A Southern California TV reporter is facing felony domestic violence charges after he allegedly threw a flower pot at his wife's head, the Los Angeles County District Attorney's Office said Wednesday.

Carlos Zapata, a 51-year-old reporter for MundoFox 22 in Los Angeles, is accused of throwing the flower pot during an argument with his wife and causing her serious injuries on Dec. 3, Deputy District Attorney Lou Holtz said in a news release.

After Zapata was arrested Tuesday, his wife accused him of another attack that happened during an argument in November, Holtz said.

Zapata now faces two counts of injuring a spouse, including one that resulted in great bodily injury.

He was released on bond Tuesday and is in court Dec. 24. Zapata faces up to 10 years in prison if convicted.

DA's spokesman Ricardo Santiago said the office did not know whether Zapata had an attorney.

MundoFox 22 did not immediately return requests for comment.

A rapper and his actress wife did in fact die in a murder-suicide at their Los Angeles apartment earlier this week, police confirmed Wednesday.

Police found the bodies of Earl Warren Hayes, 34, and Stephanie Moseley, 30, inside the Palazzo complex at Hauser Boulevard and Park La Brea on Monday.

"Investigators have determined that Hayes killed his wife Stephanie in their home and then took his own life," Los Angeles police said in a news release.

The pair had recently gotten back together, Detective Scott Masterson said.

Moseley's Internet movie database site said she appeared in a comedy, "The Best Thanksgiving Ever," which is due for release in 2015, and appeared throughout 2014 in the VH1 reality series "Hit the Floor."

Police earlier this week asked to interview boxer Floyd Mayweather Jr. following reports that he may have spoken to Hayes before the shooting.

A 34-year-old Brooklyn woman allegedly had a crack pipe on the floor of her Ford Mustang and was drunk when police say she drove into a Forever 21 store in midtown and hit several pedestrians Wednesday night.

Stella Mednik was charged Thursday with criminal possession of a controlled substance and driving while intoxicated, among other offenses, hours after her vehicle slammed into the Herald Square store in what police say was an attempt to flee from a crash with another car. Police allegedly found a second crack pipe in the trunk of her vehicle following the 9 p.m. crash Wednesday.

Mednik, a passenger in her car, a Forever 21 employee and four other pedestrians were all injured.

Police say Mednik, who law enforcement sources tell NBC 4 New York is an ex-lawyer with a suspended license, was driving her Mustang on West 34th Street when it rear-ended an SUV. She allegedly put the car in reverse in an apparent attempt to flee and hit a second car. After the second impact, police say the Mustang jumped the curb and plowed into the store and pedestrians.

Six people were seriously hurt and one had minor injuries; it wasn't clear how badly Mednik was hurt. All seven people were taken to Belleveue Hospital and were listed in stable condition Thursday.

Mednik's blood alcohol level was nearly twice the .08 threshold for drunk-driving charges, police said. She remained in custody at the hospital Thursday evening and it wasn't clear if she had an attorney.

A man who answered the doorbell at Mednik's last known address in Brooklyn said she no longer lived there. .

The crash startled pedestrians at one of the city's busiest intersections. Shopper Rockelle Grenee said Thursday she was shocked more people were not hurt.

"With all the people out here shopping she could have done a lot of damage," Grenee said.

The store reopened Thursday despite minor damage. A message for patrons hung near shredded wood in the front that read, "Sorry for the convenience, please use revolving doors."

-- Katherine Creag and Tracie Strahan contributed to this report. 

Friends and family of the four people who died in an early morning house fire in Enfield have identified the victims as a grandmother, her daughter, her grandson and a close family friend.

Although police have not released the names or ages of those who were killed, Bill Stone identifies himself as a family member and said the victims were well known around town.

According to Stone, 59-year-old grandmother Orise Handfield and her daughter, Cathy Armes, 34 or 35, are among the four who died when flames broke out at 38 South River Street and the second floor collapsed.

