A Southern California family is heartbroken after a young woman was beaten while in San Diego last weekend to attend Comic-Con 2014 events and parties.

The 17-year-old was hospitalized following an attack and sexual assault on Saturday, July 26 her mother told NBC 7. She suffered several brain bleeds.

Sgt. Todd Rakos with Harbor Police said the teen was found beaten blood near the hotel's pool around 1 a.m.

“It's just so sad, that on her birthday she had one of the most horrific things happen to her,” said mother Jill Weyer.

This was the Riverside County teenager's first time at Comic-Con, her mother said. She traveled to San Diego with a trusted friend who was over the age of 21 and her parents had no reason to be concerned until they lost contact.

“My daughter was great about checking in all day with me with her phone and when I lost contact with her I kept trying to contact her and I knew something was wrong,” she said.

Weyer said her daughter was cosplaying – taking part in the Comic-Con tradition of dressing up in character – when she was attending parties after the convention.

She was dressed as a female version of Roger Rabbit with a bright red wig, bunny ears, white shirt and a red leotard.

That’s relevant because police want anyone who remembers seeing the teen between 11 p.m. and 2 a.m. in the hotel to contact them.

Harbor Police said they have arrested 29-year-old Justin Kalior at the Marriot Hotel, on Harbor Drive near the San Diego Convention Center but would not confirm the arrest was connected to the beating of a cosplayer. He was accused of having sexual contact with a minor and providing her alcohol.

The girl's memory is fuzzy about what happened, so police are unable to determine if Kalior was involved in the attack. There may be other suspects, police say.

The arrest was made just after 1 a.m. Sunday, Weyer said.

Weyer said she and her husband want to make sure everyone who may have been involved is caught.

“Somebody knows something and they’re just not saying it. I just want them to come forward. Be brave,” Weyer said.

“I’m just hoping we can find who did this and make sure this doesn’t happen to anyone else because no one else should have to go through this.”

The thoughts and prayers from the Comic-Con cosplaying community on social media mean so much to Weyer.

“People I don’t even know have reached out,” she said.

While Weyer was reluctant to give an update on her daughter’s condition, she did say it would be a long recovery process.

Both Comic-Con and the Marriott would not comment on the case.

Local health officials are warning residents to be extra careful with cleaning after a mouse trapped in North County tested positive for the potentially deadly hantavirus disease.

The mouse trapped in Pala Mesa near Old Highway 395 was the sixth mouse that’s tested positive for hantavirus in the county this year, San Diego County health officials said Wednesday.

Residents can contract hantavirus, a group of viruses that infect rodents and can be deadly to humans, when cleaning or sweeping where infected mice have nested.

People can contract hantavirus by inhaling infected rodent droppings.

Here’s how you can protect yourself, according to San Diego health officials:

• Seal up all external holes in homes, garages and sheds larger than a dime to keep rodents from getting in.

• Eliminate rodent infestations immediately.

• Avoid rodent-infested areas and don’t stir up dust or materials that may be contaminated with rodent droppings and urine.

• Clean up rodent droppings and urine using a wet cleaning method.

A woman was killed Wednesday morning in Mission Valley after an active-duty military service member accidentally struck her with his car, officials confirmed.

The fatal accident happened around 7:30 a.m. outside the Bella Posta apartment complex on San Diego Mission Road, near Interstate 15.

The victim – identified, for now, only as a woman in her late 40s or early 50s – was walking on the sidewalk when the 21-year-old service member driving a Jeep pulled out of a driveway and hit her.

Investigators said the driver was on his way to work and didn’t see the woman. He didn’t realize he had struck someone until he drove for several hundred feet.

The driver told police he had been having car trouble. When he stopped and got out to check on his car, he saw the woman, critically injured in the street.

By the time paramedics arrived, she had passed, officials said.

San Diego Police Department Lt. Eric Hays said the driver stayed on scene and was very shaken up.

“He's pretty upset so we have a crisis intervention counselor here. A 21-year-old active-duty military guy going to work obviously didn't look in the opposite direction – the direction she was walking on the sidewalk,” Hays explained.

Police said the driver was not under the influence of alcohol or drugs. Investigators said it an unfortunate accident and the driver was not cited or arrested.

Kathleen Ferrier, of the Circulate San Diego organization, said Wednesday’s fatal pedestrian collision is the 14th of its kind so far this year in the City of San Diego.

