Two women have been arrested in Alpine and accused of hatching a widespread identity theft scheme with multiple victims across Southern California, including San Diego County.

Sheriff’s deputies were alerted to “suspicious activity” at a business near Jacumba on Thursday. When deputies arrived, they discovered the women had left, driving west on Interstate 8, according to a news release from the San Diego Sheriff’s Department.

Deputies stopped their vehicle near Alpine at about 5 a.m. During the traffic, deputies said they discovered the women – identified as Los Angeles residents Nicole Perez and Pamela Travis – had items “that indicated they were involved in large-scale identity theft and credit card fraud,” the news release said.

Deputies said Perez and Travis had dozens of stolen and counterfeit credit and debit cards as well as a counterfeit credit- and debit card-processing equipment.

A number of people are believed to have been victimized by Perez and Travis, deputies said. The investigation is ongoing and deputies believe there may be more victims.

The women were booked in San Diego County Jail on multiple felony counts of identity theft and conspiracy.

The San Diego Humane Society has referred an alleged Lemon Grove dog abuse case involving a local veterinarian to the California Veterinary Medical Board.

NBC 7 spoke exclusively with the dog owner Saleena Gallaegos, who said she brought her dog Roxy to the Lemon Grove Veterinary Hospital on Nov. 26 to get stitches removed by Dr. Anil Gowda.

“As soon as we walked out is when the door closed behind us, and that’s when we heard a loud thump, like something had hit the side of Roxy, and she screamed,” said Gallaegos. “That’s when I see the vet literally holding her up by the rope and kicking her in the process. He looked at me like he had seen a ghost, so I’m like ‘What are you doing to my dog?’ He says ‘No, you’re mistaken.’”

Gowda's attorney Jason Carr strongly denies the allegation.

Chief Stephen MacKinnon said the San Diego Humane Society has conducted an initial investigation.

“There was concern that would allow us, if we were on our own, we would continue to investigate further, but again we think the board would be the best body to do a more thorough investigation,” he explained.

Carr emphasized his client Gowda did not kick Roxy.

“Dr. Gowda sincerely denies all her allegations. The only hope is that the public does not rush to judgment and allows for a detailed and thorough investigation that has yet to happen,” he told NBC 7. “People all over the globe are calling for Dr. Gowda’s license and hospital to be closed without even hearing the other side of the story.”

Carr said the veterinary hospital has received more than 20 violent threats in the last three days.

Gallaegos said she does not know where those threats came from and never promoted any sort of violent response. She and her family have organized a “Rally for Roxy,” scheduled for Saturday Dec. 6 at 4 p.m. at Berry Street Dog Park in Lemon Grove.

A man is in police custody after he tried to take two children from an Otay Mesa West recreation center, telling witnesses "I have to do this," San Diego Police say.

The 26-year-old man entered the Silver Wing Rec Center at 3737 Arey Drive on Friday. Police say he grabbed a 9-year-old boy and tried to walk away, but a coach stopped him.

The man put the child down, but soon after, another 9-year-old boy was in his clutches. When he tried to escape a second time with the boy, a coach and an off-duty federal agent confronted him.

He told them, "I have to do this," police say, but they refused to let him.

The agent and several people standing by got into a fight with the suspect, forcing him to release the child.

They held him until police came to arrest the man. The children were not injured, the SDPD says.

Before the kidnapping attempt, the suspect was first spotted across the street when he walked into at a house under construction.

The owner, who did not want to be identified, said the man made some strange statements.

"He said, 'I'm sorry. I made a mistake.' He used a couple of words and then he said, 'I'm going to die, I'm a dead man,'" the woman said. "He was scaring me, and I told the guy who was here for cabinets, 'I don't know this guy. Don't leave me.'" 

She asked two construction workers to kick the man out, so he walked over to the rec center.

The incident is under investigation.

A Galloway Township, New Jersey woman received an unexpected visitor Saturday afternoon while she was in the middle of cooking.

The woman told police she was inside her home on Northampton Road and placing sweet potatoes in the oven when a deer suddenly burst through her front door and ran into her house.

The woman said she managed to follow the deer into the back of her home and lock the animal inside her master bathroom. She then contacted police.

When police arrived they found shattered glass on the front storm door and a damaged frame on the main door indicating the deer was strong enough to run through the doors and enter the home. After a brief standoff, the officers managed to safely escort the deer out of the home and release it back into the wild.

Police said the deer caused significant damage to the bathroom while it was locked inside.

The homeowner was not injured during the incident.

A barn fire in San Juan Capistrano caused half a million dollars in damage but no injuries before it was contained early Saturday, officials said.