“She always took care of all of them. She tried her hardest and her best. She was a woman who didn’t have a lot, but if she did, she would give it to you. So they will be missed,” Stone said, of Handfield.

Handfield's grandson and Armes' nephew, 20-year-old Joshua Johnson, also died in the fire, according to Stone, who said Johnson was expecting a child in a few months. The child’s mother was not home at the time of the fire, according to Stone.

“His fiancée, his girlfriend, she assumes he’s dead,” Stone said.

Neighbors have identified the fourth victim as Dahvie Cygan, a friend of the family.

Friends and family members said Johnson’s brother, Richie Handfield, is being treated for burns. Three other people, including Johnson's mother, made it out safely and ran to a neighbor's house.

A close friend said the family had recently moved from a home on Spring Street in Enfield, where they lived for more than 15 years.

Officials have not released any information on the cause of the flames, but neighbors said a small Christmas tree fire broke out yesterday and suspect it may have also caused the blaze today.

The road to perfect job satisfaction leads to Mountain View.

Google was voted the best place to work in America in Glassdoor's annual Employees' Choice Awards.

That makes Google the top tech company – an honor the search giant snatched away from Twitter – as well as the top overall company, beating out San Ramon-based Chevron as well as purveyors of pet food (Purina was No. 3) and consultants (Boston-headquartered Bain & Company was No. 2).

What makes Google so great? Is it the free luxury coach ride to work? The slew of perks at the massive Googleplex? The fact your employer is one of the most successful companies in recent American history?

Yes, yes and yes.

Past employees say the perks are unbelievable, with 15-plus cafes on the Google campus along with a 24-hour gym, volleyball pit, bowling alley, free laundry... the list goes on and on. Plus, Google employees are very well-compensated.

Overall, tech took a step back this year: There were 22 tech companies on the Top 50 best places to work in 2013. This year there were 14, VentureBeat noted.

Facebook came in at No. 13, with Apple finishing at 22nd. LinkedIn, another Mountain View headquartered company, was 23rd.

The public recount of votes for the Chula Vista City Council Seat One began Wednesday.

The razor-thin race for the seat between John McCann and Steve Padilla ended with McCann in the lead by two votes, County Registrar Michael Vu said.

The recount was officially requested by Humberto Peraza Jr., who is lobbyist and a Southwestern Community College board trustee. The recount itself is open to the public and starts at 9 a.m. every day until all the requested votes are counted.

Vu said a recount such as this one is part of the democratic process.

“Many people of the voting public think Election Day ends on Election Day. Yet we know that we have a certification period which lasts 28 days and then, like this situation, a recount,” he said.

Twenty-five precincts will be recounted, as requested by Peraza Jr., of the 110 total precincts. All 110 precincts need to be recounted for the recount to take effect, Vu said, and they will start with the initial precincts before checking to see if more precincts will be requested.

Certified results prior to the recount said McCann won with 18,448 votes to Padilla's 18,446.

An Escondido teenager pleaded not guilty on Wednesday to vehicular manslaughter among other charges relating to a road-rage crash that killed another teen last Friday night.

Prosecutors say Juan Rebollar, 18, intentionally hit the car of 19-year-old Jose de Jesus Garcia following a disturbance at a party that continued as the two teens drove off. Rebollar doesn’t have a driver’s license.

Rebollar also pleaded not guilty to hit and run and assault with a deadly weapon involving a car. Bail was set at $500,000.

The situation started after two left a party. Rebollar told investigators that he saw the victim try to run his friend, in a separate car, off the road, so he followed him, said Deputy District Attorney Keith Watanabe.

The two then engaged in a "cat-and-mouse" race on Bear Valley Parkway and Valley Parkway with speeds reaching 100 mph, Watanabe said.

That's when police said Rebollar intentionally struck the pickup with his own vehicle. This caused Garcia to lose control of his pickup, leading to the crash into the pillar, police said.

Watanabe said Rebollar drove his car for several more blocks, but then ditched it nearby. It was later found by police with significant damage. Meanwhile, Garcia was rushed to the hospital, where he later died.

