The death of a Canadian tourist whose body was found in a rooftop water tank at a downtown Los Angeles hotel was ruled accidental due to drowning, according to the Los Angeles County coroner.

The report released Thursday in the death of Elisa Lam also lists "bipolar disorder" under other significant conditions. The 21-year-old's body was discovered when a maintenance worker was inspecting the tanks Feb. 19 atop the Cecil Hotel (map).

Lam, of Vancouver, was visiting Los Angeles and staying at the hotel on Main Street in late January when she was reported missing. Her parents called police after they had not heard from her for a few days.

Surveillance video from the hotel's elevator captured images of Lam on Feb. 1. The video shows Lam pressing several elevator buttons before stepping in and out of the elevator.

Her body was discovered in one of four 4-foot-by-8-foot tanks on the roof Feb. 19 when a worker inspected the tank after reports of water pressure problems at the 15-story hotel.

The tank was about three-quarters full when the body was discovered. The tank has a metal latch that can be opened, but authorities said access to the roof is secured with an alarm and lock.

The single-room-occupancy hotel has an unusual history. "Night Stalker" Richard Ramirez, who was found guilty of 14 slayings in the 1980s, lived on the 14th floor for several months in 1985. And international serial killer Jack Unterweger is suspected of murdering three prostitutes during the time he lived there in 1991. He killed himself in jail in 1994.

In 1962, a female occupant jumped out of one the hotel's windows, killing herself and a pedestrian on whom she landed.

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Two planes came dangerously close to each other in the air over New York City, NBC 4 New York has learned.

The near-miss at 3:45 p.m. on June 13 is being investigated by the Federal Aviation Administration.

A Delta Airlines Boeing 747 arriving at Kennedy Airport missed an approach, and ended up in the same direction as a Shuttle America Embraer 170 regional jet leaving LaGuardia's Runway 13, according to the FAA.

"The two aircraft were turning away from each other at the point where they lost the required amount of separation," the FAA said in a statement.

The planes came within 200 feet of each other, according to a federal official.

It's not clear why the Delta pilot made the decision not to complete the landing at Kennedy Airport, but the standard procedure, called a missed approach, is regulated by specific procedures for both pilots and controllers.

In this case, air traffic controllers had attempted to vector the Delta 747 away from other air traffic, and the 747 lost required amount of separation with the Embraer leaving LaGuardia, aviation officials said.

Both planes landed safely. Flyers at LaGuardia Airport were startled to hear of the near-miss. Gary Margolis recalled a similar experience in which "we had to land and take off again because we were a little too close to a plane on the runway."

"That's a scary thing to be on a plane when that happens," he said.

Bob Brown of Danbury said passengers deserve stricter measures to make sure planes stay far apart.

"What is the corrective action?" he questioned. "You never hear about how they make sure it's never going to happen again."

--Jay Blackman contributed to this story

More than 400 people will be tested starting Friday for tuberculosis after being in contact with a person carrying the disease at Lee High School in Fairfax County, Va.

The Fairfax County Health Department says two recent cases of TB have been confirmed at the high school this month. A third case, discovered in December 2012, was reopened due to the new cases after a smaller investigation when it was first detected, according to officials.

On June 17, letters were mailed to students and faculty members, notifying them of the Health Department's investigation. A second letter was sent to 400 students and 30 staff members recommending they be tested for the disease after it was determined they were at risk for exposure.

As of 1 p.m., Friday, 75 people had appointments. They will go back Monday for follow-ups.

More appointments will continue next week through Friday.

Fairfax County Health Director Gloria Addo-Ayensu said those requiring testing were identified as having 24 hours or more of contact with the three infected individuals. Addo-Ayensu said the specific strains of TB in those individuals have not been identified.

Some parents who did not get letters from the health department showed took their children for tests anyway. Rich Schoske was told he should take his child to the health department clinic or the family doctor.

"You can't just tell me unequivocally that my son wasn't potentially exposed," he said. "Give me the TB test if I'm asking for it. Don't push me down to my health-care provider and/or the health department."

