The San Diego County District Attorney's office has declined to file charges against a San Diego State University student arrested in connection with a reported sexual assault.

The DA's office decided not to pursue the case against Francisco Paiva Sousa, 20. He was arrested Dec. 8 on suspicion of oral copulation with force and false imprisonment with force, campus police told NBC 7 at the time.

However, after Sousa posted a $100,000 bail, his scheduled Dec. 18 arraignment was canceled, and the case was officially rejected on Jan. 28, the DA's office says. A spokesperson did not explain why.

Sousa's arrest came amid 13 reported sex assaults on or around the SDSU campus in one semester.

Of those 13 incidents, nine were classified as rape, three as oral copulation and one as sexual penetration. Seven happened at locations classified as a fraternity, five occurred in residence halls and one at the Granada Apartments, according to data obtained by NBC 7.

No other arrests have been made in the cases.

“Stay tuned, San Diego. Kyle will be back on the air.”

That’s the statement from the family of CBS 8 sportscaster Kyle Kraska on Thursday, which was posted on the station’s website to update viewers on Kraska’s condition.

CBS 8 reports that Kraska is in “critical but stable condition” following the Tuesday afternoon shooting outside his Scripps Ranch home. Kraska was shot 10 times, the station reports.

A suspect, Mike Montana, has been arrested in connection to the shooting. Investigators say the incident resulted from a business dispute with Kraska over work done on his home. Montana is expected to be arraigned on charges on Tuesday.

In the statement, Kraska’s family said they were deeply grateful to the community for the outpouring of support following the shooting.

The family goes on to say they believe the sportscaster’s fighting spirit will keep him going.

“We’ve long known Kyle is a tour de force, touching and inspiring everyone he’s come into contact with during his 27-year career,” the statement reads. “It’s never been clearer how many people Kyle impacted with his exuberant TV presence and dedicated reporting … Kyle is healing more and more each day. He will certainly be so touched by all of your words. We look forward to sharing them with him.”

“Stay tuned, San Diego. Kyle will be back on air – with his typical charm and encyclopedic knowledge of sports – as soon as he’s able.”

A fight got out of hand at a City Heights shopping center Thursday, and now San Diego police are looking for someone who intentionally ran over a teenager with a car.

A 19-year-old suffered serious head injuries after being hit by an SUV in front of the North Gate Market on 54th Street and Univerity Avenue.

Ten men were fighting in the parking lot when the SUV drove toward the group, police said.

Everyone except the teenager avoided the speeding vehicle. The teen was dragged 20 feet though the parking lot after being hit.

Security guard Carlos Martinez was just taking his lunch when he heard the commotion.

"I heard screeching and just the body on the floor, it was pretty gruesome and a bad sight," Martinez told NBC 7.

The injured teen was transported to Scripps Mercy Hospital for broken bones and serious head trauma. He was expected to live, police said.

The SUV drove off in an unknown direction and was carrying four people inside, police said.

Police said the driver was a man with medium complexion and a skinny face wearing a black shirt and black ball cap.

The SUV was described only as being dark in color, possibly blue or green and may be a Ford Explorer or Chevy Blazer.

Anyone with information is asked to contact Mid-City police detectives at (619) 516-3000.

Former San Diego mayor Bob Filner who spent three months under house arrest for false imprisonment and battery of women told NBC 7 he is writing his memoirs.

Filner declined to talk on-camera, and would not talk about politics, even off-camera but he did say he is writing an autobiography/memoir, for which he hopes to soon find a publisher.

Filner, who looks fit and relaxed, said he also recently ran a marathon in the Los Angeles area.

Filner visited the downtown studios Friday as his former fiancée, Bronwyn Ingram, appeared on “Politically Speaking.” Ingram said she and Filner are not dating and are just friends.

Filner stood in the studio and watched the show’s taping on an in-house monitor.

One of the show’s guests just happened to be Laura Fink, Filner’s former employee who spoke out in the summer of 2013 with allegations of sexual harassment.

Fink, who worked for Congressman Bob Filner in 2005, told NBC 7 she had an uncomfortable run-in when she says he asked her to turn around and then touched her backside.

