San Diego police - on alert for a man carrying a weapon in public downtown - detained a man and seized a toy gun.

The man walked up to officers on Horton Circle, just outside the NBC 7 Studios downtown around 10:30 a.m.

San Diego police had received reports of a man in the area carrying a weapon.

When they investigated the man’s silver handgun, they found it to be a realistic-looking cap gun. As you can see in the image, the pistol did not have an orange tip found on many toy guns.

Even though there is nothing illegal about carrying a cap gun, officers detained the man and could be heard lecturing him about the dangers of carrying something that looks like a real weapon on a public street.

Officials also seized the toy.

The man was not attending the Comic-Con convention, officials said.

 

Dozens of apartment homes were evacuated Thursday after a man was found collapsed in the street and suffering from a gunshot wound, officials with the San Diego County Sheriff’s Department told NBC 7.

Deputies with high-powered rifles and several armored vehicles were outside the Windsor Manor Apartments on Knoll Road after the shooting was reported just before 9 a.m.

Officials cleared pedestrians from the nearby Home Depot parking lot and shut down traffic from West Mission to State Route 78 as they set up a search for a shooting suspect.

Deputies say they believe a man was shot inside his apartment and then staggered outside and collapsed in the street.

• See: Cops Seize Fake Gun, Lecture Owner

The man was discovered and transported to Palomar Hospital with what's described as non-life threatening injuries.

There were several cars stopped on the street with their doors open.

Deputies went through seven complex buildings, each containing dozens of apartment units, as they look for a suspect.

After a four-hour standoff, they cleared the scene.

• Read: 'She Best Be Dead': Homeowner Shoots, Kills Intruder Who Said She Was Pregnant

Meantime, a 25-year-old man seeming to match the suspect's description was arrested around 1 p.m. in La Mesa on a parole violation.

The underlying crime? Illegal weapons possession. Investigators said they are looking into whether he was involved in this morning's shooting.

Check back for updates on this developing story.

Somebody is leaving porcelain dolls on the doorsteps of Southern California homes — dolls, the families say, that each bear a striking and creepy resemblance to their young daughters.

• Homeowner Kills Intruder Who Said She Was Pregnant

At least eight families in San Clemente have received the bizarre and disturbing toy deliveries, according to officials with the Orange County Sheriff’s Department.

The dolls began appearing on July 16, and multiple dolls were found this week.

• Witness Says Obama Motorcade Delayed Pregnant Woman in Labor

All families live in the Talega neighborhood of San Clemente, and some of the girls attend the same elementary school, officials said.

The dolls were collected by deputies as evidence, but officials said the actions at this point are not considered crimes.

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Authorities said, at most, leaving the dolls could be considered littering.

The case is still under investigation, as sheriff's deputies try to identify where the dolls came from and who might be responsible for leaving them.

Anyone with information on the case is asked to call the Orange County Sheriff’s Department’s South Investigations Unit at 949-361-8224 or 714-647-7000.
 

Police on Thursday identified a suspected burglar who told a homeowner she was pregnant before he fatally shot her outside his home in Long Beach.

Tom Greer appeared to have no regret when he told NBC4 Wednesday night that he shot a woman, twice in the back with his .22-caliber Smith and Wesson revolver as she was fleeing with a male accomplice.

The woman was identified as Andrea Miller, in her 20s, from Long Beach. The male suspect was identified as Gus Adams, 26, of Long Beach.

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"She says, 'Don't shoot me, I'm pregnant -- I'm going to have a baby.' And I shot her anyway," Greer said. "The lady didn't run as fast as the man so I shot her in the back twice, she's dead ... but he got away."

There was no immediate confirmation of the pregnancy, but the Los Angeles County coroner's office planned to perform an autopsy on the woman on Friday, said Ed Winter, of the coroner's office.

• Read: "She Best Be Dead": Homeowner Shoots, Kills Intruder

Long Beach police said they are investigating whether Greer should face charges for Tuesday night's shooting in the 3900 block of Country Club Drive.

Even though the woman was running away, Greer said he regards what he did as self-defense. He said he arrived at home Tuesday night to find a couple in the middle of a late-night break-in.

"When I went in there, they tackled me," Greer told NBC4. "Both of them jumped up on top of me."