Prosecutors say the next day, Rebollar went to Escondido’s police station and claimed his car was stolen. However, in an interview later with investigators, he admitted to striking the victim’s pickup because, he said, the victim “bumped him first,” prosecutors say.

Police are also looking for another driver of a black Honda Accord -- Rebollar's friend "Mike" whom Rebollar said was run off the road.

If convicted on all charges, Rebollar could face 11 years in prison.

The San Diego City Council saw a shake-up in leadership Wednesday when Councilwoman Sherri Lightner was voted to be the next council president, ending the tenure of Councilman Todd Gloria.

A 7-2 majority elected Lightner, the first woman to hold the council president position since a strong mayor system was enacted.

"I understand the decision today," said Gloria. "It's about politics. It's not about my performance as council president, and I will show up here tomorrow to do the work of representing the people of District 3 and do my very best to make this city a better place to be." 

Ligthner left City Hall without commenting on her new position. However, she later issued a statement that said she is honored her colleagues have selected her as their new leader.

"I have worked hard during my six years on Council to be fair, open minded, and independent. I’ve always been a voice for our neighborhoods, and I’m not afraid to go against the grain or stand up for the little guy. I’ll continue to do my homework and make well-researched, informed decisions," her statement read in part.

Wearing purple and carrying yellow signs, more than 100 people showed up to support Gloria in City Hall as the council elected their new leader.

The vote came the same day newly elected Councilman Chris Cate and returning members David Alvarez, Myrtle Cole and Lorie Zapf were sworn in, allowing everyone in the new council to have a say in the issue.

But first, over 30 public speakers gave testimony either for or against Gloria, most describing his hard work during a dark time in San Diego politics. Gloria stepped in as interim mayor last year after Bob Filner’s sexual harassment scandal and eventual resignation.

"Primarily when the city had a crisis, he stepped up and he put the city first," said Will Rodriguez-Kennedy, one of the speakers. "But in addition, as a person of color, it's good to see people in power and who are doing well in power as examples for our children." 

The strong show of support was a bright spot in an otherwise disappointing day for Gloria.

"And as unfortunate as the outcome is, as disappointed as I am about the outcome, I'm really heartened by this testimony that was given today by people from all corners of this city who are very happy with the job that I'm doing," said Gloria.

However, some in city leadership have expressed anger with Gloria’s minimum wage proposal. And as the Democratic-controlled council's top leader, Gloria would likely have been in a position to go up against the mayor on certain issues.

Republicans on the council and in the mayor's office decided they would rather battle it out against Lightner instead of the outspoken Gloria.

Gloria told NBC 7 he is looking forward to continue his work with Lightner, whom he had selected as his second in command.

In turn, Lightner's statement commended Gloria for his time in office.

"He has done an outstanding job during his tenure as Interim Mayor and Council President," her release read. "He brought stability and a calming presence to the City during a very difficult time and helped restore faith in city government. I will always be one of his biggest fans, as he is one of the best and brightest elected officials with whom I've ever worked. I cannot say enough good things about Todd and the job he has done. I know everyone in San Diego shares my gratitude for his service.”

Lightner, who held the second highest post on the council as president pro tem, is also chair of the Economic Development and Intergovernmental Relations Committee.

As the new council leader, she said she and her colleagues need to improve police salaries, update the city charter, approve the Climate Action Plan, address infrastructure and water needs and put more city services online.

Mayor Kevin Faulconer quickly responded to the vote, releasing the following statement:

“I want to congratulate Sherri Lightner on being elected City Council President for 2015. We already have a great working relationship and I look forward to working together to create more opportunities for all San Diegans. I would also like to commend Councilmember Todd Gloria for his leadership over the past two years and for working collaboratively with me to get the City back on track.”

Council presidents are elected for one-year terms. Gloria was first elected in 2013 and then re-elected by his peers in 2014, according to his online bio.

