A man who was apparently crossing the train tracks in Oceanside Friday night was struck and killed by freight train, authorities confirmed.
The San Diego County Medical Examiner's office has not yet determined the man's identity, an investigator said Saturday morning. The investigation is expected to be complete this afternoon, according to a medical examiner in the county coroner's office.
The pedestrian was hit at 10 p.m. by a northbound BNSF freight train at a crossing on Mission Avenue near Cleveland Street. The white male adult was pronounced dead at the scene, according to a news release from San Diego sheriff's Lt. Kevin Menzies.
A witness, Donald Haddix, was staying at the Wyndham Oceanside Pier Resort about 500 feet across the street from the accident.
"We heard a train come through right over here ... we heard a long train whistle - extraordinarily long. Then we heard the braking of the train, and usually the train just goes right through. It doesn't stop," Haddix said, adding he saw one individual standing close to the track and another man lying on the railroad tracks. "The best thing we can tell is apparently this individual was trying to cross the train track and apparently he was stuck by the train. We don't know why."
In video footage obtained from the scene, a second individual is near the accident, wrapped in a yellow blanket and sobbing while being comforted by an emergency official. It is unclear whether the second individual knew the victim or simply witnessed the horrific crash.
President Barack Obama's 2009 inauguration was, from a security standpoint, about as hairy as it gets: the most important people in American government, from the commander-in-chief to the Supreme Court, assembled outside the Capitol, surrounded by nearly two million people at a time of heightened terror risk.
The circumstances make Obama's second inauguration, to take place Jan. 21 with about half the attendance and fewer parties, seem sort of quaint in comparison.
But authorities aren't any less tense. The Secret Service, FBI, armed forces, Metropolitan Police Department, Capitol Police, U.S. Park Police and an array of local law enforcement agencies began planning for the event long before Obama's re-election. They're being just as meticulous as they were four years ago -- perhaps even more so.
"You don't want to be the person who makes a decision…to cut back and something happens. That's a legacy you don't want," said Joseph Funk, a retired Secret Service agent who protected two presidents and ran the agency's Washington D.C. office. "So you will not see anything different this year."
Thousands of troops, agents and cops will be in the streets, trying to manage crowds and eying potential threats. There will be sharpshooters on rooftops, undercover investigators among the spectators and analysts poring over surveillance images. There will be airport-style magnetometers, high-tech bomb-detecting equipment and armored "tactical vehicles." There will be roadside checkpoints and dozens of closed streets and tunnels. Parking will be a nightmare.
Washington D.C. estimates that between 600,000 and 800,000 will gather on the National Mall and along the inauguration parade route. That's a considerably smaller number than in 2009, but "still a big crowd," said Christopher Geldart, director of the city's Homeland Security and Emergency Management Agency.
The city, which has been planning since June, is borrowing 3,200 National Guard troops, and another 500 or so police officers from other local departments, for help with traffic control and other logistical duties, Geldart said.
While the crowd-management concerns won't be quite as acute as four years ago, Geldart pointed out that there are other areas that have drawn more attention, in part because of breakdowns at the 2009 inauguration. Although the celebration ended with no arrests, there were some relatively minor snafus: hundreds of ticket holders were misdirected into the Third Street Tunnel and remained stuck there for hours, and poorly designed signs and understaffed entrances led to interminable lines.
This time, authorities are bringing in temporary cell phone towers to make sure they can better communicate with each other. Officials will be monitoring Twitter, Facebook and other social media sites to get a better idea of where people are massing and if there are problems. There will be clearer directions for visitors; Geldart encouraged out-of-towners to check out the city's inauguration website.
Organizers say that people who enter secured areas should expect the same level of security that they see from the TSA at the airport.
Washington D.C. police chief Cathy Lanier said her entire 3,900-member force will be working the inauguration. They've gone over the security plan to the point of obsessiveness, and technology has been a huge help. Instead of lugging around 200-page manuals as in prior years, each of her commanders now carries it in a digital tablet, with the ability to make last-minute changes, share observations and monitor surveillance video and social media sites.
