Officials with the San Diego Sheriff’s Department and the Fugitive Task Force (FTF) are searching for a man wanted on several charges, including assault with a deadly weapon.

According to officials, fugitive Edward Hernandez Lozano is considered armed and dangerous. He’s known to frequent San Diego’s East County, including Spring Valley.

Lozano is currently wanted on charges of domestic violence, assault, attempted robbery and weapons possession. Officials say the fugitive has a violent history, and should not be approached.

Any sighting of Lozano should be reported to the San Diego County Sheriff’s Department at (858) 565-5200. Also, anyone with information on Lozano’s whereabouts can contact Crime Stoppers at (888) 580-8477 with their tip. Callers may remain anonymous.

Each month, the FTF works with the sheriff’s department and Crime Stoppers to locate and arrest fugitives like Lozano wanted for committing crimes.
 

Christmas wishes came true for some lucky travelers, thanks to the Canadian budget airline WestJet.

Passengers on a flight from Toronto and Hamilton showed up in Calgary in November and found items from their Christmas wish list waiting for them at the luggage carousel.

WestJet employees set up 19 hidden cameras at the Toronto and Hamilton airports to capture passengers telling Santa what they wanted for Christmas, according to The Toronto Star's news site thestar.com.

While the two flights took off for its four-hour trips to Calgary, 150 WestJet employees headed to Best Buy and CrossIron Mills to gather the gifts so it's ready and waiting for the arriving passengers.

The whole event was captured in a video that was posted last week on WestJet's YouTube page. Click on the video above to see how it all played out.
 

More than 100 local officers and deputies joined a caravan Tuesday morning hauling a very special, plushy delivery: thousands of new teddy bears for patients at Rady Children’s Hospital.

The caravan – which included police motorcycles and squad patrol cars rolling Code 3 sirens – could be seen for miles along State Route 163 en route to the hospital.

The special delivery marked the culmination of the 23rd Annual San Diego Regional Law Enforcement Teddy Bear Drive hosted by the Escondido Police Department and the San Diego County Sheriff’s Department.

Law enforcement officials met at the USS Midway Museum at 6 a.m. Then, at 8:30 a.m., the caravan took off, arriving at the hospital to a crowd of cheering children and their families just before 9 a.m.

According to Teddy Bear Drive organizers, each year, the drive collects approximately 75,000 bears to brighten the days of sick and injured kids visiting Rady Children’s Hospital. All federal, state and local law enforcement agencies in San Diego participate in the effort, collecting stuffed animals throughout the year.

The Teddy Bear Drive began back in 1990 when Coronado police Officer Brian Hardy delivered a single car load of teddy bears to the hospital for young patients spending the holidays there.

That year, Hardy gathered 12 teddy bears. More than two decades later, more than one million stuffed animals and teddy bears have been donated through the annual drive.

For Hardy, the Teddy Bear Drive is a must-do tradition.

“God gave me the opportunity to be in the right place at the right time, and these guys make it happen,” Hardy said Tuesday, referring to his fellow officers. “That’s what Christmas is really all about – it’s all of us pulling together to help where we can.”

Luis Martinez is lucky to be alive.

If it wasn’t for two men who spotted him lying down blue in the face after falling off his bicycle last month at a Rosemead park, he might not be alive today.

"I'm thankful to God and to these two guys," said Martinez a month after the accident. "They are my angels."

Those angels are an anesthesiologist and a homeless man who happened to know CPR.

The drama started Nov. 4 when Dr. George Fedor, an anesthesiologist at Beverly Hospital in Montebello, was out for an afternoon run at Whittier Narrows Recreation Area in Rosemead.

He noticed Martinez lying on the ground near a bike path. Martinez had a gash on his forehead and was laboring for breath before losing consciousness.

Martinez, of Pico Rivera, had fallen off his bike and wasn’t wearing a helmet. The last thing he remembers was taking a picture of a squirrel before he blacked out.

