A home invasion in the Mountain View community has neighbors afraid of what could happen next.

A masked intruder allegedly attacked a woman and knocked her unconscious at a home just 15 paces away from a converted garage where 62-year-old Maria Lopez died in a fire four days earlier.

The home invasion victim and others in the neighborhood are now wondering if the two cases are in any way connected.

The home invasion victim, who wished to be identified only as “Wendy,” spoke with NBC 7 Tuesday night, visibly shaken.

“I'm scared. I don't know what's going to happen,” Wendy said.

On Monday, as Wendy sat at her kitchen table, she said a man in black mask walked through her front door.

“He says, ‘I'm going to kill you.’ I don't know what happened at that moment,” Wendy recalled.

Wendy said the intruder knocked her unconscious and onto the floor. When she came to, he was gone but not one thing was stolen.

“Yes it's kind of weird. Everything is kind of weird,” she told NBC 7.

Four days earlier, Lopez was found dead in a nearby garage converted to a one-bedroom apartment she called home.

Lopez’ son Paul has his own suspicions on his mother’s death.

He saw Maria just hours before the fire. She was in good spirits. He brought her groceries and cleaning supplies she requested.

The cause of the fire is undetermined. According to a report from the San Diego County Medical Examiner’s office, the cause and manner of Lopez’s death is still under investigation.

Ricardo Cruz lives next to Lopez' apartment that went up in flames and in front of Wendy's home.

“It's weird because we're like right next to where the fire happened. It's weird because all this might link up to something else,” Cruz said.

Neighbors are hoping investigators will figure out if and how it all adds up before someone else winds up in the equation.
 

Last weekend’s record rainfall is another indicator that El Niño may be ahead.

It’s been more than a decade since the last strong El Niño hit our area. So is San Diego County any better prepared now?

Six counties statewide, including San Diego, are now under a state of emergency following mudslides and flash floods caused by the weekend storms.

In February 1998, La Jolla flooded. Asphalt washed away in Oceanside, the Del Mar Fairgrounds was under water and mud slides damaged homes in Del Cerro.

A local geologist said a lot has changed since past El Niños.

“Insurance companies have rewritten the rules, and engineering and geology firms have gotten wiser about how they develop,” Pat Abbott said.

Still, Abbott said Southern California’s hilly terrain can’t be changed and if San Diego does see a strong El Niño, he would be shocked if we don’t see some flooding, mud slides and damage.

Still, he said: “We are far better prepared with the lessons from the early 80s and the lessons from the 90s, but that doesn’t mean the danger is gone,” Abbott said.

Five teenage boys were arrested this week in connection with gun thefts and a hit-and-run crash, according to Chula Vista police.

A resident in the 1100 block of Osage Avenue called police Monday afternoon to report five guns missing from his home. Around the same time, other callers reported three people jumping fences in the area with guns in their hands.

Chula Vista police believe the homeowner interrupted the burglars when he came home, forcing them to run out the back and jump through neighbors’ yards. The victim told investigators he saw a grey VW Jetta with two people inside driving from his home when he pulled up.

A hit-and-run, also involving a grey Jetta, was soon reported on a street nearby, and callers said the car stopped to pick up the three teens who were spotted dashing through yards.

As officers investigated, they discovered three of the five stolen firearms in various yards, apparently abandoned in the escape. A witness gave investigators the Jetta’s license plate, so officers set up surveillance on the Costa Avenue home where the car was registered.

About an hour later, they saw one of the suspects drive by with his mother in the passenger seat. Officers pulled the car over at a gas station and identified the 16-year-old driver as the boy behind the wheel during the hit-and-run.

Police do not believe his mother, 52-year-old Roberta Castro, was involved in the burglary, but she was found in possession of methamphetamine and marijuana, officers say. She was arrested and released on misdemeanor chargers, while her son was arrested on suspicion of hit-and-run and burglary.

Soon enough, police had identified four other suspects, all boys ages 15 to 16. One, who officers say broke into the Chula Vista house, was arrested at his home Monday night, and another, believed to be the passenger in the Jetta, was taken into custody Tuesday.

On Wednesday morning, the fourth suspect was arrested for allegedly participating in the burglary. When the fifth suspect was tracked down, officers say they found him in possession of a shotgun barrel, believed to be from a gun stolen Monday. He was arrested without incident.

Chula Vista property crimes detectives believe these five teens are responsible for several other residential burglaries in the area. Two weapons, a revolver and a shotgun that were loaded when stolen, are still missing.

If you know about these cases, call the Chula Vista Police Department at 619-691-5129 or 619-691-5151.
 

Police are looking for a man that brazenly stole from two local businesses and left them to foot a large bill, a trend police say is growing in San Diego County.

Brian Yates, owner of Drones Made Easy, and Kenny Chen, Onyx Moto Owner, both say the man spotted on security cameras made a purchase online or by phone using a fraudulent credit card and a fake ID.