“We are seeing a record number of pedestrians in San Diego being hit by cars. Worse, they continue to happen in the same neighborhoods time and time again. These collisions are preventable. How many pedestrians have to be injured before the City takes action?” Ferrier told NBC 7.

“We are urging the City to commit to a plan to save lives through infrastructure, enforcement and education to eliminate traffic deaths, especially on our most dangerous streets,” she added.

Circulate San Diego is a regional grassroots organization dedicated to improving streetscape designs in local neighborhoods by adding more accessible walking paths, more bike lanes, better transit
routes and traffic calming measures.

According to the latest available data, between 1998 and 2012 there have been at least 50 pedestrian collisions within a two-square-mile radius of this latest fatal accident on San Diego Mission Road.

A teenage girl accused of starting the devastating Cocos Fire faces multiple charges including four felonies and will undergo a mental evaluation.

The juvenile faces four felony charges and one misdemeanor in connection with the wildfire that destroyed close to 40 homes in San Marcos on May 14.

The charges include two counts of arson of an inhabited structure or property in which multiple structures were burned and two counts of arson of a structure or forest land in a reckless manner.

She also faces a misdemeanor of unlawfully allowing a fire to escape from one’s control.

Superior Court Judge Aaron Katz delayed her arraignment until the minor undergoes an exam for mental competency at the request of her attorney.

The teenager wore her long, blonde hair down when she appeared Wednesday in San Diego County Juvenile Court.

She said only "Good morning" and looked at Judge Katz almost the entire time, according to pool reporters in the hearing.

At one point, she looked back at her parents with what was described as a blank stare.

“The charges are very serious charges,” said Deputy District Attorney Shawnalyse Ochoa. “The minor is currently at home with her parents.”

Judge Katz ruled the juvenile could be identified by first name only. He also ruled that the teen could not leave her home without her parents and must adhere to a 6 p.m. to 6 a.m. curfew.

The fire that sparked near Village Drive and Twin Oaks Road forced the evacuation of Cal State San Marcos and hundreds of other homes.

More than 20,000 acres were burned costing the City of San Marcos approximately $10.4 million in damage and firefighting costs.

The next hearing in Juvenile Court is scheduled for August 20.

NBC 7 is not showing images of the juvenile outside Wednesday's court hearing because it is our policy not to identify minors involved in a crime.

San Marcos resident Loretta Wasson has known the family involved for as long as she’s lived in the community – 17 years.

“To actually say she did it on purpose… it just doesn’t seem possible,” Wasson said.

She recalled the day that she first saw smoke near her home, in an area she described as a gully between homes.

“All I saw was smoke,” she said.

“That’s when I saw the firefighters. One of the neighbors was out there with water trying to put it out.”

Louie Ramirez recalls how he first spotted the smoke near his home while he was putting away dishes in his kitchen.

“I saw that tall pine in between those two yards on fire,” he said describing how he went outside his home, using a cane, to alert his neighbors.

“And then somehow it jumped way up the hill,” he said. “And there it went.”

Ramirez said he remembers seeing young girls in the area when the fire first started, a fact that he told firefighters that day.

“I saw them running around like their tails were cut off,” he said of the girls.

However, he was surprised to learn a teenage girl may soon be charged with arson in connection with the devastating San Marcos Fire.

On NBC 7's Facebook page, many are having a heated debate on whether the teenager should be tried in Juvenile Court or be tried as an adult.

Christyne Allyce Wallis of Oceanside posted, "She destroyed property, cancelled school, graduation and caused businesses to miss out on thousands of dollars in revenue. Not to mention to actual cost of putting the fires out. She deserves to be tried as an adult and her parents need to be held somewhat responsible."

However, there were other followers who said the teenager belongs in Juvenile Court.

"No child should be tried as an adult. Children are children and how do u decided who was adult enough to make a stupid decision," Ginger Bryce posted.

Get involved in the discussion on NBC 7's Facebook page.

A small plane crashed in the parking lot of a busy San Diego shopping center Wednesday evening, killing one of the two women aboard and wounding the other.

The fixed wing single-engine Mooney M20L crashed in a parking lot between Target and the Costco Business Center off Convoy Street in Kearny Mesa, about a mile from Montgomery Field, around 5:30 p.m. It landed near parked cars but away from main store entrances.

The 52-year-old pilot and her 80-year-old passenger were taken to Sharp Memorial Hospital with major injuries, according to fire officials. The 80-year-old woman suffered serious burns and died at the hospital. The condition of the pilot has not been released.