Greer's home had been burglarized before, according to a neighbor. Greer was treated at a hospital Wednesday for a severe shoulder and collarbone injury.

San Diego residents will soon have increased water restrictions in light of California’s worsening drought.

The San Diego County Water Authority’s board of directors voted Thursday to implement mandatory restrictions on residents’ water use.

It will now be up to the 24 water districts to decide how they will implement these restrictions.

The board’s vote follows a statewide mandate that came last week from the California Water Resources Control Board calling for a set of restrictions that haven’t been around in nearly two decades. Among the restrictions is a $500 fine for water-wasters.

The local water board cited three straight dry winters as well as the record-breaking heat of the first half of this year for California’s worsening water supply.

Further details on what this local mandate will look like weren’t immediately available.

Barrio Logan continues to grow as an artist’s community with more than 300 artists working in the area today.

Now, these artists have come together to form a network that they hope will protect their neighborhood from losing an identity that artists have been building for decades.

“Right now, it’s the hay day of artists. There are more artists here than ever before. We are enthusiastic to preserve that,” said Benjamin Nicholls of the Barrio Art Association.

And that preservation is now underway.

The Barrio Art Association was founded just four months ago as a hub for artists and a place to preserve the artistic culture in Barrio Logan from being overdeveloped.

“Artists come in, they make a neighborhood trendy, then the developers follow and artists get booted out. That’s not what we want here. We really need that critical mass of creativity and economic development to stay in the barrio,” said Nicholls.

There are now more than 100 different studios around the Barrio where artists are creating pieces and also getting inspiration from others.

“It’s hard for me to market myself but in a space like this it happens organically and you can develop connections that way,” said Monica Hui Hekman, MH Art and Design.

Doreen Mellen has been practicing ceramic art for 30 years and started working at the Glass Haus art studio just two years ago.

Doreen says creating an association for the artists with their interests in focus has been a positive environment for her latest creations.

“We all throw off one another and just being in a complex together, we inspire one another, “said Mellen.

The dozens of artists making their mark in Barrio Logan today say it’s all in thanks to the artists before them.

And the Barrio Art Association is working to keep this art tradition going.

If you are interested in attending Barrio Art Association events, visit their webpage here.

It’s a bird! It’s a plane! It’s two San Diego city leaders on a zip line!

On Thursday, to mark the official opening of Comic-Con International 2014, San Diego Mayor Kevin Faulconer and San Diego City Council President Todd Gloria harnessed their inner superheroes and flew through the air on a zip-line near the downtown Convention Center.

The leaders left the spandex and capes at home, however, and zipped their way across their sky in more work-appropriate slacks, button-down shirts, ties and dress shoes.

After their adventure, Faulconer took a moment to thank Comic-Con organizers, other city leaders and local businesses for supporting the massive event, which celebrates its 45th anniversary this year.

“Comic-Con is very near and dear to our hearts and San Diego is proud to have been home to Comic-Con since the 1970s,” said Faulconer.

Both the mayor and Gloria shared photos of their zip-lining fun on their Twitter pages. Faulconer and Gloria even changed their avatars to action of themselves soaring in the San Diego sky.

On Wednesday, when asked what type of costume he’d be wearing to the pop culture convention, Faulconer told NBC 7, “I’m going as mild-mannered mayor.”
 

San Diego Chargers tight end Antonio Gates was at training camp on Thursday, but no one would have blamed him for missing it. The player is mourning the loss of his 22-year-old sister, Pamela.

Pamela died Wednesday after a three-year battle with lupus.

Recently, Gates had missed spring practices and told the public he was tending to a family situation.

On Thursday, it was reported Gates was often traveling after road games to visit his ailing sister in Detroit.

After practice, the all-pro football player said: “You basically get one chance to prove you love your family.”
 

Oceanside police are looking for two suspects who stole three surfboards from a man’s business – and attacked the man when he confronted them.

The incident happened at about 9 p.m. Monday in the 2600 block of Oceanside Boulevard when the men tried to remove the surfboards from the roof rack of the victim’s vehicle.

The victim, a disabled Marine veteran, is the owner of The View From 42 training facility, which helps disabled veterans and children with service dogs and surfing.

That’s when the victim confronted the men and was attacked and thrown from his wheelchair. The suspects then took off with the surfboards in a silver Toyota 4-runner.

