California Attorney General Kamala Harris asked a state court on Wednesday for permission to reject a proposed ballot initiative stipulating that anyone who engages in gay sex be killed.

Harris issued a statement saying she was making the unusual request to stop the measure filed by a Southern California lawyer late last month. The initiative seeks to amend the California penal code to make sex with a person of the same gender an offense punishable by "bullets to the head or by any other convenient method." The distribution of gay "propaganda" would be punishable by a $1 million fine or banishment from the state.

"This proposal not only threatens public safety, it is patently unconstitutional, utterly reprehensible, and has no place in a civil society," Harris said.

Matthew McLaughlin, the Orange County lawyer who paid $200 to submit the initiative, did not respond to a telephone call seeking comment. A Democratic state senator, Ricardo Lara, has asked the California bar to investigate whether McLaughlin's actions make him unfit to practice law.

The measure puts Harris in a difficult position. Although the bill has no discernible momentum or likely chance of success, she said unless a judge rules otherwise, she will have no choice but to give McLaughlin the go-ahead to seek the nearly 366,000 votes needed to qualify the measure for the November 2016 ballot.

California is one of 21 states where citizens can petition to have laws put on the ballot through the gathering of voter signatures. Under California's initiative process, state officials do not have authority to refuse to administer initiatives they find objectionable, the California Supreme Court has ruled. Although few of the dozens submitted to the attorney general each year make it on the ballot, the ease with which a resident with a pet peeve can gain clearance to circulate their proposals while seeking signatures has prompted calls for reform.

University of California, Davis law professor Floyd Feeney, an expert on California's initiative process, said Harris alone cannot impede the proposed law. And despite the numerous legal problems with McLaughlin's proposal, Feeney said he was not convinced a court would agree to halt it at this stage.

"The courts, rightly or wrongly, treat the initiative as sort of the citizen right and they are reluctant to get involved in trying to get rid of it, at least in advance, by using the law to keep something from being presented to the electorate," he said.

On Wednesday, a Southern California real estate agent, Charlotte Laws, countered the so-called "Sodomite Suppression Act" with an initiative of her own. Titled the Intolerant Jackass Act, it would require anyone who proposes an initiative calling for the killing of gays and lesbians to attend sensitivity training and make a $5,000 donation to a pro-LGBT group.
 

A man slammed into a parked truck in front of a home in El Cajon Wednesday night to allegedly avoid another driver who was going the wrong way in his lane, California Highway Patrol officials said.

The crash happened around 11:40 p.m. at Pepper Drive and Somerlane Street.

CHP Officer Brian Pennings said there were no witnesses to the crash, but the driver claimed he saw a wrong-way driver and swerved to avoid an even bigger collision.

He wound up plowing through some wooden fencing and crashing into a parked truck in the driveway of a home.

Pennings said the driver was taken to a local hospital with unspecified injuries.

He said the crash is under investigation and there is no information on the alleged wrong-way vehicle. Pennings said investigators were also working to determine whether alcohol or drugs may have contributed to the collision.
 

Thursday and Friday will feel a lot like the middle of summer in San Diego, as temperatures could approach – and perhaps break – heat records.

Temperatures will rise to the upper 80s on Thursday, well above the average for this time of year: 66 degrees. It will be even hotter inland, with temperatures predicted to soar to the low 90s.

NBC 7 Meteorologist Jodi Kodesh said the temperatures could rise several degrees in a matter of minutes between noon and 4 p.m. on both days.

“Once those Santa Ana Winds kick in, the heating happens rapidly,” she said.

The record high for Thursday at the San Diego International Airport is 93, set in 1988. Kodesh said she expects Thursday’s high to be 86, though the Santa Ana winds are so precarious that temperatures could be lower or higher than that.

Another aspect to keep an eye out for, Kodesh said: The UV index in San Diego will be high – 8 – well above the usual UV index for March.

She recommends those flocking outdoors to use sunscreen often.

Temperatures will be much more pleasant this weekend: mid 70s at the beach and in the 80s inland.

The City of San Diego will partner with San Diego County to seek stadium options to keep the Chargers in town, officials announced on Thursday.

Faulconer has already developed a stadium advisory group to explore options for a new stadium for the San Diego Chargers. Thursday’s announcement of a partnership between the city and county entails that the costs in finding a new stadium will be split between city and county government.