But Addo-Ayensu said they must place their priority on the 430 people with the highest likelihood of exposure.

"We don't want to sort of invite everyone when we know that there are people who have legitimate exposure," she said.

That means those who were in close physical proximity with the person who had active TB and spent longer periods of time with them in close quarters such as a small room compared to an open hallway.

The investigation at Lee already revealed new information: One of the three was exposed to TB off campus.

TB is spread through the air and can attack any part of the body, including lungs, the kidney, spine and brain, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. But it is not easily spread, according to health department officials.

Skin tests and blood tests are usually used to determine whether a person is infected with TB. Tests will be given at the school starting Friday morning.

"Even one fatality is a shame because TB is so treatable and the medications are so cheap," Addo-Ayensu said. 

TB symptoms include a bad cough lasting for more than three weeks, weight loss, fever, chills, weakness, coughing up blood and chest pain.

If not treated correctly, the disease can be deadly.

Fairfax County performs about 90 TB investigations each year.

Stay with NBCWashington.com and News4 for more on this developing story.

New York City mayoral candidate Anthony Weiner is apologizing after a voter used a gay slur to refer to his opponent, Christine Quinn, who is a lesbian.

In the encounter observed by the Washington Post, Weiner was campaigning and asked a woman if she was a registered Democrat.

"I am," she said. "And I'm not voting for uh, what's her name? The dyke."

Weiner said, "OK. I just need you to sign the petition to get me on the ballot."

According to the Post, Weiner then noticed a reporter's incredulous reaction and added "and really, you shouldn't talk that way about people."

After she apologized, according to the Post, he said "that's OK. It's not your fault."

Weiner's campaign spokeswoman tweeted an apologetic statement from him Thursday, saying "homophobia is vile and destructive."

"I admonished the woman amid a large crowd on a street corner and by no means believe that anything about her comment was appropriate," he said. "If the impression is that I did, I apologize because behavior like this will absolutely not be tolerated in my administration."

Quinn told reporters Friday that Weiner had called her and "clarified the interaction."

"I think it is incredibly important for all New Yorkers, but particularly those in public life, to make very clear that in this city -- the most diverse city in the world, the city where the LGBT civil rights movement was born -- that that type of language cannot be tolerated," she said. "And I was grateful for him to call and clarify that."

For the second year in a row, the Heat and the City of Miami are preparing to celebrate the 2013 NBA Championship with a downtown parade and rally at AmericanAirlines Arena.

The Heat Championship parade is scheduled from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. Monday. The parade will begin at Southwest 8th Street and 2nd Avenue heading west on 8th Street to Brickell Avenue. It'll head north on Brickell then left on Biscayne Boulevard to the arena.

Southwest 8th Street will close to cars at 9 a.m. and will reopen as soon as the tail of the parade passes.

Heat Celebrate Win at Miami Beach Club

Miami Heat officials are cooperating with local, state and federal law enforcement as well as other service agencies to make sure the parade goes smoothly.

"The Miami Police Department already had its plans and today they are finalizing everything," Miami Mayor Tomas Regalado said.

Miami Police said no backpacks will be allowed during the celebration this year as a safety measure.

"We always have an operation plan in place and we take precautiony measures to avoid any kind of situation," Miami police spokeswoman Kenia Reyes said.

The parade plan will be similar to last year's.

"All we need to do is make a few improvements," Miami Heat official Lorrie-Ann Diaz said. "[Last year] we had a peaceful, wonderful, enjoyable parade."

Following the parade, there will be a private, ticketed rally inside the arena with the team. Only season ticket holders will be allowed inside.

The Heat defeated the San Antonio Spurs in Game 7 Thursday night to win back-to-back NBA Championships. Fans and the team celebrated into Friday morning, and now they'll get another chance to celebrate Monday.

Heat Fans Buy Up Championship Merchandise

Last year, tens of thousands of fans lined the streets of Miami for the victory parade, lining up the day before to get a look at their Heat heroes. Players, coaches and other team employees rode double-decker buses on their way to the arena.