Two boards were recovered nearby, but were badly damaged, police said. A third board is still missing.

One suspect is described as white, 5 foot 10 inches, 160 pounds, having blonde shaggy hair, a thin build and dark-colored board shorts. The second suspect is described as between 20 and 26, 5 feet 11 inches, 175 to 180 pounds, with a tan complexion and long brown hair in a ponytail.

Anyone with information should call Sgt. Rick Favela at 760-435-4591.

The state has fined Sharp Memorial Hospital $100,000 after a patient fell off a table and fractured her back during a procedure.

The incident happened in 2012, according to a report from the California Department of Public Health released Thursday. Read the full report here

The patient, a 73-year-old woman who was bedridden at a long-term care facility, came to Sharp Memorial Hospital for stomach pain, according to the report. She suffered from multiple medical conditions, including respiratory and cardiovascular problems, kidney disease, morbid obesity and involuntary muscle movement.

As the doctor tried to insert a catheter, the patient fell off the table and onto the floor, the report said. The woman fractured a vertebra and had to have surgery on her spine.

The doctor told the state he assumed the patient was secured to the table. In reality, the Interventional Radiology (IR) department did not have straps large enough for the obese woman, according to the report.

Sharp has made several changes since the accident. The IR department has purchased straps to accommodate larger patients and developed a new process to assess a patient’s Body Mass Index before a procedure, the report said.

The state fined seven other hospitals in this latest round of penalties, totaling $775,000. They include Southwest Healthcare in Murrieta, Kaiser Foundation Hospital in Riverside, Kaiser Foundation Hospital in Anaheim, Desert Regional Medical Center in Palm Springs, Memorial Medical Center in Modesto, St. Bernardine Medical Center in San Bernardino and St. Mary Medical Center in Apple Valley.

This is Sharp Memorial Hospital’s fifth administrative penalty from the state.

A Murrieta man is in custody, accused in the death of his wife, a young mother and rookie Escondido Police officer.

According to Murrieta Police, Freddy Perez-Rodas told homicide investigators overnight that he killed Officer Laura Perez and burned their home in an attempt to cover up the crime.

Hours earlier, firefighters arrived at the couple’s home on Grand Oaks Court for a house fire. It was just before 6:30 p.m. and fire crews found no victims inside the home.

However, fire investigators determined the cause of the fire was arson and that the address was the same one connected to a missing person, 25-year-old Laura Perez.

Less than two hours later, homicide investigators arrested Perez-Rodas who had reported the house fire.

It was during questioning overnight, that investigators learned the slain Escondido officer had been shot in the chest, her body moved to a storage locker in Moreno Valley.

Officials said that after Perez-Rodas led investigators to his wife’s body, he was booked on charges of murder, arson and child endangerment.

The couple has a four-year old child who was not injured, officials said.

Investigators also said they had recovered the weapon used in the alleged crime.

Laura Perez joined the Escondido Police Department in October 2013. The department had a flag-lowering ceremony in her honor Thursday evening, and Escondido's police chief addressed the media.

"It's never an easy thing. We're going to be one day at a time, " Police Chief Craig Carter said. "I'm encouraging officers to remember we're here for the  victim, which in this case is Laura. For every Laura, there's hundreds out there and we need to continue to do our job."

Escondido police also will be having a press conference at 1:30 p.m. Friday at the Escondido Police Fire and Headquarters in the community room.

Download the free NBC 7 mobile app to stay updated on this developing story.
 

Celebrity surprises are part of the fun each year at Comic-Con and that proved to be the case Thursday when Oscar-winning actor Matthew McConaughey made an unannounced appearance at the massive event.

The A-lister and director Christopher Nolan delighted fans when they made a surprise drop into Comic-Con, specifically Hall H.

The pair spoke on stage during the Paramount Studios presentation in the exhibit hall at the San Diego Convention Center and showed a new trailer for their film “Interstellar,” according to a report from TIME, as well as snapshots from Getty Images.

“By far, this is the most ambitious film that Christopher Nolan has ever directed,” said McCoughnahey.
“Interstellar” hits theaters on November 7 and also stars Anne Hathaway and Jessica Chastaine.
 