Patrick, who gave only his first name, was closest to Martinez when he fell. Right away, Patrick began doing chest compressions while Fedor began giving him mouth-to-mouth resuscitation.

They were able to keep him alive until paramedics could arrive.

“Medically, Luis was in cardiopulmonary arrest,” Fedor said.

Fedor feels fortunate that he had such a key partner at his side that day. Patrick, it turns out, was an emergency medical technician who had hoped to be a paramedic.

Though Patrick’s dream fell through, Fedor feels it was great that the commercial truck driver -- now homeless -- was able to put to practical use something he had studied years ago.

“It really makes you look at people differently,” Fedor said. “This man helped me to save another man’s life.”

Martinez is grateful.

“We might start a band, you never know,” Martinez said. “He’s a smart guy, very smart.”

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A well-known youth golf coach in the Bay Area has been charged with 65 felonies for allegedly sexually assaulting at least two of his students.

Andrew Nisbet, 31, taught students at Las Positas Golf Course in Livermore, where he allegedly met some of his victims. Livermore is located at the eastern edge of the San Francisco Bay Area. When he is scheduled to appear in court next month, prosecutors said he will be charged in connection with a third student.

Prosecutors allege Nisbet used his persona as the "cool coach" to gain trust with his victims, some of whom were as young as 14, according to the San Jose Mercury News.

He's now behind bars at Santa Rita Jail being held without bail in light of the number of counts and the multiple victims alleged.

“He really used the coach-athlete relationship to his advantage,” Livermore Police Officer Steve Goard said.

Nisbet is said to have abused teenage boys from December 2009 through March 2012 “in his car, at events and also in the parking lot of the golf course.”

DOWNLOAD: Complaint vs. Andrew Nisbet

He was arrested at the golf course at 10 a.m. Saturday, one day before he was to be honored as the 2013 Northern California PGA Junior Golf Leader.

Nisbet "admitted" to lewd acts during an interview with police, the newspaper reported.

He has since been fired from the course, where golfers contacted by the newspaper called Nisbet a "nice guy" who didn't put out any bad "vibes."

Neighbor Jeremy West said he saw detectives at Nesbit's Jackson Avenue home on Saturday.

"There's going to be some people freaking out in the neighborhood," West said. "I don't want to see him again. He doesn't need to be around here."

The news of the alleged child molestations have neighbors concerned.

"It's horrifically scary. We feel it's a pretty safe neighborhood," said Kay Forgatszh, a neighbor. "We know all of our neighbors up and down. They've only been there for about a year. We haven't met them."

Livermore police said, that as a nationally acclaimed golf coach, Nisbet had access to hundreds of children and used his position to sexually victimize at least three of them -- likely more.

“He showered them with expensive equipment,” Goard said, “picking them up to and from practice and also having parties at his house, providing them alcohol, getting them drunk and then figuring out which kid he could get close to and which kids would keep it a secret.”

Livermore police said the suspect could have more victims.

“We have been giving information that he potentially victimized children in Michigan, Alabama, Mississippi and North Carolina,” Goard said. “And some of the kids were victimized at these golf events.”

Nisbet is charged with 65 counts of child molestation and lewd and lascivious acts on a minor for performing oral sex on two students -- and forcing them to do the same -- and distributing lewd material.

He developed a successful junior golf program and traveled the country, which is why police here are alerting law enforcement in four other states.

Nisbet appeared in court Tuesday to face the 65 charges related to two of the victims. Police will ask the district attorney to file charges related to the third victim later this week.

Calls to Nisbet's attorney seeking comment were not returned Tuesday.

Anyone with information that could assist the investigation is asked to come forward.

Richard Tuite, the man convicted of killing 12-year-old Stephanie Crowe, then found not guilty in a retrial last week, is still behind bars but had another day in court on Tuesday.

Tuesday’s hearing was about other charges, including bribery and an escape from custody, and whether Tuite should be placed on parole or probation.

