A man with a snake tattoo on his chest robbed the Otay Mesa Flyers gas station Sunday afternoon, San Diego police confirm.
The crime happened around 3:43 p.m. in the 8200 block of Otay Mesa Road.
The suspect entered the store, presented a demand note and left in a black sedan with tinted windows and chrome rims. He was wearing a blue hoodie, blue jeans and black shoes.
The amount of the loss was not disclosed.
Robbery detectives are investigating.
Six San Diego Fire-Rescue Department engines responded to the Alamo Fire in San Luis Obispo as part of two Metro Zone Strike Teams, as fires burn along the West Coast and into Canada.
Other agencies contributing engines are the Poway, Chula Vista, Federal and Coronado fire departments.
Three of the engines are used primarily for structure defense and the other three are equipped for fire perimeter control.
"Our engine crews assigned to these Strike Teams are responding as part of the statewide mutual aid system and they possess the experience and training to support the current fire suppression effort in San Luis Obispo," said Fire Chief Brian Fennessy. "The State of California has the most robust and functional mutual aid system in the world. We fully support and regularly contributing to this system. As history has demonstrated many times in the past, we will at some point in the future count on this statewide system to provide San Diego the mutual aid support it needs."
“The crews that are up there right now have up to 14 day deployment with the possibility of it being extended for 7 more days,” SDFD Battalion Chief Willy Melendez tells NBC 7.
Those two teams are made up of 44 personnel. They left around 6 a.m. Sunday morning.
And just to illustrate how bad wildfires have been -- once they checked in at the Alamo Fire, one of the strike teams was sent to help with another fire.
“They were told to divert and assist in the initial attack of the [340 acre] Stone Fire,” Melendez said. “When you get these multiple fires in the same area you start dealing with resource management.”
The Whittier Fire near Santa Barbara has burned nearly 8,000 acres. It burned down a school and a summer camp had to be evacuated.
Near Sacramento, the Wall Fire has burned 2,700 acres, and more than 4,000 people have been ordered to evacuate. In Canada, Nearly 200 fires are burning across British Columbia.
The Alamo Fire started last Thursday and has burned nearly 24,000 acres. It is 15 percent contained, according to Cal Fire.
The preliminary hearing for a man whose truck flew off the Coronado Bridge last November, killing four people, is expected to continue Monday.
Anthony Sepolio, 25, was an active duty service member stationed in Coronado when he allegedly sped up the northbound I-5 onramp at approximately 81 mph on November 15.
Sepolio had been having drinks with a friend that Saturday afternoon, and he was under the influence when he got in his car to drive back to Coronado, prosecutors allege.
His truck hit a guardrail and fell 60 feet into Chicano Park below, instantly killing four people at a festival: Cruz Elias Contreras, 52; AnnaMarie Contreras, 50; Andre Christopher Banks, 49; Francine Denise Jimenez, 46.
His injuries prevented officials from performing an accurate breathalyzer test, prosecutors say. A later test showed his BAC was .08.
Sepolio has pleaded not guilty to four counts of gross vehicular manslaughter while intoxicated and charges of driving under the influence causing injury or death.
The defense says Sepolio was forced off the road by another vehicle, but the DA says there is no evidence of that.
If convicted on all counts, Sepolio could face a maximum sentence of 23 years and eight months in prison.
Our home team, the San Diego Aviators, are the defending champions. Jim Ault, the Aviators General Manager spoke on Sportswrap with NBC 7's Derek Togerson.
An Army infantry man shot and killed his wife along with a New York State Police trooper who was responding to shots fired during a domestic violence call at an upstate home, authorities say.
Trooper Joel Davis, 36, rushed to the scene in Theresa, which is in Jefferson County, just after 8 p.m. and was shot and killed as he approached the residence, State Police Superintendent George Beach II said. A woman was also found dead at the scene, Beach added.
The suspect, Justin Walters, 32, surrendered to other state police troopers without further incident, police said. Beach described Walters as an “active duty Army infantryman who is stationed at Fort Drum.”
The woman was identified as Nichole Walter, 27, police said.