The position gained importance almost a decade ago when San Diego switched over to a strong mayor form of government. Since then, a council president runs the council meetings and sets the agenda.

"He or she is the person who brings items forward, stops items, delays items," said Stampp Corbin, the publisher of the San Diego LGBT Weekly who supports Gloria. "That's really important. They make the decision about what the agenda's going to be for the city."

An East County ranch owner was ordered to hand her 76-acre property over to the government after she was found guilty of smuggling undocumented immigrants into the country.

A federal jury convicted Kala D. Rains, 47, on seven counts Wednesday, including conspiracy, bringing in immigrants for financial gain, harboring and transporting immigrants

According to U.S. Attorney Laura Duffy, Rains and other co-conspirators used her Potrero ranch as a smuggling point on their way from Mexico into the U.S. The organization brought in several groups in and around the Tecate, California area.

At Rains' trial, smuggled immigrants testified that they had to pay between $6,500 and $7,500 as a fee to conspiracy members, Duffy says.

Prosecutors also used video-recorded undercover meetings and audio recordings as evidence to build a case against Rains. She was arrested at the end of a two-year Homeland Security investigation in connection with U.S. Border Patrol.

Duffy says co-defendants Caroline Haro Espindola, Jose Maria Partida-Esquivel and Alexander Flores all pleaded guilty to their rolls in the conspiracy.

At her Feb. 27 sentencing, Rains faces a minimum prison term of three years and up to five to ten years for each count, as well as a $250,000 fine. The jury also determined the ranch used by Rains in the conspiracy should be forfeited to the U.S. government.

A 13-year-old boy from El Cajon was made an honorary firefighter Wednesday night for his quick actions that saved his uncle's life.

On Oct. 23, 52-year-old Uncle Joe was taking care of teen Chris Rand and his 11-year-old sister Alex when he had a seizure that left him lying helpless in the locked bathroom.

Alex heard his cries from outside the room.

“It was like screaming, like, ‘Ahhh!’ Weird noises like a banshee,” she described.

She knocked on the door, but when no answer came, she ran downstairs to get Chris.

"I went upstairs and used a screwdriver to open the bathroom room,” said Chris, “and I saw his condition so I went downtown stairs and got his phone from the countertop and called 911 and told them what the situation was."

Alex said Joe apparently hit his head and had a bloody nose, and his feet left scratch marks on the door.

Firefighters say because the children reacted so quickly, they saved their uncle's life.

On Wednesday, the San Miguel Fire District Board of Directors recognized both children, presenting them with a certificate for their efforts.

Chris was also made an honorary firefighter and awarded him with a helmet.

He told NBC 7 he learned how to think quickly in an emergency through the Junior Lifeguards program.

In the first of a series of scheduled crash retests, a controversial guardrail lining highways in California and across the country, performed as expected, a U.S. Department of Transportation Federal Highway Administration official said.

During the first day of crash testing Wednesday, Tony Furst, an Associate Administrator for Safety for the FHWA, said the ET-Plus guardrail end terminal “performed as we expected it to.”

The ET-Plus, manufactured by Trinity Industries, is being retested this month after the FHWA ordered the Dallas-based company to conduct new crash tests for the highway safety product. The demand for new testing came in October, after a jury in a federal whistleblower case found the company was liable for defrauding the federal government.

FHWA is the agency responsible for certifying which road safety products are eligible for federal reimbursement and states look to the agency for which products are approved for use on their highways.

Trinity, a highway manufacturing heavyweight, has been accused in lawsuits and complaints across the country for making a change to a widely used version of its guardrail end terminals, the ET-Plus.

The changes, according to the lawsuits, cause the metal railing of the guardrail to jam up inside the terminal chute, instead of passing through the chute and pigtailing out the side, away from the vehicle. The metal then sometimes pierces through a vehicle like a spear, cutting through cars and sometimes the people inside.

Click here for more about the controversy surrounding the ET-Plus.

More than 40 states, including California, have banned future installation of the ET-Plus guardrail system. The company has also stopped selling the product pending the outcome of these retests.