"This is the third inauguration I've had direct planning over, and this is one of the best plans I've seen," Lanier said. "I feel real comfortable with it."
In 2009, intelligence officials heard reports that Somalia-based Islamic militants were planning some type of attack on Obama's inauguration, and Osama bin Laden warned that the new president would inherit a fight against guerrilla warfare. There were also lingering concerns from the November 2008 terror attacks in Mumbai, India. And there were some threats posted on white supremacist message boards that appeared credible.
There has been no credible threat so far this year, said Debra Smith, acting assistant director in charge of the Washington field office of the FBI.
As was the case in 2009, the Department of Homeland Security has declared the inauguration a National Special Security Event, meaning that the lead agency is the Secret Service, with the FBI taking over investigative duties in case of an attack or other disaster.
The Secret Service declined to answer questions about its preparations.
"Although we cannot discuss our means, methods, specific resources or numbers we utilize to carry out our protective responsibilities, we can say there is a tremendous amount of advance planning and coordination," spokesman Brian Leary said in a statement.
No matter how good the intelligence, and how extensive the planning, there's always a bit of anxiety gnawing at you, former security officials said.
Retired Army Major Gen. Richard Rowe, who headed a military task force in charge of the capital region during the 2009 inauguration, said he didn't think the risk of an attack had diminished.
"I have trouble imagining that anyone thinks the threat here is any less, because of the types of things that could happen," Rowe said. "If anything, there probably more technological capabilities out there that could be applied."
But the inauguration is the Secret Service' equivalent of the Super Bowl, and the agency never really stops thinking about it.
"I don't think people have a true understanding of the enormity of it," Funk said. "It's hard to equate it with anything else. It would be New Year's Eve in Times Square times ten in terms of the security that goes into it."
Two local sheriff’s deputies, who are now bonded for life by a near-death experience, are telling their story of survival for the first time ever since a violent shootout nearly took their lives.
Sgt. Johnson was shot twice -- in the side and arm -- while Deputy Perez sustained several critical injuries from the shootout, including wounds to the stomach, shoulder and vital arteries in his arm.
Nearly four months and several surgeries later, the deputies told NBC 7 in an exclusive interview that they are still recovering from their gunshot wounds and that very frightening day on the job.
Sgt. Johnson remembers that day in September as nothing short of chaotic.
"Ali got hit first and almost immediately I got hit," he recalled. “We were just trying to deal with the situation and figure out what we were going to do. It was a very intense period of time.”
Det. Perez remembers the second he was critically struck by high-caliber bullets during the ambush, and dropping to the ground almost instantly.
"It's a loud bang and a ringing of the ears and then a numbness feeling in the arm,” he said. "I knew that I was severely hit. I was losing a lot of blood and I told myself, ‘I have about five minutes until I pass out.’"
Although Sgt. Johnson was struck twice, he said he didn’t immediately feel pain.
“It was very intense, the fact that I was able to see Ali, I think the adrenaline was flowing,” he added.
Thanks to the heroics of fellow law enforcement officers, both deputies were rescued and taken to Sharp Memorial Hospital.
“I should have been dead a hundred times over. The bottom line is that I'm not dead and the only reason why I'm not dead is because the Lord intervened on my behalf,” said Perez.
The deputies say their survival is not the only miracle.
Over the past several months, they’ve been overwhelmed and truly touched by the outpouring of love and support from their family, friends, colleagues and the San Diego community.
Perez said the walls inside his hospital room were completely covered with cards, pictures and words of encouragement – many of them from complete strangers.
Johnson said he’s received endless letters from supporters as well, including heartwarming notes from children.
“It touched my heart so much. I framed a couple of them and put them in my office. Just very thoughtful, touching words, from kids five years old to 13, 14 years old,” he said.