Trooper Davis, of Evans Mills, graduated from the 199th session of the Basic School in 2013, police said. He leaves behind his wife and three children.
“The entire New York family grieves today for Trooper Joel Davis, who was shot and killed in the line of duty Sunday night,” Gov. Andrew Cuomo said in a statement Sunday night.
The investigation is ongoing.
A terminally ill British baby still has a chance at life thanks to attention from U.S. President Donald Trump and Pope Francis, his mother said Monday.
NBC News reports that Connie Yates, mom to 11-month-old Charlie Gard, feels the interventions have "saved his life so far. She said so on BBC Radio 4 early Monday, ahead of a court hearing to keep the baby on life support.
Charlie has a rare genetic condition that left him unable to move his limbs or breathe on his own, and while courts have said continued treatment would hurt the child, his parents have raised nearly $2 million to help bring him the United States for an experimental treatment.
"If we can help little #CharlieGard, as per our friends in the U.K. and the Pope, we would be delighted to do so," Trump tweeted last week.
A kiteboarder struck a humpback whale in the San Francisco Bay while a camera was rolling.
Andrei Grigoriev crashed into the massive marine mammal off Crissy Field Beach on June 18. The stunned man told Australia’s 9News that the encounter was “completely accidental.”
Grigoriev captured the incident on video and posted it on Facebook, writing that the humpback whale frightened him by first passing under his board and then doubling back 15 seconds later at a “high speed, splashing fountains and rolling.”
The video doesn’t show whether the humpback whale was injured.
In recent months, whales have frequently been spotted in Northern California waters. Some have frolicked, delighting onlookers, but others have washed ashore, dead, after being struck by vessels in the ocean.
The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration advises people to maintain at least a 100-yard distance from all marine mammals, Hoodline reported.
The federal Marine Mammal Protection Act is in place to safeguard whales, dolphins, seals, manatees, sea otters, sea lions and more. So feeding, capturing, killing or harassing the animals is illegal, according to the Marine Mammal Center.
Amazon's annual Prime Day kicks off Monday night, but the online superstore isn't the only retailer hoping to capture your business during a regularly sleepy month for retail.
Stores such as Toys"R"Us, Target, Sur La Table and more are jumping on the bandwagon, hoping to take a swing at Amazon by staging their own versions of this summer twist on Black Friday, which for Amazon runs from 9 p.m. July 10 to the early hours of July 12.
Unlike Amazon's sales event, these retailers are opening their deals to anyone, not just subscribers. It will pay to comparison shop; keep multiple tabs open to find the best deal.
"July is not a traditional shopping window," said Mark Cohen, director of retail studies at Columbia Business School. But, he said, Amazon has "called the party and invited all sorts of people who might not otherwise be interested in shopping in July."
Amazon wasn't giving shoppers a window into most of its Prime Day deals until Sunday, and Toys"R"Us and Babies"R"Us was following a similar strategy. They'll announce details of their site-wide discounts Monday, said Joseph Contrino, spokesperson for Toys"R"Us, via email.
Best Buy will also have a sale, but won't yet share more information, said Boua Xiong, Best Buy spokesperson, via email.
"That's a strategic move on the retailer's part," said Henry Fonvielle, president of Rappaport, a retail leasing managing and acquisition company focused on the D.C.-area market. "If they announce what they're doing ahead of time, Amazon will outprice them before they go live. It's also creating a sense of discovery, that sense of 'ah ha, I've found this.'"
Sears is promoting a Summer Splash event, boasting deals online only on Monday and Tuesday -- the same time span as Prime Day -- all with free shipping, said Brian Hanover, spokesperson for Sears. The store is also discounting clothes, mattresses, tools and bikes Monday through Saturday.
Kitchenware store Sur La Table will introduce a one-day shopping event called Lime Day, launching July 10. The tagline: Get primed for Lime Day. The day will feature more than 300 items on sale for up to 75 percent off, according to its Facebook advertisement.
Others are jumping in on the action:
With Prime Day, Amazon is "going to take all the legacy retailers down the rabbit hole with them, who will have to compete in price," Cohen said.
