Seven victims of a fiery bus crash that left 10 dead on a Northern California highway Thursday have been identified.

Michael Myvette, 25-year-old Mattison Haywood, 18-year-old Adrian Castro, 26-year-old Arthur Arzola, 17-year-old Marisa Serrato, Denise Gomez and Ismael Jimenez were among those killed when the bus they were riding collided head-on with a FedEx truck on Interstate 5 in Orland, Calif., on Thursday evening.

The bus was carrying Los Angeles area students on their way to a college tour at Humboldt State University. The drivers of both the bus and the FedEx truck were killed in the wreck, but their identities have not been released.

• More Coverage: CA Bus Crash

Four autopsies were completed Friday, and coroner's were attempting to complete the remaining five on Saturday. An update was not expected until midweek, according to a press release from the Glenn County Sheriff's Department.

Ismael Jimenez:

Evelin Jimenez, the sister of Ismael Jimenez, confirmed to NBC4 on Saturday that her brother was killed in the wreck. 

Denise Gomez:

Extended family members confirmed to NBC4 that Animo Inglewood Charter School student Denise Gomez was killed in the wreck. Gomez and Ismael Jimenez, who also died in the crash, were sitting together at the time of the collision.

Adrian Castro:

Friends of Castro, a football player at El Monte Union High School, say the teen was going to be the first in his family to go to college.

"I just felt like I lost a brother, I lost a family member. It hurt real bad," said classmate Nathaniel Medina, who was on the football team with Castro. “He was telling me he hasn't decided what college to go to and then, um, he was telling me he was really excited because he was going to college."

Marisa Serrato:

Serrato, whose twin sister Marisol was also on the trip but rode a different bus, was a senior at Norte Vista High School. Serrato's mother confirmed on Friday that Marisa is among the dead.

Since the crash, the girls' mother struggled to get a hold of Marisa and said she was desperate for information about what happened to her. The family became even more worried when officials called asking for dental records that would be used to possibly identify a victim.

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Michael Myvette and Mattison Haywood:

Myvett and Haywood were a recently engaged couple who were chaperoning the students on the trip. Haywood was a high school and college basketball player who planned to become a doctor. Myvett worked with autistic children.

The two were described as very sweet people whose fairytale romance was "like a movie."

"Had only one of them survived, the other would be an absolute wreck because they were two peas in a pod," Mattison's father John Haywood said.

Arthur Arzol:

Arzola, a college admissions counselor, was recruiting for the university in the LA area. He married his high school sweetheart in 2012.

"He had the biggest smile. He was always really charismatic," friend Ryan Garcia said.

A total of five students, three chaperones and both the bus driver and truck driver died in the crash, authorities said. Nine people died at the scene. Arzola died at the hospital.

The family of an innocent man who was mistakenly shot and killed by Los Angeles County sheriff’s deputies is trying to make sense of his death, they said in a statement Friday.

Deputies on Monday were responding to a call of an assault with a deadly weapon and man with a knife in an apartment in the 900 block of Palm Avenue when two men came running toward them.

The deputies mistakenly thought one of the men was the victim and the other the suspect, officials said. They opened fire, shooting and killing John Winkler, 30.

• LA County Sheriff's Deputies Admit to Fatally Shooting Innocent Man

Winkler’s uncle, Craig Dawson, said the Comedy Central staffer was a “kind, funny, smart young man.”

“We are grasping to understand why he was taken away from us in such a tragic way,” Dawson said. "Those who were blessed with the opportunity to know John knew him to be an incredibly giving young man, always ready to do anything for friends and family.”

Authorities said Winkler was one of three men who were held hostage inside the apartment at knifepoint. Alexander McDonald, 27, allegedly stabbed and fought the hostages until deputies arrived.

McDonald was charged with murder on Thursday.

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Dawson said that Winkler put his own life at risk trying to help a friend in a dangerous situation.

"Moving forward, we seek to understand the reasons why the sheriff's deputies shot and killed John,” Dawson said. “We know that shooting and killing an innocent man must be a horrible burden for those deputies, and they are in our prayers as well, as they attempt to cope with the circumstances of his death.”

