A standoff between law enforcement and an armed suspect continued for hours Saturday morning at a bar and motorcycle club in San Diego’s Mt. Hope area, about five miles from downtown.

At around 2:40 a.m., the San Diego Police Department was called to the Chosen Few Motorcycle Club at 4280 Market St., near 43rd Street, to investigate reports of shots fired in the bar.

Many patrons were fleeing from the building when officers arrived but police suspected one man – armed with a gun – remained inside.

Police requested SWAT officials and a standoff ensued. As of 9:30 a.m., the situation continued. SWAT had sent two robots into the bar to check on the suspect. A third robot was sent in about an hour later, but officials had still not been able to make contact with the suspect inside.

Meanwhile, police said at least four people had been shot prior to the standoff at the club and had been transported to local hospitals. Their conditions are unknown.

Investigators have not yet determined the motivation behind the gunfire. They’re looking into the possibility of whether or not the shooting may have been gang related.

Roads in the area are closed off to traffic for now.

San Diego DJ Carlos Torres told NBC 7 there was a DJ competition happening at the motorcycle club when shots rang out. He said a melee ensued, with about 150 people rushing the door.

Torres said some patrons ran to hide in the kitchen area. He ran out of the building quickly with his wife to find cover.

The DJ said the atmosphere inside the bar was positive and everyone seemed to be having a good time before gunfire erupted.

Torres remained at the scene because he said his DJ equipment is still inside the bar and he hopes to be able to recover it.

NBC 7 has a news crew on scene gathering more details. Check back for updates on this developing story.
 

A suspicious package in San Clemente Saturday morning forced authorities to evacuate a nearby beach and briefly suspend Metrolink service in the area, sheriff’s officials said.

Deputies were called to the Dije Beach area of San Clemente just after 10 a.m., where they found “PVC pipe with attached end caps and wires protruding from it,” Orange County Sheriff’s Lt. Jeff Hallock told NBC4.

Officials evacuated the beach around the area, while train service along the nearby Metrolink tracks was suspended for over an hour.

After more than two hours at the scene, the Orange County bomb squad determined that the device was “not destructive” and actually appeared to resemble a homemade cellphone charger containing batteries and a charger cable, OC Sheriff’s Lt. John Roach said.

Tar balls and clumps of oil have washed up on Ventura County beaches in Southern California days after mysterious petroleum globs and "tar patties" arrived to the South Bay.

All Ventura County beaches were open as of Saturday afternoon, but the Ventura County Sheriff's Office said several beaches from Faria Beach to Hollywood Beach are impacted by the substance.

Beachgoers should avoid contact with any petroleum on the beach. The substance spotted Saturday was described as ranging from small tar balls to disk-shaped clumps of oil.

The Refugio Incident Command Team was helping collect and sample the petroleum, but it was not clear whether the oil is natural seepage or related to the oil spill in Santa Barbara County.

News of the tar balls comes one day after beaches in the South Bay reopened following a two-day closure affecting the coastline from El Segundo to Redondo Beach.

Crews had been working to clean up the tar, the source of which has not been determined. The environmental group Heal the Bay earlier had warned that the beaches should not be reopened "until all the oil is cleaned up."

The unknown petroleum substance began hitting the beach about 10 a.m. Wednesday. The U.S. Coast Guard and other agencies collected samples of the material and were trying to identify the substance and its source.

To report oil, contact the U.S. Coast Guard National Response Center at 800-424-8802. If interested in volunteering, contact California Spill Watch at 800-228-4544.

The San Diego County Fair starts next month in Del Mar and, as usual, it will come with lots of eclectic and fried foods – some classic favorites and some new creations.

Organizers say there will be more than 100 food vendors sprinkled across the fairgrounds cooking up more than 1,000 different items.

This includes some new pork-focused selections such as BBQ Pork Skins – deep-fried pig skins tossed in BBQ seasoning – and Pig Trough, three pounds of pig skins topped with pulled pork and cheese.

Other swine dining options: Sweet Pork Tacos and Burritos, Chocolate-Covered Pork Rinds (yes, they went there), a Deep-Fried Pork Sandwich and Cajun Pork Rinds.

Sticking with spicy snacks, the fair fare this year will also include Breaded Cajun Shrimp and Jalapeños, Cajun Shrimp Skewers and Cajun Hushpuppies (cornmeal deep-fried with Cajun flavoring).