A New Jersey man allegedly involved in a domestic dispute hanged his family dog before setting fire to his home, police say.

The Press of Atlantic City reports that 29-year-old Janrv Bacolod is accused of using an accelerant and setting fire to several parts of his Holly Street home in Mays Landing last Friday.

• Patient Kills Caseworkers, Shoots Doctor Who Then Fires Back

Several cats inside the home were killed, according to The Press of AC.

Prior to setting the blaze, police say Bacolod hanged his dog.

• Man Claims His Penis Was Mistakenly Removed

Police records show that the suspect's estranged wife had a restraining order against him. They say he violated that order when he called her at work and threatened her.

Bacolod is being held on $100,000 bail, according to the paper.

 

He's been called abusive by his ex-wife and crazy by his neighbors, and he's even served time for a Delaware bank robbery. But the latest crime Richard Plotts, 49, of Upper Darby, is accused of committing left his case worker dead, a doctor wounded and himself fighting for his life.

Police say Plotts opened fire Thursday in the psychiatric unit at the Sister Marie Lenahan Wellness Center in Darby, killing his 53-year-old case worker and wounding a doctor who fired back, critically injuring Plotts. He is in critical condition at the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania.

"It doesn't surprise me at all," said former Crum Lynne neighbor Diane Clements. "He was a creep."

That's one of the nicer things said about Plotts.

His ex-wife, who asked to remain anonymous, told NBC10 her ex-husband was abusive, made threats on her life and acted violently toward her family.

"He was violent, physically and mentally," Plotts' ex said. "He has threatened to kill me. He's been violent to my family — parents, siblings — and he's just never been a very good person."

The couple's divorced was finalized in 1999, while Plotts served six years in prison for a Delaware bank robbery four years earlier.

While serving the remainder of his sentenced for the robbery -- three years supervised release -- he was arrested for possession of a firearm. His release was revoked and he was sent back to prison.

He was also arrested in the early 90s for trying to make a purchase at a John Wanamaker store with a stolen credit card, according to court records.

"He's a con artist," said his ex-wife. "He has psychiatric issues."

She did not elaborate on what those issues were, and details on his mental health were not immediately available.

"He was a goofball. He was crazy, and he had a girlfriend, and we used to hear him beating that girl up," Clements said.

Plotts was evicted from his home in the Kenneth House Apartments on West Chester Pike in Upper Darby about six months ago, according to a building maintenance man.

Cathy Nickels, his neighbor there, recalled the contentious way Plotts left after his eviction.

"As he was taken away in a van," she said, "he yelled, 'You haven't heard the end of me yet.'"

San Diego police arrested a driver who led officers on a pursuit in downtown San Diego Thursday.

The pursuit began around 6:30 p.m. on K Street. About 20 minutes later, police caught the driver in the 3500 block of Market Street and took the suspect into custody.

No further details were immediately released.
 

One suburban Chicago police department had a new top cop on Wednesday.

Adam Broderson -- a 7-year-old boy with a heart defect -- was named sergeant by the Buffalo Grove Police Department for a day, and got to hang out with the other members of the force.

Adam dreams of one day growing up to be a police officer, but has already had to tough out several surgeries during his short life due to a rare heart condition that left him with only one working ventricle.

• Sick 8-Year-Old Boy Becomes Yosemite Ranger for Day
• San Francisco Becomes Gotham City for "Batkid"

His day on the force was a surprise, and the young boy suited up for SWAT training, patrolled the village with his partner and even got to catch a bad guy in a simulated arrest.

He even got to train at the shooting range, which wasn't the favorite part of his day because of the noise.

The police department set up Adam's special day after seeing a letter he wrote in school.

Adam's parents say after suffering through three major heart surgeries, getting to live out his dream was the chance of a lifetime.

A former San Francisco State University professor is accused of filming students while they used the bathroom at his home, according to the San Francisco District Attorney's Office.

Mark Landis, 38, was arrested Wednesday and faces 15 counts of invasion of privacy, a misdemeanor. He is currently out of custody after posting $100,000 bail and is scheduled to be arraigned on Tuesday.

The district attorney's office said Landis would invite students from San Francisco State University and University of San Francisco to his 17th Street apartment.

"Obviously they were shocked by this behavior," San Francisco District Attorney George Gascon said of the victims. "It was so unexpected and you feel such an invasion of your privacy."