Comedy Central released a statement on Friday mourning the loss of Winkler.

“We only had the privilege of working with him for a short while and extend heartfelt sympathy to his family and friends during this tragic time,” Comedy Central said.

Family members told NBC4 that Winkler moved to Los Angeles about six months ago. 

Michael Myvett and Mattison Haywood were identified Friday as two of 10 victims in Thursday's tragic bus crash in Northern California.

The recently engaged couple, who had been dating since 2011, was chaperoning high school students to Humboldt State University.

"She will always be in my heart," Mattison's tearful mother Carla Haywood said.

NBC4 spoke with Mattison's parents Friday at their home in Chino. Mattison, 25, was a high school and college basketball player, an artist and was studying to become a doctor while planning a life with her fiance Michael.

"Had only one of them survived, the other would be an absolute wreck because they were two peas in a pod," Mattison's father John Haywood said. "Rest in peace baby, daddy loves you."

Carla Haywood learned of the crash from Michael's grandmother.

"(She said) 'The bus that crashed was the one they were on.' And I said, 'How do you know that?' She said, 'Cause I took them to the bus station and I know what bus they got on," Carla Haywood recalled.

In a whimsical engagement, Myvett proposed to Haywood on Christmas Day on bended knee in Paris. It was a trip they both were looking forward to for a long time, said Davonna Foy, a friend of the couple.

"Michael loved Mattison since even I could remember, even before their courtship," Foy said.

• More Coverage: CA Bus Crash

The happy couple were described as very sweet people whose fairytale romance was "like a movie."

Last week, Mayvett told his cousin, Trinice Sampson, he wanted to have a family with his fiance.

He said that they wanted to wait until Haywood finished the medical program she was in but that it was very important to the both of them to have children, Sampson said.

Haywood attended Concordia University before meeting Myvett at Humboldt State University. Together they built a community of friends who loved them both.

• Read: El Monte High School Student Killed in Fiery Bus Crash Identified

Those friends were in shock Friday and took to their Facebook pages to write messages about the loss in their lives.

"My heart just sank to my feet. We are going to need each other more than ever now. This feels like a dream...," one friend wrote.

Another friend commented on how beautiful of a couple the two were together and that the loss was "truly a tragedy."

An outpouring of messages from people and organizations that knew the pair continued throughout the day.

Concordia University remembered Haywood on its Twitter page.

"Our prayers are with family & friends of alum Mattison Haywood '10, who passed away Thursday in the tragic bus crash in Northern California," the school posted.

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Myvett, who  worked with autistic children at the Center for Autism and Related Disorders, was described as, "an extraordinary individual who positively impacted the lives of families with autism spectrum disorder every day," by a spokeswoman for the company.

Myvett's family started a fund-raising site at gofundme.com and was accepting donations to help alleviate the cost of his up-coming services, Sampson said.

The fun-loving pair's journey was cut short Thursday in what friends said was a "devastating" and "tragic" event.

The search for a missing hiker in the southern Valley Center area has been suspended by the San Diego County Sheriff's Search and Rescue team, but deputies will continue looking for him. 

About 80 people on foot, K-9 units, mounted officers and the dive team arrived Saturday morning around Lake Wohlford to search for 43-year-old Michael Raymond Reeder. 

He has not been seen since at least April 10, and his empty vehicle was found parked in a secluded area of Oakvale Road by the California Highway Patrol and Lake Wohlford Rangers. 

Not long after, his mother -- who lives in Northern California -- reported him missing. 

Reeder's acquaintances told search and rescue officials that he has been known to spend time in the Valley Center area. 

Since then, other agencies like the Lake Wohlford Rangers, U.S. Border Patrol and the Red Cross joined the search. 

The Search and Rescue team's operation was suspended around 1:15 p.m. Saturday. From here, deputies will continue their investation and search for Reeder. 

According to Sheriff's Lt. Clayton Lisk, Reeder is a known drug user with a combative personality and a couple of overdoses noted.

However, foul play is not suspected in his disappearance. 

Reeder is a 6-foot tall white man who weighs about 230 pounds. 

