A man was bludgeoned to death with a baseball bat in Philadelphia's Wissinoming neighborhood.
The victim, 31, was found slumped over inside a car.
"Preliminary information shows the male suffered from severe head trauma," said Philadelphia police Captain James Kimrey.
911 got the first call around 1:20 in the morning, from a person who was screaming, and then a second call about a person being beat with a baseball bat, according to Kimrey.
When rescue crews got to the scene in the 5900 block of Charles Street, they found the man's body in the driver's side of a blue Hyundai Tiburon. He was pronounced dead at the scene.
Police say four men fled the scene after the attack. They say the suspects were last seen inside a black car, possibly a Ford Crown Victoria, with tinted windows driving on Charles Street towards Benner Street.
If you have any information on this incident, please call Philadelphia Police.
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A 56-year-old Southern California man with cerebral palsy was recovering Friday night after a violent home invasion robbery.
"I was just afraid for my life," said Brian St. Amant, who uses crutches to get around because of a condition that impairs his motor skills.
A man knocked on St. Amant’s door just before noon Friday, saying they were with Animal Control.
His 1 1/2-year-old pit bull was in the backyard. His screen door was locked, and his wife had just left to run errands.
When he opened the door, St. Amant was met by a man wearing a hoodie and a bandana covering his face.
"He pushed open the door and knocked me to the ground," he said.
In his fall, St. Amant hit a glass on a table that shattered on the floor. While he struggled to get up, he cut his foot.
The intruder demanded money to which St. Amant replied: "I have no money. I’m a disabled man on social security."
The robber took off with a jewelry box, leaving St. Amant on the floor, surrounded by glass.
"It took me three tries. I was shaking," he said.
About 20 minutes later, he was able to reach his cellphone and call police.
Police do not believe the intruder was armed, said Sgt. Ray Marquez, with the Covina Police Department.
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Several men have been intentionally causing fender-benders in order to coax drivers out of their cars so they can be stolen, according to D.C. police.
D.C. police are investigating three carjackings and one attempted carjacking in northeast and southeast D.C. in which the men are rear end a victim’s car and drive away with both vehicles when the victim gets out to inspect the damage.
The first carjacking took place Aug. 28 at about 7 a.m. at the intersection of Alabama Avenue and Naylor Street SE.
The second carjacking was Tuesday at 9:47 a.m. at the intersection of Division and Eastern avenues in Northeast. A woman was pushed out of the way when she got out to inspect the damage.
At 10:21 a.m. that day, a second attempt failed when the victim stayed in her car at the intersection of Fort Davis Drive and Massachusetts Avenue in Southeast and told the man she was calling police, prompting him to flee.
The individuals successfully completed another carjacking Thursday at 8:05 a.m., stealing a vehicle at the intersection of Hartford Street and Alabama Avenue in Southeast.
The offending cars in these cases have been described as a two-door gray vehicle, a black Toyota Avalon and a silver Buick.
The Metropolitan Police Department advises to stay in your vehicle with your doors locked if you are involved in a rear-end collision and call 911 for police assistance. The MPD also asks for information in the make, model and license place of the vehicle and any other defining characteristics of the car or of the people inside.
If you have information about these cases, call 202-727-9099. You can also submit information by text messaging 50411.
An elementary school bus driver is accused of driving drunk Friday along her West Chicago route.
Jill Beebe, 42, was charged with one count of Aggravated DUI, a class 4 felony.
According to the DuPage County State's Attorney's Office, Beebe picked up her bus in St. Charles Friday morning and began picking up and dropping off children.
A Pioneer Elementary School employee alerted her principal after smelling alcohol on the driver's breath.
West Chicago Police met Beebe at her next stop and administered field sobriety tests and took her into custody.
Not surprisingly, parents and area residents are furious.
"You've got kids in the car, you've got to be responsible for that," parent Jose Hugado said.
"I think they should go to jail," Walter Jaskula said. "Not just a slap on the hand."
Beebe was being held on a $100,000 bond.
New video from the dashcam of a Kaufman County Sheriff's Department vehicle shows the tearful rescue of a young woman who was saved from her accused abductor after two teens called 911.
The woman said she was kidnapped and forced into her car by a gunman in Downtown Dallas, but managed to get the attention of two teenagers in a nearby car by mouthing the words, "Help me."
The teens called police and officers rescued the woman within minutes. (Watch an edited segment of the video above.)
