “doctor shopping” and over-prescribing.

In seeking revocation or suspension of Paniccia’s license, the Medical Board complaint notes he was placed on probation is 2003 for improperly prescribing “excessive amounts of controlled substances” to a patient. According to medical board documents, in that case, Paniccia agreed to take prescribing and medical record-keeping courses. In addition, the Medical Board prohibited him from prescribing most controlled substances during his two-year probation.

The Medical Board’s website shows Paniccia completed the terms of his 2003 probation in 2005 and was allowed to resume his medical practice without restrictions.

NBC 7 Investigates is reporting on medical professionals accused by the public and the California Medical Board of wrongdoing in order to bring information to the public and increase transparency of medical practices in the San Diego region. Currently, this information is reported by the Medical Board on its website. Medical professionals are not required to disclose this information to their patients.

A gas line broke in National City, prompting road closures in the area Thursday morning, confirmed police.

It happened in the 1700 block of East Plaza Boulevard around 11:45 a.m., according to the National City Police Department (NCPD).

There is no current danger, police said. SDG&E is aware of the situation and crews are working to fix the broken line.

East Plaza Boulevard is currently blocked in both directions between Interstate 805 freeway and Palm Avenue. Additionally, the I-805 freeway off-ramp at Plaza Boulevard is closed off.

Drivers should find alternate routes of travel and avoid this area for the next few hours, according to NCPD.

As of 2:15 p.m., the gas leak was secured and all road closures were lifted, said police.

WWE said Thursday it is investigating a "vulnerability of database" after a security firm announced earlier this week it had uncovered an unprotected database that was open to anyone.

Bob Dyachenko, from the security firm Kromtech, told Forbes he’d uncovered a huge, unprotected WWE database containing information on more than 3 million users. Dyachenko also claimed that it was open to anyone who knew which web address to search, according to Forbes.com.

The breach in the WWE Network database, included users home and email addresses, birthdates, earnings, ethnicity, children’s age ranges, genders and more. The database was stored on an Amazon Web Services S3 server without username or password protection. Dyachenko said it was not clear which branch of the WWE Corporation the database came from.

WWE said in a statement posted on the company's website that it is working with Amazon Web Services, the cybersecurity firms Smartronix and Praetorian Cybersecurity Solutions to investigate the breach.

"Although no credit card or password information was included, and therefore not at risk, WWE is investigating a vulnerability of a database housed on Amazon Web Services (AWS)," the statement said.

A baby boy and his grateful parents visited a group of San Diego first responders Thursday who helped the family during the infant's roadside birth.

Tom and Sydney Judge, and their newborn, Heston, visited the San Diego Fire-Rescue Department's (SDFD) Sorrento Valley Station 41 to say thank you to the firefighters -- this time under much less stressful circumstances.

Baby Heston was born on June 12 at around 9:30 p.m. The Judges were en route to the hospital for the baby's birth when Sydney suddenly felt she was about to deliver.

Sydney asked Tom to pull over on the side of the road, at Oberlin Drive and Scranton Road, and call 911.

Firefighters and paramedics from Sorrento Valley Station 41 arrived and helped safely deliver the baby boy in the backseat of his parent's car.

Today, Sydney and 3-week-old Heston and doing great.

The little one's parents beamed with pride as they introduced him to the firefighters and paramedics who helped bring him into the world.

Heston, naturally, slept through the big meeting, curled up in his dad's arms.

The Judges brought a gift to the fire station: a framed photo of Heston dressed up in a tiny firefighter's uniform next to a sign that read, "Thank You from the Judge Family."

SDFD Chief Brian Fennessy said in a press release that's not often that fire crews deliver babies in cars, but the crews are "trained and prepared for just about anything."

He said he's proud of the crew for keeping the family calm and helping them during what will forever be a truly unforgettable moment.

Chipmaker Qualcomm is asking U.S. trade regulators to ban iPhone imports, according to a new lawsuit.

Apple has allegedly infringed on six of Qualcomm's patents that improve iPhone battery life, according to Qualcomm. Now San Diego-based Qualcomm wants Apple to pay damages, CNBC reported.

"Apple continues to use Qualcomm's technology while refusing to pay for it," Don Rosenberg, executive vice president and general counsel of Qualcomm, said in a statement.

Qualcomm ultimately wants regulators to investigate which phones use cellular processors from Qualcomm's competitors, and halt sales of iPhones that violate the patents.

CNBC was seeking a response from Apple. 

“It was going to be an experience the kids wouldn’t forget,” Brandy Martinoli told NBC 7 Responds in May. 