If you know where he may be, call the San Diego Sheriff's Department at 858-565-5200.

The Investigative Unit has found that drivers for FedEx Freight, a division of FedEx, have been in 730 accidents in the past two years, and have been cited more than 679 times for unsafe driving.

The collision near Orland between a FedEx truck and a bus carrying high school students has the Investigative Unit wondering about the company’s driving history. Records NBC Bay Area obtained from the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration show that out of 679 violations they recorded, nearly half were for speeding. Other violations include “failure to obey traffic control device” (81) and improper lane changes (57). 47 violations were issued for using a cell phone or texting while driving.

Traffic accidents are even more common than traffic violations. Over the past two years, FedEx drivers have been involved in 730 nationally 43 of those incidents happened in California, which include two fatalities prior to Thursday’s accident.

The accident on Thursday was the worst FedEx has experienced since November of 2012 when it was involved in a 100-vehicle pileup in east Texas.

It’s important to keep in mind that FedEx Freight is just one part of the larger FedEx. The company is massive and has more than 20,000 vehicles and 35,000 employees. And as with all companies who employ drivers of truck and buses, their employees undergo drug and alcohol testing.

In terms of company size, the tour bus involved in the accident, Silverado Stages, is a much smaller carrier. It’s based in San Luis Obispo and has fewer than 2,000 employees. It’s never been involved in a fatal accident.

NBC Bay Area also took a long look at the road where the accident occurred [map]. The collision happened on a stretch of I-5 roughly 160 miles north of San Francisco near the city of Orland. California Highway Patrol data NBC Bay Area analyzed showed there have been just nine accidents along that stretch of roadway since 2008. However none resulted in severe injuries. The majority of those accidents occurred with a mile of Thursday’s fatal accident.

None of the nine recorded accidents were head-on collisions like the one involving the tour bus on Thursday. The closest head-on collision on I-5 since 2008 was over 10 miles away from the FedEx crash site.

FedEx expressed their “deepest personal sympathies and the condolences of over 300,000 other FedEx team members” in a written statement from CEO Frederick Smith. Smith cautioned that it would take some time to determine exactly how and why the accident occurred, but pledged the company’s willingness to comply with investigators.

Investigators have estimated that it could take anywhere from three to six months to determine a cause.

The California Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV) office in El Cajon will be closed for the next six months as the location undergoes renovations, DMV officials said.

The field office – located at 1450 Grave Ave. – will shut down for repairs on Apr. 25 at 12 p.m. If renovations go as planned, it will reopen to the public on Oct. 13, 2014, at 8 a.m.

In the meantime, customers will be redirected to other local DMV offices. This includes the San Diego DMV location at 3960 Normal Street, about 16 miles away, or the field office in Clairemont at 4375 Derrick Drive, also about 16 miles away.

Other options include these DMV offices: the Chula Vista location at 30 N. Glover Ave.; the Poway office at 13461 Community Rd.; and the San Ysidro DMV at 6111 Business Center Ct.

According the California DMV, the 12,874-square-foot El Cajon field office opened in 1985 and is in need of improvements. Over the next six months, the flooring will be replaced, the fire alarm system will be updated and new furniture will be added to the office. It’ll also get a fresh paint job.

Meanwhile, the 39 employees of the location will be redirected to other field offices in San Diego County. By the way, on a daily basis, the El Cajon DMV completes an average of 747 transactions.

Besides visiting other offices, customers can also visit the California DMV website, which offers many services 24 hours a day, seven days a week. The DMV customer service line – (800) 777-0133 – also offers a variety of information for drivers.
 

An entire semi-truck full of televisions was stolen Saturday morning after the suspect tried to trick the driver into handing over part of his load, according to San Diego Police. 

The driver of the TV-bearing semi-truck  told police that he was cut off by another white semi cab without a trailer while driving in the 8500 block of Avenida Costa Sur in San Diego's Otay Mesa area around 8:30 a.m. 

The second driver jumped into the victim's cab and told him some of his TVs were to be transferred to the suspect's truck. 

When the driver tried to call his boss to confirm the transfer, the suspect hit the phone out of his hand, police said. 