State officials believe Tuite should be sentenced separately for an escape from custody in 2004, during his original trial. At that time, Tuite walked away from the courthouse and boarded a transit bus, traveling from downtown San Diego to Clairemont before ultimately getting caught.

As for the bribery charge, Tuite allegedly bribed a jail guard by offering him $24,000 to help him escape.

Tuite’s attorney, Brad Patton, said Tuite was sentenced to seven years on the bribery count and eight months for the escape. He thinks his client should be credited for the time he’s already served, which is about nine years behind bars.

Now, it’s up to the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation (CDCR) to determine if that’s enough time to cover the bribery and escape charges, plus probation.

“They have to decide if a period of parole is appropriate or not, based on re-sentencing,” explained Patton. “If that’s the case, he may be transferred to Donovan [the Richard J. Donovan Correctional Facility] to be processed for purposes of parole.”

“It’s really just the administration modifying the records, taking a look at the total number of credits he gets while he is in custody and then looking at whether there is a period of parole left based on that calculation,” Patton added.

However, if the CDCR determines Tuite has served enough time, he will not be placed on parole and could be released from the downtown San Diego jail within five days.

Either way, parole or not, Patton said Tuite will be released and reunited with his family.

“His family will work on a transition process for him and right now, it’s a matter of getting him relocated and settled in, not having a lot of pressure. That transition will be made smoothly,” said Patton. “For Richard obviously going from the contained period he’s been in and back to his family is a big change. It’s a wonderful change, but it is a family change.”

On Friday, a jury found Tuite not guilty of the 1998 murder of Stephanie Crowe of Escondido. A federal appeals court had voided Tuite's original conviction and ordered a new trial, which began this past October in San Diego.

At the time of Stephanie Crowe’s murder, Tuite was a transient and was seen walking around the Crowe’s neighborhood.

Stephanie Crowe’s brother, Michael Crowe, and his two friends were the first suspects in the case. They confessed to murdering her, but a judge determined their confessions had been coerced.

Crowe's mother, Cheryl, maintains her belief that Tuite is her daughter's killer.

San Diego homicide detectives released photos of two men wanted in connection with the fatal shooting of a security guard outside a bar in Rolando last month.

On Nov. 30, just before 11:30 p.m., victim Ernesto Gonzalez was shot and killed in the 7100-block of El Cajon Boulevard – in front of Chelato’s Bar and Grill – where he worked as a security guard.

According to police, Gonzalez was standing in front of the business when two suspects walked towards him, firing fatal shots. Gonzalez was shot in the torso and taken to a local hospital, where he died from his wounds.

Police said the suspects were described by witnesses as two men wearing dark clothing. They were last seen walking eastbound from the scene towards 72nd Street.

A surveillance camera captured footage of the suspects (see video below) and those images were released Tuesday in hopes of tracking down the men for questioning in connection with the killing.

For now, police said Gonzalez’s case remains unsolved.

Anyone with information on the identity or whereabouts of the shooting suspects should contact the San Diego Police Department homicide unit at (619) 531-2293 or Crime Stoppers at (888) 580-8477. Tipsters may remain anonymous.

No one else was injured in Saturday’s shooting. Though some witnesses were shocked by the crime, other witnesses said they didn’t hear the shooting over the loud music playing inside the bar.
 

Nearly 4,000 customers in southwest Chula Vista were without power Tuesday afternoon, according to San Diego Gas and Electric’s website.

The outage was centered between Third Avenue and Paseo Ranchero, south of L Street and Telegraph Canyon Road, according to Chula Vista police. 

The outage caused several traffic lights to stop working, which created traffic problems during the evening commute. Drivers were asked avoid southbound Interstate 805 and Telegraph Canyon Road. 

Get Live Traffic Updates Here

Power was expected to be restored by 5 p.m.

There is now word on what caused the outage.

A mother and her 4-year-old daughter were killed in a crash with a big rig Tuesday morning on northbound Interstate 5 in San Diego’s North County, officials confirmed.