After the show’s taping, Fink left the studio without speaking to Filner. She later posted an update to Twitter about the run-in with her former boss.

Filner resigned from office in August 2013 after months of scandal.

More than a dozen women accused him of inappropriate behavior.

In October 2013, he pleaded guilty to felony false imprisonment and two misdemeanor charges of battery involving victims of sexual harassment and completed 90 days of house arrest.

If you're not insured, there's still time to sign up for health coverage this year under Obamacare before the Sunday, Feb. 15, deadline.

The Obama administration projects that more than 9 million Americans will sign up by Sunday's deadline. That's up from the 7 million it estimates got insurance through the Affordable Care Act last year, cutting the number of uninsured from 17 percent at the end of 2013 to 12.9 percent at the end of 2014.

Here are six things to know about Obamacare enrollment before the Feb. 15 deadline.

Enrollment Is Off Without a Hitch

The 2015 enrollment effort is running more smoothly than it did when the insurance marketplaces first debuted in 2013.

The federal HealthCare.gov website and state-based sites experienced no major meltdowns during the current enrollment period, and wait times at call centers have improved, too.

But there are other concerns and issues to keep in mind when signing up for health care.

You May Have Trouble Getting Covered If You Miss the Deadline

In the first open enrollment period, from late 2013 to early 2014, insurance exchanges extended deadlines for many people, mostly due to technical glitches that slowed the application process.

Since the system is running more smoothly this time around, it may be more difficult to get the deadline extended.

Still, there are some exceptions if you miss the deadline. Certain life events — like getting married, having a child, becoming a legal resident or citizen of the U.S. or being denied Medicaid or Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP) — can qualify you for a special enrollment period. 

The next open enrollment period is expected to begin in October and may end in December, rather than extending into 2016.

The Obamacare Law Faces a New Threat

The Affordable Care Act offers subsidized private health insurance to people who don’t have access to coverage at work, but about 8 million people could lose that financial assistance later in the year.

The Supreme Court is set to consider a case, King v. Burwell, in which Obamacare opponents argue that the law's wording lets the federal government pay health care subsidies only in states that have set up their own insurance exchanges, according to The Associated Press — something that most states haven’t done. The people who wrote the law, however, say it provides subsidies to people in every state.

Should the plaintiffs win the case, people in the 37 states where the federal government is running insurance markets could lose their subsidies. The court is expected to rule on the case in late June.

Some Could Face Stiff Premium Hikes

Many consumers who already signed up for Obamacare may experience a sticker shock during this enrollment period. They could see their premiums increase sharply if they automatically re-enroll in their current plans, instead of choosing new, lower-priced versions.

Learn if you qualify for lower costs on health insurance coverage here.

There's a Tax Penalty This Time

This if the first year consumers have to consider their health insurance at tax time. If you don’t have health care coverage in 2015, you’ll have to pay a penalty when you file your 2015 federal income tax return in 2016.

Federal health officials predict that 2 to 4 percent of taxpayers will end up paying a fine, which amounts to $95 per adult ($47.50 per child), up to $285 for a family, for the 2014 tax year. The penalties go up to a minimum of $325 per adult for the 2015 calendar year and $695 per adult for the 2016 calendar year.

There are exemptions from the fee for not having health care coverage — for instance, if you're uninsured for only one or two consecutive months of the year, if you were covered by May 1 of last year, or if the cheapest available coverage would have cost more than 8 percent of your household's income.

You Must Be Able to Prove Your Legal Status

You must be able to prove your legal status to qualify for Obamacare, health officials have warned.

About 200,000 people will be dropped from insurance policies at the end of February because they have been unable to prove they are legally living in the U.S., the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services said. That's in addition to 112,000 people were dropped from their plans in September.

The story of the Carmel Valley couple victimized in a smear campaign launched by the former "Mother of the Year" who wanted to buy their home is featured in People magazine.

Jerry Rice and Janice Ruhter spoke out at the sentencing hearing for Kathy Rowe, who admitted to felony stalking charges in November.

Rowe's actions included posting an online advertisement inviting men for a "Carmel Valley Freak Show" at the couple's address.