Two witnesses who may have been trying to rescue the victims were treated for minor burns, fire officials said. One was taken to the hospital, and the other was treated at the scene. The plane did not hit any people in the parking lot when it crashed.

Witness Gregg Smith was leaving work across the street and was only one block away when he saw and heard the aircraft crash.

“I heard the plane coming – it was a different sound – and I knew they didn’t have enough power to make the lift they needed to do,” Smith told NBC 7.

At that point, Smith said he looked up and saw the plane making a turn. “It missed my building probably by about 10 or 15 feet,” he added.

“I heard the distinctive thud of it hitting one of the light poles in the parking lot, and I heard it crash. The next thing I saw was a bunch of flames and black smoke,” Smith continued.

Helicopter pilot Vince Carter was taking off from Montgomery Field at the time of the crash. Carter told NBC 7 he heard the pilot’s distress call and heard her say her power was going out seconds before the crash.

“This is a miracle and testament to her skill as a pilot. I really hope she comes through everything okay. This could have very easily killed a lot of people,” he said. “You could imagine, just shopping at Target, and a plane comes through the roof full of fuel.”

Carter said the area where the aircraft landed is really the only place where the pilot could have gone without causing a lot of damage.

“When we’re flying, we need air going over the wings at a specific speed to generate lift. Once you lose enough air speed, there’s not enough wind going over the wings to generate lift and you don’t fly any more. As you can see, the plane is in a relatively flat position. It didn’t travel extremely far when it hit the ground, so you can assume that it didn’t have a lot of forward momentum going into this,” he said.

“So what probably happened is that in a loss of power and finding a place to put it down, she stalled it out pretty much perfectly in the only spot she possibly could have,” he continued.

"I don’t know what kind of control they had, but they obviously had enough control to bring it down into an area where they were not going to crash into vehicles or buildings,” San Diego Fire-Rescue spokesperson Lee Swanson said.

A small fire sparked upon impact, but firefighters extinguished it quickly, Swanson said.

Witnesses said several heroic bystanders rushed to the aid of the pilot and her passenger right after the crash, pulling the women from the wreckage.

A Costco employee who witnessed the crash told NBC 7 that the person taken to the hospital with minor burns to his hand is another Costco employee.

The Target store was not evacuated and remained open Wednesday evening. A Target employee said fire crews were assessing the building for damage.

The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) is on scene investigating the cause of the crash. The FAA said the aircraft bounced while attempting to land at nearby Montgomery Field but continued westbound and crashed in the Costco parking lot.

The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) will lead the investigation and likely post a preliminary report of the accident within the next week or two. Still, officials said it typically takes the NTSB months to come up with a probable cause for accidents.

Per protocol, neither agency will release the identities of those involved in the aircraft accident.

San Diego Police Department Sgt. Steve Behrendt said the airplane struck a portion of the Target building before landing.

“It did hit the top of the Target building. There is some debris on the roof of the Target and some in the garden area. Then one of the light poles was taken out by the plane,” Behrendt explains.

NBC 7 spoke with a family member of the pilot at UCSD Medical Center Wednesday night who said the survivor of the crash was in stable condition.

According to FAA records, the aircraft is co-owned but registered to San Diego resident William Logan. The family member confirmed William Logan was not aboard the aircraft.

The Montgomery Field radio tower received a distress call from the aircraft right before the crash. The transciption of the call indicates the pilot knew she was in trouble.

“Problem now. I’m not getting any altitude her,” the pilot says.

“27 mike-pappa, full throttle,” the tower answers.

“I’m full throttle,” the pilot replies.

“27 mike-pappa, turn back to the field if you’re able,” the tower says.

“I’m going down,” responds the pilot.

Check back for updates on this developing story.

A San Diego-area high school canceled classes Thursday after a nearby water main break disrupted water service for students and staff.

Hilltop High School dismissed students at 11:15 a.m. because water service was shut off for the water fountains and restrooms.

Lunch was going to be served to those students who need it.

Teachers were sent home but the administrative staff will work a full day, staying until 2:36 p.m.

The following message went to parents, “Due to a water main break, we’re releasing students today at 11:15 a.m."

"We prefer that you pick up your kids at Hilltop High School."

Officials said for those students that cannot be released to a parent or guardian, the campus will remain open and staff supervision will be provided.

Portable restrooms and wash stations were going to be delivered and the school was planning on being open for classes Friday.