Bacon lovers need not worry, as there are plenty of bacon-laden offerings too, such as the Wasabi Bacon Bombs – spicy pork with wasabi wrapped in dough and bacon and fried, of course. Also on the menu: Wasabi Bacon Fries with grilled onions and peppers, Chicken-Fried Bacon, bacon in chicken-fried steak batter and the 10 feet of Bacon-on-a-Stick, which really needs no explanation.

Now, on to the sweet stuff.

Sugary fair treats this year include the new Chocolate-Dipped Strawberry Waffle Boat Sundae, Chocolate-Covered Gourmet Kettlecorn and the S’mores-Stuffed Chocolate Chip Cookie Dessert which combines a layer of chocolate chip cookie dough, a Hershey’s bar, toasted marshmallows, graham crackers, and another layer of cookie dough, baked and served à la mode and garnished in hot fudge.

Another treat that may blow your mind is something dubbed Deep-Fried Starbucks, which consists of Starbucks whole coffee beans and chocolate chips in sweet pastry dough, wrapped in bacon, deep fried, rolled in sugar and served with whipped cream.

There’s also the Caramel Coconut Samoa Donut, Corn-Flavored Ice-Cream-on-the-Cob or the Fireball Donut with a spicy, cinnamon kick.

Now, for the fried food lovers, fair organizers say the iconic Chicken Charlie stand will fire up its deep-fryer as usual, this time offering a couple of very unique snacks: a battered, Deep-Fried Slimfast Bar and a Deep-Fried Peanut Butter Pickle – a hollowed out pickle filled with peanut butter and then deep fried.

Meanwhile, sandwich fans may enjoy the Grilled Cheese Frito Crunch Sandwich or the Brussels Sprouts Sandwich, a combination of lightly-toasted sprouts with hoisin, honey and Sriracha sauce.

For those who like more traditional eats, fair organizers say classic snacks will also be available this year including cinnamon rolls, Australian-battered potatoes and Grilled French Onion soup.

The fairgrounds will also feature multiple beer gardens, plus a Happy Hour Tuesday through Friday from 5 p.m. to 7 p.m. that boasts some drink specials.

The theme for the 2015 San Diego County Fair is “A Fair to Remember: Celebrate the World’s Fairs and Balboa Park,” and commemorates the centennial anniversary of the 1915 Panama – California Exposition held in Balboa Park.

The fair will run for 25 days, from June 5 at 4 p.m. through July 5. It’s closed on Mondays and the first two Tuesdays.

The San Diego County Fair is the largest annual event in San Diego County and one of the top 10 Fairs in the United States, drawing more than 1.4 million visitors annually.

Admission is $15 for adults, $8 for children ages 6 to 12 and $8 for adults 62 and older. Entry is free for kids ages 5 and younger.

Now, this preview is just an appetizer. To see the mouthwatering offerings, scroll through this photo gallery.
 

A couple suffered serious injuries after their Harley Davidson motorcycle crashed on an Oceanside highway, officer Jim Bettencourt said. 

The incident happened Saturday around 1:10 p.m. on westbound state route 76, east of Ricon Ranch road. 

A 66-year-old Whittier man was riding his 2005 Harley Davidson Road King with his 56-year-old wife as a passenger when they approached a curb. 

They couldn't negotiate it and hit the dirt shoulder and lost control, Bettencourt said. 

The motorcycle hit boulders and the couple was ejected onto the right shoulder. 

The man was airlifted to Palomar Hospital and the female was taken via ambulance to Palomar Hospital. Both suffered serious injuries. 

Alcohol or drugs are not suspected to be a factor. 

A popular Pilsen neighborhood bar in Chicago was a gruesome murder scene early Saturday, according to police, as a man was stabbed to death in the throat during a random attack.

The stabbing occurred shortly after 12:30 a.m. at Simone’s in the 900 block of West 18th street in Chicago's Lower West Side while it was crowded with customers, police said.

“It was pretty traumatizing what happened,” Simone’s owner Christopher Muscat said. “Our condolences go out to the deceased, who was a great man.”

The manager who was on staff at the time said the stabbing was a random and unprovoked attack on 43-year-old Rudy Aviña.

Aviña, who was one of Simone’s regular customers, was sitting at the bar when a man workers didn’t recognize walked up and slashed his throat in full view of other customers, according to the manager.

Police told bar management that jealousy was what prompted the random attack. No other details have been released as to what caused the jealous rage.

