A fugitive was shot while attempting to run down a law enforcement officer serving a felony warrant in Alpine Tuesday, San Diego County Sheriff’s Department officials said.

The shooting occurred just after 11 a.m. inside the Alpine Oaks condo complex on Arnold Way between Rip Van Winkle and Quail Crest roads, south of Interstate 8.

Twelve members of a joint Fugitive Task Force, including members from the Border Patrol, Sheriff's Office, California Highway Patrol, U.S. Marshalls Office and the Department of Corrections, were in the area serving a felony warrant on a 25-year-old man, said Lt. John Maryon with the SDSO.

The members were surveying a blue 2004 Ford Excursion outside the apartment complex when, shortly after 11 a.m., the suspect came out of the vehicle and instead off surrendering, got into an SUV and started to back up toward an agent's car with multiple agents inside, Maryon said. 

Four agents got out of the car and opened fire, Maryon said, though he did not say how many shots were fired. 

One witness told NBC 7 that she heard approximately 15 shots and saw a man taken from the scene by ambulance.

"I heard gunshots,” said condo resident Barbra Louis. “Quite a few.”

She estimated 12 or 15 gunshots rang out. Then, she said she heard yelling by law enforcement officers. 

“I didn’t know what was going on,” Louis said. “It was very frightening as you can imagine.”

Maryon said one bullet went into an apartment, where someone was home at the time, though that person was not hit, Maryon said. 

The suspect was hit multiple times in the upper body and taken to Scripps Mercy Hospital with serious injuries, Maryon said. He underwent surgery for his injuries, Maryon said. 

Several windows of an SUV were shot out in the gunfire.

Louis said she noticed the SUV parked in the complex for several days because it was not one she recognized.

The fugitive was taken to a nearby hospital, officials said. No details were released on the man’s condition.

The task force was made up of officers from the California Highway Patrol, the U.S. Marshal’s Office, U.S. Border Patrol and sheriff’s deputies.

While it’s not clear who fired at the fugitive, the sheriff’s department stated deputies were not involved in the shooting.

Check back for updates on this developing story. 

A jackknifed truck on State Route 52 is causing miles of backup, the California Highway Patrol said. 

The incident happened at approximately 3:53 p.m. Tuesday when a truck towing a trailer jackknifed and went the wrong way on the freeway.

A Sig alert has been issued for the eastbound lanes of State route 52 at Cuyamaca Street. 

It was unclear if there were any injuries. 

Check back for updates on this developing story. 

Several CIA-sponsored presentations over a two-year period reportedly described attempts at decrypting security in Apple mobile and laptop devices, according to reports.

Abstracts of the presentations were reported on The Intercept Tuesday, citing documents that were leaked by Edward Snowden, the former U.S. National Security Agency contractor who now lives in exile in the former U.S.S.R. From the reports, it seems that attempts at hacking Apple products went back as far as 2010 at an annual conference called the Trusted Computing Base Jamboree, which is sponsored by the CIA's information operations center, the Intercept reported.

The same conference continued to talk about ways to bypass security on Apple devices, according to the report.

The government has complained about increased default encryption in mobile devices and the Internet that makes "lawful electronic surveillance impossible," according to Computerworld. Instead, the FBI and others would like encryption that could be bypassed for government requests for data. However, building this "backdoor" could be leaving a security exploit open for hackers.

In short, the government seems like it's been trying to hack into Apple's system without permission. Since the government can simply request information, we don't know why it would have to break into Apple's system to procure information unless the request was denied or deemed unlawful. Apple chief Tim Cook has previously said he doesn't want a government "backdoor" through the system because he doesn't want to invite the government onto Apple's servers. It's probably a wise move, but the U.S. government could find its way there with or without permission.

Point Loma residents are fighting to change what they call a dangerous intersection, the scene of a stroller crash that left an infant dead and a father with serious injuries.

Last week, Juniper Aavang and her father were hit by an SUV while crossing Canon Street at a marked crosswalk. The mother made it across, but the driver of the SUV turning from Catalina Boulevard did not see the father and stroller.

On Tuesday, a family friend urged the City Council to do something about the intersection.