The water main break was on campus and was not affecting the surrounding neighborhood.
 

Winemaker Dan Naumann paced along his vineyards in the Santa Cruz Mountains, ignoring the vast startling views of Silicon Valley below - eyes fixed on his grape leaves. He gingerly extended a branch of one vine, pointing out the crimson leaves.

"This is what drought will do to you," Naumann said brushing the leaves. "Eventually they’ll crinkle up on you."

Like everyone in agriculture, Naumann is nervous. Another winter with little rain has taken its toll on those who depend on nature’s irrigation. As a "dry farmer" in unincorporated Cupertino, Naumann’s irrigation is supplied 100 percent by Mother Nature.

"The most important thing we need is the soothing sound of raindrops during the winter," he said.

Like many Bay Area winemakers, Naumann expects to make it through this year with a decent harvest and quality wines. Next year, he’s not so sure. While this year has been a tough one for agriculture, another year without rain could be devastating.

"We would drop one third of the fruit," Naumann said. "That’s what we’re anticipating next year if we get minimal amount of rain."

Naumann expected the rest of the Bay Area wine industry to make similar cuts to its fruit crops if it doesn’t get the rain it needs. He said that could drive prices up 20 to 30 percent.

Just past downtown Livermore, where browning lawns are now more common than green ones, winemaker Jim McGrail surveyed his sprawling vines with the look of a man before a firing squad.

"If you don’t get water," McGrail said, "these grapes die, the fruit dies, we as a community die."

McGrail only lays only some of the blame with nature, the rest he’s reserved for state leaders who he said need to come up with a better system for storing rain during wet years.

"We put people on the moon,” he said. “We do heart transplants and there’s absolutely no reason we don’t have water.”

Naumann produces about 700 cases of merlot and cabernet sauvignon a year - and considers himself a boutique winemaker. But from his hilltop perch overlooking the valley, Naumann strangely seemed to be looking up.

"We’ll make it through," he said. "Eventually Mother Nature will get us our rain back."

It was an accident, but the water main mess in Westwood could not have come at a worse time.

Not only for a region suffering a drought, but one asking residents throughout the state to sacrifice.

Besides the damage to a major Westwood artery, to the storied venue of college basketball, and all the time and treasure it will take to repair a 90-year-old water main, there was this:

The image, sent throughout California, of millions of gallons of freshwater wasted, in the middle of one of the worst droughts in decades.

Mark Silva, a construction worker said, "such a waste. This entire neighborhood could have used that water."

Silva, 33, is from Alhambra, land of the brown lawn, where the mo-blow-and-go gardeners kick up more dust than leaves.

It's a city which just this week passed one of the strictest water conservation measures in the state.

"I don't want to get fined," he said. "I'd rather just let my lawn die, I guess. I got no choice."

Los Angeles City Council President Herb Wesson says while most will appreciate that this was an accident, Tuesday's blow-out wasn't what you'd call inspirational for water conservation.

"We can't react to the way that it looks," Wesson said. "We have to react and do the things necessary to secure the situation right now."

Just this week, environmentalists protested a proposed water tunnel that would fast-track Northern California water for Southern California.

Lawmakers in Sacramento are debating a water bond measure they plan on putting before voters in the fall.

Their worry is that it will fail if voters from Northern California don't trust those in Southern California to manage water wisely.

Pictures from Tuesday out of Westwood won't help.

Six people were injured, two seriously, when a car driven by a 90-year-old man slammed into the outside street seating at the University Cafe in Palo Alto during lunchtime Thursday, police said.

The crash was reported about 12:30 p.m. at 271 University Ave., outside the University Cafe, not far from the Stanford University campus.

Officers responded to the scene after receiving several 911 calls about a car that had driven into a building, injuring several people. Four people sustained minor injuries, including the driver. Two people were hospitalized in serious condition and would require surgery, police said, who added that one of those victims was a pedestrian, the other had been sitting at the cafe.

The elderly driver accidentally drove up onto the curb and struck five people, Palo Alto police officials told reporters. Officers on the scene confirmed the driver's age.

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Metal sidewalk cafe tables were seen askew on the sidewalk, but the crumpled 2010 Nissan four-door sedan hadn't actually plowed into the restaurant. Police said the driver was apparently trying to parallel park when he accidentally hit the gas, striking another vehicle before he drove onto the sidewalk, stopping short of the building.