Aviña died of his stab wounds on the scene.

“I just want everyone to know it wasn’t his fault,” said the victim’s pained daughter Mia Aviña. “He is my best friend and the best person I’ve ever met in my entire life. He’s my favorite person.”

A 29-year-old suspect was taken into custody after the stabbing, according to police. The suspect’s identity has not been released as charges are still pending.

An older woman did not realize her unwanted computer remains were valued at $200,00 after she dropped off the boxes at an electronic recycling shop.

"She dropped off a couple boxes like that,” said Clean Bay Area Vice President Victor Gichun.

Gichun says the woman cleaned out her late husband’s garage and dropped off two boxes. She didn't want a tax receipt, and didn't want to leave her contact information. 

"We really couldn't believe our eyes. We thought it was fake,” Gichun said upon digging through the boxes a few weeks after they were dropped off..

Inside was an Apple One computer, Gichun said. About 200 were made, and they’re extremely valuable.

"It was the first computer that Steve Jobs and Steve Wozniak created in their garage and it was sort of this breakthrough in personal computing,” said Computer Science Professor David Crandall.

The company policy is to give 50 percent of all items sold back to the original owner. For the computer, they fetched $200,000 in a private auction.

In case you’re thinking of running down there to collect a check, Gichun knows what she looks like. He just doesn’t know her name. Now he wants to find this mystery woman to thank her, and make her rich.

"I ask this lady, please come over to our warehouse in Milpitas again, and we'll give you check $100,000,” Gichun said.

 It is with broken hearts that Hallie, Hunter, Ashley, Jill and I announce the passing of our husband, brother and son, Beau, after he battled brain cancer with the same integrity, courage and strength he demonstrated every day of his life.

The entire Biden family is saddened beyond words. We know that Beau's spirit will live on in all of us-especially through his brave wife, Hallie, and two remarkable children, Natalie and Hunter.

Beau's life was defined by service to others. As a young lawyer, he worked to establish the rule of law in war-torn Kosovo. A major in the Delaware National Guard, he was an Iraq War veteran and was awarded the Bronze Star. As Delaware's Attorney General, he fought for the powerless and made it his mission to protect children from abuse.

More than his professional accomplishments, Beau measured himself as a husband, father, son and brother. His absolute honor made him a role model for our family. Beau embodied my father's saying that a parent knows success when his child turns out better than he did.

In the words of the Biden family: Beau Biden was, quite simply, the finest man any of us have ever known.

President Barack Obama, members of Congress and others across the political spectrum paid tribute to Beau Biden following his death from brain cancer.

Obama said that he and first lady Michelle “humbly pray for the good Lord to watch over Beau Biden, and to protect and comfort his family here on Earth.” 

Delaware Gov. Jack Markell said his “entire family is shattered” by Biden’s death, and called Vice President Joe Biden's son a friend and “outstanding Attorney General, lawyer, soldier, and father.”

U.S. Sen. Chris Coons (D-Del.) said that Biden was above all “a good and decent man.”

U.S. Sen. Tom Carper (D-Del.) said he first met Biden when he was 6 years old and he “represented all that is good about Delaware and our country." 

Presidential hopefuls Hillary Clinton and Jeb Bush also paid tribute. 

Rep. John Carney (D-Del.) said the death felt like “one of those times when you imagine if you try hard enough, the news somehow won't be true.” He called Biden “one of the best of the good guys."

Here's what other political leaders and media personalities said in remembering Biden: 

San Diego police said carjacking suspect Everardo Deleon-Diaz was surprised by the sleeping victim in the back seat as he tried to steal a car

A man sleeping in the back seat of his car awoke to a stranger sitting in the driver’s seat who began punching him while trying to steal the vehicle, San Diego police said.

The bizarre attempted carjacking happened Saturday around 5:15 a.m. in the 1900 block of 6th Avenue in uptown San Diego’s Park West community.

The San Diego Police Department said a 62-year-old man was sleeping in the back seat of his parked 2001 Toyota Echo when Everardo Deleon-Diaz, 28, opened the unlocked driver’s side door and sat down in the car.

Police said Deleon-Diaz didn’t realize the owner of the car was sleeping in the back seat. When the owner awoke, Deleon-Diaz began punching him and demanding the car keys.

The victim was able to escape from the car and called 911. When officers arrived, they arrested Deleon-Diaz.