"We're here to make sure that Juniper's death is not in vain,” said Marisa Smith, a Point Loma resident. “That the city listens, that they change that intersection and that once again families in the Point Loma community can feel safe about letting their children walk.”

Neighbors in the area want to see Canon Street closed from Talbot to Catalina and are proposing a small park in memory of Juniper.

An NBC 7 map of accidents in Point Loma shows at least eight other accidents in that exact same area in the past few years. There have been 78 other accidents in the general vicinity of that intersection. None of those were fatal, according to police data, though 96 people have been injured.

Residents in the area said they want to propose a small park in memory of Juniper and hope to meet with city traffic engineers and Councilwoman Laurie Zapf to possibly come up with a plan to move forward. 

Are you ready for the Madness? Selection Sunday for the men’s NCAA basketball tournament arrives on March 15. As you ready a bracket for the office pool, here are tips for picking teams and other info you should know.

You Can't Get a Perfect Bracket, So Have Fun With It

A mathematics professor at DePaul University, Jeff Bergen, has pegged the odds of picking a perfect bracket at less than 1 in 9.2 quintillion (or 9,223,372,036,854,775,808). That's like flipping a coin and having it coming up heads 63 times in a row, he told the Chicago Tribune.

For those with knowledge of the teams, the odds increase to about 1 in 128 billion, he's said.  

If you know nothing about basketball and want to annoy your fanatic best friend, try these methods and see how far you make it.

Choose by mascot: pit the Kentucky Wildcats against the Villanova Wildcats or the Gonzaga Bulldogs verses the Butler Bulldogs. A fan of nuts? Maybe the Ohio Buckeyes should be your selection for the big win.

Choose by color: If blue is your favorite, you could have your pick of many teams. Kentucky, Duke, Villanova, Kansas, North Carolina and Butler all make the top 25 in The Associated Press rankings and have some element of blue on their uniforms. Is yellow more your style? There’s Wichita State, Maryland, Iowa State or West Virginia, to name a few.

Want a chance to win a $20,000 Best Buy gift card and a trip to the 2015 Maui Invitational? Try your hand at the ESPN Men’s Tournament Challenge. Other bracket challenges also offer big prizes, such as six-figure cash payouts and a trip to the Final Four.

Cinderella Is Ready to Ball

Upsets happen. So-called “Cinderella” teams beat out higher seeds and play further into the tournament than expected. That's why we love March Madness.

Last season, who would have thought that No. 7 UConn would cut down the nets? But the Huskies steamrolled through five teams under first-year head coach Kevin Ollie to reach the national championship. 

Little-known Mercer also made a name for itself in 2014, continuing the Atlantic Sun Conference’s firepower that Florida Gulf Coast started in 2013. Mercer earned its first NCAA Tournament automatic berth since 1985 and the 14th-seeded Bears shocked Hall of Famer Head Coach Mike Krzyzewski by beating his third-seeded Duke Blue Devils.

In 2013, FGCU put the A-Sun on a wider map when the Eagles earned their first NCAA Tournament automatic berth. Seeded 15th for the big dance, the Eagles went on to stun No. 2 Georgetown in the second round, becoming just the seventh No. 15 seed to beat a No. 2. They then became the first 15 seed to ever reach the Sweet 16 after shutting down No. 7 San Diego State in the third round.

When filling out your bracket don’t assume that seeds determine destiny. Try picking a 16 or 13 seed to go above and beyond. It happens.

Unlucky No. 16

That said, a No. 16 seed has never won a tournament game in the round of 64, according to a USA Today article. But last season No. 16 Weber State came close, falling to No. 1 Arizona by a score of 68-59.

A No. 15 seed has beaten a No. 2 seed seven times. The three most recent surprises have been FGCU over Georgetown, 78-68 (2013), Lehigh over Duke, 75-70 (2012) and Norfolk State over Missouri 86-84 (2012).

Barack-etology

According to ESPN, 9.2 percent of brackets had the same Final Four selections as President Barack Obama last year, making it the most popular combination.

Obama projected Michigan State would defeat defending champion Louisville in the title game. The Spartans lost in the regional finals, while the Cardinals failed to make the finals.