Within just the past week, Sgt. Johnson was able to return to work.
For the Det. Perez, the journey back will be much longer. However, at this point, he’s prepared for anything.
"And if it comes to the point where I can't use my left arm so be it. Life will go on,” he said.
Det. Perez said the experience has bonded him and Sgt. Johnson for the rest of their lives.
“I'm going to be retired, 80 years old, and he'll still be my brother,” said Perez.
Johnson couldn’t agree more.
"It's just been a true bonding. We’ve become brothers in law enforcement and a family way too," said Johnson.
No matter what, Det. Perez said he will be back at work some day and Sgt. Johnson can’t wait for that day to come.
Both deputies said they want to thank the doctors and nurses at Sharp Memorial for saving their lives and the community for all of the support shown over the past few months.
Most importantly, the men said they’re forever grateful to their families – especially their wives – for helping them get through this, day in, day out.
A driver and two passengers were injured after the driver slammed their vehicle into several parked cars in Mission Beach, police said.
According to officers, the collision involving a BMW carrying three occupants happened in the 900 block of West Mission Bay Drive at around 2:45 a.m.
The 35-year-old driver of the vehicle was traveling westbound on West Mission Bay Drive when, for unknown reasons, she veered to the right and struck multiple parked cars.
Police say the driver sustained neck injuries. A 19-year-old passenger suffered chest pain, while a 35-year-old rear passenger suffered serious head injuries.
All three were transported to local trauma centers for treatment.
No one was in the parked cars at the time of the collision and no other injuries were reported.
The investigation on this crash is ongoing. The driver was given a DUI test at the scene and police are working to determine whether alcohol played a factor in the incident.
High surf and rip currents are expected to hit local beaches over the long weekend, according to the National Weather Service.
The elevated surf is likely to roll into beaches Saturday night, brought about by a long period swell generated by a storm off the coast of Japan.
These conditions could create hazardous rip currents, minor beach erosion and possible coastal flooding. Danger to swimmers is also increased during this time.
The NWS says these conditions should last through Monday afternoon, with the highest surf happening Sunday.
Surf is expected to be mostly between four and six feet in San Diego County, with local sets of waves measuring eight feet south of Del Mar.
The surf should gradually lower Monday through Wednesday, the NWS said.
San Diego lifeguards told NBC 7 they’re anticipating lots of visitors Sunday at Mission Beach and other local beaches.
A DUI checkpoint conducted by SDPD officers in Pacific Beach overnight yielded a total of 12 DUI-related arrests, officials said.
Officers set up the checkpoint in the 2600 block of busy Ingraham Street from 11:02 p.m. Friday night until 3 a.m. Saturday morning.
During that time span, 612 vehicles passed through the checkpoint and 474 of those vehicles were stopped and screened by officers.
A total of 24 motorists were detained for further sobriety evaluations. From there, 12 DUI-related arrests were made in or near the checkpoint, police said.
An additional arrest was also made for public intoxication.
The DUI checkpoint was made possible by a California Office of Traffic Safety “DUI Mini Grant.”
The 15th annual San Diego Multicultural Festival took place Saturday on the Martin Luther King Jr. Promenade along Harbor Drive. Locals came out to celebrate diversity on this long Martin Luther King Jr. weekend.
The latest strain of influenza has been deemed "widespread" in California and some experts are strongly recommending that health officials get flu shots.
"When you're a public healthcare provider, whether a doctor or nurse, we should urge everyone to take the flu vaccine," said Dr. Peter Weiss, assistant clinical professor at UCLA.
Nearly all of Weiss' staff have gotten flu shots, but he isn't sure hospitals should require them for workers, he said.
"Personally I think we need to instruct and educate people, and when you do that and you do it properly and you make a good argument, everyone gets the vaccine," Weiss said. "If you can't make an argument as to why it should be done, then why should people follow it?"