Complete Miami Heat Championship Coverage

Up in the sky this Sunday morning, there will be birds, planes and the "supermoon."

A lunar event that occurs when the moon is at its closest point to the Earth, this weekend's "supermoon" will also occur during a full moon. That means the celestial body will appear much larger and brighter than usual.

At 7:32 a.m. EDT Sunday, the moon will be at its closest point to Earth for the month, approximately 221, 824 miles away. It's still entirely too far for Ralph Kramden, star of iconic TV show "The Honeymooners" to send his wife to, but more than close enough to enjoy some fantastic visuals. The occurrence, referred to by astronomers as the "perigee full moon” or the “supermoon" by casual observers, will last for roughly 12 hours. During that time, the moon will appear about 14 percent larger and 30 percent brighter than the average full moon, Live Science reported.

Typical supermoons aren't anything to howl about. They often happen once, sometimes twice a month. But with the moon full for this weekend's occasion, a similar size and fullness isn’t expected to occur until August 10, 2014.

If weather doesn't permit you from seeing the supermoon for yourself, Space.com will host a livestream.

The Desert Southwest and lower Ohio Valley, as well as southern New England are expected to be the best places to view the lunar event, while rain is expected in the Upper Midwest and Northwest will create few opportunities to see the moon, AccuWeather.com reported.

The rest of the country should experience enough periods of clear skies to sneak a peek.

A driver traveling on State Route 94 near Golden Hill veered off the freeway and landed in an embankment Thursday night, California Highway Patrol officials confirmed.

The single-vehicle accident happened just before 7:40 p.m. off westbound SR-94 near Glendale Avenue and F Street. Officials from CHP, the San Diego Police Department and San Diego Fire-Rescue all responded to the scene of the crash.

Police were a block away from the incident when it happened, and were able to respond immediately, according to officials.

When emergency crews arrived, they found two patients trapped inside a white Acura. Emergency crews worked to stabilize the car before they could begin extricating the occupants.

The driver, a 29-year-old man, died at the scene. A 15-year-old girl passenger was removed from the car and taken to UCSD Medical Center with major injuries.

Officials said the car was part of caravan of family and friends and for some reason the car slammed into a palm tree.

CHP officials temporarily blocked off the 25th Street off-ramp from westbound SR-94 while they cleared the area.

The crash is under investigation.

Police have arrested the man they say stabbed a 17-year-old boy to death Wednesday night.

Antonio Shaw, 25, was arrested and charged with second degree murder Thursday.

Family members say Ernest Hart was stabbed during a cookout in the 4600 block of Hillside Road SE just before 9 p.m. Wednesday.

"My brother died on my lap, and I couldn't do nothing about it," said his sister Patricia Hart.

He was pronounced dead at an area hospital.

Hart's family told NBC4's Pat Collins Shaw stabbed Hart in the neck after getting into an argument with him over a piece of chicken.

"All of us turned around and all we saw was blood just dripping from my little brother, and he fell to the ground," said his brother Steven Hart.

Octavais Brown, who was at the scene, said medics took a long time to arrive.

"It felt like forever," she said. "I wasn't counting minutes. I was holding his pulse."

She added, "I knew he was gone when they got here."

According to D.C. Fire, emergency vehicles were dispatched at 9:17 p.m. A fire truck without a medic on board arrived at 9:23 p.m. A basic ambulance with medical technicians arrived at 9:28 p.m. An advanced life-support vehicle with paramedics arrived at 9:30 p.m. Hart was transported from the scene in the advanced life-support vehicle at 9:41 p.m.

Hart's sister tended to him while they waited for help.

"His last words to me were, 'Tricia don't let me die,'" she said. "I applied pressure to the wound on my brother. I just didn't want him to die right then, and he did."

The suspect is an acquaintance of the family.

"He used to come over to my house all the time," said the victim's father, Ernest Hart Sr.