Drop in Office Productivity Can Cost Billions

Last season, the total number of live hours streamed on March Madness Live reached 15.1 million hours, according to job firm Challenger, Gray & Christmas.

The firm also reported that eighty-six percent of respondents to a 2012 MSN survey said they devote at least part of their workday to updating brackets, checking scores and following games. If that number holds true this March Madness, more than 119 million workers will be distracted.

But all those hours surrounding basketball fever in the office can cost companies lost wages, Challenger, Gray & Christmas reported. Between $545.2 million to $1.24 billion could be lost for each hour spent on March Madness activities, using the average hourly earning of $24.78 for private sector employees.

Will Kentucky go all the way?

Last season’s runner-up Kentucky concluded its perfect regular season at 31-0. If the Wildcats can dominate during the SEC Tournament that starts on March 13 and eventually win the national championship, they will accomplish a feat not seen since 1976, when Indiana won the title standing at 32-0.

Since 1976, seven teams with two losses have won the national championship, including Kentucky (1978, 30-2), North Carolina (1982, 32-2), Duke (1992, 34-2), UCLA (1995, 31-2), Kentucky (1996, 34-2), Connecticut (1999, 34-2) and Kentucky (2012, 38-2).

This weekend could be exceptionally bad for people who suffer from pollen allergies.

Pollen counts in San Diego are now in the “medium” to “high” range, and are expected to worsen this weekend. Even those that don’t typically suffer from allergies may feel the effects.

It is possible that your itchy, watery eyes or runny nose may be the result of an abnormally high pollen count.

“Allergic reactions to pollen are, of course, strongest when plants around you begin to bloom. And we’re at that point,” said NBC 7 meteorologist Jodi Kodesh. “We’re about to enter spring, and warm places, like Southern California, are first up to bat. Northern parts of the state bloom later.”

Besides the obvious springtime bloom-related to allergies, our weather this year is making it worse.

“The pollen count is lowest in periods of wet weather, and most prominent in dry, windy weather. Unfortunately, we’ve been very dry. Add to that our shifting winds as we head into another Santa Ana wind and heat event, and conditions are only going to get worse.”

San Diego’s pollen count will reach “high” levels Thursday, and “very high” levels on Saturday and Sunday.

“During this time frame, it is not a good idea to open your windows or spend prolonged time outside if you suffer from pollen allergies,” Kodesh said. “And don’t forget: many pets suffer from pollen allergies, too.”

A San Diego man said he was "just being stupid" when he stole a California Highway Patrol cruiser and crashed it, prompting a manhunt in Fallbrook.

CHP Officer Mike Lassig said Aaron Akira Teruya, 25, was involved in a crash on the Interstate 15 in Riverside County at about 3:10 p.m. Tuesday. Witnesses say he collided with a truck pulling a trailer.

The officer on scene determined Teruya had been driving under the influence, so he arrested the suspect, handcuffing him and placing him in the front passenger seat of his CHP SUV. That vehicle did not have a cage to place a suspect in, Lassig said.

But while the officer was interviewing the other person involved in the crash, Teruya hopped in the driver's seat and took off.

"I just put the cuffs in front of me and I got it out in front, put it in gear, and then the next thing you know I was driving," Teruya told NBC 7.

The officer jumped in the tow truck that had arrived and asked the driver to chase Teruya down. 

In the stolen CHP cruiser, Teruya drove south on I-15, turned westbound on State Route 76 and veered on to a dirt road east of Gird Road.

He collided with a rock, stopping the CHP vehicle and forcing him to take off on foot, still wearing the handcuffs. San Diego County Sheriff's deputies, K9 units and helicopters were called in to help find him. Patrol vehicle GPS and a witness from a local tow company both helped locate the patrol car off State Route 76. 

"He hunkered down some place in the wooded area," said Lassig. "As you can see, it's a very thick brush, tree area, but helicopters were able to pin point him eventually."

After about an hour and a half later, Teruya was taken into custody. He was taken to Southwest Jail in Riverside County and will face charges of driving under the influence, resisting arrest and stolen vehicle charges. 

As he was escorted to another CHP cruiser — this one with a cage — he told NBC 7 he only had one beer and was not driving under the influence.