It is estimated there are 200,000 of the guardrail end terminals on roadways across the country.

The California Department of Transportation is in the process of taking a complete inventory of how many units are on state roadways, according to Matt Rocco, Caltrans Public Affairs Chief.

The retesting began Wednesday and is schedule to continue Thursday with more crash tests next week and in January. It’s being conducted by the Southwest Research Institute in San Antonio.

Click here for more information about how the testing will be conducted.

Rocco said, Caltrans pulled eight ET-Plus units from its warehouse in Sacramento to be used for the testing. Caltrans did not measure the units before handing them over to Trinity, but Rocco said the FHWA did measure the units and Caltrans workers saw the federal officials measure them but did not record the measurements.

John Jewell from the research and innovation division of Caltrans was present at the testing Wednesday and is expected to be there Thursday as well.

According to a representative from the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials (AASHTO), the crash test “looked clean and the vehicle went through just as expected.”

That representative serves on a technical committee on roadside safety. Tony Dorsey, with AASHTO said, the name of the representative was not being released to “protect findings.”

AASHTO represents all 50 state department of transportation agencies.

Wednesday’s test involved a pickup truck which made impact with the guardrail at a 15 degree angle, according to Furst. The testing occurred around 2:40 CST. It was scheduled to begin at 11 AM but was delayed. The actual crash impact lasted about 15 seconds.

The following FHWA officials were present at the testing Wednesday:

• Dick Albin (Safety Engineer, FHWA Resource Center Safety & Design Technical Services Team)
• Eduardo Arispe (Roadside Safety Program Manager, Office of Safety Research and Development; FHWA Office of Research, Development and Technology)
• Tony Furst (FHWA Associate Administrator for Safety)

Along with Jewell, several other officials from state department of transportation agencies across the country were also present. A complete list of those in attendance was not immediately available from either the FHWA, Trinity or SRI.

Two members of the news media were allowed to observe the testing but cameras, audio recordings and cellphones were not allowed. At first, Trinity said no public access would be allowed, but reversed that policy earlier this week.

San Diego County Sheriff Bill Gore has stirred up courtroom controversy after he suspended — and then fired — a deputy who put a handcuffed inmate in a chokehold, according to a legal complaint.

On Aug. 2, Deputy Sam Knight was walking a handcuffed inmate to the George Bailey detention facility’s recreation area when the inmate mouthed off to him.

Knight took the inmate to the ground with a neck restraint and "used his hand to twice make contact with [the inmate's] face," the complaint says.

Eleven days after the chokehold incident, the sheriff put Knight on administrative leave without pay because Gore says there was no justification for the force and Knight never reported the encounter to a supervisor, which is required anytime force is used. Additionally, the maneuver is not a department-approved tactic. Knight learned it in a martial arts class.

Also helping Gore’s case is the fact that it was captured on video, which has not been released to the media.

Attorney Marc Carlos, who is not involved in the case, questions the video’s role in the ordeal.

“What happens if there wasn’t a video? If there wasn’t a video, would there even be an issue with the sheriff?” Carlos asked.

The chokehold Knight used was similar to the one New York police officer Daniel Pantaleo applied to Eric Garner before he died — an incident that drew national attention when a grand jury decided not to indict Pantaleo.

“There’s a public outcry, there’s a public distrust with law enforcement regarding chokeholds and use of restraint,” said Carlos. “It’s something in the news, something clearly at the forefront of everybody’s mind.”

In this case, however Gore says his deputy was at fault.

But despite the video evidence, the San Diego County Civil Service Commission, which reviews public employee discipline cases, disagreed with Gore, citing insufficient evidence.

According to its report, the inmate threatened deputies that he was going to be a nightmare and was a "pitbull who hadn't eaten in three days." Shortly after the incident, the inmate called a family member and bragged about provoking a deputy, saying he was going to be a millionaire, the report says.

The commission’s ruling on the incident said Knight should be reinstated and given back pay.