The fatal collision involved the woman’s GMC Yukon and a Ralph’s grocery store big rig. Officials said the SUV plowed into the back of the semi-truck, possibly at freeway speeds, at around 9:20 a.m. near the I-5 checkpoint and scales.

The big rig was stopped in a line of other big rigs attempting to access the San Onofre Commercial Vehicle Enforcement Facility.

Traffic investigators said it appears the driver of the Yukon did not apply the brakes prior to the deadly crash. Aerial images of the scene showed that the impact caused the SUV to become partially wedged under a portion of the big rig.

Officials said the Yukon was wrecked so badly, investigators initially thought there might be a third victim inside. However, investigators later determined that was not the case.

The crash heavily impacted traffic on the I-5 for several hours. The CHP issued a SigAlert around 9:45 a.m., blocking three lanes on the freeway as investigators processed the site of the crash.

As a result, traffic on the I-5 was backed up for about 25 miles, with bumper-to-bumper traffic beginning just north of Oceanside through State Route 76. The CHP said they expected a long-term closure in the area as investigators collected evidence.

Motorist Cliff Whitekhaoss was stuck in the heavy traffic and said he was saddened by the incident.

“It’s an unfortunate day. I feel bad for the people who were in the accident – that’s pretty tragic,” said Whitekhaoss.

By 10:35 a.m., one lane had reopened, but the flow of traffic remained very slow. There was no timeline as to when the rest of the lanes would open again. Get traffic updates here.

By about 2:15 p.m., all lanes of northbound I-5 traffic had reopened, according to CHP officials.

The cause of the crash remains under investigation, but officials do not suspect alcohol as a factor.

No further details have been released about the victims just yet, other than their ages. The mother was 28 years old, CHP officials confirmed. The San Diego County Medical Examiner’s office will work to positively identify the woman and her daughter.

Officials said the driver of the big rig was not injured in the deadly collision.

A discount store in San Diego’s Lemon Grove area has been ordered to pay more than $54,000 in penalties for selling synthetic drugs to customers and accepting SNAP, or food stamps, as payment for the drugs.

According to San Diego County District Attorney Bonnie Dumanis, the business – the Best $1 on Broadway – openly sold the designer drug known as “spice,” which has been illegal in California since January 2012.

In March and April, the San Diego County Sheriff’s Department conducted an undercover operation at the convenience store.

Investigators made nine separate transactions that included the purchase of spice. The business allowed the undercover officers to buy spice and other non-food items with SNAP benefits loaded on Electronic Benefit Transfer (EBT) cards, according to the DA’s office.

Under SNAP, those benefits may only be used to purchase approved food items, while the purchase of non-food items is strictly prohibited.

Following the undercover sting, the DA’s office filed a civil complaint against the discount store in violation of state and federal laws.

On Tuesday, Dumanis announced a civil settlement had been reached in the consumer protection case against the Best $1 store. The business has agreed to a permanent injunction prohibiting the sale of spice and any other items not eligible for purchase with SNAP benefits.

Per the settlement, the store will also pay $54,178 in penalties – including $48,000 in civil penalties and $6,178.76 in investigation and prosecution costs.

The DA’s office said the Best $1 Store entered into the settlement without admission of wrongdoing, and worked with the DA’s office to promptly resolve the matter.

Still, Dumanis said this case should serve as a warning to all retailers that continue to illegally sell spice, which is sometimes sold under brand names including Mad Hatter, Grand Daddy Potpourri, Red Dragon, Magic Flower and Code Black.

“These designer drugs have been shown to be dangerous, and in some cases, deadly. Our Consumer Protection Unit has been warning stores not to sell these illegal substances and using civil prosecutions, we’re holding defendants accountable when they ignore state law,” Dumanis said.

In addition to the San Diego County Sheriff’s Department’s work on this case, prosecutors said the United States Department of Agriculture, Office of the Inspector General, assisted in the portion of the investigation involving the violations of the SNAP benefit program.