Now, the couple is sharing their story with the popular magazine, explaining how they were embarrassed and apologizing as they met their new neighbors.

That's because Rowe carried out a series of perverse pranks on them because she was jealous they got the house she wanted.

"It was more to give the connotation that they were wild or partiers," Rowe told People magazine in this week's edition. 

Two men actually responded to the ad, and one showed up at the Carmel Valley home. 

Rowe also sent over $1,000 worth of unsolicited magazines and books to the victims’ home, posted an online ad for a high school New Year’s Eve party and advertised a free Mexican fireworks giveaway on the Fourth of July at the home. She also sent Valentine’s Day cards in Rice’s name to other women in the neighborhood, listed the house for sale and asked religious groups to visit, the complaint said.

The 53-year-old's defense attorney says mounting stress over caring for a sick husband and disabled daughter pushed Rowe, who was named one of “San Diego’s 50 Best Moms” in 2006 by Time Warner Cable, to snap in an unusual way.

The judge sentenced her to a year of home electronic surveillance and five years’ probation.

Meantime, Rice and Ruhter are undergoing counseling and on medication as a result of Rowe's actions.

Rice said he has been diagnosed with PTSD.

Read more about the couple in this article in People.

The daughter of a 70-year-old sexual assault victim spoke out against her perpetrator after he was sentenced to 25 years to life in a San Diego courtroom Friday.

John Wilson Kreischer, 68, was arrested in July after he forced himself on a 70-year-old woman, kissing and fondling her at her home in Jacumba, the San Diego County Sheriff’s Department said.

The victim's daughter called Kreischer a "broken" and "defective" human at the sentencing.

Because of Kreischer's criminal history and the number of strikes against him, he was sentenced to 25 years to life for the felony sexual assault.

Kreischer also had a misdemeanor simple battery charge, but the judge said he felt the punishment was harsh enough.

When Kreischer assaulted the victim, he was on California State parole for a 2009 arrest for failing to register as a sex offender.

He has a criminal record including rape by force or threat, lewd acts with a child under 14 and assault with intent to commit a specific sexual offense.

Kreischer continued to claim his innocence even after his sentencing, saying he was only trying to help the victim make beef stew.

In an emotional remembrance ceremony Friday evening, the San Diego State Aztecs baseball team retired the number Tony Gwynn wore as a coach there for more than a decade.

The Hall of Famer wore the number 3 as an SDSU player, so that number is already retired there, but he became famous as a Padre wearing the number 19. Because he continued to wear that number as a coach, 19 was also retired Friday.

The ceremony took place just before the Aztecs’ 2015 season opener against Valparaiso. Gwynn's brother Chris and son, Tony Jr., attended in his honor, sharing stories about the iconic player and the lasting impact he had on the school.

Tony Jr. told NBC 7 it was an emotional night for him. While appreciated, these events can be hard, he said.

When asked if occasions like this reopen wounds of loss, he told NBC 7, "Yes and no. I think at this point, it's about my dad's life and his legacy here at San Diego State, so yeah, it becomes emotional at times, but at the same time, I try to enjoy the good stories and the positive memories that everybody has of my father."

When the SDSU season continued last year, Gwynn Jr. said it was hard for him to be there. Now, he finds the stories people share with him about his dad therapeutic, part of the "healing process."

"I think he's looking down now extremely proud of the legacy he left behind," Gwynn Jr. said. "More importantly, I think the people of San Diego all feel a part of it, and it makes it that much more of a family situation."

And taking part in remembering Gwynn was a packed house at the field named after him. Mr. Padre's son did color commentary for the radio broadcast of Friday's game.

Padres manager Bud Black, a college teammate of Gwynn's at SDSU, was also on hand for the ceremony.

"You know, this has been a tough year for all of us in San Diego. There's no doubt about that. It's been rough," said Black. "But Friday night will be another opportunity for us to honor Tony as an Aztec." 

To add to the pomp and circumstance, organizers revealed new artwork on the wall behind right field showing Gwynn along with SDSU Golden Spikes winners Stephen Strasburg and Travis Lee. The Golden Spikes Award is given to the best player in NCAA baseball each year.