In the newly released video, officers are seen pulling over the car and approaching the driver, asking to see his hands. As officers open the door to arrest the driver, an officer's microphone picks up the crying of a young woman being held in the backseat.
A second officer opens the door for the woman, who leaves the vehicle and embraces her rescuer while visibly upset.
The woman, 25, was kidnapped on Aug. 22 near Bryan Street after she left a downtown office building.
Two young men, Aaron Arias, a 19-year-old college student, and Jamal Harris, 17, a Seagoville high school student, noticed the woman in the back seat of a car at a stoplight in Seagoville and called 911.
"It's me and another guy, so we're checking out the girl in the backseat because, we're like, 'OK, she's kind of attractive,'" Arias said. "And then, all of the sudden, you know, the guy is turned back, looking at us."
The woman looked panicked and was "saying, 'Help me,' or something, whispering it," Arias told the 911 operator.
The teens followed the woman's car down U.S. Highway 175 until police caught up with them in Kaufman.
The suspect, Charles Atkins Lewis Jr., remains in jail on $50,000 bond. He is charged with aggravated kidnapping.
The woman was checked by paramedics but was unhurt.
After 13 long years, cold case detectives have arrested a suspect in the murder of a San Diego teenager who was fatally shot while driving.
According to the San Diego Police Department, suspect Phong Thanh Huynh, 36, was arrested in Helena, Mont., Wednesday in connection with the 2000 murder of 16-year-old Nghia Tan Pham.
On February 13, 2000, Pham was fatally shot while driving southbound on Interstate 15 between State Route 163 and State Route 52. Medics transported Pham to a hospital, but the teen died a short time later.
Her suspected killer has never been captured, until now.
Over the years, officials say homicide detectives have investigated the case diligently. Based on information learned during their investigation, detectives identified Huynh as the suspect and an arrest warrant was issued by the Cold Case Unit of the San Diego County District Attorney’s Office.
On Wednesday afternoon, officials from the Helena Police Department in Montana along with U.S. Marshals arrested Huynh without incident at his job at a nail salon in Helena.
He is currently in custody at the Lewis and Clark Detention Center in Montana, awaiting extradition to San Diego, officials said.
The SDPD said several agencies assisted in Huynh's arrest, including US Marshals and the Montana-based Helena Police Department and Lewis and Clark County Sheriff's Department.
The county medical examiner's office has identified a motorcyclist killed in a crash in Miramar Friday afternoon.
San Diego resident Jason Lee Hansen, 42, was killed in an accident with a truck just before 2:30 p.m. in the 8400-block of Miramar Road, in front of the Flying Leatherneck Aviation Museum.
According to officials, Hansen was traveling westbound on his Harley Davidson when a Chevy ST pickup truck crossed into Hansen's lane. The truck collided with the motorcycle, and Hansen did not survive the crash.
Witnesses called 911. When first responders arrived, they pronounced Hansen dead at the scene.
A medical examiner's report released Friday night says Hansen leaves behind a wife and daughters.
The accident is under investigation.
Following the collision, authorities issued a SigAlert and temporarily shut down Miramar Road between Camino Ruiz and Cabot Drive. Traffic backed up Miramar Road for hours, and drivers were asked to completely avoid the area if possible.
View Miramar Rd & Cabot Dr in a larger map
As Seaside residents and business owners continue to deal with the aftermath of Thursday’s massive boardwalk fire, the devastating blaze is bringing back memories of another disaster that impacted much of the same area almost 60 years ago.
On June 9, 1955, a fire broke out at a shop on the corner of Ocean Terrace and DuPont Avenue in Seaside Heights. Driven by 50 mile per hour winds, the fire spread south, until it was finally placed under control at Stockton Avenue in Seaside Park, according to Emil R. Salvini, author of “Boardwalk Memories: Tales of the Jersey Shore.” Salvini states that the fire destroyed three blocks of the boardwalk.
Credit: YouTube.com
The fire became known as the Freeman’s Fire, named after the Freeman’s Amusements enterprise, which suffered heavy losses in the blaze, including the destruction of a hand-carved carousel. Freeman’s Fire destroyed 85 buildings and caused an estimated $4 million in damages, according to the Asbury Park Press. Governor Christie estimates that Thursday’s blaze destroyed at least 30 businesses.
While the cause of Thursday’s fire is still under investigation, Salvini writes that a “faulty neon sign” is believed to have started the 1955 fire.