As for why he stole the SUV? "I was just being stupid and didn't really want to go to jail," he said.

Teruya will be booked into a Riverside County jail on charges of DUI, stealing a vehicle and resisting arrest.

Two young men were arrested Tuesday following a lockdown at Scripps Ranch High School prompted after school security guards saw the suspects on campus, one of whom was possibly armed with a gun.

San Diego police officers scoured the school and the surrounding area at around 11 a.m. via ground crews and a police helicopter.

By 11:40 am., San Diego Unified School District (SDUSD) officials confirmed the high school had been placed on lockdown.

Meanwhile, police officers detained and arrested two juveniles. One was taken into custody on campus and the second suspect was arrested less than one mile away from the school.

One witness told NBC 7 police pulled the second suspect out of a swimming pool where he appeared to be hiding at a nearby apartment complex.

“They were arguing with him, because he was fighting them,” the witness explained. “I’m glad they caught him. It was pretty scary.”

At around noon, SDUSD officials shared this message on their Twitter page: "Scripps Ranch HS parents. Please do not come to campus. Students cannot be released during a lockdown. All students are safe."

Officials lifted the lockdown by 12:30 p.m. After everything was said and done, Capt. Joe Florentino of the San Diego Unified Police Department said the lockdown was in place for a total of 90 minutes.

Florentino said the security guard who reported the suspects on campus told police the young men were acting suspicious. The guard said he saw one of the suspects hiding "something in his shirt," possibly a weapon.

When the guard tried talking to the suspects, they ran away, Florentino said. One was detained on campus right away while the other was arrested a short time later off campus.

School police said neither suspect is a student at Scripps Ranch High School. As of right now, no weapon has been recovered.

The incident left both Scripps Ranch High School students and parents on edge.

Senior Katie Mohns told NBC 7 she was in the nurse's office when she heard news of the lockdown over the school loudspeaker. At first she thought it was a drill, but soon realized it was the real thing.

Mohns said school staffers quickly pulled students into classrooms and told them to stay away from all of the windows and doors. She said she couldn't help but feel frightened.

“It was like the scariest moment of my life. I kind of broke down and started crying like a little girl," she said. "The staff made me feel safe though, so it was fine. The staff did a pretty good job of keeping us safe and calm.”

Mohns said she never thought she would actually have to go through a campus lockdown. The student said she was extremely relieved when it was over and when she reunited with her mother after school.

Meanwhile, mother Sharmina Ali said she felt the stress of the situation while waiting for her son outside the school.

Her son -- an 11th grade student -- called Ali to tell her what was going on.

“He told me they are in lockdown. There is someone in school. I told him, ‘Turn off your cell phone; mute it and don’t pick up or anything. Just pretend – just lie on the ground,’” she said.

More than 2,200 students attend Scripps Ranch High School, which is located at 10410 Treena St.

Check back for updates on this developing story. 
 

The San Diego City Council has unanimously decided to take state lands by eminent domain in order to build a sidewalk on a dangerous stretch of road in the San Ysidro and Otay Mesa area.

An alarmingly dangerous dirt path is used by school children on a busy stretch of Old Otay Mesa Road to get to school at San Ysidro High in the Sweetwater Union High School District.

Now, the city will take a patch of state lands from the California Department of Fish and Wildlife to complete a $8.5 million project that will create a safer sidewalk for them, according to board documents.

Councilman David Alvarez, who represents that community spoke on the item.

"Everyday, kids of all ages make their way through this dangerous path," Alvarez said. "They need a sidewalk, and it is critical that we give it to them." 

The agenda says the city first tried to purchase the approximately $66,500 worth of lands where it wants to build a trail from the state agency. Gail Sevrens, a spokeswoman for the California Department of Fish and Wildlife, said they are supporting of the sidewalk project and are actively working with the city to process paperwork and do the mitigation.

While the agency does not usually give up conservation easements, Sevrens said the they are amending it this time for the sidewalk. The city will send the department a proposed mitigation plan so fish and wildlife officials can review it.

According to Sevrens, reviews usually do not take long.

It's not the first time the project has stalled. City staff say they've been working to build a sidewalk there since 2002.