The tributes to Gwynn will continue this weekend. On Saturday, the baseball team will sponsor an event to raise awareness of cancer, and on Sunday, the SDSU players and coaches will host a West Covina Little League clinic — an organization close to Gwynn’s heart.

The iconic San Diego Padres player died June 16, 2014, of salivary gland cancer at the age of 54.

New York City has hit a record for the longest homicide-free stretch since the NYPD began tracking that data in 1994.

The NYPD says it’s been 11 days since the city has seen a murder.

Police say 10-day, homicide-free stretches have happened before, including one period in 2014, but this is the first recorded 11-day stretch.

The last recorded murder in the city happened at a Hamilton Heights deli on Super Bowl Sunday, according to the New York Post.

A 28-year-old man was shot in the head and four others were injured.

The star of a popular reality TV show on MTV was one of eight women arrested in a prostitution bust in Delaware.

Valerie Fairman, 21, of Coatesville, Pennsylvania, was arrested Thursday for prostitution and issued a criminal summons pending an appearance in court, police said. Fairman appeared on season 2 of MTV's “16 and Pregnant." 

Along with Fairman, Brooke Hatfield, 23, of Wilmington; Stephanie Brown, 26, of Newark, Delaware; Dawn Price, 32, of Newark, Delaware; Jaquya Fairley, 34, of New Castle, Delaware; Lindsey Taylor, 30, of Newark, Delaware; Kristina Weaver, 33, of New Castle, Delaware; and Leslie Larkin, 54, of Wilmington, Delaware, were also arrested in the bust.

The arrests were part of a multi-agency operation initiative targeting prostitution in New Castle County.

Delaware State Police, the Wilmington Police Department and other law enforcement agencies targeted the areas of Maryland Avenue south of Wilmington and New Castle Avenue in New Castle.

The areas were targeted after police received several complaints from citizens reporting prostitution and other crimes.

Information on the suspects' attorneys is not immediately available.

This Valentine's Day holiday will be anything but "ruff" for the children and elderly patients at two Southern California hospitals thanks to some extra-loving pups.

A group of therapy dogs donning valentine costumes delivered custom-made Valentine's Day cards to the patients at Mattel Children's Hospital UCLA in Westwood and UCLA Medical Center in Santa Monica.

"I'm sure that all these kids here on this floor aren't smiling about too many things, with whatever procedures they've had, but with bringing the dogs in like this, it's kind of brought a smile to their face, and in turn it brings smiles to parents' face," said Chris Sanders, whose son suffers from epilepsy and has undergone brain surgery.

"You know, sitting here with your child can be a little heartbreaking, seeing whatever it is that they've been going through," Sanders said. "But every little smile counts."

The pooches are part of UCLA's People-Animal Connection (PAC), a program that has visited more than 100,000 patients since it started in 1994, according to their website.

One of the dogs, a Labrador retriever named Bubbles, visited a 17-year-old boy with kidney failure, said Kim Irwin, UCLA Health Sciences spokeswoman.

Irwin said the teen was happy to see Bubble, and that he said this year, he had a valentine.

The event aims to give the patients a reminder of what "normal" life outside of a hospital is like, Irwin said.

"What’s more normal than a dog?" she said.

This is PAC's third annual Valentine's Day celebration, Irwin said. The dogs also visit the UCLA medical centers on a regular basis, and for holidays including Halloween and Christmas.

Two members of the Oceanside senior volunteer patrol on a routine patrol may have saved a woman’s life when they heard her calls for help.

Francesca Johnson and Melody Burch proudly put on their volunteer patrol uniforms and badges every Friday. Much of their time is spent cruising through neighborhoods, carrying out routine “You are not alone” (YANA) checks.

“That’s one of our duties, to go visit the homebound seniors who have no relatives to check in on them or friends,” said Johnson.

So last Friday, they knocked on the door of a woman named Shirley. No one answered, but the two heard a dog inside barking. Then, they noticed a faint cry for help.

While Burch radioed for aid, Johnson went around the back to investigate.

"I used my key to open up the screen and luckily there was a little ladder there, so got on that,” said Johnson. “[Burch] helped me, and I went through the kitchen and [Shirley had] fallen between her restroom and living room."