“Clearly, having our own experts on board to evaluate a potential new stadium is critical to protecting the interests of county taxpayers,” County Supervisor Ron Roberts said in a joint city-county news release.

The news release said the city and county will each pay half the costs to retain consultants, attorneys and other experts to develop a stadium plan. Both the city and county won’t contribute more than $250,000 in these efforts.

The board of supervisors and city councilors are expected to vote to pass the agreement early next month.

The mayor’s advisory group has already chosen the current Qualcomm Stadium site in Mission Valley as the best location for a new stadium. The group will release a financing plan in May.

Meanwhile, the group Carson2gether delivered a petition with thousands of signatures to Carson City Hall in its attempt to get an NFL stadium built in that area.

Local political leaders have emphasized they want to see the Chargers stay in San Diego.

“The San Diego Chargers are an important asset for the entire county, not just the city,” City Councilor Scott Sherman said in a news release. “In order to keep our team in the region, it is important that the city and county come together to find the best deal for taxpayers and the NFL.”

The city also is expected to select a financing option next month from an investment banker. Five firms have responded to the city’s request for financing proposals.

Three executives of a La Mesa-based company were sentenced Thursday for charges relating to code violations discovered at a work site where an employee died in a tree trimming accident in 2013.

David Scott Wolfe, Jonathan D. Cox and John Murphy of Three Frogs Inc. were given 14 days of public work service, avoiding jail time. Last month, they pleaded guilty to unemployment tax evasion and failure to have workers’ compensation insurance. Their company buys and renovates homes for resale.

The code violations were discovered by Division of Occupational Safety and Health, better known as Cal/OSHA, after an investigation was launched into the accidental death of Three Frogs Inc. employee Joshua Pudsey, 42.

Pudsey, of Lakeside, was killed on the job while trimming trees on Nov. 12, 2013. He was using an aerial lift and large cherry picker outside the La Mesa home of his employer when a large branch from a 60-foot eucalyptus tree fell on him, crushing his head.

Investigators determined Pudsey did not have enough training or experience to be cutting down that large tree. His girlfriend was newly pregnant at the time of Pudsey’s death with his child, Jackson, who was born seven months after the fatal accident.

In September 2014, Wolfe, Cox and Murphy were ordered to stand trial on the aforementioned charges, but a judge said there was not enough evidence to also charge the trio with one count of violating safety standards related to Pudsey’s tree trimming death.

A deputy district attorney told NBC 7 that the two charges the defendants do face could result in one year in prison, though it’s more likely the defendants will have to pay a fine without serving time.

Because Three Frogs Inc. failed to have workers compensation insurance, Pudsey’s son did not receive the company payout he would’ve normally been entitled to after his father’s death.

In court last month, a judge said the men’s plea deal would stand if they paid the nearly $300,000 Pudsey’s son would’ve gotten from worker’s comp to Jackson.

Pudsey’s mother, Debbi Anderson, is expected to attend the sentencing Thursday. She has spoken to NBC 7 in the past about her son’s tragic death and how difficult it was for the family to put Pudsey on Jackson’s birth certificate after a county employee told the family the father needed to be there to sign a declaration of paternity.
 

When days get longer, rattlesnakes come out -- and not just in rural areas. They've been seen near urban areas, in parks by rivers and lakes and at golf courses, according to the California Department of Fish and Wildlife.

So what should you do when you encounter a rattler to make sure you aren't one of the 800 Californians bitten each year? The Department of Fish and Wildlife has some tips for you:

Do:

• Stick to well-used trails
• Wear over-the-ankle boots and loose, long pants
• Step on logs and rocks, not over them
• Be careful when stepping through doorways -- they like the edges of buildings
• Teach kids to respect snakes and leave them alone

Don't:

• Go barefoot or wear sandals in wild areas
• Walk in tall grass, weeds or heavy underbrush
• Step or put your hands where you can't see
• Wander in the dark
• Hike alone
• Grab what look like sticks or branches while swimming (they can swim, too)
• Handle a freshly killed snake, which can still bite

If you get bitten:

• Stay calm -- most effects are limited to the area near the bite
• Wash the bite with soap and water
• Remove jewelry that may constrict swelling
• Don't move the affected area
• Get to a near medical facility safely

Source: California Dept. of Fish and Wildlife

The Bowl Games bring football-mania to San Diego every winter, but spring activities to raise money for the annual events are celebrating other sports.

The San Diego Bowl Games Association is putting together a basketball tournament and a golf classic, both open to the public – for an entry fee.