J. Stanley Tunney, the Mayor of Seaside Heights at the time and owner of Freeman’s Amusements, as well as his associates managed to rebuild the pier and open it for next season. They also created Funtown U.S.A. which eventually became Funtown Pier, on the border of Seaside Heights and Seaside Park. Funtown Pier was one of the many structures damaged in Thursday’s massive blaze.
While those impacted by Thursday’s fire face an uncertain future, the Freeman’s Fire can at least provide proof that the boardwalk is more than capable of bouncing back. It’s a hope that many Seaside business owners, including Lou Cappetta, are holding onto.
“We’ll pull through this,” Cappetta said. “We will.”
Thirty-four potential candidates for mayor of San Diego have now filed ‘notice of intent’ with the city clerk’s office to run in the November 19th special election.
But only one, Mike Aguirre, has ever held citywide office.
On Friday, the former city attorney publicly announced his candidacy.
And professed a personality transformation aimed at rehabilitating the unsavory image lingering from his rough-and-tumble, one-term tenure that voters ended in 2008 – favoring Jan Goldsmith by a 3-to-2 margin.
"I am a better leader today than I would have been had I been re-elected,” Aguirre told reporters at a mid-morning news conference in Balboa Park. “And the pain that came following my defeat brought with it wisdom."
His words and demeanor signaled a sort of "Aguirre 2.0": a kinder, gentler, wiser re-make of the litigator who launched endless investigations marked by what critics say was unnecessary browbeating and bullying.
He used to turn friends into enemies.
He antagonized then-mayor Jerry Sanders, and questioned Sanders’ ethics.
Is Aguirre truly ready to handle being the city's chief executive?
"I have learned that character is important,” Aguirre said in a Q&A session with the news media. “But so is style."
And while the style Aguirre showcased Friday was a world away from the scary character he presented as city attorney, all too many people remember the rants and rages – and might wonder whether the mere push of an emotional button would bring back the 'Old Mike'.
"He's trying to say, 'Oh, it's a different office,'” GOP political consultant John Dadian observed in an interview with NBC 7. “ I would retort that you don't change your personality at his time in life right now."
As an attorney, Aguirre explained: "I was known as a combatant. A mayor has to be a consensus-builder. My goal is to be known as a consensus-builder of the first-rate type. That is what I pledge to the people of San Diego -- that I will be a consensus builder, and that I will respect the democratic principles and values upon which our city government is based.”
Give him the benefit of the doubt, Aguirre says, and he'll bring down skyrocketing water and electricity rates, get a better handle on the city's budget, facilities and services.
He's certainly no stranger to campaign competition, having run for Congressional and City Council offices as well as city attorney.
"The people running against him better not underestimate both his brain and his ability to steer the debate,” says Voice of San Diego CEO and columnist Scott Lewis. “Because he's very intelligent, very good at these things. They would be wise not to underestimate that, because it's going to be interesting to watch what he says."
Lewis adds, however, that Aguirre’s challenge is to solidify the image of a man who’s undergone an enduring change of heart and mind.
Is it too late in a short-window election cycle for that to happen?
"I don't doubt that he now has a humility and wisdom that is really powerful,” Lewis said, adding this cautionary note: “It's what happens when he faces confrontation and conflict that he's never been able to handle very well."
Aguirre, meantime, has some private wealth to invest in a campaign.
But he also faces strong opposition from three other 'name' Democrats seeking their party's endorsement next week: Councilman David Alvarez, and former Assembly members Nathan Fletcher and Lori Saldana.
Plus a front-running Republican, Councilman Kevin Faulconer who's got the backing of the GOP and San Diego Regional Chamber of Commerce.
Many cold cases have ended in conviction thanks to the DNA science of crime fighting.
At a time when many departments are being forced to cut back, San Diego County's Crime Lab is expanding thanks to a $400,000 federal grant.
Very simply, DNA puts criminals at crime scenes. Sometimes, that very DNA is the most compelling physical evidence in a case.
Over the years, the science has become so sophisticated that crime scene investigators can collect samples just from something the suspect touched.
This crime-fighting DNA tool is credited for lowering crime rates and providing peace of mind to the many victims of violent crime.
Take the July 2006 slaying of local mother, Tori Vienneau, and the hanging death of her son, Dean, killed in his crib exactly 10 months to the day he was born.
The brutal case stunned the San Diego community. While DNA testing didn’t solve the case, the science did point detectives in the right direction.