The vaccine is considered 62 percent effective, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Deborah Breetwor-Peters, a labor and delivery nurse at Saint John's Health Center in Santa Monica, said she knows the importance of getting vaccinated.
"For years and years and years, I didn't get the flu shot and every year, I got the flu," Breetwor-Peters said. "First year I didn't get the flu was the year I got the flu shot."
According to the latest data (PDF) from the California Department of Public Health, only about 60 percent of healthcare workers get the influenza vaccination. The national estimate is 63.5 percent, with a federal goal of 90 percent by 2020.
"Some people are allergic to eggs. You can't take it if you're allergic to eggs," Breetwor-Peters said. "Some people have different religious beliefs. Some people think they're going to get the flu either way, or it' going to lower their immunity, so they will get some kind of flu, but I think it's really important."
Nationally, flu activity has been high, while in California has seen a "moderate" amount of influenza-like illnesses, according to the LA County Department of Public Health.
After a delayed start, the Mavericks Invitational surfing contest began under sunny skies Sunday.
The first of four heats was set to begin at 8 a.m. Sunday, but was delayed a bit as officials waited on Mother Nature to bring in the waves.
Two dozen of the world's best surfers rode the monster waves of the infamous Mavericks surf spot near Pillar Point Harbor in Half Moon Bay.
By the end of the day veteran Santa Cruz surfer Peter Mei was declared the winner. Mei is a well-known Northern California surfer with two decade's experience surfing who helped launch the tow-in surfing movement locally, according to competition organizers. He also had a win in August in Pico Alto, Peru on the second stop of the annual Big Wave World Tour.
The top six winners are:
1st Peter Mel
2nd Zach Wormhoudt
3rd Greg Long
4th Alex Martins
5th Mark Healey
6th Shawn Dollar
The waves were described as powerful, but "lully" with lots of long breaks in between.
Three of the big wave surfers did not compete. Kelly Slater did not give a reason for withdrawing. Shane Dorian can't compete because of a shoulder injury. Carlos Burle also can't compete due to a shoulder injury. They were replaced by back ups.
Organizers downgraded the size of waves they were expecting in the hours leading up to the contest. They said they would be in the 15 foot range instead of the 30 foot range as predicted earlier in the week.
National Weather Service forecaster Bob Benjamin said that the waves were cresting between 7 and 10 feet at locations along the coast, with the highest waves at Mavericks reaching just over 15 feet.
Thousands of people turned out to watch the contest on big screens set up at a nearby festival. In 2010, some 40,000 people showed up. Organizers said this year's crowd was at about 30,000. The decrease in number was due in part to the 49ers NFC Championship game which aired nationally at noon.
"The festival filled up and the competition appears to be going well," Rebecca Rosenblatt said midday. "Everyone is being really cooperative and having a good time."
This year spectators were not be allowed on coastal bluffs or beaches overlooking the break. In the past rocks have fallen an injured people sitting on the cliff. Waves have also knocked spectators to the ground causing serious injury to those watching from on the shoreline.
The sheriff's office reported no arrests and said no one trespassed on the fragile bluffs above the break that were closed to the public this year for safety reasons.
The U.S. Coast Guard reported no incidents on the water associated with the contest.
While the professional surfers yearn for the huge waves, they are a danger to the rest of us.
The National Weather Service has issued high surf advisories for much of the coast through Monday night.
The Coast Guard and National Park Service are warning swimmers and boaters to be on the lookout for rip tides and sneaker waves that could reach heights of 20 feet.
The latest strain of influenza has been deemed "widespread" in California and some experts are strongly recommending that health officials get flu shots. Ted Chen reports from Santa Monica for the NBC4 News at 6 p.m. on Jan. 20, 2013.
President Barack Obama's senior advisor Valerie Jarrett talks about the benefit of having four years under the belt moving forward into a second term. Mary Ann Ahern reports for NBC News on Sunday, Jan. 20, 2013.