For student Nicolax Mauro, who walks to San Ysidro High, the dangers are apparent on a daily basis.

"It's all dirt and sometimes I kinda slip off and I kinda feel like I'll fall in," Mauro said. "They're supposed to care about our safety ... you know ... and it's really dangerous to be walking without a sidewalk or skateboarding without a sidewalk."

Sweetwater school officials have taken action to make the situation safer for kids. The district provides free school bus passes to students who would otherwise have to walk that path.

City staff says this latest development will not delay the project further. However, the last timeline the city gave NBC7 Investigates was that bids would go out late last year, and shovels will be in the ground in early 2015. Bids to build the project have not yet gone out as of March 2015.

"Someone is going to get hurt, and then the city and politicians will be motivated to act, unfortunately," said San Ysidro High Principal Hector Espinoza in a prior story about the situation.

Espinoza said the city has had ample time to work on the issue, referring to the latest eminent domain issue.

"I'm not sure why this is an issue now," Espinoza said.

City officials have shut down nearly 20 marijuana dispensaries operating without permits in the past 60 days, city officials announced Tuesday.

SoCal Holistics closed its doors last week after defying a police and court order for several weeks. It was the 18th medical marijuana dispensary to close its doors in the past 60 days.

The move comes as the San Diego City Council paves the way for a limited number of legal medical marijuana dispensaries to open after new regulations amendments were approved in January. The city’s first legal dispensary won approval at the end of January.

The city has closed approximately 250 dispensaries since 2011.

The City Attorney’s Office obtained a court order against SoCal Holisitics, located at 1150 Garnet Ave in Pacific Beach, on Feb. 13 and posted it to the property the same date.

San Diego Police went to the property a few days later, on Feb. 18, and shut it down. Officials found that the dispensary re-opened the next day. Police then returned to the property to cite a security guard for violating the court order and shut the illegal dispensary down again, they said, only to find it had re-opened the next day.

On Feb. 20, when police returned to the dispensary, they arrested the “bud tender” for violating the order. Police once again shut down the dispensary.

During this time, the dispensary’s operator, Ryan Murphy, had been in contact with the City Attorney’s Office through his lawyer. The dispensary closed last week after discussions between the two sides.

Dispensary owners that violate the law can face civil penalties.

“There is no justification for violating the law or violating a court order,” City Attorney Jan Goldsmith said in a statement. “The City of San Diego now has zoning for dispensaries under certain approved conditions and operators must follow the law. We will continue to close down dispensaries that violate the City’s zoning laws.”

Goldsmith said the City Attorney’s Office believes there are more dispensaries operating illegally and encourages anyone with information to come forward.

Complaints regarding marijuana dispensaries may be referred to the Code Enforcement Division of the City at (619) 236-5500.

Two drivers struck horses standing in the road in separate incidents overnight in Alpine.

Both collisions happened on Willows Road.

In one, a man suffered multiple cuts and other injuries. He was placed on a stretcher and taken to a nearby hospital. The horse in this collision was killed, officials said.

In the second incident, a horse suffered injuries to its legs. The driver wasn’t hurt however his truck suffered significant hood and windshield damage.

The California Highway Patrol is investigating why the horses were loose and in the road.
 

A man with a samurai-style sword was shot dead after he walked toward officers in Ontario Tuesday night.

He was gunned down following a police pursuit that ended at Fern Avenue and Phillips Street, the Ontario Police Department said.

Officers responded to a call from the man in the area of Mission Boulevard and Mountain Avenue just after 10 p.m. The caller said he had a gun and that he was suicidal.

Officers located a lone subject inside a car with the lights out. A five-minute pursuit followed before the man pulled over, got out of the vehicle and brandished a large samurai-style sword, police said.

Despite being told to put down the weapon, he walked toward the officers. When a non-lethal rubber round failed to stop him, he was shot again.

He was then taken to a hospital, where he later died.

No officers were injured.

A Los Angeles County day care center was sued Tuesday by the mothers of several young children who allege that two teachers disciplined boys by pressing push pins into their legs.