On May 2 and 3, the Jack in the Box “Hoops at the Beach” will pit teams of three against each other at Bonita Cove Park in Mission Bay. The tournament will include a slam dunk contest, 3-point shootout, free throw challenge and elite division play.

Players of all ages and abilities can enter. Entry fees are $50 for a youth team, $75 for a high school team and $100 for an adult team, and registration closes on May 1 at 5 p.m. Sunday is Family Day, so kids 3 to 8 years old can play too.

Then, on June 22, the Holiday Bowl Golf Classic takes over the Country Club of Rancho Bernardo starting at 8:30 a.m. Early bird entries start at $250 a person and $1,000 for a foursome.

All proceeds from both events go to the San Diego Bowl Game Association, a nonprofit.
 

In honor of the Frappucino’s 20th birthday (can you believe it’s been 20 years?), Starbucks is rolling out a birthday cake Frap.

The limited-edition Frappucino will be available in all Starbucks shops in the United States from Thursday until Monday. You can salivate over these details: it’s a vanilla bean and hazelnut beverage topped with raspberry-infused whipped cream.

The festive frap is to celebrate its launch in 1995. Back then, the only two flavors were coffee and mocha and no whipped cream.

But the Frappucino was a resounding success, selling 200,000 drinks in the first week, according to Starbucks.

“We were so confident of our product that we didn’t even test-market it,” said Starbucks CEO Howard Schultz in his book, Pour Your Heart Into It.

Today, there are such flavors as cinnamon dolce, caramel flan, green tea, tiramisu and vanilla bean.

For Starbucks locations in San Diego, click here.

A bicyclist was critically injured in La Mesa Thursday after colliding with an armored currency truck, police confirmed.

The La Mesa Police Department said the crash happened just before noon at the busy intersection of University and Allison avenues.

Witnesses told police the cyclist was struck and run over by the armored vehicle, though the crash remains under investigation.

The bicyclist was taken to a local hospital where he remained in critical condition Thursday afternoon, police said.

Westbound University at Allison avenues are closed until approximately 3:30 p.m. as investigators continue to gather evidence and crews work to clear the scene of the crash.
 

It's something scientists have talked about for decades, a mission to Mars. And if it happens, some San Diego-based companies may be the ones to thank.

NASA's efforts to get to Mars are being chronicled in “Journey to Space,” a new movie opening Friday at the Ruben H. Fleet Science Center in Balboa Park.

Featured in the film is the Orion spacecraft, which will one day take astronauts to Mars. The spacecraft includes 25-feet worth of parts made by Ken Mercer and his team at the Miramar-based company, San Diego Composites.

The lightweight composites are meant to protect astronauts inside the Orion spacecraft

“This is a cross-section of what protects humans from space,” Mercer explained. “It shields crew from high-thermal acoustic loads and upon egress it jettisons away and leaves crew in the module.”

The “Journey to Space” film includes more information on San Diego Composites’ role in Orion’s successful December test run, as well as shots of the capsule being hauled into Naval Base San Diego.

The director of the film, Mark Krenzine, said he was fascinated to learn how much aeronautics and space travel is woven into San Diego’s DNA.

“San Diego, in particular to aerospace, it’s what Silicon Valley is to the Internet,” Krenzie said.

By 2030, NASA hopes to put a woman or man on Mars.

Krenzie is hoping his film's exploration of past and future space travel helps inspire the next generation of astronauts and space travelers.

“A film like this inspires a young audience to think they can achieve whatever dream they have, especially if it’s a dream that includes science, technology, engineering and math,” he said.

“The first person to walk on Mars is probably going to do so in about 15 years. That person is in middle school right now, and might be a middle school student in the San Diego area,” added Mark Barthelemy of the National Space Society.

To get show times for “Journey to Space” at the Ruben H. Fleet Science Center, click here.
 

La Jolla-based Backlot Hospitality plans to open a new events space with six movie theaters at the former Luce Auditorium, at Liberty Station in Point Loma.
 
Terms of a lease agreement were not disclosed by Backlot and NTC Foundation, the nonprofit that oversees the arts and cultural district spanning 26 buildings on 28 acres within the former Naval Training Center.

Officials said Backlot Hospitality, run by Adolfo Fastlicht, plans to open a new venue called TheLot/Liberty Station, making use of the 20,000-square-foot auditorium that originally opened in 1941.