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Foodies, rejoice!

After suffering fire damage nearly four months ago, a Berkeley icon - Chez  Panisse -  is poised to reopen to the public on Monday, and get back to doing what this world-renowned restaurant does best: Serve locally grown, organic - and expensive - dishes.

The restaurant reopens tonight for a sold-out, private fundraiser, where proceeds will go to the Edible Schoolyard Project in Berkeley.

Chef, food activist and owner Alice Waters, whose interview with NBC Bay Area's Raj Mathai will air at 6 p.m. today, is thrilled to reopen her doors at her 1517 Shattuck Avenue restaurant.

In the interview, Waters says she is touched by the community's support following the March 8 fire. A young girl sold lemonade -  made with Meyer lemons, Waters noted - and gave her $37 from the sales to help rebuild the damaged restaurant.

[RAW VIDEO: Alice Waters Talks About the Fire at Chez Panisse]

Berkeley fire officials suspected it was a faulty electrical system that sparked the  fire, which appeared as though it may have started under the porch. A sprinkler inside the building helped quell the damage.

This wasn't just any other fire, and it's not just any other restaurant.

Chez Panisse is the gold star of restaurants to foodies around the globe, and its fire damage quickly drew the attention of news agencies spanning from the Los Angeles Times to the New York Times. Olympic swimmer Natalie Coughlin, who lives in the East Bay, tweeted she was "so sad to hear about the fire at #ChezPanisse! Such an iconic Berkeley restaurant. Absolutely love that place."

Chez Panisse first opened in 1971, and since then, Waters has worked beyond the restaurant to promote cooking and eating healthy, locally grown food. As one of the most well-known food activists around the world and since 2002, she has served as vice president of Slow Food International.

Chez Panisse was recognized as the Best Restaurant in America by Gourmet Magazine in 2000, and since then, has won several more awards.

When the restaurant reopens on Monday, the fixed price $65 menu will include green bean and roasted sweet pepper salad, bouillabaisse cooked with shellfish and Santa Rosa plum galette with wild fennel ice cream.

Officials are investigated a triple stabbing outside Solana Beach music venue Belly Up early Friday morning.

The incident happened around 11:30 p.m. when a fight started between people outside the building on 143 South Cedros Ave. Officials said when security guards tried to intervene, the suspect  stabbed three of them.

Indie pop singer/songwriter Sea Wolf and Carlsbad's  Trouble in the Wind were slated to perform on Thursday.

Scott McDonald of Eight24.com and SoundDiego, who used to work at the Belly Up and has had a longtime association with the venue, said he could not recall any similar incidents ever occurring at the site.

The security guards were taken to Scripps La Jolla and released this morning with minor injuries. All are staff members from Belly Up.

Deputies arrested suspect 23-year-old Jason Zamora and he was booked into Vista jail on two counts of assault with a deadly weapon.

Sea Wolf, Savoir Adore and Trouble in the Wind were slated to perform on Thursday.

Late Thursday night coworkers of teenager Evelyn Courtney gathered at the corner where she was killed for candlelight vigil.

The 19-year-old model was killed when she was involved in a car accident Thursday morning. Behind the wheel was 44-year-old Robbie Gillespie, who suffered minor injuries. Investigators found a broken bottle of liquor in the car but say it's not known whether anyone was drinking.

Gillespie was driving southbound on Midland Road. A Poway fire truck was eastbound on Poway Road. The two were driving the speed limit but collided at the intersection.

After learning of Courtney’s death, a group of 20 plus Steinmart Employees prayed, share stories about Evelyn, left cards and flowers. The teen model worked at Steinmart and lived in Poway.

Friends said she had a promising career and life in front of her before a collision with a fire truck ended it all too soon.

“It's going to be hard to get through all this,” said her best friend Sarah Spofford.

Investigators say charges are pending the outcome of this investigation. 

Every time Frank White fills his gas tank he shakes his head.

"I don't think anybody is happy about it," says White, referring to ever-soaring -- and ever-changing -- gas prices.