Police said the driver and two other patients with minor injuries were expected to be released from Stanford Hospital sometime Thursday night.

"It was crazy," Elizabeth Johnson, 19, a journalism student at Northwestern University who is interning at a start-up.

She had been in a nearby Apple store when she heard of the crash. When she exited, the area was "full of ambulances and police cars." She said the entire windshield of a four-door silver car had been smashed.

At this point, police said, the driver isn't facing any charges or citations.

The cause of the collision is under investigation. Police said there is no indication that drugs or alcohol played a role in the crash.

Bay City News and NBC Bay Area's Mark Matthews and Gonzalo Rojas contributed to this report.

Talk about not letting roadkill go to waste.

The elephants, giraffes and bears at the Oakland Zoo got to nosh on African jackfruit and bananas Wednesday thanks to a overturned big rig that dumped 60,000 pounds of fruit in Livermore near the Altamont Pass earlier in the week.

"The elephants loved it," Brian Deering, president of the nonprofit F.A.I.R. Foundation, told NBC Bay Area. He masterminded the transfer – taking the lightly squished fruit from the side of Interstate Highway 580 and getting about 15,000 pounds of it to the animals at the zoo.

About 35,000 pounds fed humans at the Alameda County Food Bank, and the rest was too badly bruised to be eaten.

The truck is owned by All Seasons Produce in Oakland, which grows fruit in Mexico. Deering knows the owners, who contacted him after the truck tipped early Monday morning to say they didn't want the food to go to waste. He also knows the owners of Save Tow, who schlepped the tropical fruit to the zoo.

Deering's agency, which has roots in Sunnyvale but now is headquarted in Elk Grove, is a nonprofit that connects families in custody battles with material goods, such as cars, dishwashers, computers and food.

Zoo spokeswoman Nicky Mora said there is enough donated fruit for the elephants and bears to dine on all week.

A man was stabbed to death at an El Cajon hotel Wednesday evening.

Now, police are looking for a shirtless man with blood on him who was spotted leaving the scene.

A possible fight was reported at the Villa Embasadora Hotel in the 1500 block of East Main Street around 7:15 p.m. Wednesday. Officers discovered a man estimated to be 28 years old bleeding and unconscious inside a hotel room, according to police.

The stabbing victim died at the hospital, police said. His name has not been released.

Police are unclear what role the shirtless man played in the homicide. At this time, they have no suspect description.

Anyone with information is asked to call El Cajon police at 619-579-3311 or Crime Stoppers at 888-580-8477.
 

A man’s body was found along the coast in Pacific Beach early Thursday.

A beachgoer reported finding the man’s body floating in the surf just before 5:30 a.m. and immediately notified San Diego police.

The location is the stretch of sand between Missouri Street and Chalcedony Street.

Officials said the man appears to be in his 50s or 60s. He was wearing street clothes including a gray sweater and black boots.

An initial investigation showed no trauma, officials said. No knife or gun shot wounds were seen.

Check back for updates on this developing story.
 

There are many ways to conceal the signs of age in Los Angeles. But when it comes to the city's water line system, the effects of aging are more difficult to hide.

The massive Sunset Boulevard water main break Tuesday in Westwood illustrated in spectacular style -- geysers of water, a sinkhole, flooding on the UCLA campus -- the risks that come with expansive water line systems installed decades ago.

The failure also led to a familiar "Band-Aid approach" that experts say is common when pipes in an aging system fail.

"In the United States the basic approach to infrastructure is what many people call the Band-Aid approach," said Harvey Gobas, a civil engineer who worked on a report by the American Society of Civil Engineers on California's drinking water systems. "You fix, and it lasts a few more years. Maybe in some cases it will last 10 or 20 more years, but you still don't have a new pipe."

Tuesday afternoon's break occurred at the meeting point under Sunset Boulevard of a 30-inch pipe installed in 1921 and a 36-inch pipe installed in 1956. Pipes typically last 50 to 75 years, and in a city like Los Angeles many -- like the main line trunk that broke near the UCLA campus -- are actually older, said Gobas.

A 2012 report on LA County's water system, also by the American Society of Civil Engineers, rated it as a C overall and a C- for condition. According to the study, the grade was primarily based on the age of the systems and their need for replacement.

Both city officials and infrastructure experts agree that improvements to the city's water pipeline system need to be made, but the improvements cost billions which officials say the city doesn't have.

"A lot of the agencies that really need to be spending money to upgrade their infrastructure just don't have the money," Gobas said.