He was charged with attempted carjacking and booked into San Diego Central Jail. He’s scheduled to appear in court Wednesday.

The victim was treated for injuries to his face at the scene, police said.

No one else was injured in the incident. The case remains under investigation.
 

Firefighters rescued a woman stuck in the chimney of a Los Angeles school Saturday, fire officials said.

The rescue took place just after 6 p.m. at the three-story Virgil Middle School at 152 N. Vermont Ave., Los Angeles Fire Department spokeswoman Margaret Stewart.

Aerial footage taken by NewsChopper4 showed members of an urban search and rescue team placing a "capture strap" around the soot-covered woman and lifting her to safety.

She was then placed on a stretcher and taken to a hospital with minor injuries.

It was unclear how the woman, in her 30s, got stuck 25 feet down the chimney shaft. The incident may be connected to a report of a woman threatening to jump from a roof earlier in the day, fire officials said.

A spokesperson for the Dallas Sheriff's Department confirmed to NBC DFW that rescue crews recovered the body of a 7-year-old girl on Saturday evening. The confirmation came around 8:30 p.m.

The search began just after 6:00 p.m. Saturday off westbound U.S. 175 (CF Hawn Freeway) at 2nd Street. 

Raul Reyna, public information officer for the Dallas County Sheriff, said a vehicle with six people inside crossed two lanes of traffic, hit an embankment and flipped over. It landed in flood water that runs next to U.S. 175.

Reyna said a man and woman and four children were in the vehicle at the time of the rollover. The children's ages are 5, 6, 7 and 9.

Reyna said the 9-year-old child and a 7-year-old girl were thrown from the vehicle. Rescuers pulled the 9-year-old from the water. 

The woman and three children (ages 5, 6 and 9) were transported to Parkland Hospital and Children's Medical Center Dallas. Police said they are in stable condition. Their names have not yet been released.

However, the water carried the driver's 7-year-old daughter away. Her body was later recovered.

Dallas Fire-Rescue launched boats and other equipment to find the child.

No other information is known at this time. 

Editor's Note: Police initially reported the victim in the water was 6-years-old. NBC DFW updated the age of the victim when the sheriff updated us at 7:45 p.m.

The FAA has announced it will begin consulting medical professionals and pilots to come up with new rules regarding mental and emotional evaluations of those in the cockpit.

The moves comes after Germanwings flight 9525 in March, where the pilot is suspected of crashing the plane into the French Alps on purpose, killing all passengers on board.

Before ever getting into the cockpit of a plane students are required to have a full physical and mental evaluation.

Commercial pilots must see an FAA-approved doctor every six to 12 months to maintain their license.

San Diego International Airport is the busiest single runway commercial airport in the country. Some boarding their flights on Friday expressed a mix of concern and support for the step toward new rules. 

Daniel Chamberlain, a passenger, was taking his first flight of the year on Friday. Even months after the Germanwings flight, Chamberlain said flying Friday made him nervous.

“Yeah it worries me,” he said. “I have never had anxiety toward flying until this flight.”

Air and Space Museum President Jim Kidrick was a Navy pilot for 21 years. He said the newly announced measures are complex.

“The difficulty is this isn't an exact science, we're never ever going to be perfect, we'll only be as good as we can be,” Kidrick said.

Kidrick says more pilots would self-report emotional struggles if they didn't fear losing their license.

“It’s important to have an open environment conducive to a willingness to talk about those challenges,” Kidrick said.

Bradley Newcomb is a commercial pilot in training. When asked what more could be done by the FAA, he suggested a hotline for anonymous complaints or more thorough annual check- ups.

“Asking questions, reaching out to family members even just asking for three references,” Newcomb said.

The FAA says its panel includes pilots and medical experts. It will examine how a pilot’s emotional and mental health is evaluated in addition to looking at barriers to self-reporting.

The intention is to create safer flights and raise confidence among the public when traveling on planes.

The Airline Pilots Association will be represented on that FAA Panel. In a statement, the group said:

"We look forward to working alongside other key stakeholders in evaluating the extensive procedures and processes currently in place that provide a thorough monitoring of crewmembers in the United States."

The panel meetings are not open to the public. The FAA set of goal of six months to come up with the new rules.

An air conditioning unit being hoisted by a crane fell in Midtown Manhattan late Sunday morning after the cable it was attached to snapped, injuring 10 people, authorities said.