A lobster diver made the catch of a lifetime Tuesday when he grabbed an 18-pound crustacean from the water off the coast of Huntington Beach.

Joseph Ali, 27, has been lobster diving for nearly a decade and said his most recent catch did not go down (or rather, come up) without a fight.

“As soon as I grabbed him, he just went straight to my face and wrapped around my body and my mask fell off,” Ali said. “At that point, instead of one hand, I gotta wrap my whole body around him and hug him all the way to the top of the water.”

He said calm, flat water along the Huntington Beach Pier inspired him to dive, so he grabbed his wet suit and jumped in. What he thought, at first, was a piece of the pier turned out to be a huge lobster.

Ali said he resurfaced and took several deep breaths before returning to the bottom to catch the crustacean, pictured at right.

Once he grabbed hold of the lobster, Ali said he suffered several cuts from the inch-long, razor-sharp spines lining the lobster’s tail. He said it felt like he was being punched in the stomach as he pulled the California spiny lobster to the surface.

It is believed the type of lobster Ali caught can live to be 50 years or older, according to the California Department of Fish and Wildlife.

Some spiny crustaceans caught off the California coast have weighed in at more than 26 pounds, the department said. Lobsters weighing more than 5 pounds are considered trophy-sized.

“I consider this a trophy lobster,” Ali said of his catch.

“I plan to boil it and cook it, have some with my girlfriend and have a great dinner,” he added.

Lobsters can be caught legally off the coast of Southern California using hoop nets or by hand. All catches must be documented with the state’s Department of Fish and Wildlife.

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Three officers were shot in a series of shootings in Miami-Dade Tuesday morning, setting off a massive police search and confrontation that ended with two suspects dead.

Saul Rodriguez, a 13-year veteran with Miami-Dade Police, was shot in the abdomen and was in stable condition after undergoing surgery early Tuesday. The other two were shot in the arm, were hospitalized and then later released, police said. A fourth officer was injured by broken glass at the scene, police said. Two Miami officers were brought to the hospital for observation.

All the officers are expected to be okay, police said.

"We want to ask for the continued prayers and support for the officers and their families as well as the Miami-Dade community in general," Miami-Dade Police Director J.D. Patterson said at a news conference.

The first shooting was reported around 5 a.m. when an officer responded to a call about shots fired at 2260 NW 27th Ave. in Miami. A suspect, who was identified by family members as 27-year-old Adrian Montesano, confronted Rodriguez and shot him, police said.

The suspect then stole the officer's marked cruiser and fled, police said. 

"After the original officer was shot, we believe that gentleman, that subject did jump into the police car and take the police car," Patterson said.

The incident set off a massive manhunt involving Miami Police, Miami-Dade Police and Hialeah Police.

It's believed the suspect or suspects ditched the police car and got into a 2004 blue Volvo believed to belong to one of the suspects' grandmothers. An off-duty officer who lives nearby noticed the abandoned patrol car, radioed it in, and pointed authorities in the right direction.

“He led the police to go after the right person, so he was able to identify who the perpetrator was,” said a neighbor, who only wanted to be identified by his first name, Joshua.

A short time later, officers closed in on the car at Northwest 27th Avenue and 70th Street.

At one point, officers surrounded the blue Volvo convertible, and shots were exchanged.

One suspect died at the scene and another was pronounced dead at Jackson Memorial Hospital later.

A police mobile command unit left the scene in northwest Miami-Dade late Tuesday night.

Patterson said police continue to investigate.

Police said that the suspect, who was identified as Montesano, was responsible for an armed robbery that occurred at a Walgreens at 2700 West Flagler St. in Miami.

PHOTO: Adrian Montesano (below).

A friend of Montesano, who didn't want to be identified, said the man had a drug problem.

"He had an addiction and he was good and then he was bad," the friend said. "I didn't think that it would ever have gone this far. Me knowing Adrian and who he was and I didn't think it was that bad."