Consumer interest might drive sales for retailers trying to compete with Prime Day, but the added volume may not translate into profit, Cohen said. Brick-and-mortar stores can offer high-quality value, service, convenience and quality to keep customers loyal, Fonvielle said.
"The reason why there's the gold rush is because the people that get the largest market share are going to ultimately going to lead the next evolution of retail sales," Fonvielle said.
Amazon, however, benefits twofold from Prime Day, Cohen said. They sell both product and subscriptions, generating loyal customers who are likely to return to Amazon to use their Prime memberships in the future -- including during the holiday season.
"Amazon is doing this and everyone is paying attention because they're not used to it," Cohen said. "This is a new toy to play with."
Hurricane Eugene is generating unusually high surf that is going to arrive along San Diego’s coastline this week, NBC Meteorologist Jodi Kodesh said Monday.
The hurricane is located several hundred miles southwest of the southern tip of the Baja California peninsula, according to the National Hurricane Center.
Wave energy from the Category 3 storm would hit the Southern California coast Monday night and peak Tuesday night, National Weather Service forecasters said.
Here in San Diego, there could be abnormally high surf with waves as high as 10 feet for three days through Wednesday, Kodesh said.
“Eugene is a major hurricane down south of us,” Kodesh said. “You’re going to see our surf build today a little and then tomorrow and Wednesday.”
Strong rip currents will continue off the San Diego County coastline today and surf as high as 10 feet could impact some North County beaches in the coming days.
A high surf advisory, which also warns of potentially dangerous currents, will extend from 6 a.m. Tuesday to 10 p.m. Wednesday.
The surf is expected to rise from 4 to 6 feet with sets to 7 feet today to 5 to 8 feet with isolated sets to 10 feet Tuesday and Wednesday, according to the weather service. The highest surf is expected along south-facing beaches north of Carlsbad.
Kodesh suggests anyone heading to the beach this week stay near lifeguard towers.
Two men were found Monday with gunshot wounds in Santee, the San Diego County Sheriff’s Department confirmed.
Investigators are on the scene of the shooting at a home on Railroad Avenue, near Cottonwood and Mission Gorge.
Deputies were called at 3 a.m. and found two men injured in the shooting. One man was in the street while the second man was found in a backyard.
Deputies secured the area and transported the men to a nearby hospital. The extent of their injuries was unknown.
Officials say they found a handgun and several bullet casings.
At least 99 bills in 31 states have been introduced to try and crack down on voter fraud this year, in the wake of President Donald Trump's unfounded claim that millions of fraudulent votes cost him the popular vote in the 2016 election, NBC News reported.
The numbers, which more than double last year's count, were compiled by the Brennan Center. The most common types of restriction would require voters to present photo identification in order to cast their ballots or change the voter registration process.
"Voter impersonation does occur. Does it occur on a large scale? No," said Arkansas state Sen. Bryan King, a Republican who wrote the state's 2013 voter ID law, which was later ruled unconstitutional. "These type of situations can be very small, but they can be very impactful. It can affect elections."
While proponents of these laws hope they can crack down on impersonation at the polls, critics fear that they will adversely affect minorities, young voters, and low-income Americans, disproportionately lowering turnout among these demographics.
With new youngsters at home, a new critically-acclaimed album out on the market and the hyphen re-instated in his name, Jay-Z is ready for the road.
Earlier this morning, our friends at Live Nation announced Jay-Z’s fall and winter North American tour, and it looks like Christmas will come a little early when he stops at Viejas Arena at San Diego State University on Tuesday, Dec. 19.
It’s been a minute since he’s rolled through town, with his last appearance nearly four years ago at Valley View Casino Center on the Magna Carter World Tour. One thing’s clear though: He likes San Diego winters.
As a special treat, members of Jay-Z’s streaming platform Tidal will have special access to an exclusive pre-sale on Monday, July 10, at 9 a.m. Meanwhile, the Citi cardmembers’ pre-sale runs July 10-13 through Citi’s Private Pass program.
For the rest of y'all, tickets for the 4:44 Tour go on sale on Friday, July 14, at 10 a.m. on the Live Nation website. VIP packages are available at VIPNation.com.