Renovations will begin in April and the venue is set to open in late autumn, with offerings geared to special events, art, film and food.

The venue will include six cinemas with seating for 50 to 100 people, with a new outdoor covered lounge for dining and socializing overlooking the historic Luce Court. The location is between Rosecrans Street and Truxton Road.

NTC Foundation was established in 2000 by the city of San Diego to oversee culture-oriented renovations and programming in a portion of the former Navy training base, which was closed by the military in 1997. The foundation has completed work on 16 of the 26 buildings within the cultural district, which is now home to nearly 80 museums, galleries, artist studios and related creative and educational spaces.

Other portions of Liberty Station have been master-planned by local developer Corky McMillin Cos., which has brought in several office, retail and other commercial and education-related tenants. McMillin has also overseen residential and hotel developments in portions of the former Navy base property, which spans more than 500 acres.

Construction workers inside a sushi restaurant in the East Village accidentally hit a gas line, causing an explosion that sparked a massive fire and caused two buildings to collapse, law enforcement sources tell NBC 4 New York.

The explosion inside 121 Second Ave., between East 7th Street and St. Marks Place, caused the buildings at 121 and 123 to collapse, and the ensuing fire spread to two other neighboring buildings at 119 and 125, according to city officials.

The approximately 250 firefighters on the scene have managed to contain the 7-alarm fire to those four buildings, and are expected to stay "for a very long night," said Fire Commissioner Daniel Nigro. 

"The initial impact appears to have been caused by plumbing and gas work that was occurring inside 121 Second Avenue," said Mayor de Blasio at a news conference Thursday evening detailing the explosion that injured at least 12 people, three of them critically.

Two of those patients were taken to Cornell with serious burns and a third unconscious patient was taken to Bellevue. 

All firefighters were accounted for after the explosion, the FDNY said. De Blasio said there have been no reports of additional missing persons, but urged concerned relatives or friends to call 311.

There were no calls to either 911 or Con Ed reporting any type of gas leak or concerns before the explosion, de Blasio said.

However, shortly before the blast, Con Ed inspectors were at the site to inspect a gas meter installation inside the building. According to Con Ed President John McAvoy, the restaurant was upgrading to a larger service, and Con Ed was evaluating the metering installation for the new service and found it unacceptable. The inspectors gave instruction as to what changes were needed, then left. 

About an hour later, the explosion occurred. 

Huge flames were shooting out of the front of the buildings at the height of the blaze, and thick plumes of white smoke could be seen billowing from the structures in the tightly packed, business-heavy neighborhood.

The tall flames and smoke could be seen from at least 20 blocks north, and the smell of smoke was detected as far north as midtown, including at the NBC offices at Rockefeller Center.

People were seen lying on the ground in front of the restauarant, apparently unconscious, immediately following the explosion, multiple witnesses told NBC 4 New York.

A neighbor who lives on Second Avenue and East 7th Street told NBC 4 New York he was home when he heard a loud explosion that "shook everything."

"When I went outside, I saw people running and broken glass everywhere," said the neighbor, a music producer who gave his name as David. 

Others described hearing something like a car crashing through a store. 

David said the storefront was entirely blown out, with glass strewn over 200 feet. He said within two minutes, at least 20 fire trucks rushed to the scene.

David's building and others nearby were evacuated, and firefighters continued to push back residents further and further away from the scene. 

Another witness, Loren Colon, said he saw the "entire building explode" and that there were "definitely people inside the restaurant." 

A resident at 124 Second Ave. across the street, Larry, said he saw several people laying on the sidewalk in front the restaurant after the explosion and that others "were running around in a panic." 

Several people rushed to the buildings to help trapped or distressed residents, multiple witnesses said. One neighbor on the block and the manager of Dallas BBQ restaurant about a block north separately recounted watching a civilian help a woman down from a fire escape on one of the collapsed buildings before firefighters arrived. One Twitter user also captured the rescue:

Major explosion on 2nd ave and 7th street. New Yorkers being awesome and helping this young lady get down! pic.twitter.com/YxGh2C68IP

— Niraj Desai (@nayramz) March 26, 2015

Larry, the neighbor across the street, said acrid smoke was permeating the neighborhood in the aftermath of the explosion. 

Con Edison were shutting down gas service in the area. The utility says it's looking into whether gas complaints were filed there recently before Thursday. 