But who's making the extra money when prices go up?

Gasoline analyst Charles Langley says it's not the neighborhood gas station, it's the oil companies.

"The name of the game for them and the challenge is not to produce too much gasoline because if they produce too much the price will go down," says Langley.

Charles Langley says price hikes often take place at the refinery level where oil companies can control the output of fuel.

Right now seven companies operate 11 refineries. When there is a disruption of supply, prices go up. Those disruptions take place for safety reasons, fuel blend changes, even a Mylar balloon flying into the wires of a refinery.

"This is a local California phenomenon with refineries not being able to supply the market with enough gasoline," says Langley. "And the real question is, are they not able to or is this extremely profitable to the refineries?"

Detectives are working to identify and locate a group of unknown suspects involved in a recent series of residential burglaries in Poway.

According to investigators from the San Diego County Sheriff’s Department’s Poway Station, at least seven home burglaries have taken place in Poway between May 8 and June 6 – most of them at homes within an area of four-square-miles.

Each time, the burglaries are similar.

Detectives say the suspects enter the homes through unlocked doors and windows. In one case, the burglars entered a home through an unlocked front door.

The suspects then target and steal prescription medications, jewelry, cash and computer equipment such as laptops, tablets and iPods.

In each case, investigators say the burglaries have occurred on a Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday or Thursday between 8 a.m. and 5:30 p.m., with the highest probability between 10:30 a.m. and noon.

So far, the suspects have hit the following locations: 14000 block of Old Station Road; 14700 block of Kalapana Street; 14300 block of Carnitas Street; 16400 block of Bridlewood Road; 15200 block of Crestview Court; 12400 block of Schaler Drive; and the 13400 block of Calle Colina.

At this time, deputies have no suspects in custody and no suspect descriptions.

Investigators are asking anyone with information on this home burglary ring to call the Poway sheriff’s station at (858) 513-2800 or Crime Stoppers at (888) 580-8477. Tipsters can remain anonymous and could receive a reward of up to $1,000 for information that leads to an arrest in this case.

Deputies want to remind residents to take the time to lock their windows and doors before leaving their homes every day.
 

Officials of the small central Texas town devastated by an April 17 fertilizer plant blast that killed 15 people have filed suit against the plant owner and supplier.

The lawsuit filed Friday seeks unspecified damages from plant owner Adair Grain and CF Industries, which supplied agricultural-grade ammonium nitrate toe the plant. A fire at the plant ignited the explosive chemical, flattening homes, schools and businesses and killing firefighters and other first-responders fighting the fire.

The lawsuit filed in state district court in Waco alleges Adair Grain was negligent in how it stored the chemical and that CF Industries was liable for an inherently hazardous product.

Adair Grain spokesman Daniel Keeney and CF Industries spokesman Dan Swenson told the Waco Tribune-Herald that they hadn't reviewed the lawsuit and declined to comment.

A rogue ex-police officer who blamed a deadly rampage on his 2008 firing from the Los Angeles Police Department was justifiably fired from the force, an LAPD report released on Friday concluded.

In an online manifesto, Christopher Dorner had alleged that racism, bias, retaliation and conflicts of interest contributed to his firing.

Full Coverage: Manifesto For Murder

“After a thorough review of all the available information, my analysis concludes that the discharge of Christopher Dorner was justified,” said LAPD Special Assistant Gerald Chaleff. “His discharge was based on his own actions. The allegations he made against his training officer appeared to have been made in an effort to forward his own agenda.”

Chief Charlie Beck ordered the review in February while Dorner was on the run. The former officer had posted an online manifesto vowing warfare against the department, officers and their families, in retaliation for what he called his unfair firing in 2008.

Dorner killed four people, including two police officers, during a rampage in February that ended with his death from an apparently self-inflicted gunshot in a burning cabin during a police shootout near Big Bear.

The Dorner report is expected to be reviewed by the LAPD’s civilian Police Commission, which oversees the department, at a meeting on Tuesday.