L.A. City Councilman Paul Koretz said if the city was working at 100-year replacement rate fixing the pipe system would cost about $4 billion, a huge increase that would be passed on to ratepayers.

The Los Angeles Department of Water and Power was scheduled to replace 130,000 feet of main line and five large valves in the city's 7,200 mile pipe system, but it said the project has fallen behind schedule. The department said the delay was due in part to budget constraints that caused a $380 million reduction in the previous annual plan.

In response to budget shortfalls, water agencies have implemented piecemeal solutions to patch up, instead of replace, the miles and miles of pipe that run water underground

By Thursday, Los Angeles Department of Water and Power crews had stopped the flow of water to the Westwood site and started the repair process. The break, which sent about 20 million gallons of water onto the UCLA campus and surround area, flooding buildings and parking structures, involved two trunk lines.

"We have two trunk lines involved and where they connected required special fittings," said Jeff Bray, LADWP general superintendent for water distribution. "It isn't where we can just cut out a straight piece of pipe and put in a straight piece, which is a pretty simple repair. This a very complex repair. We're basically having to realign or reroute some of the pipes -- the direction on how they came together before they're going to come together in a different way now."

Los Angeles typically experiences an increase in pipe breaks during winter months, when colder water enters the system. Authorities have not determined what caused Tuesday's rupture.

The flooding created a spectacular mess, but no utility customers were without water. No injuries were reported. The rupture occurred about five years after a 62-inch pipe burst in the San Fernando Valley, sending water into a Studio City neighborhood.

To prioritize what repairs need to be made, the LADWP has an asset management system that includes strategies like periodically examining the water network and sometimes waiting for problems, or leaks, to spring up before fixing them.

Last year, however, the department took the first steps in a proactive approach toward its water infrastructure system. It began a pilot program to replace old pipes with earthquake resistant ones. The pipes, which are developed and used in Japan have no recorded leaks in 40 years of use.

Ellen Hanak, an economist who leads water research at the Public Policy Institute of California, said that the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power was making investments in its infrastructure both for maintenance and upgrades, as well as in new storage, recycling waste water and capturing storm water.

"So they're doing all of that as well as managing the existing assets that they have, some of which are old," she said. "My understanding is that they have a pretty modern and sophisticated asset management program to try to basically make strategic decisions on what you replace when."

Researchers documented the urban water supply situation around the state in a March report titled, "Paying for Water in California."

"We found in general that the state's urban water suppliers and water agencies were doing a pretty good job in terms of planning for their capital needs and investing in it, if you compare estimates of needs with what their spending," Hanak said. "That doesn't mean that everything is perfect but it does mean we're not seriously off track."

NBC4's Lolita Lopez and Jonathan Lloyd contributed to this report.

An Escondido man is accused of setting up a bogus fundraising campaign to solicit money for the family of slain Officer Laura Perez.

Sami Ahmed Saeed, 25, was arrested and faces 62 charges, including attempted grand theft.

Police said they received a report of a fundraising website that appeared bogus and purported to be raising money for Perez’s family, specifically her 4-year-old daughter.

Perez, a 25-year-old rookie Escondido police officer, was found dead after a house fire July 23 and her husband is charged with her murder.

Police said fortunately, no one had donated to the fundraiser and Saeed was pinpointed as the suspect and arrested.

He also was a suspect in several fake fundraisers for a young cancer victim.

Serving a search warrant, police said they found  numerous items of evidence related to the scams, as well as possession of stolen credit cards. They also found items commonly used to manufacture credit cards and I.D. cards.

He faces multiple charges of fraudulent solicitations for charitable contributions, unauthorized use of personal information to obtain goods or services, commission of a felony while out on bail, attempted grand theft and possession of stolen property.

Saeed is being held on $200,000 bail.

A bank robber with a propensity for wearing dark sunglasses and displaying a demand note on his smart phone is being sought by the FBI in connection with four heists across San Diego County.

According to officials, so-called “Risky Business Bandit” has allegedly robbed at least four banks in a span of three months.

His latest robbery was on July 25 at a San Diego County Credit Union at 12330 Carmel Mountain Rd. There, he handed a teller a clear cosmetics-type bag for the teller to fill with cash.

The Risky Business Bandit’s first two robberies were in the same shopping center in the 4S Ranch area. He robbed the Point Loma Credit Union at 10413 Craftsman Way on April 18, following by the Wells Fargo Bank at 10535 Craftsman Way on May 13, the FBI said.