Gore is fighting the decision with a lawsuit filed in October in Superior Court against the commission. The suit says the deputy cannot be trusted to do his job and taxpayers should not pay him to sit at home.

The sheriff did not wait for a ruling, either. A department spokesperson confirmed Gore fired Knight last week.

The sheriff’s department went so far as to refer a criminal complaint against Knight to the District Attorney’s office. The DA recently declined to file charges.

Seasoned veteran outfielder and hitter Matt Kemp is about to become a San Diego Padre, according to a published report.

The San Diego Union-Tribune reported that the 30-year-old Kemp would be traded to the Padres with back-up catcher Tim Federowicz, citing unnamed sources.

In exchange the Dodgers would take 26-year-old Padres catcher Yasmani Grandal and two pitching prospects, according to the newspaper.

The Dodgers would also pay $30 million of the $107 million remaining on Kemp's contract, the newspaper reported.

The Padres will get a big boost to their offense which ranked dead last in the National League according to NBC Sports.

The deal is expected to be finalized Thursday before the conclusion of baseball's Winter Meetings in San Diego.

A spokesperson for the San Diego Padres could not confirm the report to NBC 7.

A newborn boy is resting with his family after a wild ride and delivery that didn’t quite make it to Palomar Health Downtown Campus in Escondido.

The father, Ben Onia, said he was with friends Wednesday afternoon when his wife called him.

“Next thing you know she calls me and was like ‘We need to go now!’ he said recalling his gas tank was less than half full.

The couple lives in Bonsall and knew it was at least a 20 minute drive to the hospital. With 10 minutes still to go, the mother, Yvette Orozco, thought they weren’t going to make it.

“Halfway there my water broke, and he kind of got lost,” she recalled.

“I got lost when I was exiting,” Onio agreed. “If you know me, you know I’m not the type of person who does well in situations like this.”

They arrived at the hospital with no time to spare, but didn’t get further than the driveway.

“First the security guard came out, and I was just screaming. I thought I was going to pass out. Actually for a moment I was going to throw up because I didn't know what to do because this baby's coming,” Onia described.

Out of all the doctors that could have passed by at that moment, there came Dr. David Tam from a meeting and in a suit nonetheless. Tam is the Chief Administrative Officer for Palomar Health Downtown Campus and Palomar Hospital.

“The last time I delivered a baby was back during my training days. I think that was 20 to 22 years ago when I was an intern, at Naval Hospital in Oakland, California,” Dr. Tam said.

Dr. Tam delivered the baby kneeling down next to the couple’s car. He said it was like riding a bike. Even with the extensive medical experience he has, he thought it was a “cool” experience.

“It really is, to be honest, a cool thing when we can offer ‘curbside deliver’ if you will. You know if an administrator can do it, the staff is fully trained,” he said. “At the end of the day it's doing this kind of stuff, delivering a baby, holding a patient and comforting the mom. That's really where most of us are happy doing what we do.”

Dr. Tam said the delivery went smoothly and the baby is in very good health.

A global tech giant headquartered in San Diego is laying off hundreds of employees worldwide.

Qualcomm is letting about 600 workers go to trim costs, a Qualcomm spokesperson confirmed to NBC 7.

Just under 300 of those workers are being laid off in California. The rest of the layoffs come from outside the U.S., according to the spokesperson.

The wireless chip maker has California offices in San Diego and the Bay area.

Qualcomm released a statement Wednesday, which read in part:

“We regularly evaluate our businesses to determine where efficiencies can be obtained and priorities addressed. On occasion, that requires we adjust the size or skill mix of our work teams in order to shrink or eliminate some projects and start and grow new projects.”

Qualcomm has about 31,000 employees globally, 13,000 of which are in San Diego, according to the company.

When a BMW SUV sailed through the air and landed inside the garage of an Escondido home early Wednesday, the driver escaped the crash and police. Now, the investigation appears to point to someone living on the street, the homeowners tell NBC 7.