For the first time since its release more than a decade ago, Trader Joe's award-winning Charles Shaw wine -- affectionately known as "two-buck Chuck" -- will cost more than $2 at California stores.
Californians will now have to spend to $2.49 for a 750ml bottle.
The Golden State was the last remaining holdout to sell the wine for $1.99. The vino's price tag ranges from state to state, with Ohioans paying the most at $3.79.
More than five million bottles of the wine are sold each year.
"Meet the Press" moderator David Gregory joined NBC Washington's Angie Goff and Richard Jordan to discuss the issues that will likely define President Obama's second term.
Apple apparently is looking for someone to sassify Siri, its iPhone virtual assistant, according to reports.
9to5 Mac spotted the Apple ad on its corporate jobs site, which asked for a job candidate to "refresh and refine" Siri content. From the ad:
We’re looking for a uniquely creative individual to help us evolve and enrich Siri, our virtual personal assistant. Siri’s known for ‘her’ wit, cultural knowledge, and zeal to explain things in engaging, funny, and practical ways. The ideal candidate is someone who combines a love for language, wordplay, and conversation with demonstrated experience in bringing creative content to life within an intense technical environment.
When we searched for the ad on the Apple site, we found a page that read, "Sorry -- this job is no longer available," but apparently TechCrunch and other sites reported the ad did exist as of Thursday. We think that press-averse Apple probably disliked the unwanted attention its job opening received, so it pulled the ad. We will continue to see if it makes another appearance, or if Apple received an enormous amount of applications.
At least 37 foreign hostages were killed during the four-day-long standoff at a natural gas plant, and at least one Canadian was among the Islamist militants who took hundreds hostage, Algeria's prime minister said Monday.
Prime Minister Abdelmalek Sellal said Monday, three days after Algerian forces stormed the site and killed 32 militants, that the kidnappers came from Egypt, Canada, Mali, Niger, Mauritania and Tunisia.
Algerian bomb squads were still searching the mine-laced plant on Monday, looking for more explosive traps a day after the discovery of more bodies throughout the site raised the toll from the terrorist siege well past 80.
Special forces from the Algerian military stormed the plant on Saturday to end the four-day siege. Then the government began the painstaking work of finding and defusing the explosives planted in what government officials said was a plot by the Islamic extremists to blow up the complex and kill all their captives.
In a statement, the Masked Brigade, the group that claimed to have masterminded the takeover, warned of more such attacks against any country backing France's military intervention in neighboring Mali, where the French are trying to stop an advance by Islamic extremists.
"We stress to our Muslim brothers the necessity to stay away from all the Western companies and complexes for their own safety, and especially the French ones," the statement said.
Algeria said after Saturday's assault by government forces that at least 32 extremists and 23 hostages were killed. On Sunday, the Algerian bomb squads found 25 more bodies, said a security official, who spoke on condition of anonymity because of the sensitivity of the situation.
"These bodies are difficult to identify. They could be the bodies of foreign hostages or Algerians or terrorists," the official said.
In addition, a wounded Romanian who had been evacuated died, raising the overall death toll to at least 81.
Two private Algerian TV stations and an online news site said security forces scouring the plant found five militants hiding out on Sunday and learned that three others had fled. That information could not be immediately confirmed by security officials.
"Now, of course, people will ask questions about the Algerian response to these events, but I would just say that the responsibility for these deaths lies squarely with the terrorists who launched a vicious and cowardly attack," British Prime Minister David Cameron said. Three Britons were killed and another three were feared dead.
On Monday, Philippine Foreign Affairs officials said six Filipinos were among the hostages killed. Spokesman Raul Hernandez told reporters that 16 Filipinos have been accounted for and four others are still missing.
The dead hostages were also known to include at least one American and a French worker. Nearly two dozen foreigners by some estimates were unaccounted for.