According to police, the air conditioning unit sheared the side of the 30-story building on Madison Avenue between East 38th and East 39th Street before landing below at around 10:45 a.m.

Two construction workers and eight pedestrians suffered minor injuries from falling debris, officials said.

"It was like a train car fell off the side of the building," said Meredith Kelly, a tourist from Atlanta who was walking nearby at the time of the accident.

Mayor Bill de Blasio said the city would undertake a full investigation to determine exactly what caused the accident.

"Thank God this incident occurred at an hour of the day on a weekend when there weren't too many people around," the mayor said.

Two more oil-soaked sea lions and an elephant seal rescued from the oil spill near Santa Barbara have died, SeaWorld San Diego officials said. 

Five animals treated by SeaWorld have died; two sea lions previously died. 

The animals arrived at SeaWorld San Diego for care from the site of the oil spill to be treated by the center at their Oiled Wildlife Care Center. The animals were hurt at the Refugio State Beach near Santa Barbara, where a broken oil pipe spilled about 105,000 gallons of oil into the ocean.

The two sea lions arrived malnourished, like many young sea lions washing up on the coast of California, SeaWorld officials said. The sea lions and elephant seal had blood samples taken and workers hydrated them and washed the oil off.

One sea lion was having seizures and was unresponsive to care efforts. The team had to euthanize the animals. The adult sea lion and elephant seal passed away early Friday. 

Late Thursday, the park received three more sea lions. Their conditions are guarded, but park officials said they plan to start washing the oil off their bodies once the animals have been hydrated and examined by a veterinarian. 

The center has 17 sea lions and five elephant seals from the spill area in their care. The conditions of the animals remain guarded as the center assesses their conditions. 

Oil can be damaging to sea lions in that it's irritating to their skin, restricts their ability to thermal regulate and can be toxic if ingested, veterinarians said.

SeaWorld San Diego has deployed three specialists to the site of the spill to help with animal rescue and relief efforts. Assistant curator Mike Price left Monday to help with the spill. 

Earlier this week, a team from the Oiled Wildlife Care Network set up at SeaWorld San Diego and washed and treated oil-soaked birds.

It can be tough to find the right path in life, at any age.

At Teralta Park in City Heights, a group of adults, some overcoming their own challenges, are helping at-risk kids find a purpose in life.

Arthur Soriano and his wife Gabby started an organization called Youth Empowerment in December. 

Their intent is to create a positive environment where at-risk kids stay away from drugs and alcohol, and where youth can see they don't need to join a gang to feel like they belong.

On Sundays, different generations take up a corner of the park to play dominos, basketball, volleyball and jump rope.

Once a month, the adults host a barbeque for the kids.

"Six months ago I would have still been running around the streets, getting into trouble, and most likely still using. Now, I'm like sober. I'm more positive," says 15 year-old Claudia Ruiz.

Arthur Soriano says he looks for warning signs in the kids, and tries to show them the difference between good and bad.

"Surviving a troubled background myself as a kid and even as an adult, there's a way I can give back, connect with them," says Arthur Soriano.

Arthur and Gabby Soriano grew up in City Heights, and know many of the kids, their parents and the challenges they face.

The Sorianos have organized a few outings to help the youth develop a sense of community, including picking up trash and painting over graffiti at Teralta Park.

It's at the Sunday gatherings where the kids can also let their guard down and talk to an adult, who's not a family member or an authority figure.

18-year-old Tony Hernandez struggled when his parents divorced and his dad passed away. 

Hernandez says he got involved criminal activity, and with the help of the Sunday gatherings, has been able to remove himself from negative influences.

"Everybody here has spoken to me, and given me words of advice to help me overcome much pain," says Hernandez.

He graduates from high school in June, and is now deciding between going to college or working full-time.

The informal gatherings also take the pressure off parents.

"I communicate with them more. I do recreational stuff, says Michelle Ruiz, a single mom to 5 children, including Claudia.

Six months after the first gathering in December, the crowd keeps getting bigger. Friendships from years ago are renewed, and new friendships are formed.

Many of the at-risk kids keep coming back, and some eventually bring along their friends, siblings and parents.

"They're here every Sunday. They like it. They come on their own," says Gabby Soriano.

"My ultimate goal is for these kids, that nobody believes in, that nobody has hope in, to graduate. Get jobs. Contribute back to the community," says Arthur Soriano.