Office of Emergency Management Commissioner Joe Esposito said a crew will be working to get rid of as much debris from the explosion -- like the splintered wood, bricks and glass -- as quickly as possible. 

Esposito urged neighbors to keep their windows closed and to limit their time outside as much as possible. Those with respiratory or heart conditions should remain especially alert to conditions.

An NYPD unit was seen setting up an air quality monitor at the scene. 

The mysterious circumstances surrounding the killing of a 3-week-old baby girl who disappeared from her Long Beach, California, home back in January and was later found buried in an Imperial Beach dumpster gained some clarity Wednesday when four suspects were arrested, including a local man.

Oceanside resident Anthony McCall, 29, was among the arrestees, Long Beach police announced as they revealed details of a bizarre plot almost too far-fetched to believe.

McCall is accused of helping a friend – Giseleangelique Rene D’Millan, 47, of Thousand Oaks, California – carry out a plan to win her boyfriend back that resulted in the kidnapping and murder of baby Eliza Delacruz and the shootings of three of the newborn’s relatives.

Police said D’Millan fabricated a story to her boyfriend last year, telling him she was pregnant with his twins. Detectives believe the lie soon morphed into a desperate criminal quest of finding babies around the same age to kidnap and keep and represent as her own.

“We’ve never seen anything like this where somebody goes out looking for babies to kidnap and they kill or attempt to kill the mothers,” said Robert Luna, Long Beach Chief of Police, at a media briefing announcing the arrests Wednesday.

“I had the word ‘evil’ in my notes [on this case] and my staff told me to take it out. I can’t summarize this any other way. The people alleged to commit these crimes are just evil in nature,” Luna added.

Long Beach police said surveillance video shows D’Millan and McCall following baby Eliza’s mother as she carried her newborn from a bus stop on Jan. 3, 2015.

Hours later a man – identified by police as McCall – barged into the home of the baby’s family, shot her parents and uncle, and abducted the newborn.

Baby Eliza’s body was discovered the following day near San Diego by a homeless man, Harold Green, as he searched through a dumpster behind an Imperial Beach strip mall.

NBC 7 spoke to Green, also known as Harold Sherman, right after he heard the news of the arrests Wednesday. He was relieved there had been a break in the case and praised police for their work.

“Now I can go to sleep. I’m proud of law enforcement and how they handled this,” said Green, adding that this case has changed the way he feels about law enforcement.

“They’re the real heroes. They went out there and got these people,” he added. “I just did what was right. I’m not a hero.”

Green said he has been nervous and mad ever since he made the grim discovery of baby Eliza’s body in that dumpster. He couldn’t help thinking in the back of his head that the suspects may have been after him, upset that he found the baby.

“I was looking over my shoulder,” Green told NBC 7. “I know now that I can breathe easy. They got him. They got him.”

Green said simply can’t make sense of the horrific crime.

“[It’s] crazy. I mean, what’s the mindset [of the suspects]? They’re evil in incarnate on the world and we don’t need them out here. I’m glad they got them,” he said.

Both McCall and D’Millan have been charged with murder, kidnapping, attempted murder and conspiracy.

Two others, Todd Boudreaux, 44, of Fontana, California, and Charisse Shelton, 30, of Corona, California, were also arrested for allegedly assisting in the scheme. Shelton is the adult daughter of D'Millan, police said.
 

Veterans and military members have fired back on social media following threats made by ISIS targeting specific armed forces members.

A group called the Islamic State Hacking Division issued a threat earlier this week online against 100 service members.

In the threat, the group asked that attacks be carried out against members of the military conducting airstrikes on ISIS.

Now, some service members are arming themselves with strong words.

A user posted on Twitter a picture of ISIS fighters with the caption: “We are going to kill you” beneath a photo of Marines with the quote, “Hurry we eat chow at 1630.”

Another online post with a photo of a heavily armed soldier read: “Friends help friends kill ISIS.”

A few local residents expressed similar sentiments on NBC 7’s Facebook page. Brandon Garcia wrote: “If they can get through my door I’m hungry for some hand-to-hand combat.”

Another Facebook user, Derek James, wrote: “Add me. I’ll give them my address! I wanna play!”

The response to the online threats from ISIS is not a surprise to Nathan Fletcher, a Marine veteran and Truman National Security Project board member.

“Americans don’t react well to being bullied and service members in particular,” he said.

A brush fire that grew to about an acre caused officials to issue a Sig Alert on State Route 52 in Tierrasanta Thursday afternoon.