Officials said there are 15 victims, both male and female and all former or current students from SFSU and USF. Gascon said investigators believe there may be more victims.

In November 2013, a student visiting Landis at his apartment noticed a flashing light in the bathroom when they reached for a tissue, officials said. The student looked inside the tissue box and found a camera.

The student took the camera's memory card home and discovered videos and pictures, officials said. The student then brought the memory card to police.

San Francisco State University spokesperson Adrianne Bee said Landis resigned from his post on July 18. He had been an employee of the university, where he taught as an associate professor in the College of Business, since August 2006.

Landis also taught classes at the University of San Francisco for two years.

NBC Bay Area's Jean Elle and Bay City News Service contributed to this report.

A Southern California man mistakenly shot at by police officers during the manhunt for a murderous ex-LAPD officer on a rampage last year will receive $1.8 million in a settlement with the city of Torrance.

David Perdue, 39, and his wife, of Redondo Beach, filed an excessive force lawsuit against the city in June 2013, alleging two Torrance police officers rammed their car into Perdue's truck and shot at him Feb. 7, 2013 while he was on his way to go surfing.

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The settlement with the city of Torrance and Officers Brian McGee and Erin Sooper was reached last month, but the amount of the cash payout was confirmed Thursday by Torrance police Sgt. Chris Roosen.

"We are grateful to the city of Torrance and to the attorneys representing the city of Torrance for their consummate professionalism throughout these proceedings," said Robert Sheahen, Perdue's attorney.

None of the bullets struck the 39-year-old Perdue, who had previously been stopped and cleared by other officers, according to the lawsuit, which was filed after he failed to reach a settlement with the city.

• Complete Coverage: Manifesto for Murder

Perdue says he suffered a concussion when his truck's airbag opened and has lingering physical and emotional problems as a result of what happened to him that day.

Authorities said that the ex-LAPD Officer, Christopher Dorner, killed four people --  a Riverside police officer, a San Bernardino County sheriff's deputy and the daughter of a former LAPD captain and her fiance -- during a rampage fueled by his anger over being fired from the Los Angeles force several years ago.

The disgruntled ex-cop's remains were found inside a burned-out Big Bear cabin after a shootout with law enforcement, culminating a nearly week-long manhunt for the fugitive.

What’s on the menu for Season 3 of NBC’s psychological thriller “Hannibal?”

The cast and crew indulged fans with spoilers during a packed panel at Comic-Con Thursday.

Although stars Mads Mikkelson (serial killer Dr. Hannibal Lecter) and Hugh Dancy (criminal profiler Will Graham) weren’t in attendance, faithful fans were just as excited to hear from the show’s visionary Bryan Fuller.

The panel also included executive producers Steven Lightfoot and Martha DeLaurentiis, director David Slade and actors Caroline Dhavernas, Scott Thompson and Aaron Abrams.

“Fannibals” got a surprise treat when Raul Esparza, who plays Dr. Frederick Chilton, made an unexpected appearance.

“I was surprised as anyone to see I was shot in the face,” Esparza said, referring to his character’s Season 2 shocker.

In the first spoiler of the night, the actor revealed he will be back next season.

“I’m Dr. Chilton. And I survive. I read the (expletive) books,” Esparza said.

The TV series with a cult following is based on Thomas Harris’ suspense novels about Hannibal Lecter. (The producers think of themselves as “Thomas Harris mashup DJs.”) Many male characters in the books are women on the show.

“I don’t think genitals when I’m writing a character,” Fuller explained.

One by one, fans dressed in flower crowns and antlers approached the mic to ask questions, ranging from the creative process to how each panelist would like to be eaten.

Fuller said several characters from the books will be introduced in Season 3, including Lady Murasaki. The panel confirmed Internet rumors that the new season will pick up one year after Season 2 ended. (What happened in the interim will all be explained in Episode 4, Fuller said.)

The last time audiences saw Hannibal, he was on a plane to Europe. When one fan asked what the cuisine will be next season, the panel responded, “Italian.” Does that mean Hannibal’s culinary adventures could be taking him to Italy?

Only time will tell. But the delicious details revealed Thursday are enough to whet fans’ appetites until the series returns in 2015.