Martinoli’s daughter and students from San Marcos, Del Norte, Mission Hills and Eastlake high schools had been planning a trip to Japan for over a year. Each person paid over $3,600 to Harmony International, a travel-booking company owned by Brad and Margie Matheson. 

In April, those plans came crashing down when the trip was canceled, with no mention of refunds. 

To read more about the local trip that was canceled, click here. 

NBC 7 Responds found these local families are not alone. Band and choir groups from Ohio, Vermont, New York, Texas and Florida also had trips planned through Harmony International that were suddenly canceled. 

According to documents released through a federal Freedom of Information Act request filed with the Federal Trade Commission, 22 consumer complaints involving Harmony International have been filed with the federal agency. 

To see the complaints, click here. 

One of the complaints involves a consumer in Weston, Florida. According to the complaint, the consumer’s children paid Harmony International over $2,500 for a trip to perform at Carnegie Hall in New York City. 

“I am sad my kids missed out on a trip of a lifetime which I was going to be a part of,” the consumer complaint reads, “it is sad harmony international (sic) took advantage and scammed band kids and families.” 

Harmony International, doing business as MFPI Group Inc., filed for bankruptcy on May 16. 

Last month, the Matheson’s appeared in a Florida courtroom for a hearing regarding their company’s Chapter 7 bankruptcy filing. Both refused to comment when asked questions by an NBC Miami reporter. 

Stephen Zumchak traveled from New York to Florida to attend the hearing and represent musicians owed money by Harmony International. 

“My group was supposed to be going on a tour to Cuba back in May that got canceled,” Zumchak said, “Collectively we are out over one-hundred thousand dollars.” 

According to the bankruptcy filing, Harmony International lists over $1 million in accrued debt. The filings also list six legal complaints filed against the company, including four consumer complaints filed by Attorney General Offices in Vermont, Ohio, New York and Texas. 

To see the filings, click here.

“We are wondering why our money was taken and not put towards these trips,”Zumchak said. 

According to the California Attorney General’s office, companies that sell travel tours are required to deposit all payments received by customers into a trust account or bond. 

At a meeting with local parents in May, the attorney representing Harmony International, Erika Orcutt, told parents and NBC 7 Responds the company did not spend any money received on hotels or travel reservations. 

This is what Drew Dilworth, the bankruptcy trustee appointed in the Harmony International case, said he will be investigating. 

“Given the testimony today, there may be claims against the owners of the business for failing to set aside money to cover the trips that they were selling and negligently not having that money today,” Dillworth said. “We’ll be looking at how the company used the money, the dollars they did have and where those monies went and see if we can recover them.” 

Collectively, student musicians and their families are owed as much as $500,000. 

According to Dillworth, parents and students may have to wait for one to two years before it is determined if they will receive any of their money back. 

“Most of the people, because they’re consumers and these were deposits for trips that were never delivered, they’ll have priority claims,” Dillworth said. “To the extent, money is recovered, they have a far greater likelihood of recovering because they have a higher priority of repayment.” 

Dillworth said musicians and/or parents who are owed money by Harmony International need to file a claim form, in order to be considered for possible refunds in the future and creditors need to fill out this form and mail it along with corresponding documents to: 

C. Clyde Atkins United States Courthouse
301 North Miami Avenue, Room 150
Miami, FL 33128
(305) 714-1800

For further instructions on how to file a claim, click here.

Instagram said it is working on a glitch that is causing some users to think their accounts have been deleted. 

Users on Twitter and Facebook expressed concern that their Instagram accounts had been deleted on Thursday. The company tweeted that they were aware of the issue that users are being logged out and are working to resolve it as soon as possible.

Some businesses, public figures and aspiring social media stars rely heavily on their Instagram accounts and said the issue could hurt their presence online. 

It's not clear how long accounts have been experiencing issues, but some users started sending complaints to Instagram via other social media platforms in the early hours of Thursday morning.

Earlier on Thursday, Instagram announced that they've added a new feature to the app that allows users to reply to "stories" with a photo or video.  

Instagram users with a technical problem can follow steps to report a problem here.

A 54-year-old man stabbed the victim in the arm during an argument in North Park Thursday morning, according to the San Diego Police Department (SDPD).

The incident occurred on the 2600 block of Collier Avenue, near Adams Avenue.

Police said the two men got into an argument because the victim was yelling at the suspect's 6-year-old daughter. The victim then punched the suspect in the face.

The suspect grabbed a kitchen knife and stabbed the victim.

According to police, the victim, a 49-year-old man, suffered a two-inch laceration on his arm. He was taken to the hospital and treated for his injuries.

The suspect was arrested and booked into jail.