At that point, another vehicle pulled up suspiciously, and somehow the suspect hopped in the driver's seat of the TV-filled truck and drove off eastbound on Avenida Costa Sur. 

The stolen semi's cab has the California license plate 9D10606 and the words "Add Express" with blue flames on the side. The stolen trailer had the California license plate 4MM5320.

The suspect is about 5-foot-6-inches with a heavy build, and he was wearing a white button-up shirt and jeans. 

A Southern California photographer is saying that his photo of a San Francisco International Airport AirTrain was used in a magazine reportedly published by al-Qaida -- without his permission.

The photo in question sounded off alarm bells on Capitol Hill, in part due to its caption, which read:

“For how long will you live in tension? Instead of just sitting, having no solution, simply stand up. Pack your tools of destruction. Assemble your bomb, ready for detonation.”

Ed McGowan, director of design at Plain Joe Studios in Corona, tweeted the following after finding out that the picture was blatantly lifted from his Flickr site:

"The oddest moment of my day? Finding out that Al Qaeda has stolen one of my images and is using it."

• Al Qaeda Ad of SFO Tram: "Assemble Your Bomb"

McGowan's tweet included a link to an article from SFGate, which first reported that the photo in "Inspire" magazine was discussed at a Homeland Security hearing Wednesday. The FBI said that the photo was randomly selected and there is currently no added public safety threat in the Bay Area

Law enforcement officials believed that the photo was a stock image, but Internet users tracked it down to McGowan's Flickr account.

McGowan, who did not immediately return requests for comment, took the picture during a 2010 trip to San Francisco. He told SFGate he was shocked to find out that al-Qaida had used his photo.

As for chasing al-Qaida down for compensation, McGowan tweeted that "it's wise to not try to go after them." 

the oddest moment of my day? Finding out that Al Qaeda has stolen one of my images and is using it @SFGate http://t.co/eTo9JWmEmr

— Edward McGowan (@isayx3) April 10, 2014

A sidewalk sign promoting a Chinatown sports bar has stirred up controversy for poking fun at domestic violence.

The message, scribed in colored chalk, read: “I like my beer like I like my violence… domestic.” It was posted Saturday afternoon outside Bar-Ly at 11th and Appletree Streets in the Chinatown section of Philadelphia. The A-frame sign is marked with a logo for Heineken Light beer, which is considered an import beer.

NBC10 viewer Lisa Schultz, who was outraged by the message, tweeted NBC10.com a picture of the sign. “Can you believe what this sign said…,” she wrote. She also sent angry tweets to the bar and her followers.

NBC10 contacted Bar-Ly to ask about the sign. A man who refused to give his name said he was the person who had written the message and that it was taken down a few hours after being posted. The man said the bar had received complaints about the sign.

“We didn’t want to offend people, so we took it down,” he said. “I personally didn’t think it was offensive.”

According to the Philadelphia-based advocacy group Women Against Abuse, more than 1 in 3 women and 1 in 7 men are victims of severe physical harm by their intimate partner during their lifetimes.

The organization also says 2,000 emergency room visits by Philadelphia women were likely the result of some type of domestic violence and more than 107,000 domestic violence complaints were filed by the Philadelphia Police Department in 2012.

Bar-Ly has used other A-frame chalk signs to post other politically incorrect messages. A photo on the bar’s Facebook page of another A-frame sign, showing a different message, likened the sign to “your loud grandmother.”

“It says whatever it wants,” the caption states. The message written on that sign called its guardian angel an alcoholic.

Through a spokesperson Saturday evening, bar owner Buu Ly said he was not aware of the sign before it was posted and did not approve it.

He said the staffer who wrote the message reflected "very poor judgment" and has been fired.

"In no way does Bar-Ly condone domestic violence nor do we find it humorous," a statement read. "We are sorry to everyone who was offended."

Did the message cross the line? Share your thoughts below.

Contact Vince Lattanzio at 610.668.5532, vince.lattanzio@nbcuni.com or follow @VinceLattanzio on Twitter.

 World Wrestling Entertainment is about to produce a brand new wrestling superstar, and Chargers fans will know all about this guy.