The four mothers filed the lawsuit in Los Angeles Superior Court against Tutor Time of Agoura Hills, alleging negligence, negligent supervision and hiring, failure to report abuse, assault and battery, breach of contract and both intentional and negligent infliction of emotional distress. The suit also names teachers Rosa Nepomuseno and Jessica Morales.

The adult plaintiffs are identified only as Nicole Z., Kim M., Debbie S. and Krista L. Their children also are plaintiffs and the suit seeks unspecified damages.

A woman who answered the phone at the facility and identified herself as the manager said the center has been under new ownership since August. She declined further comment.

According to the complaint, the four mothers all enrolled children under the age of 3 at the center in 2013 and 2014.

Unknown to the women, Nepomuseno and Morales "had a custom and practice of regularly using push pins to discipline toddler boys in their classrooms," the suit states. "If a boy was deemed inattentive or failed to follow directions, these teachers would stick a push pin into the child's legs."

The pins were pressed deep enough to inflict pain and injury, according to the lawsuit.

"This practice was so commonplace at Tutor Time that the defendants had given it a name; they called it 'pica pica,'" the suit states.

A daughter of one of the mothers was "made to watch the defendants inflict this brutal punishment on her twin brother, which resulted in severe mental and emotional injuries to her," the suit states.

Tutor Time released a statement in response to the claims:

"This matter was resolved prior to the company acquiring the business last year. Previously, the school was an independently owned and operated franchise. The concern was addressed by the franchise owner in conjunction with the licensing authorities. Staffing changes were made prior to the school coming under corporate ownership last year. We are not actively involved in the suit but are monitoring the situation," the statement said.

"As child advocates, we work hard to ensure our children’s wellbeing," the statement said. "We follow strict policies and procedures to ensure that we meet state guidelines of care. We train our employees regularly and emphasize the use of our positive guidance policy for behavior management."

According to the complaint, other teachers witnessed the alleged punishment inflicted by Nepomuseno and Morales, but did not report the abuses as required by law.

The county Department of Social Services conducted an investigation and determined that serious violations occurred, the suit states.

"However, the defendants again hid this information from the parent plaintiffs," the suit states.

The failure to report delayed treatment and counseling for the children, worsening their injuries and damages, the suit states.

The written contracts the adult plaintiffs signed with the center stated that their children would be provided with "the best'' in quality childcare, that only "non-physical disciplinary techniques" would be used and that all suspected child abuse would be promptly reported, the suit states.

A man was critically shot in the middle of a neighborhood in Logan Heights Tuesday night, collapsing from his wounds in front of a house, officials said.

The San Diego Police Department said the shooting happened just after 9:15 p.m. near the 2200 block of Ocean View Boulevard. Witnesses reported hearing several gunshots, police confirmed.

When officers arrived in the neighborhood they discovered an injured man lying in the front yard of a home. He had been shot at least once in the torso but was conscious, SDPD Lt. Paul Rorrison said.

The victim was taken to UCSD Medical Center but died from his injuries shortly thereafter.

According to investigators, witnesses heard an argument between several people in the area just before gunfire erupted. Several men were spotted scattering away from the scene, which leads Rorrison to believe there may have been multiple shooters involved in what he referred to as a “chaotic” incident.

Rorrison said one of the suspects was described as a man wearing a brown plaid shirt, armed with a handgun.

The lieutenant said there were many witnesses because it was a warm night out and a lot of people in the area were spending time outside. Investigators are in the process of collecting witness accounts and trying to piece together exactly what led to the fatal shooting.

Police blocked off the area for the remainder of the night and into Wednesday morning. All traffic, buses and pedestrians were re-routed.

This included resident Jerome Edwards, who lives just a few houses away from where the victim collapsed. Edwards was unable to return to his home Tuesday night after police blocked off the area for their investigation.

Edwards said he heard five to six shots before seeing police cars all over his street. He said the incident was concerning, especially because he has young children who also heard the commotion.

“It’s a little scary because, you know, I have kids. You have to be careful out here. It’s dangerous,” Edwards told NBC 7. “Hopefully they find whoever did this and it doesn’t happen again.”

Police have not yet released the victim’s name but said he’s a man in his 20s. The investigation is ongoing and anyone with information on the case should call the SDPD at (888) 580-8477.
 