Smoke was first reported along the westbound SR-52 east of Santo Road at 4:45 p.m. A Sig Alert was  issued for both sides of the freeway.

The fire burned in two spots, which totaled about an acre, according to San Diego Fire officials.

The flames were moving among light fuel and light winds before firefighters doused them using a helicopter and ground crews. No structures were threatened.

Antarctica’s floating ice shelves have thinned by as much as 18 percent in the last two decades, and the melting is picking up, according to research released Thursday by the Scripps Institution of Oceanography.

The study, published in the journal Science and supported by NASA, examined data to find out how climate change is affecting the Antarctic ice sheet. Ice shelves are created through glaciers flowing off Antarctica, combined with compressed snowfall, but they can be lost by breaking off or melted from warm water.

Taking data from three satellite missions by the European Space Agency (ESA), researchers merged the measurements to find out how much the ice changed from 1994-2012.

The total ice shelf volume didn’t vary much from 1994-2003, but from 2003-2012, it started to melt quickly, the study says. While all ice shelves decreased during that time period of time, specific areas saw an 18 percent decrease.

“Eighteen percent over the course of 18 years is really a substantial change,” said Scripps graduate student Fernando Paolo in a news release. “Overall, we show not only the total ice shelf volume is decreasing, but we see an acceleration in the last decade.”

Because of this, researchers are predicting West Antarctica could be half its size in 200 years.

Scripps glaciologist Helen Amanda Fricker said while the melting does not contribute directly to rising sea levels, “the ice shelves buttress the flow from grounded ice into the ocean, and that flow impacts sea-level rise,” so that’s a key concern from our new study.”

Future studies from the group will focus on the causes behind the ice shelf changes, such as atmospheric effects like El Nino.

The father of ex-LAPD officer Henry Solis was arrested Thursday for allegedly helping his son evade authorities when he was wanted for the murder of a California man.

Victor Solis, 53, allegedly told investigators that he drove his son to El Paso and dropped him off at a bus station the day after the murder, but no longer knows where his son is.

But surveillance images released Thursday by the FBI show Victor and Henry Solis crossing the border into Juarez, Chihuahua, Mexico from El Paso, Texas on March 14, the day after the murder.

"He is a former military member, so we are worried he may have survival skills," FBI spokeswoman Laura Eimller said, "He is very good with a weapon so we are very worried about what can happen next."

Victor Solis at some point returned to the U.S. Eimller said he has admitted to driving his son to El Paso.

Henry Solis, 27, is accused of murder in the fatal shooting of 23-year-old Salome Rodriguez Jr. in Pomona earlier this month after a fight. Solis allegedly chased Rodriguez after the altercation and shot him several times, killing him.

A $25,000 reward is being offered for information leading to the arrest of Solis, a former Marine and rookie LAPD officer. Solis had been with the LAPD since June 2014 and was terminated from the department after the murder charges were filed.

He should be considered armed and dangerous and a suicide risk, according to the FBI.

The elder Solis was arrested in Lancaster and appeared in federal court Thursday afternoon, where he waived his right to proceedings in Los Angeles. He is being transferred to El Paso.

Two teens are in custody after Philadelphia police say they forced a young woman into a gravel lot late Thursday night at gunpoint, then robbed and raped her in a crime so violent her screams could be heard by neighbors nearby.

The woman was walking home from the gym around 11 p.m. when the teenage boys approached her along the 3900 block of Richmond Avenue, not far from Castor Avenue, and one pulled out a gun, investigators said.

The pair then sexually assaulted the woman behind a factory and stole some of her belongings, authorities said. Someone in the area heard the woman's cries and called police.

"This was a very violent crime, a very heinous crime," said Philadelphia Police Chief Inspector Scott Small.

Responding officers took her descriptions of the suspects and apprehended two teens a few blocks away.

One suspect was found on the 3700 block of Richmond Street, the other on the 2300 block of East Butler Street, Small said. Both were positively identified and had cash and other items belonging to the woman, he said.

The woman did not have any injuries that required hospitalizion, said Small, who recalled the message the suspects gave before fleeing the scene.

"If she called the police or told anyone including her family, they would find and kill her and also her family," Small said. "You can imagine she was frightened when she was reporting this information to the Philadelphia Police officers who responded."

Police have not recovered the gun used in the crime. Authorities plan to review surveillance video from nearby businesses' security cameras as part of their investigation.