No other information was available.

County employees have filed a complaint accusing the county of failing to protect its workers from gun violence safety threats.

The staff protested about the County's alleged safety violations outside the North Inland Live Will Center Thursday morning.

“In a lot of our other facilities we’ve had incidents where we had shootings outside and victims running into the building," said Linda Correa, an employee who has worked for the County for over 20 years.

“It’s time for the county to take action now and not wait until the last minute when something more serious happens," said Correa.

Employees for North Inland Live Well Center said the County has violated its own policy and California Labor Codes. Over the past several months, there have been at least four incidents of gun violence threats directed at the facility, stated the complaint.

Members of the public entered the facility and made threats of gun violence against employees, but the County has not taken action, according to the complaint.

Several violations are alleged in the complaint including failing to tell employees about safety threat incidents, failing to clearly designate all safety roles, failing to seriously investigate, failing to call police and failing to follow-up with employees, said Adam Ward, a spokesman for the County employees.

In response to the complaint, the County of San Diego Health and Human Services Agency released a statement emphasizing that safety is a top priority at the facilities.

"I want to reiterate that we take employee safety concerns very seriously, and have procedures in place to investigate and respond to matters when they come up," said Craig Sturak, a County spokesperson. 

"The employer has failed to comply with both its own adopted safety policies and California Labor Code Section 6400," states the complaint.

Sturak said the County facility has many on-site security guards that work to keep the staff and the public safe. 

But employees said this not the case. One of the employees' proposals to improve public safety is the addition of an armed security guard to the facility. Correa said the County rejected this proposal.

“All lives matter. All lives are important. And our safety should be our number one concern now. Times have changed. Since San Bernardino we’ve seen more gun violence in our communities," said Correa.

When management was asked about safety issues, they did not know what their safety policy was, said Correa. They did not know who was responsible for handling the safety issues at the workplace.

"Despite a new security policy written in response to the San Bernardino massacre, San Diego County did not follow its own procedures," said Ward.

There are about 300 County employees working at the North Inland Live Well Center in Escondido, according to county employees. The workplace is visited by thousands of San Diegans each week.

Beach goers at Silver Strand State Beach near Coronado said Thursday they have noticed hundreds of baby clams along the coastline.

“It’s your usual hard clam but then they have fuzz at the end," said San Diego resident, Pete Vaillant. He added he has seen a lot this year but does not remember seeing any last year.

Lifeguards said they are called Pismo Clams. They have small, smooth, yellow-tinted shells with green moss-like fur, which helps them catch their food.

Lifeguards in the area said Silver Strand State Beach is a perfect habitat for the clams.

"July starts their mating and spawning season, so that's why people are seeing more," said John Anderson, lead lifeguard at Silver Strand State Beach.

Anderson added it is illegal to take any baby Pismo Clams off the beach, in an effort to conserve their population. Anyone caught taking them can face a citation.

A former Corrections Officer at the Richard J. Donovan Correctional Facility (RJD) admitted to smuggling drugs and cell phones into the facility for money, according to the U.S. Attorney's office. 

Anibal Navarro, 38, of Chula Vista, a former Corrections Officer, pleaded guilty to one count of Conspiracy to Distribute Illegal Narcotics and one count of Bribery Concerning Programs Receiving Federal Funds Thursday in connection with an indictment that includes 10 others in a two-year-long scheme. 

According to his plea agreement, Navarro admitted he was paid $45,000 over a period of two years for smuggling drugs and cell phones into the facility. Prisoners, their family members and other associates paid him for the deeds from 2014 to 2016, according to the U.S. Attorney's office. 

Navarro was arrested on June 26, 2016, as he attempted to smuggle heroin, methamphetamine, and phones into the prison. 

Ten other individuals were indicted by a federal grand jury on charges they conspired with Navarro on smuggling drugs and phones into prison. Those other individuals' cases are pending. 

The public can report allegations of public corruption to the FBI by using their hotline at (877) NO-BRIBE (662-7423).

Officials with the San Diego County Sheriff's Department (SDSO) are investigating a threat against Encinitas Mayor Catherine Blakespear.

The department is taking the July 2 threat seriously, SDSO Captain John Maryon told NBC 7 San Diego. The department took a criminal report and it investigating the threat. 

Blakespear told NBC 7 that the text message threat referenced fantasies the suspect had of committing violent sexual acts against her. 

“We are taking this seriously," Maryon said in a statement to NBC 7 San Diego, adding that he could not comment on the specifics of the threat due to the ongoing investigation. "To send something like that is not right, and it’s illegal.”