A second report on the fairness of the department’s disciplinary system is expected to be published later this year, officials said.

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A 17-year-old boy was killed in a stabbing in Oceanside Thursday night, police confirmed.

Oceanside police say the deadly assault happened around 8:45 p.m. at a parking lot in the 200 block of Mission Avenue, just west of the railroad tracks.

When officers arrived at the scene, they found a teenage victim suffering from at least one stab wound. He was taken to a local hospital, but later died. The minor’s identity has not been released.

According to homicide detectives, two groups of individuals were involved in a verbal confrontation prior to the stabbing. Detectives say witnesses in the area reported hearing rival gang challenges between the groups before the fight.

The stabbing is under investigation, but police say there is no documentation indicating that the teenage victim was affiliated with any criminal street gang.

The Oceanside Police Department has set up an anonymous tip line for those witnesses who wish to come forward with more information about the incident. That number is (760) 435-4730.
 

A SWAT team was sent to Imperial Beach Friday morning after a suspect altercation with sheriff's deputies, according to officials.

Officials responded to a domestic violence call around 7 a.m. The suspect then assaulted a deputy, punching him in the face, according to Lt. Eric Hays. Police officers were then called to assist and SWAT also responded to the incident.

Police searched the area and found the suspect was barricaded inside an apartment on the 1300-block of Holly Avenue, according to Hays. At least 12 nearby apartment units were evacuated as a safety precaution.

Officials threw Pepper Balls into the unit, but the suspect refused to come out. After nearly 5 hours of a standoff, the suspect was arrested shortly after 11:30 a.m. when he gave himself up.

A parole agent told NBC 7 that the suspect is a parolee.

Officials said the woman who made the original domestic violence call is safe.

Witnesses told an NBC 7 reporter at the scene that the incident started around 7 a.m. and they heard a helicopter making announcements for them to stay inside.

Residents said the complex has between 12-16 units and it's a very tight-knit group. One witness said the suspect is not a resident of the condo and he was able to get inside the apartment by knocking on someone's door. They said the person was able to get out safely before the suspect barricaded himself inside their unit.

An investigator confirms that a shot was fired by a deputy at the scene, but no one was hit by the bullet. That's one of the reasons why investigators remained at the scene all day Friday collecting evidence.

Police are investigating a shooting between a La Mesa couple that happened Thursday night.

The incident happened around 11:30 p.m. on the 7300-block of Princeton Avenue. Police said a 73-year-old woman called 911 to report that she had been shot in the hand by her husband.

The woman also added that she had given her husband divorce papers. Court records show that the victim had filed for divorce on June 13. The couple has been married for more than 54 years.

When police arrived at the scene, suspect 82-year-old Clyde Hayen was still home. He was taken into custody and later booked into San Diego Central Jail on an attempted murder charge. He’s scheduled to appear in court on Tuesday.

The victim, identified as Sandra Hayen, was taken to a local hospital for treatment. According to officials, the victim was not only shot in the hand by her husband, she was shot in the stomach area too, though further details of her injuries were not immediately disclosed.

On Friday, the couple’s neighbors said they were shocked about the shooting and filled with sadness.
Witness Kullen Stanfield, a longtime neighbor of the Hayens, told NBC 7 the scene was tense outside the couple’s home following the incident.

“We see the spotlights over on the neighbor’s house a few doors down, and the helicopter's shouting out, ‘Come out with your hands up! Come out with your hands above your head! Stand up, and keep your hands above your head!’ And I have no idea what's going on,” he recalled.

Neighbors also described the shooting suspect as "caustic," and said his mental focus was declining and he couldn't cook his own meals.

But, while neighbors say the suspect was sometimes "hostile" toward other residents in the area, they say they never saw him act out toward his longtime wife.

The victim’s pastor also spoke to NBC 7 Friday about the shooting, saying, “Sandra has always been a strong person, a very artistic person, and a person of strong faith, too. I'm sure that -- more than anything -- will help Sandra through this tough time."