The Port of San Diego has an annual economic impact of $4.4 billion, according to a study commissioned by the agency and issued March 10.

Ripple effects from all that business sent another $3.2 billion into the community, the study said.

The new study is based on 2013 data, the most recent available. The economic impact is up 8 percent since 2011.

Some 33,356 jobs — paying an average wage and benefit package of $52,000 a year — were located on port tidelands in 2013; the number of jobs rose 9 percent from 2011.

The port said that if the various businesses along San Diego Bay were collectively one employer, that employer would be the second-largest in San Diego County, behind the State of California. The survey excluded U.S. Navy bases.

The port commissioned the study through Oakland-based Economic & Planning Systems Inc.

Chicago's Jackie Robinson West Little League team may leave the Little League International and join another baseball league after a controversy surrounding alleged residency violations left the team stripped of its championship title this year.

The team’s attorney announced the move Wednesday, saying the 300 to 400 youth players and 90 to 100 parent volunteers will explore the possibility of joining the Cal Ripken- Babe Ruth League. The new league offers similar services as Little League International.

“JRW parents and coaches feel strongly that Little League International inappropriately treated JRW children and parent volunteers, especially when Little League intentionally decided to announce the proposed change regarding the championship title to their corporate partner, ESPN, before speaking with JRW parents, coaches and children,” the team said in a statement. “This insensitive act by Little League International is a critical factor affecting JRW’s decision to explore other opportunities.”

Earlier this year, Little League spokesman Brian McClintock announced the news of the vacated title, saying an investigation revealed that Coach Darold Butler and Illinois District 4 Administrator Michael Kelly knowingly violated rules by using a falsified boundary map for their 2014 tournament and used players who didn't qualify because they lived outside the team's actual boundaries.

The team’s attorney, Victor Henderson, said the players, parents and the team’s leaders were unaware of the league’s decision until they saw it in the media.

Craig James, a former New England Patriots running back, said Satan inspired his former team to urge the Supreme Court to legalize same-sex marriage. 

"If I were a current player in that locker room and my livelihood depended on me being quiet or losing it because of my belief system, I worry, I wonder. So, that's Satan working on us," James said during an interview on Friday on Family Research Council President Tony Perkins' radio show.

The Patriots are among hundreds of U.S. businesses, including San Francisco Giants and Tampa Bay Rays, that submitted a brief with the high court in support of allowing same-sex marriage nationwide. The Supreme Court will hear arguments on the case April 28 with a decision expected this summer.

James said in the interview Patriots and other teams risk sparking an "implosion" in the locker room if they continue to voice support for gay rights.

"A locker room is a cohesive deal," James, who now works for the Family Research Council, a conservative Christian group and lobbying organization, told Perkins. "A locker room is a place where everybody has different belief systems but you just get along. In my opinion, I look forward to seeing now, if management tells you and the coaching staff tells you that you better not say anything about the other side, you talk about implosion in the locker room."

Massachusetts was the first U.S. state to legalize gay marriage.

James has expressed his anti-gay viewpoint in the past. During his failed bid for U.S. Senate in 2012, he said homosexuality is a choice and that he “will never ride in a gay parade.”

He was fired as an analyst by Fox Sports in 2013 for the anti-gay comments he made during the campaign.

Click here to listen to James' interview from Right Wing Watch.

Police are investigating the possibility of a suspicious death after the badly decomposed body of an unknown man was discovered in a drainage canal along the U.S.-Mexico border in south San Diego.

According to the San Diego Police Department, the grisly discovery was made by U.S. Border Patrol agents near the San Ysidro Port of Entry Tuesday around 5:15 p.m. The body was discovered lying in the river basin, officials said.

Police detectives were called in to investigate and found evidence at the scene indicating the victim’s death may have been suspicious in nature. The body was so badly decomposed that detectives were unable to determine a cause of death.

The San Diego County Medical Examiner will now conduct an autopsy on the man to determine his identity and cause of death, police said.

No further details were immediately released as of Wednesday morning. The investigation is ongoing and anyone with information on this case should call the SDPD’s homicide unit at (888) 580-8477.