In both cases, he wore dark sunglasses like those worn by actor Tom Cruise in the 1983 film, “Risky Business” but refrained from sliding into the banks in only his tighty-whiteys.

Both times, FBI officials said the bandit used his smart phone to display a digital demand note letting a teller know he was there to rob the bank.

The suspect struck again on June 27 when he robbed a California Bank and Trust located at 16796 Bernardo Center Dr. in Rancho Bernardo. In that incident and his July 25 heist, the bandit made verbal demands for money instead of pulling up a note on his phone.

FBI officials said the Risky Business Bandit has not been armed in any of the robberies and has not injured anyone, but remains at large.

Anyone with information on the bandit should contact the San Diego FBI at (858) 320-1800 or Crime Stoppers at (888) 540-8477. Officials are offering a $5,000 reward for information leading to the Risky Business Bandit’s arrest and conviction.
 

Jersey City firefighters rescued a frightened dog from a second-story ledge on Martin Luther King Drive Thursday afternoon.

Neighbors noticed the dog on the ledge after it climbed out of a window of a second-story apartment, according to animal control officials. The owner wasn't home at the time. 

Video captured by resident Raul Mercado shows one firefighter climbing a ladder and trying to coax the scared dog into his arms. When the animal wouldn't budge, a second firefighter climbed up to help bring it down.

The dog got down safely and wagged its tail as its paws hit the ground. The crowd on the sidewalk clapped and cheered. 

The dog was taken into the care of Jersey City's animal control department. It's not clear whether the owner will face charges.

The pilot of a small plane that crashed in the parking lot of a Kearny Mesa shopping center remained hospitalized Thursday, recovering from injuries.

The fixed wing, single-engine Mooney M20L crashed in a parking lot between a Target store and the Costco Business Center off Convoy Street at around 5:30 p.m. Wednesday. It landed near parked cars but away from the main entrances to the stores, missing bystanders.

The pilot survived but her 78-year-old passenger, identified as Joy Gorian, suffered serious burns and later died at a local hospital.

On Thursday, investigators said the pilot – who is certified to fly – was conscious but will be given more time to recover before being interviewed by officials.

Family members have identified the woman as 52-year-old Devon Logan. A photo obtained by NBC 7 shows Logan with her husband at a fundraiser for Makua, a Point Loma-based organization that raises money for foster children. Logan is an active volunteer with the organization.

NBC 7 spoke with former neighbors who said the Logan family is great. They’re thankful Devon survived.

“It was miraculous – landing the plane like that,” said former neighbor Lenore Bratley.

On Thursday afternoon, the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) said it had launched its preliminary investigation into the crash. Officials began hauling away portions of the wreckage from the parking lot.

The pieces of the plane will be taken to Phoenix were the Federal Aviation Administration will continue to examine the evidence and assist the NTSB in the investigation.

Officials said that investigation could take anywhere from six months to a year to complete.

At this point, the events leading up to the crash remain unclear. An NTSB official said the aircraft had flown to Riverside and back to San Diego earlier in the day.

It bounced on a landing at Montgomery Field on runway 27 and shortly thereafter, the pilot radioed a distress call saying she was having problems and was losing power. As the plane went down, the right wing scraped the roof of the Target before hitting a light pole and crashing.

The Padres made another trade on Thursday, sending popular outfielder Chris Denorfia to the Mariners in exchange for a pair of minor leaguers, RHP Stephen Kohlscheen and OF Abraham Almonte.

Kohlscheen, 25, has split the 2014 season between Double-A Jackson and Triple-A Tacoma, going 3-1 with a 2.70 ERA ), 55 strikeouts and 10 walks over 38 relief appearances. Drafted by the Mariners in the 45th round of the 2010 Draft, Kohlscheen does not have overpowering stuff but has found ways to get hitters out consistently. One negative is his tendency to elevate pitches (probably because he's 6'6") and allowing home runs.

Almonte is also 25 years old. He's hitting .267 (74-for-277) with 10 doubles, three triples, six home runs, 31 RBI and 42 runs scored in 72 games for Triple-A Tacoma. The switch-hitter has also played in 27 Major League games for Seattle this season.

A native of the Dominican Republic, Almonte was signed by the Yankees as a 17-year-old from the Dominican Republic. Early in his minor league career he struggled offensively, and eventually overcame alcohol addiction. After a trade to the Mariners, Almonte's bat showed vast improvement. He hit 15 home runs and earned a late-season call up to the big league club.