Former Chargers linebacker Shawne Merriman has been doing some announcing work for the WWE.

But Sunday night at Wrestlemania, he took a picture with San Diego's own Rey Mysterio, which Mysterio posted on Instagram with the hashtag #FutureWWESuperstar.

With that secret revealed, wrestling show hosts John Layfield and Michael Cole announced that Merriman was indeed “joining the WWE family,” according to SB Nation's TestudoTimes.com.

Then came details that Shawne is working out at some WWE facilities.

It makes perfect sense. Guys like The Rock, Goldberg, and Brock Lesnar all had football backgrounds and made a smooth transition to wrestling.

I can already see him doing his "Lights Out" dance before his finishing move.

Let us know in the comments what you think Merriman's signature move should be and what his costume should look like.

A fire broke out a small, family-owned auto shop in the Miramar area Saturday morning, sending crews rushing to the scene.

According to Lee Swanson of the San Diego Fire-Rescue Department, the blaze began just before 7:30 a.m. in a storage space above an office area on the second floor of the Save Auto shop located in the 9200-block of Kearny Mesa Road.

The location of the fire made it difficult for crews to gain access, Swanson said, and the flames grew quickly. The only way to get into the space was by ladder in the rear of the building.

Within about 30 minutes, however, firefighters had knocked down the blaze.

Swanson said there was no one at the business at the time of the fire, and no injuries were reported. The fire did not cause damage to any of the vehicles at the shop and surrounding buildings were also spared.

Save Auto owner Bao Tang spoke with NBC 7 and said it was terrible to wake up Saturday to the news of his business burning. The auto shop has been owned by his family for six years.

“It’s upsetting to come to your business and see it up in flames. I don’t know what I’m going to do now. Just two days ago I was talking about remodeling, but now I can’t,” said Tang, adding that he planned to call his insurance company for help.

Swanson said the cause of the fire remains under investigation but officials believe it was caused by unspecified electrical failure in the upper storage area.

The fire caused approximately $100,000 in damage to the building and $200,000 in damage to its contents.

Detectives have charged a San Diego man with elderly abuse, among many other counts, after a hash oil laboratory was discovered in a home where an elderly woman lives. The woman had no idea the drug lab was operating out of her residence, according to detectives.

The San Diego County Sheriff’s Department said deputies served a search warrant at a home in the 900-block of North 4th Street in Unincorporated El Cajon Friday as part of an ongoing investigation into an elder abuse complaint.

Inside the home, deputies discovered the occupants were growing marijuana and had set up a clandestine butane hash oil extraction laboratory in the garage.

An 84-year-old woman was also living at the residence, but detectives said she had no idea this was occurring inside the home.

Deputies arrested one resident, Travis Faircloth, 30, on several charges in connection with the drug lab operation including partaking in a crime likely to cause harm or death to an elder.

He was also charged with manufacturing a controlled substance, possession of concentrated cannabis, possession of a narcotic and controlled substance and cultivation of marijuana. Faircloth was booked into San Diego Central Jail and is scheduled to appear in court Tuesday.

As of the hash oil lab, officials from the San Diego Narcotics Task Force and officials from the County Hazardous Materials Response Unit assisted in dismantling the operation. The investigation is ongoing and anyone with further information on this case should contact the sheriff’s department at (858) 565-5200.

Just last month, the manufacturing of hash oil caused an explosion inside an apartment in the North Park area. A woman became trapped on her balcony following the blaze.

In February, two people were hospitalized after an explosion at a hash oil lab inside an apartment in El Cajon.

In early January, an explosion in an East Village apartment building caused nearly $1 million in damage and was sparked by someone making hash oil.

According to the Drug Enforcement Administration, hash oil labs have become a dangerous trend in San Diego.

 The San Diego Opera is getting some high-profile public relations help after backlash grew over its board’s decision to close at the end of this month.

PR professional Mark Fabiani, who also acts as special counsel for the San Diego Chargers, has signed on to work with the opera – for free.

“I was asked to help by a Board member, and agreed to assist on a pro bono basis because the SD Opera has been such an important part of this community,” Fabiani told NBC 7 in an email Friday.