The fire started around 3:23 a.m. in a large hay storage building next to barn equipment at Ortega Highway and Antonio Parkway. It was contained by 5:30 a.m., the Orange County Fire Authority said.

The barn is a metal building that houses hay and other farm material, a fire spokesman said.

Around 40 firefighters remained on the scene by 10 a.m., checking for heat sources that could reignite the hay bales and horse shavings inside the barn, the OCFA tweeted.

The fire caused $200,000 in damages to the structure and $300,000 in damages to the contents, the fire department tweeted.

The fire is still under investigation.

A man is lucky to be alive after crashing and destroying his car in Vista.

The single-vehicle accident happened around 2:30 a.m. Saturday in the 2600 block of South Melrose Drive. The car drove onto the median and slammed into a tree.

Carlsbad firefighters responded and discovered the man unconscious inside the wreckage, according to the San Diego County Sheriff’s Department. However, the victim was alert when paramedics transported him to Palomar Hospital.

He suffered major head and leg injuries, according to the sheriff’s department. No one else was inside the car.

Officials say speed was a factor in the crash but did not say if drugs or alcohol were involved.
 

Three people have been arrested in connection to a vandalism series at Julian High School that caused nearly $40,000 in damage.

According to the San Diego County Sheriff’s Department, 18-year-old Dylan Hartung, 19-year-old Michael Ludke and an unnamed 17-year-old minor, all from Julian, were taken into custody early Saturday morning. They all face felony charges of vandalism, commercial burglary and conspiracy.

Officials say deputies spotted two people spray painting the high school around 2 a.m. They were able to catch Hartung, but the other suspect escaped.

Deputies later pulled over a car with Ludke and the 17-year-old inside. Officials say there was evidence inside the car linking them to the crime.

The vandals tagged sidewalks, doors, walls and air conditioning units, and deputies say this isn’t the first time. Officials say there have been at least four recent incidents of vandalism at the school, including one case where the crooks sprayed fire extinguishers inside classrooms.

Anyone with information on any of the incidents at Julian High School is asked to call deputies at 858-565-5200 or Crime Stoppers at 888-580-8477 to remain anonymous.
 

More than a thousand protesters calling attention to police brutality in the U.S. gathered Saturday in the heart of Hollywood, hours after police shot a man near the Walk of Fame.

Some celebrities attended the #BlackOutHollywood protest, where protesters marching from Argyle Avenue and Hollywood Boulevard past the TCL Chinese Theatre held up their hands and chanted "Hands up, can't breathe" and "don't shoot."

The phrase is a mash-up of slogans used in protests against two grand jury decisions not to bring charges against white police officers who killed black men, which have sparked protests in L.A. and across the country.

On Nov. 24, a grand jury decided not to indict a police officer for shooting an unarmed teenager in Ferguson, MO. The Ferguson decision preceded another grand jury decision last week not to indict a New York City policeman who choked a man to death during an arrest in July.

"It's not about race, it's about being fair," said one protester.

"Justice is not being served," another added.

Organizers asked people attending Saturday's march to wear black clothes to symbolize what many see as a racial slant to the shootings, which observers have said frequently target black men.

Some famed figures attended the event as well. Grammy Award winner Kevin McCall sang at the march.

Actor and singer Tyrese Gibson attended the protest, which was planned before the Friday night LAPD shooting, in which a man holding a pocket knife was killed at Hollwood Boulevard and Highland Avenue just before 7 a.m., according to the Los Angeles Police Department. He said he represents many other men and women who he believes have faced police brutality.

"I am Eric Garner, I am Trayvon Martin," Gibson said. "The system is broken."

Two tractor trailers and a car were caught up in a New Jersey highway collision that killed one person and sent flames shooting into the air Saturday, police said.

The fiery crash closed a section of Interstate 78 near Union at around 1 p.m., transit officials said. The highway was closed for several hours.

Police identified the person who died as James Pinaire, 24, of Chatham, New Jersey, who was the driver of a 1999 Audi sedan.

One of the tractor trailers was a tanker truck, loaded with 9,000 gallons of fuel, police said.

Balwineer Singh, 36, the driver of the tanker, was taken to University Medical Center, where he was listed in critical condition, police said.

Pinaire's sedan pulled into the path of the tanker, which then struck the sedan, investigators said. Both vehicles then skidded into the express lane of I-78 and into the path of a truck loaded with mulch. The trucks collided and caught fire.

Mario Quiroz, 53, of North Bergen, driver of the mulch truck, was treated for injuries at a nearby hospital and released.

Images from the scene showed the trucks engulfed in flames, with a thick plume of dark smoke surrounding the site. By around 3 p.m., the fire was extinguished, police said.