DNA testing proved paternity and put investigators on the scent of their killer, Dennis Potts, baby Dean’s father.
Vienneau’s mother, Dayna Herroz, said she’s thankful for the break in the case.
“Part of the investigation was heading in a different direction completely,” Herroz recalled.
The San Diego County Crime Lab handled the mother and son’s case more than seven years ago. Today, 16 analysts work 125 cases per month with a backlog of 175 cases.
“It is probably the most important forensic tool that we have,” said Lab Director Mike Grubb.
Grubb said that at a time when other departments are cutting back, the federal government is investing in this technology because it has proven results.
“We've seen a decrease in crime rates nationwide over the last 10 or 15 years,” Grubb said.
Herroz is a true believer in the science of crime fighting.
“It can drive you crazy. It is probably the most painful thing anyone can through – the loss of a child,” she said.
Herroz – who’s now a crime victim-turned-advocate for the families of violent crimes – won’t get her beloved daughter back or grandson back, but said there is satisfaction in knowing the man responsible for the horrific killings is behind bars, serving life sentences.
“The trial is over. I don't have to worry about him. The appeal is over. I don’t have to worry about him,” Herroz told NBC 7 on Friday.
Meanwhile, the San Diego County Crime Lab will continue to use science to fight crime.
The bulk of the nearly $400,000 grant from the Department of Justice will be used to purchase a new genetic analyzer, a crucial tool that is used to prove that a DNA sample is unique. The rest of the funding will cover the much-needed overtime at the lab.
A big celebrity wedding is set take over San Diego’s North County on Saturday when professional basketball player LeBron James marries his high school sweetheart.
The Miami Heat star, also known as “King James,” will wed fiancée Savannah Brinson at the luxury Grand Del Mar hotel and resort in a wedding undoubtedly fit for a king.
Footage from NBC 7’s news chopper captured Grand Del Mar employees setting up for the lavish event beginning Thursday (see photo below).
If the rumors are true, the celebrity wedding will certainly be a star-studded affair.
The rumored guest list includes rap mogul Jay-Z and his wife, Beyonce, and NBA player Carmelo Anthony and his wife, La La.
NBA player Dwayne Wade – who’s also James’ Miami Heat teammate – is also expected to attend the wedding along with his girlfriend, actress Gabrielle Union.
Imagine solving an entire country’s rural water crisis. That’s exactly the goal one San Diego-based charity is hoping to accomplish by providing clean water to the country of Fiji.
Darrell Larson founded the charity, Give Clean Water, from his Mira Mesa home in 2008.
Now, more than 50,000 special water filters later, he’s on the verge of a breakthrough.
“We want to solve a country’s water crisis,” said Larson.
This weekend, Larson is heading to Fiji to sign a memorandum of understanding alongside Fiji’s Ministry of Health. Basically, it means the government of Fiji is recognizing Larson’s non-profit organization as their best shot at fixing what, until now, has been an unsolvable problem.
“In working with the Fiji Ministry of Health, they’re actually going to provide, in partnership, their health workers -- the health inspectors, the local health nurses and the health workers who live inside each village,” explained Larson.
Along with helping to install water filters used by Give Clean Water in homes, government workers will do follow-ups for continuing education and also document health changes as a result of having the clean water supply.
For Larson, it’s the sustainable solution he’s been working towards for five years.
“I’m not aware of any country where they’ve had half the population that drinks contaminated water and that crisis has been solved,” said Larson.
Hard to believe a little filter can clean even the nastiest water.
Larson says this simple process removes 99.9 percent of all bacteria -- even from a place where garbage is the least of your worries.
The filters, if back-flushed and cleaned, are meant to last 10 years.
But Larson says it’s the people helping to make it happen who are the real difference-makers.
"I'm just like everybody else, they want to do something purposeful and meaningful in life, and we've gotten together a bunch of people that want to join in on that journey," he said.
Give Clean Water is looking for more volunteers, as well as people to partner financially with the charity. For information on how to get involved, visit this website.
Fast boats, racers and loads of spectators are expected at Mission Bay over the weekend for the 49th Annual San Diego BayFair.
More than 100,000 people are expected to attend this year’s three-day outdoor event, which features exciting water races between speedy motorboats and hydroplanes along a 2.5-mile racecourse that spans from East Vacation Island to Fiesta Island.