Patterson said the officers were in a very dangerous situation.

"Any time an officer is assaulted by anybody, that person is dangerous," he said.

Dozens of police went to the hospital Tuesday to be at the side of their injured fellow officers. Miami-Dade Mayor Carlos Gimenez and Miami-Dade Police Benevolent Association President John Rivera also visited the hospital.

Miami Fraternal Order of Police President Javier Ortiz thanked the hospital for caring for the officers and said it could have been much worse.

"It is a blessing that no innocent citizens were injured or killed as a result of the reckless actions of the subjects," Ortiz said in a statement.

Ortiz also released a photo (below) of one of the suspects inside the store during the robbery. The photo appears to show the suspect holding a gun against either an employee or customer.

Ralph Padron, who said he was a family friend of one of the suspects, said the suspect took his grandmother's car and went on the spree. The woman is in shock, he said.

"I don't know what transpired or who he was hanging out with or if he was on some sort of exotic drug or some crap like this, but it's nothing to do with his person or who he was," Padron said.

The agency that oversees New York's airports says it tried other methods of scaring away snowy owls from its airports before issuing the shoot-to-kill order for the birds.

The Port Authority of New York & New Jersey has promised a new effort to trap and relocate the growing number of snowy owls at the city's airports, but said it was initially forced to shoot down three birds when other methods failed to scare them away. 

A total of five planes were hit by snowy owls in the last two weeks, including two at Newark, two at Kennedy and one at LaGuardia, according to the Port Authority. The agency tried using pyrotechnics, setting off fireworks and driving toward the birds to scare them away. However, snowy owls do not like to move and were apparently unfazed, the agency said. 

The agency added that it is not allowed to move wildlife in New York state without permission, which was only granted Monday from the Department of Environment Conservation. That's when the Port Authority announced it will make an effort to trap the snowy owls and relocate them instead of shooting them down. 

Authority workers shot down one snowy owl at Kennedy Airport last Friday, and another two on Saturday.

It wasn’t the first time the Port Authority has killed birds over flight concerns. More than 1,000 geese were caught and gassed near Rikers Island between 2003 and 2009 to curb the potential threat to aircraft, according to the Daily News.

A commercial jet hit a goose upon takeoff in 2009, forcing the plane to land on the Hudson River in what was referred to as the Miracle on the Hudson. That brought renewed focus on the threat of bird strikes, and about 2,000 geese were rounded up and killed that year.

Hundreds have since been killed each year near airports and in parks throughout the city.

Diet soda has gone flat with soda drinkers.

A skateboarder was rushed to the hospital after he was struck by a car Tuesday night, according to San Diego police.

The incident happened at 6:21 p.m. at 16th Street and Broadway in East Village.

The male patient was taken to Scripps Mercy Hospital with life-threatening injuries, according to police.

Officials say the car took off after hitting the skateboarder. Police are now looking for a light-colored four-door Hyundai with possible damage to the hood and windshield.

The victim’s name or age have not been released.

Check back for updates.

View Broadway & 16th St in a larger map

Unsettling echoes of the "Occupy San Diego" movement rattled City Hall on Tuesday.

They came during a City Council hearing on a legal settlement involving the arrest of a former congressional candidate.

The incident happened when the campout of Occupy activists on the Civic Center concourse was late into its second month, on Nov. 29, 2011.

Ray Lutz – a communications engineering executive who'd run against Congressman Duncan D. Hunter the year before – set up a table there to register new voters.

He soon wound up in handcuffs.

“We got five people registered,” Lutz recalled in an interview with NBC 7. “We had three more in line when they arrested me."

Given the turbulence of the demonstrations downtown at the time, Occupy San Diego had long since worn out its welcome on the Civic Center concourse -- especially among nearby merchants and office workers at both City Hall and the Civic Center Plaza office tower.

Police and the building’s private security guards were being “pro-active," making dozens of arrests.

They didn't cut Lutz any slack at his voter registration table -- busting and booking him for trespassing.