Blakespear, elected mayor of Encinitas in November, said she is taking added protections to keep herself and her family safe. She is serving a two-year mayoral term. 

“Threatening sexual violence is aimed at making me feel fearful and vulnerable as a woman," Blakespear told NBC 7 in a statement. "Its goal is to terrorize me, and I recognize that."

She said she does not know who sent her the threat. Blakespear said she reported the threat to Sheriff's deputies on July 3. 

Maryon said he could not comment further on the matter as the threat is under investigation. 

The investigation is ongoing. 

No further information was available. 

A safety alert has been issued after a female student was sexually battered on the campus of Miramar College Thursday afternoon, the San Diego Community College District Police Department confirmed.

The victim was walking between L and H buildings towards Lot 2 around 2 p.m. when the suspect rode by on his bike and slapped her on the buttocks.

Police said the suspect also yelled out a sexual comment to the victim.

The suspect is described to be in his 20s, with short black hair and a medium build. He had been wearing a red shirt, gray shorts, and white shoes. Police said he was carrying a gray helmet and had a black bandana covering his face.

He had been riding a smaller, BMX bike.

According to police, the suspect matched a description of a similar incident that occurred around 7 p.m. Wednesday.

The suspect had slapped the female victim on the buttocks while passing on a bicycle in Miramar College. He had a short build and was wearing a black hoodie with possibly a marijuana symbol on the front.

Anyone with information is asked to report it to College Police at (619)388-6405. You can also call SDPD or Crime Stoppers. 

No other information was available.

Please refresh this page for updates on this story. Details may change as more information becomes available.

The San Diego County Sheriff's Department (SDSO) has identified the man shot and killed after fleeing the authorities in Vista Wednesday.

Jonathon Coronel, 24, was spotted Wednesday morning in a green Buick. He was wanted on a probation violation that started a chase throughout the neighborhood near Knoll Road and Ferrara Way.

"He looked like just a regular kid walking, you know?" said Victor Garcia, a resident in the neighborhood.

Neighbors said Coronel tried to hide behind a house. When a woman spotted him, she forced him to leave. He reportedly walked across the street calmly and hopped a fence into another person's backyard.

"That's when the kid jumped the fence back there and you didn't hear anything. No put your gun down, no get on the floor. Nothing. Just emptied the whole clip," said Garcia.

A man who witnessed the shooting happen in his backyard described it similarly.

"The shooting was like boom, boom, boom," the witness said.

According to this homeowner, who did not want to be identified, Coronel was lying on his stomach at the time he was shot.

Deputies say Coronel was not armed at the time he was shot, but they did find a knife and other sharp objects on the path he used to escape.

The officer involved in the shooting is now on administrative leave.

A riding center in Ramona is bringing together miniature horses saved from slaughter and veterans suffering from post-traumatic stress (PTS) in a program to help all involved.

The Cornerstone Therapeutic Riding Center adopted two miniature horses on Thursday, and will use them in its program Operation Saddle Up to provide therapy to veterans who are wounded or have PTS, according to a statement.

The miniature horses were brought from Texas where they were rescued from potential slaughter by Charlotte Olhausen, of the miniature horse rescue organization Paw 4 the Foundation.

According to Cornerstone, the horse therapy provided through Operation Saddle Up has brought an 85 percent decrease in suicidal thoughts, 75 percent decrease in PTS and 90 percent decrease in anxiety for those enrolled in their program.

In addition to helping service members, Cornerstone said the horses will be used to help children with special needs and serve as program ambassadors throughout the community once they are trained.

NBC 7's Steven Luke reports from Ocean Beach on the potential for a Target Express store to join the beach neighborhood, Thursday.

Out of nearly 30,000 iPads purchased for its students, the Sweetwater Union High School District said only two percent of those were unaccounted for.

"We can account for 98 percent of them physically. We are pretty proud of that," district spokesperson Manny Rubio told NBC 7.

The district bought the iPads back in 2012 as part of its one-to-one initiative to give more students hands-on experience with technology in the classroom.

Since then, there have been reports that thousands of those iPads were unaccounted for.

But Rubio said they sold nearly 9,000 of the iPads to pay for newer models.

"As we started taking things out of the system, we started backfilling with newer devices," Rubio said.

He added the district's inventory proves that only a little more than 700 iPads were unaccounted for--they were either lost, stolen or taken out of inventory.

But for many parents in the South Bay, the main concern has been where the money is coming from and whether it was being used effectively.

"These are devices already paid for, bought or leased. More cost effective is lease program," Rubio said. 

Students are also required to pay for their damaged or lost iPads.

Rubio said the district plans to purchase iPads for their 10th and 11th graders next year.