The event lasts through Sunday, but by early Friday morning, several hundred motorhomes had already packed Mission Bay with eager fans ready to get in on the action.
BayFair racers say speeds on their vessels can reach upwards of 160 mph, leaving very little room for human error.
“If you’re a Chargers [football] fan, it’s the equivalent of running the field in one second. That’s what we cover, is a football field in one second,” explained Steve David, a driver for Unlimited Hydroplanes. “So, your concentration is 300 yards ahead of you because you are going to be there in one second so it’s very intense and focused.”
Besides seriously fast boats in the bay, the BayFair will also include action on land.
Event organizers say freestyle motocross riders will perform aerial tricks on Saturday and Sunday. A massive “kid’s zone” area will boast tons of activities for smaller adrenaline junkies, including a 200-foot zip-line.
Organizers say the main race pits are located on East Vacation Island and Ski Beach at Mission Bay. Spectators should have a pretty good vantage point near those areas.
General admission tickets to the San Diego BayFair cost $25 on both Saturday and Sunday. A special “Pit Pass” can be purchased for an additional $10 on either day.
For all of the details on the event, visit this website. For ticket information, click here.
Two people were detained in a Santee neighborhood Saturday after a dog was shot to death, the San Diego County Sheriff’s Department confirmed.
The incident happened around 3:10 p.m. in the 10000 block of Strathmore Drive in a neighborhood near the east side of Santee Lakes.
Officials say a dog was shot dead and two people with a gun were detained.
The incident is under investigation and could possibly warrant an animal cruelty charge.
A Hawaii woman's last name is so long-- contains 36 characters and 19 syllables -- that it doesn't fit on a driver's license.
Janice "Lokelani" Keihanaikukauakahihuliheekahaunaele (pronounced: KAY'-ee-hah-nah-EE'-coo-COW'-ah-KAH'-hee-HOO'-lee-heh-eh-KAH'-how-NAH-eh-leh) has had to carry two identification cards for the past 20 years--a driver's license and a state identification card, according to The Associated Press.
Her license only has space for 35 characters. Her name surpasses this limit, containing 35 letters and a mark used in the Hawaiian alphabet, called an okina.
In the past, she was able to obtain a state ID card that included her full name. However, when the state ID expired, her new ID arrived with the same omissions as her license.
The issue has made traveling difficult. She's also had a policeman give her a hard time during a traffic stop, she said to KHON2.
“He looked at it and he goes, ‘Well, where is your first name?’” Keihanaikukauakahihuliheekahaunaele said. “And I said, ‘Don’t blame me. This is your department, this is the county.’”
She got the last name when she married her Hawaiian husband in 1992, according to The AP. He died in 2008, but encountered similar problems with his long last name.
The Department of Transportation decided to address the situation after Keihanaikukauakahihuliheekahaunaele contacted her local TV station about the issue, according to the New York Daily News.
The state's Department of Transportation spokeswoman Caroline Sluyter said the state is working to increase the space allotted for names on driver's licenses and ID cards, according to the AP.
The cards will provide 40 characters for first and last names and 35 characters for middle names by the end of the year, she said.
Keihanaikukauakahihuliheekahaunaele is happy her situation has received publicity.
"If you're going to require people to have picture IDs to identify them, they have to be correct," she told the AP.
Some parents who want to volunteer in San Diego County schools are having trouble because of a tuberculosis test shortage.
The shortage was first announced in April, and the tests aren’t expected to be readily available until the end of October. The tests are required for parents to volunteer in the classroom.
Dr. Mark Shalauta of Scripps Health said the shortage shouldn’t cause alarm.
"There is no danger to the public with a shortage of TB tests. This is only an inconvenience for parents who would like to volunteer in school," Shalauta said.
This week, Shalauta said he’s had five patients try to get tested for TB so they could volunteer at their children’s schools.
A skin test is performed to test for tuberculosis. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the shortage comes from a problem with the manufacturers that make the solution.
There are alternatives to the traditional skin test. A chest x-ray or blood test can also prove a person doesn’t have TB. Or, it may just take some shopping around. For instance, Family Health Centers of San Diego said they still have the test available.
Some believe testing for TB is vitally important because of San Diego’s international exposure.
“We have more people who come from places where TB is rampant, so this area is known to be TB endemic,” said Dr. Fred Fung with Sharp Rees-Stealy Medical Group.
Last year, 234 tuberculosis cases were reported in San Diego County.