Good fences may make good neighbors but Erin Strother does not have a wall high enough to prevent the mess left behind by the early morning crash.

"It's really sad . They did find a cell phone and they did link that to a person on our street. So that is pretty uncool," Strother said.

Escondido Police say they have a person of interest but can't yet prove he was behind the wheel of that SUV that sailed through the roof of the home on Hubbard Place.

Tire marks indicate the SUV came from up the hill, police say the driver failed to negotiate the turn.

The vehicle was airborne for some 40 feet then crashed through the roof, now covered with the blue tarp.

Police say the cell phone is owned by the man they identify as a person of interest. The same guy who borrowed this BMW from a Vista car dealer. The same guy found skulking in the bushes after the accident.

But police say he has denied responsibility.

NBC 7 left a message on the man’s home phone, attempted contact through visitors and even tried to get his attention from the hill behind his house. All with no result.

"We're going to get him through his insurance or one way or the other. Not really neighborly? No not so much," Strother said.

Erin and her husband George were sleeping at the opposite end of their home at the time of the crash. When they saw the damage, they thought they would find a driver suffering from multiple serious injuries.
“We were looking for some mangled, horrible corpse,” Strother said.

The airbags deployed, automatically triggering a call to 911 but the driver, uninjured , escaped through a rear door.

"I would much rather him be gone then be dead,” Strother said.

Police say they arrested the person of interest after the crash on an unrelated charge and that he has denied driving the SUV through the roof.

The Strothers plan to attend a future Escondido City Council meeting to discuss putting up a guardrail along the road above their home.
 

Another storm rolling into San Diego County this weekend will bring crashing waves, showers, and strong winds as early as Friday morning, NBC 7’s Jodi Kodesh reports.

The Finest City could see showers, strong winds, and high surf as early as Friday morning, NBC 7’s Jodi Kodesh reports.

“We could see showers as soon as 10 pm tonight, though they would be light showers as the heavier brunt of the system will be tomorrow,” Kodesh said.

Lifeguards around the county are preparing for the storm rolling into the city, they said. That includes raising berms in the winter to prevent flooding from high tide and high surf in addition to adding more sand to the coastline.

Starting tonight, lifeguards will be on Alert Two. That means all their staff will be hands-on ready to go if they are needed during the storm and they will have 19 personnel available for swift water rescue.

From 4 a.m. to noon Friday, when the storm sweeps through, San Diegans can expect one inch of rain inland, .5 inches along the coast, and two inches in the mountains, though if a thunderstorm pummels through, those totals might increase.

“As the front sweeps through, the brunt of it, that’s when we’re expecting some action here,” Kodesh said. “It’s a quick moving storm, so the winds will be whipping with it.”

The National Weather Service has also issued a flash flood watch for the coastal and inland regions from Friday morning to evening. Rainfall rates could reach one half inch per hour, enough to trigger flash floods or debris flows in and below recent burn areas. The Cocos burn area near San Marcos is one of the areas with the greatest risk during this time.

High surf and strong tides are also something to watch out for Friday and Saturday, Kodesh said. Waves will be seven to 10 feet high on Friday, with some sets up to 14 feet.

Lifeguards do not recommend swimming in the ocean for 72 hours after the storm because of runoff.

Four young boys sought in an Amber Alert were rescued unharmed after a dramatic, hour-long standoff after police stopped the vehicle on a San Diego highway Thursday, officials said.

After two armored BearCat vehicles surrounded the car from the back and the front, the father, Daniel Perez, exited the vehicle holding the hand of one child.

He walked to the edge of the ramp with another boy following him. The two other boys had previously fled the car and ran toward officers soon after the car was stopped, just before 9 a.m.

Once at the edge of the ramp, Perez paused for a second. He was shot at once with a nonlethal bean bag gun as he tried to jump over the wall, before he was tackled to the ground by officers and taken into custody, said CHP spokesman Kevin Pearlstein.

The four boys and their father, suspect Daniel Perez, were brought to the California Highway Patrol office following the standoff.