It was unclear whether anyone was rescued in the final assault on the complex, which is run by the Algerian state oil company along with BP and Norway's Statoil.
Authorities said the bloody takeover was carried out Wednesday by 32 men from six countries, under the command from afar of the one-eyed Algerian bandit Moktar Belmoktar, founder of the Masked Brigade, based in Mali. The attacking force called itself "Those Who Sign in Blood" and has claimed to have Canadians in the cell as well.
The Masked Brigade said Sunday the attack was payback against Algeria for allowing over-flights of French aircraft headed to Mali and for closing its long border with Mali. In an earlier communication, the Brigade claimed to have carried out the attack in the name of al-Qaida.
Armed with heavy machine guns, rocket launchers, missiles and grenades, the militants singled out foreign workers at the plant, killing some of them on the spot and attaching explosive belts to others.
Algeria's tough and uncompromising response to the crisis was typical of its take-no-prisoners approach in confronting terrorists, favoring military action over negotiation. Algerian military forces, backed by attack helicopters, launched two assaults on the plant, the first one on Thursday.
The militants had "decided to succeed in the operation as planned, to blow up the gas complex and kill all the hostages," Algerian Communications Minister Mohamed Said told state radio.
Norwegian Foreign Minister Espen Barth Eide said the terrorists had tried to blow up the plant on Saturday but managed only to start a small fire. "That's when they started to execute hostages, and the special forces intervened," Eide said. Norway's Statoil said five Norwegians were still missing.
An audio recording of Algerian security forces speaking with the head of the kidnappers, Abdel Rahman al-Nigiri, on the second day of the drama indicated the hostage-takers were trying to organize a prisoner swap.
"You see our demands are so easy, so easy if you want to negotiate with us," al-Nigiri said in the recording broadcast by Algerian television. "We want the prisoners you have, the comrades who were arrested and imprisoned 15 years ago. We want 100 of them."
The Algerians' use of forced raised an international outcry from some countries worried about their citizens.
But French Foreign Minister Laurent Fabius said Sunday on French television: "The terrorists ... they're the ones to blame."
David Plouffe, a senior adviser to President Barack Obama, said that al-Qaida and al-Qaida-affiliated groups remain a threat in North Africa and other parts of the world, and that the U.S. is determined to help other countries destroy those networks.
Speaking on "Fox News Sunday," Plouffe said the tragedy in Algeria shows once again "that all across the globe countries are threatened by terrorists who will use civilians to try and advance their twisted and sick agenda."
Many government offices will be closed Monday in honor of Martin Luther King Jr. Day.
In the city of San Diego, all administrative offices, libraries and recreation centers will be closed.
State and federal offices, including courts and the U.S. Post Office will also be closed.
Trash will be collected on a normal schedule.
The North County Transit District's buses, and Coaster and Sprinter trains will operate a normal schedule.
There are several special events planned to honor the holiday. Here’s a brief schedule:
8 a.m.
Hundreds of Kaiser Permanente employees will help to distribute food at the San Diego Food Bank on Distribution Drive.
8:30 a.m.
San Diego Labor Council's will hold its Annual MLK Day of Service where volunteers will help pick up litter from Parkside Park and the surrounding community in Paradise Hills.
More than seven San Diego churches are joining together for a morning of service, fun and camaraderie at Morley Field baseball diamonds in Balboa Park.
9 a.m.
San Diego Mayor Bob Filner will be at the San Diego Public Market for a breakfast honoring civil rights leaders.
A suspected drunk driver rolled his car into a canyon in Sabre Springs early Sunday morning, according to San Diego Fire Department.
The incident happened around 2:15 a.m. on Poway Road. A witness saw a saw veer off the street and roll several hundred feet down into a canyon, said fire officials. The witness called 911 and a helicopter flew in to assist officials at the scene.
The driver was rescued with a rope system and was uninjured. He was arrested at the scene on suspicion of drunk driving, according to police.