In Denorfia, the Padres are losing an above-average defensive outfielder who's extremely tough against left-handed pitching. He became a Padres fan favorite with his constant hustle.

That makes three trades for the Friars, and there are still 50 minutes left until the trade deadline. Is this the last move to be made?

To address parking issues in Hillcrest and Mission Hills, 35 new parking spaces were unveiled Thursday on the corner of Washington and Front streets.

The lot of new spaces is at the site of the future Hillcrest-Mission Hills Library. San Diego City Council President Todd Gloria worked with city staffers and community members to allocate the site for the new parking spaces until construction on the new library begins, likely in spring 2016.

The parking spaces were unveiled in a ribbon-cutting on Thursday morning.

The lot will be open 24 hours a day. Fees will be 50 cents per hour, with a maximum parking time of 12 hours.

 The Mexican multi-millionaire accused of illegally contributing more than $600,000 to San Diego political campaigns is blaming a convicted former cop for orchestrating the scandal in which they are both implicated, according new court filings.

Jose Susumo Azano Matsura is suspected of giving illicit contributions to the campaigns of former Mayor Bob Filner, District Attorney Bonnie Dumanis, U.S. Rep. Juan Vargas and other candidates. Prosecutors say Azano was trying to gain influence with local politicians to help develop a “Miami West” on San Diego’s bayfront.

However, Azano maintained his innocence in the motion filed Wednesday by his attorney Knut S. Johnson, which requests that prosecutors release evidence withheld by the FBI and U.S. Attorney’s office.

Johnson suspects that evidence could include phone calls and electronic surveillance intercepted by the government without the defense’s knowledge. A defense attorney confirmed in June that at least one wiretap was used to build a case against Azano and other defendants.

Wednesday’s motion alleges that Azano became embroiled in the finance scandal through his association with Ernesto Encinas, a 30-year veteran of the San Diego Police Department who provided security for Azano.

According to the court filing, Azano approached Encinas in 2012 to ask where he should donate $100,000 to help police widows.

Instead of recommending a foundation, Encinas told Azano to give the money to “a campaign of a ‘friend’ running for political office who would help police widows,” the motion states.

That “friend” turned out to be Dumanis who was running for San Diego mayor at the time.

The motion says before Encinas was charged in the affair, he became a confidential informant for the FBI and tried to get Azano to admit his part in the scandal while secretly recording him.

Johnson says during that recorded conversation, Azano repeatedly denied any involvement in illegal campaign contributions or other legal violations.

In March, Encinas pleaded guilty to felony charges of conspiracy to commit offenses against the U.S. and filing a false tax return.

The court documents discuss another defendant who has pleaded guilty in the case: Marc Chase, the owner of Symbolic Motor Cars.

Chase admitted in April to conspiring to make illegal campaign contributions with cash paid to him by a foreign businessman.

In his plea agreement, Chase said he recruited employees, friends and family to donate $500 each to hide the source of the funds.

However, Wednesday’s filings allege that Chase manipulated Azano into buying 60 percent of Symbolic, so when Azano gave Chase a $380,000 check in Oct. 2012, he says he thought that money was going toward the car business.

Instead, Encinas instructed Chase to put part of that money into local campaigns, the motion says.

Azano also alleges that an old legal feud between he and Sempra Energy led to the current federal charges against him.

The energy company had gone head to head with an Ensenada landowner – backed by Azano – in civil cases, with Sempra naming Azano in a counter-suit against the Ensenada resident.

So when Sempra became the target of a U.S. Attorney investigation over foreign corrupt practices, prosecutors also set their sights on Azano.

The charges against the company were later dismissed "based on Sempra's investigation of itself," the motion says, and a former special agent in charge of the San Diego FBI became the chief of corporate security at Sempra.  

Johnson says it appears that the government pursued Azano on behalf of the energy company.

As a Department of Homeland Security investigation progressed, Azano claims he, his family and his employees were harassed by “rogue” agents. That harassment included threats to his personal pilot, a pat down of Azano’s young child and extended border searches.

The suspect’s defense attorney has requested a federal court hearing on Aug. 25 to address these new court filings and allegations. Prosecutors say it could be September, at the earliest, before they file an updated complaint that lays out all his alleged fraud.

Azano remains under house arrest at his Coronado mansion.