While the City Attorney's office declined to bring charges, Lutz filed a civil rights lawsuit in U.S. District Court.

And on Tuesday, two years after the incident, he came to City Hall and made his way to the 12th floor Council chamber, sitting a couple rows behind Police Chief Bill Lansdowne.

When discussion was allowed on a consent-agenda item regarding the city’s $60,000 settlement offer in the case – without an admission of municipal liability – Lutz took to the public speakers’ microphone to address the Council.

"I ask you to start a project to review all of these cases,” he said. “You're the body to do this. Frivolous, ridiculous arrests. Petty involvement with the police. Blocking a police officer. Setting something down on city property – a Christmas tree. An umbrella."

Occupy activists say police needlessly ran up seven-figure enforcements costs during the Occupation, which stretched into early 2012.

One issued a heated challenge to Councilmembers.

"When are you going to stand up to these people,” demanded Martha Sullivan, “and make sure people's rights are protected and the taxpayers aren't ripped off for all this money?"

Among several others who spoke in support of Lutz and the city’s settlement was Jeff Olson, whom a jury recently acquitted of charges stemming from his chalk-written protest messages outside local Bank of America branches.

“Ray Lutz deserves a medal,” Olson said. “He should not have been arrested. He should be commended for what he did. Voter registration is an important part of our democracy.”

The city attorney's office says prosecutors were "very selective" in bringing cases -- but that not all arrests were inappropriate.

"Our approach to it is to take it as we see it, to evaluate it as we see it, and do what is right based on the facts that are before us," Executive Asst. City Atty. Andrew Jones said from the Council dais, in response to the public testimony. "Our job is to look at the facts in a cold, calculated way -- as we are trained as attorneys -- to determine what we consider the best approach for that particular case."

Lutz hopes his settlement sends a message to City Hall and police headquarters, and prompts re-consideration of some of the arrests, with an eye to expunging them from the public record.

But he has his doubts: "I don't think the city is very good at learning anything. I'd like see maybe the people who were action-takers in this instance be charged. Take this out of their salary or their pension."

Lutz also will receive an undisclosed settlement from the Civic Center Plaza building's landlord and its security firm, for a lesser amount than the city's $60,000 figure.

The photojournalist who captured President Barack Obama snapping a self portrait with the leaders of Britain and Denmark at Nelson Mandela's memorial service said the "selfie" seen around the world shouldn't be panned as inappropriate.

Agence France-Presse photographer Robert Schmidt said in blog post Wednesday titled "The story behind 'that selfie'" that the moment was not as sordid as some in the media have made it out to be.

"For me, the behavior of these leaders in snapping a selfie seems perfectly natural," Schmidt said. "I see nothing to complain about, and probably would have done the same in their place."

The photographer said Obama had just delivered his Mandela eulogy and took his seat among the other world leaders who descended on Soccer Stadium for the memorial service. Schmidt said he recognized British Prime Minister David Cameron, but did not immediately know the woman sitting to the right of Obama.

The woman, who turned out to be Danish Prime Minister Helle Thorning-Schmidt, pulled out her smartphone while Obama and Cameron huddled up for the selfie shot. First lady Michelle Obama appears on the right of the image looking straight ahead, presumably at the events unfolding at the festive service.

"All around me in the stadium, South Africans were dancing, singing and laughing to honor their departed leader," Schmidt wrote. "It was more like a carnival atmosphere, not at all morbid."

The photo has taken the news world and social media sites by storm. Some news sources have dubbed it "Selfie-Gate," citing the world leaders' lack of decorum at a serious event and Michelle Obama's seemingly peeved look as justification for the backlash and criticism.

The U.K.'s Daily Mail published the story with a headline that reads "Twitter fury over Dave's selfie with Obama and a flirty Dane." Documentarian Michael Moore wrote in a tweet "Obama, Cameron & the Danish prime min goofing around & taking a selfie @ the memorial. Michelle's reaction priceless." Both New York tabloids the Daily News and New York Post splashed on their front pages images of Obama's supposed flirting.