“Our concern was he was going to try to jump over the side and take some of the boys with him,” Pearlstein said at a news conference held after the rescue.

He did not want to comment on whether Perez was suicidal, but said that "running over to the bridge, getting ready to jump over, is pretty good sign of what his intents were."

The Perez family, including mother Erica Perez, went missing Dec. 5. Police issued an Amber Alert after a woman's body was found in the trunk of a Honda Accord Wednesday night that belonged to the boys' parents.

The vehicle, driven by Perez, was first located in the El Cajon area by CHP officers. A pursuit was initiated along westbound I-8 near SR 67 and went north on SR 125 to eastbound SR 52 where the vehicle came to a stop on a transition road.

Officers had previously been negotiating with Perez on a cell phone since the car stopped on the highway ramp.

“The goal today was to get all four boys to return safely and for the suspect to get into custody safely and the result is a success from this point of view,” said Pearlstein. “From the other incident, obviously it’s a tragedy for the family.”

The lojack system signaled “a hit” on the vehicle around 8:30 a.m. in the Fletcher Hills area near a shopping mall, CHP said.

At least 10 police cars blocked the highway before specialized SWAT vehicles moved in. Several officers had their guns drawn from a nearby ramp at the interchange to two major routes north of El Cajon.

The law enforcement officers were seen wearing body armor and carrying assault rifles, per a NBC 7 news crew on the scene.

In Santee, morning commuters were diverted as at least 10 police cars blocked the highway. Drivers along eastbound SR 52 were being diverted onto Magnolia Avenue and through the city of Santee. The area has reopened for traffic, officials said.

Police issued an Amber Alert for the missing children in the family's other car, a black 2014 four-door Toyota Camry with the California license plate number 7FDS891.

Check back for updates on this developing story.

A local fourth grader took home the win for the float design contest in this year's Port of San Diego Big Bay Balloon Parade.

Kyndall Krebs of Phoenix Charter School was presented with the surprise win at an all-school assembly Thursday morning for her submission, "If I could fly anywhere in the United States, I'd go to San Francisco."

The Southwest Airlines Float Design Contest was open to students in kindergarten through fifth grade with the theme: If I could fly anywhere in the United States, I'd go to...

Not only is Krebs' winning float concept being designed and fabricated to be included in the Port of San Diego Big Bay Balloon Parade on Friday, Dec. 26., she gets to ride on it during the parade.

She was also the recipient of four-packs of tickets to the National University Holiday Bowl and the San Diego Credit Union Poinsettia Bowl. What's more, Krebs' classmates will join her from the grandstands at the parades, as they each received two tickets as well.

The parade kicks off a day earlier this year, the day before the Holiday Bowl, and starts at 3 p.m.

Click here for a map of the parade route.

Additional information about the parade and the Bowl games can be found here or by calling 619-283-5808.

A former circus tiger in desperate need of a new home has one, thanks to the Lions, Tigers & Bears animal sanctuary in Alpine.

The tiger named Phevos arrives at San Diego International Airport on Thursday evening and will then be ferried to the East County ranch.

The tiger has been living alone in an enclosure at a zoo outside Athens, Greece; previously Phevos was seized from an Italian touring circus group in 2002 along with six other tigers, according to a news release from Lions, Tigers & Bears.

Phevos’ longtime tiger companion died in March from neglect after having an untreated paw wound.

The animal sanctuary was approached by a United Kingdom citizen, David Barnes, who initially helped place the tigers at the Athens zoo more than a decade ago. Barnes reached out to the Alpine ranch after seeing deplorable conditions at the zoo, which came after the economic crisis in Greece.

“This tiger has been living in deplorable conditions for years,” Lions, Tigers & Bears founder Bobbi Brink said in the news release. “We were his last hope and finally he will get the care he needs.”

Lions, Tigers & Bears is seeking donations to help provide lifetime care for Phevos; it costs a minimum of $10,000 per year to provide food and medical care for a tiger.

You can donate here or call 619-659-8078 for more information.