Shirley had reportedly broken her hip, and she couldn’t get to a phone. The two stayed with her until paramedics arrived.

It was just by chance that Burch and Johnson checked on her; Shirley’s next check was not scheduled until Monday.

“Who knows what would’ve happened,” said neighbor Bill Fore. “They wouldn’t have found her.”

A week later, neighbors in the 55 and older retirement community aren’t the only ones applauding Johnson and Burch’s efforts. The Oceanside Police Department is raving about their alert response, and they hope others like them will sign up to wear the badge as well.

The department said the numbers in the Senior Volunteer Patrol Program have started to dwindle in recent years, so they’re hoping to draw in some new recruits.
 

Police say a man intentionally threw himself in front of a moving car in Brooklyn in what police believe was a faked accident captured on surveillance video, obtained exclusively by NBC 4 New York. 

The driver of the Lexus SUV was traveling near 98th Street and Livonia Avenue in Brooklyn on February 4 when she told NBC 4 New York she saw a shadow appear in front of her.

"I immediately slam on the brakes and then I see a man jump on top of my hood and bounce onto the ground," said the woman who asked to be identified only as Jennifer. 

"I was very horrified. Immediately I was panicking," she said. 

Jennifer checked on the man and called 911. 

But when she saw the footage of the incident, it became clear to her -- and to police -- that it was staged. 

The man was standing in between cars for nearly 30 minutes. Then, with traffic whizzing by in both directions, he leaned out and jumped onto Jennifer's SUV.

"He leaped onto my car," she said. "There is no damage on the grill or the bumper, only on top of the hood." 

Police arrested 50-year-old Andre Richardson on charges of reckless endangerment and filing a false report. Richardson has more than 20 arrests on his record, but none for incidents like this one. 

Law enforcement sources said they believe Richardson was shopping for a victim and that he intentionally threw himself in front of the car. It's possible he was looking for insurance money, the sources said. 

His sister Debora Richardson told NBC 4 New York Friday, "That's not him. He's not like a person trying to profit from it." 

Richardson said her brother has never been hit by a car before and she maintains this was an accident, not a crime. 

"He was going for the bus because he was going to take care of his business and he said that's just what happened," she said. "It's not like he just threw himself out there." 

Jennifer, who has to pay the deductible for the damage to her car, wonders if there are other victims like her. 

"I don't want this to happen to anybody else, to go through the stress and horror," she said. 

Advanced machines used by county toxicologists which detects thousands more drugs than standard drug tests have found seven new designer drugs never before detected in San Diego, and some never before seen in the U.S.

The tests allow toxicologists to identify drugs purposely designed to go undetected.

In the cases of at least five deaths in the past year, six new synthetic drugs modified to mimic heroin, bath salts, ecstasy and PCP were found.

"A drug thought to be heroin by the user turned out to be much more powerful opioid was called acetylfentany," said San Diego County Medical Examiner Iain McIntyre. "Its about ten times stronger than heroin, and someone who's taking what they think a normal dose of heroin is actually getting a huge overdose."

The machine only takes a small amount of extract from the deceased, then separates drugs based on their chemical nature, McIntyre told NBC 7.

These new drugs are assumed to have been purchased over the internet, causing a problem drug treatment specialists say is difficult to treat and detect in their clients.

"Just a regular drug test over to a lab, for example, they check for alcohol, they check an ETG, they check for benzos, cannabis levels, things like that," said Judy Saalinger from Lasting Recovery.

Saalinger said the average drug test costs about $20.

But to extend the test to detect designer drugs such as spice, the price goes up another $35-40 per drug, per test.

The county is making efforts to warn the public about the use of synthetic drugs in hopes to prevent future deaths.

"You don't know what you're getting," McIntyre said. "You might get a response from a drug you got on the internet, try it again, and this time you might have a different drug altogether."

A probation and parole sweep conducted by the San Diego Sheriff's Department and San Diego Metropolitan Transit System netted nearly three dozen arrests in the East County Thursday.

The two agencies worked together covering Santee, Lakeside and unincorporated El Cajon, ensuring suspects were in compliance with the terms of their release, the Sheriff's office said.