A man is fighting for his life after he was run over by a police cruiser.

Miami Police said 21-year-old street artist Delbert Rodriguez Gutierrez, who goes by the name "Demz," was hit while running from officers after he was caught tagging a building.

The incident has many street artists in Wynwood upset.

"He shouldn't be in the hospital with a brain injury right now," Rodriguez's friend Neo told NBC 6. "He should be out here doing graffiti with me."

According to City of Miami Police, Rodriguez was spotted by officers tagging a privately-owned building on Friday off of NW 5th Avenue and 24th Street around 2 a.m. Friday morning. Police say that once he saw flashing lights, Rodriguez ran.

"He probably shouldn't have ran, you know, considering that it is Wynwood and it's an art district and everyone is basically doing graffiti," Neo said. "The cops might have just given him a chance."

Police said when Detective Michael Cadavid turned the corner in his unmarked car, Rodriguez jumped out from between two vehicles and the detective's car struck him. Rodriguez is listed in critical condition at Jackson Memorial Hospital with a brain injury.

It is unclear if Rodriguez had permission to "tag" the building. Street artists said that while protocol calls for artists to ask owners' permission, many opt to do it illegally.

"In the community you get more respect if you do illegal," said artist Jasmine Deardan. "You don't get permission and you just do your throw-up or your tag."

The incident happened just hours before hundreds of people took to the streets of Miami to protest, in part, the death of Israel "Reefa" Hernandez, who was killed after a Miami Beach Police officer shocked him with a taser last year.

Protesters staged a "die-in" outside the South Philadelphia Sports Complex following the Eagles game Sunday night in a show of solidarity for Mike Brown and Eric Garner.

Clergy leaders with Philadelphia Organized to Witness Empower & Rebuild (POWER) called for a “Solidarity Die-In” which took place at the northeast corner of Broad and Pattison Streets. Around 200 protesters gathered outside the complex for the demonstration around 7 p.m.

Around 7:45 p.m. they laid down in the middle of the intersection for about four minutes and thirty seconds.

"It's symbolic of the four hours and thirty minutes that Mike Brown laid dead in the streets of Ferguson," a POWER spokeswoman said. 

The demonstration was one of many sparked by the recent grand jury decisions not to indict the police officers involved in the deaths of Eric Garner and Mike Brown.

Brown, 18, was killed after being shot several times by Officer Darren Wilson on Aug. 9 in Ferguson, Missouri. Wilson said Brown, who was unarmed, assaulted him and charged at him which prompted him to open fire in self defense. Brown's family and some witnesses disputed Wilson's report however. A grand jury declined to indict Wilson in the case prompting violent riots in Ferguson as well as protests nationwide.

Garner, 43, died July 17 in Staten Island, New York after police officers attempted to arrest him for allegedly selling untaxed cigarettes. Officer Daniel Pantaleo was caught on video wrapping his arm around Garner’s neck as the heavyset asthmatic repeatedly yelled, “I can’t breathe!” Garner was pronounced dead at the hospital an hour later.

On Dec. 3 a grand jury decided not to indict Pantaleo, a decision which also sparked nationwide protests.

"While the protests are in response to these two incidents, the demonstrators say they are fed up with a justice system that has no regard for African Americans," the POWER spokeswoman said. "Black teenagers are 21 times more likely to be shot dead by police than their white counterparts according to national statistics. Protesters say the overarching problem is structural, systemic, institutionalized racism."

Whether they were frustrated by the Eagles' loss to the Seahawks, the fact that the demonstration blocked traffic or a combination of both, some Eagles fans were not happy with the protest.

"I think it stinks," said one fan. "People have to leave."

Some of the fans chanted "a**holes" and "get a job" as the die-in took place. Aside from that however, there were no reported confrontations or violent incidents.

"Yeah they were shouting rude things," said Raheem Manning, one of the protesters. "It just shows that this matters. We're getting awareness out." 

After the die-in, the demonstrators stood up and continued protesting, chanting "Black lives matter," "Hands up, don't shoot," and "I can't breathe" before finally leaving the area.

"This is the first one I've been to and I thought it was an important one, during a big event where a lot of people who may be ignorant to our cause are here," Manning said. "I think the issue is you grow up as a young black male. I'm college educated but I still have the fear a cop may bother me for no reason."

As the demonstrators chanted, "Hands up, don't shoot," one Eagles fan, Ryan Shane, decided to chant back.

"Hands up don't be a criminal!" Shane shouted. "Hands up don't attack police officers! Hands up be a good citizen!" 