Schmidt said he captured the selfie moment two hours into the ceremony and the event was expected to last another two hours. "The atmosphere was totally relaxed -- I didn't see anything shocking in my viewfinder, president of the U.S. or not. We are in Africa," he said.

He went on to explain that there is more than meets the eye to the first lady's facial expression.

"I later read on social media that Michelle Obama seemed to be rather peeved on seeing the Danish prime minister take the picture," he wrote. "But photos can lie."

A few seconds earlier, Michelle Obama was joking with those around her, including Cameron and Thorning-Schmidt, he explained. "Her stern look was captured by chance."

Thorning-Schmidt also defended the selfie on Wednesday, saying "There was a lot of pictures, many pictures were taken of Obama and I just thought it was kind of funny and it shows when heads of states meet we also are just human beings having a good time."

Schmidt agreed that it was "interesting to see politicians in a human light" but he bemoaned the fact that such "trivialities" took away from the main event. He also said he was surprised that such a snap moment would garner so much attention.

"I took these photos totally spontaneously, without thinking about what impact they might have," Schmidt said.

Danish prime minister, Helle Thorning-Schmidt, left, chats with first lady Michelle Obama during the memorial service for former South African president Nelson Mandela at the FNB Stadium in Soweto, near Johannesburg, South Africa, Tuesday Dec. 10, 2013. (AP Photo/Matt Dunham)

President Barack Obama jokes with Danish prime minister, Helle Thorning-Schmidt, left, as first lady Michelle Obama looks on at right during the memorial service for former South African president Nelson Mandela at the FNB Stadium in Soweto, near Johannesburg, South Africa, Tuesday Dec. 10, 2013. (AP Photo/Matt Dunham)

A school bus transporting teenagers to University City High School was involved in an accident with a pedestrian early Wednesday.

The California Highway Patrol was investigating the incident that occurred at 6:42 a.m. at the intersection of Ocean View Boulevard and S 39th Street in Mountain View.

San Diego police said a 12-year-old girl was walking across the street when she was struck by the school bus.

The driver of the bus told NBC 7 he didn’t see the girl when he turned left onto Ocean View. He said the bus touched the girl before coming to a complete stop.

The girl was transported to a nearby hospital by San Diego Fire-Rescue personnel. Officers described  the girl's injuries as minor scrapes and bruising.

The bus full of students was parked for more than an hour while officials collected information. They were transferred to another bus before 8 a.m.

Whether you’re looking for a fabulous night out with friends or a fun-filled afternoon with the kids, there is lots to choose from this weekend in San Diego.

Thursday, Dec. 12

Taste ‘n’ Tinis
5 p.m.-9 p.m. in Hillcrest
Sample one (or all 14) of the holiday-themed martinis that will be served during this self-guided walking tour of Hillcrest. For a list of participating restaurants, bars and shops, click here.

Friday, Dec. 13

Holly Jolly Holiday Trolley Tour
7-8 p.m., starting in Old Town
All aboard! You and your fellow passengers will sing Christmas songs as you travel through Old Town, Point Loma, the Gaslamp Quarter and Balboa Park, enjoying holiday sights along the way.

December Events in North County

Saturday, Dec. 14

“The Nutcracker”
2:30 p.m. and 7 p.m. at the Civic Theater
The California Ballet presents this Christmas classic. (The sugar plum fairies will even do a Meet and Greet after the 2:30 p.m. performance.)

The Nutcracker (Men in Tights!)
8 p.m. at the Balboa Theater
The 130 members of the San Diego Gay Men’s Chorus put their own spin on the famous Christmas production.

Sunday, Dec. 15

"Scrooge!"
2 p.m. in San Marcos
Actors and singers present “A Christmas Carol” from author Charles Dickens’ perspective. Plus, 100% of ticket sales benefit the San Marcos Historical Society.