Deputies patrolled high-crime areas determined by information-led policing, they said.

The probation and parole compliance operation netted 32 arrests.

A search warrant served during the operation led officers to the seizure of 30 grams of methamphetamine and 19 grams of heroin.

Deputies said they also confiscated $1,500 in cash, a stolen gun and gun parts, all related to a case Santee Detectives are handling.

A stolen utility trailer was returned to its owner at the scene and 200 gold bars were also seized, valued at $14,000, the Sheriff's Department said.

The property found during the operation is believed to be related to other burglaries in the East County area, and an investigation is pending with the Santee Sheriff's Station.

Anyone with information is asked to call the Sheriff's Department non-emergency line at 858-565-5200 or contact San Diego Crime Stoppers at 888-580-8477 or by clicking here.

A local family is going to trial over a lawsuit they filed against the San Diego Unified School District, claiming their special needs child was forced to urinate on a school bus and accusing the bus driver of touching him inappropriately.

Court documents state that in January 2012, a special needs student on his way home from Riley Elementary School was forced to expose himself and urinate on the bus.

The claim says the bus driver took photos and video of the child’s exposed penis with his phone and then touched the boy, who was 8 years old at the time, in a sexual manner.

The school district, in an answer to the January 2013 complaint, denied all charges made by the family. No arrests have been made. A spokeswoman for the school district said on Friday she could not comment on ongoing litigation.

NBC 7 Investigates is not naming the bus driver, who is listed as a defendant in the lawsuit along with the school district, because the allegations have not been substantiated by a court, and no criminal charges have been filed.

A family member of the boy reported the incident to the San Diego Police Department a week after it happened, according to a district spokeswoman. The SDPD declined to release the report to NBC 7 Investigates.

Some of its school buses had cameras on them in 2012, according to the SDUSD, but not on the one on which this alleged incident occurred. All new buses are equipped with cameras, and the district is installing cameras on old buses as the budget permits.

The accused bus driver is still working at the district as a bus driver, transporting children to and from school. Recent payroll data indicates he makes about $54,000 a year in total pay and benefits.

This case was set to go to trial next week, but the school district tells NBC 7 Investigates both parties asked for it to be moved to May 15.

Parent and former SDUSD teacher Judy Neufeld-Fernandez has been pushing the school district for better protections for children.

“Every single bus must have a camera on it,” she said. “Employees are protected that way, and students are protected that way.”

In an effort to recruit and retain good officers, the San Diego Police Officers Association approved a five-year, $92 million contract after weeks of negotiations with city leaders.

About 88 percent of the SDPOA membership supported the agreement, which includes 3.3 percent pay raises to come in the final two years of the five-year plan. The raise is half that proposed in the tentative contract announced last week.

SDPOA representatives say low pay has discouraged top notch candidates from applying to the San Diego Police Department, and many experienced officers have been enticed away by better-paying agencies. The problem has eroded the department to “dangerously low staffing levels,” the SDPOA says.

"This ratification is an important step forward for our department," said Brian Marvel, president of the SDPOA, in a statement. "This contract is geared toward addressing the recruiting and retention issues our department has faced for several years.

The city has budgeted for 2,013 officers, but the SDPD has employed about 100 fewer than that in recent years. The SDPOA hopes to up that number to 2,100 officers by 2018.

The pay increase will come out of the city’s general fund.

"Every San Diegan deserves to live in a safe neighborhood,” said Mayor Kevin Faulconer. “Working with the brave men and women of the San Diego Police Department, we're going to rebuild our police force and get more officers on the street, working with our communities and keeping us safe.”

The San Diego City Council now must ratify the contract for it to go into effect.

A car chase culminated in a fatal officer-involved shooting in San Bernardino Friday afternoon after multiple assaults on police officers, authorities said.

Officers were pursuing the driver of a stolen white Scion at the time, according to Lt. Richard Lawhead of the San Bernardino Police Department.

Cell phone video provided by witnesses shows an initial stop on the freeway after the stolen car was rammed by a police car.

After a little more than a minute of being surounded by officers, the suspect drove off in the stolen Scion. He allegedly caused multiple accidents in trying to evade police.