Shane later spoke to NBC10's Randy Gyllenhaal.

"I think it’s an absolute tragedy that that young man was killed," Shane said. "I feel terrible for the police officer. And I feel terrible for the family and I feel terrible for that young man losing his life. It's an absolute tragedy. But you know what? Hands up, be a good citizen. If a police officer tells you to do something, do it." 

Philadelphia Police closed the intersection at Broad and Pattison for about 20 minutes for the die-in demonstration. They also thanked the demonstration organizers for giving them advanced notice. The intersection was later reopened to traffic.

"First and foremost we gotta protect life," said Philadelphia Police First Deputy Commissioner Richard Ross Jr. "So we're out here to do that and make sure people get home safely. The fans and the demonstrators." 

No arrests were made during the demonstration, according to police.

An embattled family only just returned from a two-year legal fight over the death of their daughter in Qatar received a standing ovation at a church service in their native Pasadena Sunday.

After he and his family received a standing ovation at the Lake Avenue Church's morning service, Matthew Huang spoke about how faith helped he and his wife, Grace, through the court case. The parents were accused of killing their 8-year-old adopted daughter, Gloria.

"The situation the past two years has been extremely difficult," he said. "It's taught us a lot about patience and trusting God."

While they were living in Qatar in 2013, Gloria died from what the family says was an eating disorder. Qatari officials accused them of starving the girl, leading to a two-year saga that finally ended Wednesday, when they were allowed to leave the country.

The church allowed media into the worship service and released a statement to their members.

"It is the desire of their hearts to be with their church family and we welcome them home," the statement said.

The Huangs were not expected to speak to the media.

A 16-year-old boy was walking home from church Sunday when he was shot and killed in Compton, his mother said.

The teen was walking about 12:35 p.m. near the corner of Bullis Road and Queensdale Street (map), when a gunman shot him multiple times following a confrontation, Los Angeles County sheriff’s officials said.

The victim, identified by his mother as Lontrell Turner, was pronounced dead at the scene.

"He was just walking home from church," said Turner's mother, Regina Dixon. "They shot my baby."

Witnesses gave sheriff's investigators a description of the shooter.

No further details were immediately released.

Three people were killed and eight others injured, four seriously, after a car hit a bear in the Florida Everglades on Sunday night, police said.

The unusual accident happened around 7 p.m. on Snake Road, a two-lane stretch of highway just north of I-75 on the Big Cypress Seminole Reservation, near the Broward County line.

An SUV struck and killed a black bear and another vehicle behind it stopped to help. Three people from the second vehicle were killed when a third vehicle crashed into the first vehicle, according to Gary Bitner of the Seminole Police Dept.

"There was a 45-year-old man, a 14-year-old son, his daughter and a grandchild in a Mercedes that we believe was that third vehicle," Broward Sheriff's Office Fire Rescue spokesman Mike Jachles said.

Eight patients were taken to Broward General Medical Center in Fort Lauderdale, Bitner said. Four of the patients suffered severe injuries and were airlifted to the hospital. Another four patients had non-life-threatening injuries and were taken to the hospital by ground rescue.

Five of the victims were treated and released. Officials said some of the victims were children.

Two others involved in the crash were not injured, Bitner said.

Seminole Police are continuing to investigate.

This is a developing story. Check back here for updates.

.@browardsheriff #FireRescue call is #MVC on Snake Rd N/O I-75 w/appx 8 patients, 7 #trauma Alerts airlifted by 3 helos to @BrowardHealth MC

— PIO-1 (@BSOPIO) December 8, 2014

Crews battled a raging fire inside the garage of a Carlsbad townhouse Sunday.

The blaze started just before noon in the 7300 block of Alicante Road in the Colina de La Costa complex.

Flames and black smoke were pouring from the garage when firefighters arrived. Crews extinguished the fire in about 20 minutes, according to North County Dispatch.

No one was injured. Everyone living in the general vicinity was evacuated, one resident told NBC 7.

There is no word yet on how much damage was done. The flames appeared to char everything in the garage, including one vehicle. The fire spread to the garage roof and to a neighbor's garage. 

The cause of the fire is now under investigation.

Sunday's fire happened in the same neighborhood where an elderly woman described as a "hoarder" died in a house fire Nov. 25.

At least one protester was injured Saturday night when a driver ran into a group of demonstrators chanting in a Riverside roadway and then took off, police said.

Cellphone video taken by a witness showed a dark-colored BMW driving through the group of demonstrators standing at the intersection of Mission Inn Avenue and Market Street about 6:30 p.m.

Officials with the Riverside Police Department said one of the protesters suffered minor injuries. The car may have rolled over the feet of two demonstrators.