It’s unclear how long he will be working with the company or in what capacity.

The discovery of Fabiani’s participation came the same day opera supporters forced the board to reconsider its decision to shutter the financially strapped company.

However, after a three-hour meeting Friday afternoon, one board member said there is still not enough money for the opera’s 50th season.

The company needs $10 million to run through next year, the board president said earlier this month. On April 6, member Carol Lazier donated $1 million, but it's not enough.

Unless other big donors come forward, the opera will close on April 29.

Hundreds of employees still hope for a solution that will save their jobs and the music they love.

“These people that are in every production, have to attend every rehearsal, every performance, so it’s a huge part our income,” said chorus member Erica Austin.

But according to board member Pam Slater-Price, even though 20,000 signatures were gathered to keep the opera open, the board has not seen the money to back it up.

“And quite candidly, we still have seats available for tonight’s performance,” Slater-Price said.

Chorus members make about $15,000 per season. The opera’s top two executives, Ian Campbell and his ex-wife Ann Spira Campbell, made a combined total of nearly one million dollars this season.

Board members promise those executives will not receive any extra severance pay if the opera shuts down and sell its assets.

The opera's closing performance of "Don Quixote" will be Sunday, April 13.

The San Diego Chargers have released a look at next season’s Charger Girls.

The 28-member dance squad was finalized this week after nearly 300 women made a play for a spot.

The team says dancers from across the nation auditioned last Sunday, but talent pool was whittled down to 71 finalists after the first round.

Those women then had to undergo panel interviews and a final dance routine.

Finally, after five days of auditions, the final squad was chosen Thursday night.

• READ: Chargers in an Interesting Preseason Spot

“I was really impressed with the deep pool of talent that auditioned for this year’s team,” Charger Girls Director Lisa Simmons said. “We had to make some tough decisions to select the final 28 girls. That strong competition has ensured we’ll have one of our finest squads ever.”

In the 2014-2015 squad, the dancers range in age from 18 to 31 with a variety of backgrounds, including 16 students, a dental assistant, project administrator, legal assistant and elementary school teacher.

Half are returning members, and the other 14 will be making their debut this season.

Twelve call San Diego home, and the most remote dancer comes from Sheffield, England.

A full list of squad members can be found on the Chargers website.

Being a Charger girl is a part-time job, but their duties stretch beyond performing at football halftime shows and along the sidelines. 

They make appearances at various charity and Charger events throughout the season. 

 A 5-month-old orangutan born at the San Diego Zoo is branching out on her own, learning all about her unique set of climbing skills.

Aisha, the little Sumatran orangutan, has moved away from clinging to her mother Indah’s back and moved on to scaling ropes by herself – with just a little push from her mom, the zoo says.

And with swings, ropes and hammocks in the orangutan habitat’s, she has plenty of options.

"Mom is always staying close by but she's definitely letting Aisha go out on her own more," said Amanda Jurasek, a keeper at the Zoo. "She's pushing her to start climbing and teaching her those vital skills she'll need as she gets older.”

• PHOTOS: San Diego's Cutest Critters

One place Indah isn’t so willing to share her skills: the dinner table. Aisha is still nursing, but she’s becoming more and more curing about tasting solid foods like lettuce, peanuts, sunflower seeds and grapes.

However, zookeepers say Indah isn’t willing to give up part of her meal to her baby.

While the little female is gaining independence, her mother still has some solid bonding years ahead. Orangutans usually stay with their mothers until they’re eight years old, the zoo says. That means they have the longest childhood compared to the rest of the great apes.

The Sumatran orangutan originally hails from the Southeast Asian islands of Borneo and Sumatra, but this species has become critically endangered. Less than an estimated 7,000 remain in the wild.

According to the zoo, their number has declined drastically because of over-harvesting timber, human encroachment and habitat conversion to make way for palm oil plantations.

“Humans can help to protect endangered orangutans by carefully checking ingredient labels and only purchasing products that contain sustainably produced palm oil,” the zoo said in a release.

Five orangutans now call the San Diego Zoo home, including Aisha's father Satu, who takes no role in caring for the little one.