At one point, the driver aimed the car at officers, San Bernardino Police Chief Jarrod Burguan said.

Police said the owner reported the SUV stolen from a health care center in Banning, 40 miles from San Bernardino, and then it was tracked down by GPS. During the chase, the driver was throwing items out of the car window, including a laptop. It's not yet clear if the man was armed.

A second cell phone video shows the moments when the chase ended near the 215 Freeway's University Parkway exit, about a mile from the first stop, where the man was fatally shot following a standoff with officers. Police said he tried to use the car to ram the officers and they had no choice but to open fire.

No officers were injured.

Five officers shot at the suspect, firing off at least 18 rounds.

Witnesses said they could not believe what they were seeing. At least two dozen drivers were stopped about 40 yards from where the shooting happened.

"Just a lot of adrenaline, man. We got scared. You know, we were just watching the whole thing. It was surreal," said Thomas Rivera, who was on the freeway behind the officers during the standoff.

Another witness said the whole drama unfolded quickly.

"Everybody just stopped... and started shooting as soon as they got out of the car," said Jose Garcia.

"They gave him a chance to surrender, he didn't take it and they unloaded into the vehicle," another witness said.

The northbound 215 in the area of the incident at University Parkway remained closed while police investigated. Drivers were being asked to avoid the area and were being rerouted onto surface streets and the 210 Freeway. It reopened at 12:30 a.m. Saturday.

Frustrated drivers were stuck in the traffic mayhem as they headed into a three-day weekend.

"He died over a car, huh?" said Freddie Maraz as he waited to get through the gridlock.

Others headed long distances said they knew it was going to take some time.

Ariel Arellano was heading to Las Vegas.

"It's going to be a long night," she said.

Police are asking for anyone with cellphone video of the incident to contact the San Bernardino Police Department.

Lolita Lopez, Hetty Chang, Rosa Ordaz and Nyree Arabian contributed to this story.

A fire at an apartment complex in El Cajon was extinguished early Saturday, fire officials said.

The fire happened at approximately 8:47 a.m. on the 200 block of Roanoke Road in El Cajon, Heartland Fire officials said.

Firefighters on scene found smoke coming from an upstairs bedroom in a two-story condominium unit. They extinguished the flames within ten minutes, Heartland fire officials said.

The San Diego branch of the American Red Cross will be assisting two adults were displaced by the fire. No injuries were reported.

The cause of the fire is under investigation.

A moviegoer disabled by multiple sclerosis found herself stranded on a second floor mall patio after a late night show when security shut down the escalators and elevators.

The incident happened Saturday, February 7 at the Chula Vista Center. Veronica Shelton and her husband Chris were outraged to learn security had shut down the escalators and elevators before the late showing of American Sniper ended.

Veronica has multiple sclerosis, a disease that causes muscle weakness and great pain. She suffers from dizzy spells and vertigo. Descending such a height without powered assistance could be life threatening with such a disability.

“I felt embarrassed and I felt like, I swear I felt the people right on top of me that night when I was trying to get down in a safe manner,” Veronica said.

Last Sunday the couple left the AMC theater on the second floor of the Chula Vista Center just after one in the morning.

They said the mall lights were out and the escalators and elevators were shut down.

“There was never any thought given to people who may need those services,” Chris said.

Chris said they were told on-duty security shut off the power because there were so few cars in the parking lot.

The couple said their vehicle was parked in the handicap space.

“Them making a judgment call like that. It wasn't right,” Veronica said.

Chula Vista Center security would not return calls from NBC 7. They told the couple, though, that the lights, escalators and elevators would be working till two am from now on.

“They seemed like they genuinely wanted to make a change there,” Chris said.

The Sheltons didn't want a lawsuit or federal disability watchdog intervention. They just want to keep the drama of movie night in the theater, they said.

“Honestly that is all we want, for this not to happen to anyone else,” Veronica said.

Veronica had to get down from the top floor without escalator assistance, but said she hopes her struggle will pay off for others with disabilities wanting a normal night out.

The Sheltons remain a little apprehensive about returning to the theater, but said they will be back. The theater has been one of their favorite date night spots for a long time.