The group of about 50 was demonstrating as part of anti-police brutality protests happening across the country.

Investigators were trying to figure out whether the car intentionally drove into the crowd. The driver did not stop to talk with protesters or police.

Hundreds of people were in the area for the annual Festival of Lights event at the Mission Inn Hotel & Spa.

Investigators said they have a partial license plate . They planned to look at traffic cameras and surveillance video to try and determine if and how the driver was at fault.

For three quarters, the Chargers played with the best team in the conference. They took everything the New England Patriots had and led by a point.

In the end, Tom Brady and company were just too much, as the Pats pulled out a 23-14 win in front of a raucous crowd at Qualcomm Stadium on Sunday night.

The back-breaker came on a Brady pass over the middle to Julian Edelman midway through the fourth quarter. The speedy receiver broke through the Chargers secondary and scampered 69 yards for a touchdown to put New England up 23-14 and put the game out of reach.

Brady finished with 312 passing yards, outplaying counterpart Philip Rivers, who struggled to find open receivers all night. He completed just 18 of 31 passes for 188 yards.

The Chargers seemed to take New England by surprise in the first half, jumping out to a 14-3 advantage.

They jumped out to the lead early in the second quarter when Philip Rivers connected with Malcom Floyd on a beautiful diving 15-yard touchdown catch. Floyd finished with a team-high 54 yards receiving.

The Bolts held the lead through halftime with the help of some uncharacteristic Patriots turnovers.

Jahleel Addae forced a fumble that Darrell Stuckey ran back 53 yards for a score midway through the second quarter. Then rookie Manti Te'o nabbed his first career interception at the goal line as the clock ticked down on the first half.

Both teams had defensive touchdowns called back because of penalties. Shareece Wright blocked a second-quarter field goal that went for a score, but was clearly offside.

In the third quarter, Devin McCourty took an interception back 56 yards, but the play was nullified by Brandon Browner's illegal hit on Chargers tight end Ladarius Green -- who was knocked out of the game with a concussion on the play.

Stephen Gostkowski kicked three field goals for the Pats, including a 38-yarder early in the fourth quarter that put them up for good.

The loss drops the Bolts to 8-5, still squarely in the playoff picture but left with plenty of work to do. The Patriots (10-3) move back into the top spot in the AFC.

Walgreens is pulling a wrapping paper print from it shelves a day after a Southern California woman complained about finding swastikas in the design, a company spokesman said Sunday.

The woman, Cheryl Shapiro, said she was shopping in the Hanukkah section of a store in Northridge when she found a geometric blue-and-silver pattern that had lines connecting in the shape of the Nazi symbol.

The rolls were removed from the store after she complained to managers.

Walgreens said other stores were following suit.

"We are in the process of removing the product from our stores," Walgreens spokesman Phil Caruso told NBC4.

Caruso said he could not comment on the design. He also did not have an estimate as to how many rolls were being pulled.

A 29-year-old woman is dead after a multi-vehicle crash that closed an Oceanside road for hours.

The deadly accident happened around 9 a.m. Sunday where State Route 78 turns into Vista Way at Moreno Street.

According to the Oceanside Police Department, a Ford F-150 truck rear-ended a Kia. The driver of that compact car, a 29-year-old woman, was killed. Officials have not released her name.

Four vehicles total were involved in the crash. Police say the F-150 also hit a Chevy pickup, and the Kia was pushed into a Toyota truck. The F-150 then plowed through a resident’s white picket fence.

The F-150 driver broke his wrist, and the Chevy driver suffered bruises, according to police. Both were taken to Scripps La Jolla.

The Toyota driver, a man named Charles, was not hurt. Charles said the F-150 ran a red light before causing the crash.

“He must have been going 100 miles an hour,” he said.

“Through the light. Full speed. Never hit the brakes. Boom.”

The preliminary investigation shows the 62-year-old man driving the Ford was at fault, but police say he was not intoxicated.

Residents say the area where SR-78 ends is known to be dangerous for drivers.

“There’s constant screeching,” a neighbor named Christine said.

"I think because the 78 terminates here. I think that probably adds to the confusion,” said Sgt. Ignacio Lopez with OPD. “Traveling 65 miles per hour, come to the signal and have to stop. I think if you’re new to the area, you’re probably not aware of that."

Christine says neighbors have gone to the city of Oceanside about the problem. Lopez says safety measures have been put in place.

"They’ve put in little islands to slow down traffic, designating turn lanes. You can only turn right as opposed to wanting to go eastbound,” Lopez said. “They have tried some calming effects. They even put in the radar that lights up how fast you’re going.”