Rutger Rosenborg was almost a Stanford neuroscientist before he formed Ed Ghost Tucker. He now plays in the Lulls and makes music on his own when he's not writing. Follow his updates on Facebook or contact him directly.
Leaders with the City of Del Mar will meet Monday to discuss the pros and cons of starting its own police department.
Opponents say Del Mar is a small city with a low crime rate that doesn’t need its own police force.
Proponents say more people are moving into the Del Mar area and with more residents comes the need for more protection.
The idea of ending a multi-million dollar contract with the San Diego County Sheriff’s Department has been discussed on several occasions in Del Mar.
City officials say the contract costs residents more than $2 million a year. A statement from the San Diego County Sheriff said the contract is for $1.9 million.
Under that contract, residents receive five patrol deputies, one traffic deputy, and one detective dedicated to Del Mar plus the necessary supervision shared with other cities along the coast, according to an SDSO statement.
“The contract also affords Del Mar the considerable resources of the Sheriff's Department in the event of a major crime, traffic incident, or SWAT call out. There are no supplemental charges for these services,” the statement continued.
“The Sheriff's Department believes it has… the people and resources to continue to provide the best solution,” the statement reads.
At a meeting scheduled for 5 p.m. Monday, a panel will examine whether creating a police force would be the best decision for the city.
Proponents say a police department will address traffic issues near the fairgrounds and the shoreline during the summer as well as patrol the beaches.
In April, city leaders shared results of a study that suggested the city could save up to $365,000 per year if they were to have their own police department.
The study also found that SDSO response times to calls were, on average, nine to 11 minutes.
Police are searching Monday for two robbery suspects who stole a gold chain from a victim in Chula Vista.
According to Chula Vista police (CVPD), the victim drove by the suspects at the Otay Ranch Mall in Chula Vista on Friday. The suspects shouted comments at the victim, that he believes were derogatory and racially motivated.
He yelled back at them, while driving away and thought the interaction was over.
Shortly after, they met again in a nearby parking lot located in front of the Navy Federal Credit Union on the 1400 block of Eastlake Parkway, said police. When the suspects saw the victim and his friends, they came over to him.
While towering over the victim and pushing against him, they pulled his gold chain from his neck and took off. They drove away in a gray Dodge Challenger packed with several other men, according to police.
Police described the first suspect as a man in his early 30's, about 6 feet tall and 250 pounds, with his hair tied into a small bun. The second man was in his early 30's, about 6 feet 2 inches tall and 270 pounds, with his long hair tied back in a bun.
The victim had a "dash cam" installed in his car which captured the incident on video, according to police. Anyone with information related to this crime can call Chula Vista police or Detective Anthony Molina at (619)691-5178.
The brains of individuals with bulimia nervosa react differently to food rewards, researchers at UC San Diego (UCSD) have found.
“Our study suggests that adults with bulimia nervosa may have elevated reward-related brain activation in response to taste," said Alice V. Ely, PhD, principal author of the study in the Department of Psychiatry at UCSD School of Medicine, in a statement.
Bulimia nervosa (BN) is an eating disorder that leads to frequent periods of binge eating followed by efforts of purging to avoid weight gain, according to university officials. The findings show how specific brain mechanisms involved in the eating disorder could lead to new treatment therapies.
"This altered neural response may explain why these individuals tend to remain driven to eat even when not hungry,” said Ely.
Part of the drive to eat stems from two different brain mechanisms. That includes metabolic, which is actual hunger, and hedonic, which is the desire for a reward.
According to researchers, the findings -- published July 10 in the Journal of Abnormal Psychology -- made progress on understanding how the interaction of both mechanisms produces the disorder.
“We found that the areas of the brain that differed in the two study groups were the left insula, putamen and amygdala, which determine how rewarding a taste might be and how emotionally important it is," said Ely. "That information is then sent to parts of the brain that motivate eating."
There were 26 patients with BN and 22 without the disorder participating in the study, said researchers. The group was given water and a sucrose solution every 20 seconds, for about 13 minutes.