As for Aisha and Indah, visitors can catch the duo in person from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. every day at the zoo’s Orangutan Trail.

You can also watch them 24/7 on the Ape Cam.

They say every dog has its day. That’s especially true for a dog named “Buddy” who was recently reunited with his owners after going missing seven years ago when devastating wildfires ripped through San Diego County.

During the 2007 wildfires, John Hartman and his family were left without a home. The fires also separated the family from Buddy.

The black lab had been implanted with a $10 microchip about two years before the fires. Earlier this month, that teeny, tiny microchip helped Buddy find his way back into the arms of his owners in an emotional reunion in San Diego.

According to the San Diego County Department of Animal Services, someone reported finding Buddy loose in Imperial Beach last month. The dog was dropped off at the county’s Gaines Street Animal Shelter on Mar. 28, where staffers scanned the pooch for a microchip.

The microchip matched the long lost dog to Hartman.

Hartman and his wife are now living in Oklahoma. However, on a recent trip to San Diego to visit their son, they got a surprise call from the Department of Animal Services. On the other end, an official told Hartman something he never expected to hear: Buddy was back.

Last week, Hartman and his wife finally got their dream reunion when they picked up 10-year-old buddy from the animal shelter. They packed up their pooch and happily took Buddy with them back to Oklahoma.

Dan DeSousa, deputy director of Animal Services in San Diego, credits the microchip to the Hartman’s happy ending. He said the length of the dog’s time apart from his family makes this case unforgettable.

“We’ve reunited animals from across the country and even the world with their owners, but seven years is one of the longest time periods we were able to reunite a pet and its owner,” said DeSousa. “The story could have had a tragic ending when the dog was lost during the wildfires, but the happy ending of this dog being reunited with its owner after moving from out of state can’t be beat.”

DeSousa said Buddy’s tale should serve as a reminder to dog owners on the importance of microchipping pets.

“While a dog license is required by law, a collar or tag can easily be lost and that is why we encourage people to microchip,” he added.

To find out more about microchipping pets in San Diego, click here.

A clerk was attacked by an armed suspect during an attempted robbery at a market in Spring Valley Saturday, officials confirmed.

The incident happened just before 3:30 p.m. at the Jamacha Produce Market on Jamacha Boulevard. Officials said the suspect was detained about 10 minutes after the assault was reported.

According to investigators, the armed suspect hit the clerk on the head with an unknown weapon.

Witness Gary Duncan told NBC 7 that a fight broke out between a store clerk and a man armed with what appeared to be a gun. The man was wearing a bandana over his face when he entered the store.

Duncan has just stopped into the market and was getting into his car in the parking lot when he heard screams coming from inside the store.

After the scuffle with the clerk, the suspect left the store on his bicycle. When Duncan saw this, he drove his car into the suspect and knocked him off his bike in an attempt to stop him from fleeing before officials could arrive.

"The only thing I could think to do was use my car to slow him down," said Duncan. "I just didn't want this guy getting away, in case he murdered [the clerk]."

The suspect limped away, but officials were able to track him down.

Another man doing his laundry at the laundromat next door said he was standing by his van in the parking lot when he heard commotion coming from the market.

"I heard something get knocked over in the store. Then it escalated quickly," he recalled.

Soon, the witness said he saw a man wearing a mask come running out of the store. The man hopped on his bike and then Duncan knocked him off with his car.

“It all happened so fast. It was like being at the front row of a movie and seeing it all happen,” the witness told NBC 7.

Deputies said witnesses in this case helpes immensely. When deputies arrived, witnesses pointed out where the suspect was hiding out, at a trailer park next door. The suspect refused to surrender and deputies sent in a K-9.

Eventually, they were able to detain the suspect.

The inside of the produce market was trashed in the fight, which was caught on surveillance tape.

A deputy said a 12-year-old girl was inside the store at the time of the assault and can be seen ducking and running out of the market during the fight.

Officials said the surveillance footage may be released.

By 5:40 p.m., the market was still roped off and investigators remained on scene.

Officials said both the victim and suspect were taken to local hospitals with non-life threatening injuries. One witness said the clerk was badly beaten up and bloodied in the incident.

The suspect's name was not immediately released.

Investigators found no signs that a FedEx truck braked before colliding head-on with a tour bus in Northern California, killing 10 people, a National Transportation Safety Board spokesman said Saturday.

During an evening press conference, the spokesman also said some of the passengers were ejected from the bus, which was equipped with seat belts.

Tracking technology on board the tractor-trailer was likely destroyed during a fire, an investigator told NBC News.

The crash occurred about 5:40 p.m. Thursday on Interstate 5 near Orland, when a FedEx truck crossed a 60-foot median and hit a Nissan Altima and a charter bus carrying dozens of Southern California high school students on their way to visit Humboldt State University.

• Full Coverage: Deadly California Bus Crash

NTSB investigator Mark Rosekind told NBC News that an electronic module inside the delivery truck could give information “about the speed, any hard braking that may have happened.” However, the blaze was so powerful that the device was “probably destroyed” in it, he said.

Rosekind’s comments come after the couple driving the Altima told NBC4 that the FedEx truck was already on fire before it crossed lanes and hit the tour bus.

• Recently Engaged Couple Among Dead in Fiery Bus Crash

Bonnie and Joe Duran were driving back to home to the Seattle-area at the time of the crash. They were driving in front of the charter bus.

"It was in flames as it came through the median," Bonnie Duran said, "It was already in flames. It wasn’t coming from the front engine, it was more from behind the cab."

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Rosekind told NBC News that he was aware of the couple’s account and that his team was “still in the early phases of collecting our factual information.”  

The pair was scheduled for an interview with CHP officers on Saturday, and could be seen leaving a station Saturday morning.

Seven victims of a fiery bus crash had been identified as of Saturday afternoon. They are Michael Myvette, 25-year-old Mattison Haywood, 18-year-old Adrian Castro, 26-year-old Arthur Arzola, 17-year-old Marisa Serrato, Denise Gomez and Ismael Jimenez.

Four autopsies were completed Friday, and coroners were attempting to complete the remaining five on Saturday. An update was not expected until midweek.

 The spread of the persistent whooping cough – also known as pertussis – continues in San Diego County as health officials confirmed ten new cases in the past week.

Even more may have been exposed, according to the county’s Health and Human Services Agency.

The confirmed cases bring the county’s total up to 198 so far this year, compared to only 39 this time last year.

All the new whooping cough cases were among children who were up-to-date on their vaccinations:

• An infant at Kid’s Place Child Watch at the Mission Valley YMCA on Friars Road 
• A 3-year-old at La Jolla Presbyterian Church Preschool in La Jolla
• A 5-year-old at Franklin Elementary School in San Diego Unified School District
• An 8-year-old at Vista Grande Elementary School in Cajon Valley Union School District in El Cajon
• A 13-year-old at Black Mountain Middle School 
• A 14-year-old at Patrick Henry High School
• A 16-year-old at Hoover High School 
• A 17-year-old at Mt. Everest Academy
• A 17-year-old at Rancho Bernardo High School 
• A 17-year-old at Canyon Crest Academy 

Throughout all of 2013, 430 pertussis cases were reported, and a high of 1,179 were reported 2010.

“It is extremely important that parents, caregivers and educators observe their children for symptoms of the disease so that those who are infected can get treatment immediately and don’t infect others,” said public health officer Wilma Wooten.

• READ: CA Sees Surge in Kids' Whooping Cough Cases

Signs of whooping cough start with a cough and runny nose for at least one week. That’s followed by weeks or months of rapid coughing fits that end with the distinctive whooping sound. Antibiotics can help with symptoms and prevent it from being spread.

Wooten also recommends that all parents or guardians make sure their children are up-to-date on their whooping cough vaccinations.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevent recommend that children get DTaP (diphtheria, tetanus and pertussis) vaccine doses at 2 months, 4 months, 6 months, 15-18 months and 4 to 6 years. Beyond that, preteens and adults can get a Tdap booster.

The sickness presents a bigger risk to infants, who have not received the full series of doses.