The solution was given after the patients either fasted for 16 hours or ate a standard breakfast.
“We wanted to see how their brains reacted to different tastes and hunger states,” said Ely.
The group without the disorder would enjoy food rewards more after they had fasted and were very hungry. Interestingly, the group with the disorder would respond the same way to food rewards after eating or fasting.
“Brain activation in the left amygdala was actually significantly greater in the group with a history of bulimia nervosa than in the control group when fed, indicating that taste response in these individuals may be insensitive to the effects of energy metabolism, exaggerating the value of food reward,” said Ely.
“If you’re full and your brain is telling you to keep eating, it could contribute to loss of control," added Ely.
Nearly five million women and two million men in America suffer from BN, said researchers. The current treatment options are effective for about 30 to 50 percent of patients.
“Our study results may contribute to identifying neural mechanisms that will open the door to the use of new medications or other brain-based behavioral treatments,” said Ely. “This is promising and hopeful news to those who suffer from eating disorders.”
A vegetation fire temporarily shut down southbound Interstate 15 near Rainbow in the North County of San Diego Monday.
Cal Fire, Pala and North County Protection District fire crews rushed to the scene of the blaze around 1 p.m. near Rainbow Valley Road.
They found a fire burning in medium fuel at a moderate rate of speed with the potential to threaten nearby structures.
California Highway Patrol officers issued a Sig Alert for the area and closed the interstate temporarily. Two of the four lanes have reopened to traffic.
The San Diego County Sheriff's Department prepared to evacuate a nearby mobile home park but no evacuations took place.
Less than two hours later, crews had the fire mapped at two acres and 50 percent surrounded.
No one was injured.
Firefighters expect to be on the scene for the next two to three hours, mopping up.
There was no word on what caused the fire.
No other information was available.
Please refresh this page for updates on this story.
After a lane dispute between two drivers on Interstate 5, one driver opened fire on the other driver, California Highway Patrol (CHP) officers said.
The incident happened at approximately 2:45 p.m. Saturday when two motorists were involved in a lane dispute on I-5 southbound, near the State Route 163 northbound connector.
During the dispute, officers said, one of the drivers pulled out an unknown weapon and fired a shot at the other car.
The suspect is described as a man in his mid-30s with a slim build and short, curly black hair. The suspect vehicle is described as a black PT Cruiser.
No further information is available.
Anyone with information is asked to contact the California Highway Patrol San Diego Office at (619)220-5492.
Coronado residents raised money to bring “The Sandman” to the city’s Independence Day parade. Now, the artist has raised the ire of the town’s Chief of Police.
Family members say Alberto Avila has been diagnosed with terminal liver cancer. Some well-meaning Coronado residents arranged Avila’s travel last week as a tribute to the man who created art with sand on city streets.
Unfortunately, not everyone saw what The Sandman did as a positive thing in the community – including the Coronado Police Department.
On Friday, Avila received a citation after he used sand to draw on the street in front of Dale's Swim Shop on Orange Avenue.
Police officials said they believed they had worked out a compromise that the so-called Sandman would only do his sand art near the beach.
Then, on Monday, Avila used sand to write an anti-police message in front of the Brigantine restaurant.
Avila told NBC 7 on Monday that he misunderstood. He never agreed to stay in specific areas.
“He wanted me to stop doing it for the next three days, I’ll be here until Wednesday. I didn’t say nothing, I just looked him like that, but I was gonna say I’ll stop when hell freezes over and you’re coming with me,” Avila said laughing.
The plan is for The Sandman to fly back to El Paso on Wednesday.
Fifteen states and the District of Columbia on Monday joined Hawaii's renewed effort to challenge the scope of exceptions to President Donald Trump’s travel ban, NBC News reports.
The states have called on a federal judge in Honolulu to rule that the Trump administration wrong excludes grandparents, cousins and other relatives from obtaining visas from six Muslim countries.
The group of states, led by New York, said that people considering entering the U.S. for school or jobs will consider who will be able to visit them.
The Supreme Court’s partial reinstatement of the travel ban last month ruled that only people with a "bona fide relationship" with a family member in the United States could be exempt from the ban.