When he came to pick up the merchandise, he looked right at the camera.

“These guys are getting real brave coming in in person, you know, showing their face on camera,” said Kenny Chen.

The shop owners said the credit card information belonged to a man in Texas. He ended up disputing the charges, and the small businesses ended up footing the bill.

“It really falls on the merchants and it hurts when you're a small business,” Yates said.

National City police say that type of theft has become an industry in the area. The suspect seen looking directly at cameras is likely a middleman for a larger ring of identity thieves.

“They're definitely getting more creative inventive and it seems like the scam changes every few months,” said Yates.

These types of crimes are charged as a misdemeanor, police said, which might explain the uptick in identity theft across San Diego County.

“A day doesn't go by in San Diego County where we don't see two or three Be On The Look Out notices from other agencies in this county talking about an individual who is being recorded or is seen with pictures using stolen personal identifying information,” said Tom Di Zinno with the National City Police Department.

The actions of the Texas trooper seen in a dashcam video ordering Sandra Bland out of her car during a routine traffic stop last week appear to be legal — but the officer could have deescalated the situation, legal experts told NBC News Wednesday.

"He was permitted to use reasonable force to get her out of the car," professor of law at the UC Davis School of Law and a former prosecutor Gabriel Chin said, but added that the situation could have been handled differently.

Eugene O'Donnell, a professor of law and police studies at John Jay College of Criminal Justice in New York City, said that even if Bland was disrespectful, police officers are trained to not take abuse personally. In the video, Encinia appears to lose his temper.

Bland, 28, who was arrested after the July 10, would be found dead of an apparent suicide in her cell at the Waller County Jail three days later. 

A boil water order has been issued for the Indian Hills Camp in Jamul after the drinking water tested positive for E. coli and total coliform bacteria, San Diego County health officials said. 

The Indian Hills Camp, at 15763 Lyons Valley Road, serves nine mobile homes, 15 recreational car slots, two dorms, 15 camp sites, four public restrooms with showers, two swimming pools, a kitchen and an office building. 

Total coliform bacteria can come from soils, officials said. 

By boiling the water, residents will be able to ensure the water is free from contamination. 

The order will remain in place until county officials confirm the samples are free of bacteria. 

A suspected DUI crash has left one woman dead in Torrey Highland Wednesday evening, according to San Diego police Lt. Leonard Flake.

The incident started when a Fiat 500, heading east on Carmel Valley Road, crossed the center divider. As the 30-year-old driver neared Camino del Sur, he slammed into a Chevrolet Nova driving the opposite direction.

The 61-year-old woman in the Nova died at the scene, Flake said.

After undergoing a roadside sobriety test, the Fiat's driver was taken into custody on suspicion of DUI.

"The horn has been sounded many many times for many years continually about the perils of drinking and driving," said Flake. "Yet here is another example of what frequently occurs when people make the choice to drink and then get behind the wheel."

Flake said police will seek a felony manslaughter charge against the suspect, though it will ultimately be up to the District Attorney to file charges.

The woman's identity has not been released.

Officers closed down the area for hours as they investigated.

Deputies responded to reports of an armed man in unincorporated El Cajon Wednesday. 

According to the San Diego County Sheriff's Department, they got a call from the man's father, telling them his son was armed and may harm himself in the 1400 block of Fuerte Heights Lane.

But by the time deputies arrived, the family said the suspect had thrown the gun in the pool and taken off.

Investigators found the firearm in the pool as they started clearing the house, which sits on a big property, they say.

The man's family said they found him and took him to the hospital unharmed.

Editor's note: Deputies previously said they had reports that the man was threatening his family. His family told NBC 7 that is not the case.

The U.S. formally requested the extradition Wednesday of Trinidad and Tobago lawmaker Jack Warner, the former FIFA vice president at the center of the world soccer corruption scandal, the country's attorney general said. 

"The process is now for me to examine the documentation and consider the evidence and decide whether to issue the authority to proceed," Attorney General Garvin Nicholas said at a news conference on Wednesday.

The U.S. said it would seek Warner's extradition on charges of racketeering, wire fraud, and money laundering conspiracy. 

A pedestrian died Wednesday night in a crash in Carlsbad, police say.

Officers responded to the fatal crash at 6:30 p.m. at Palomar Airport Road and College Boulevard.

According to Carlsbad police, a 50-year-old man was killed.

Northbound College Boulevard between Palomar Airport Road and Aston Avenue, but it was reopened by 9:20 p.m.

While the manhunt for the infamous drug lord continues, an "El Chapo" piñata has been spotted, NBC News reported.

A piñata depicting Joaquin Guzman, known as "El Chapo", was seen outside a workshop in Reynosa, Mexico on July 21. The drug lord escaped from a top security prison—for the second time—through a tunnel built into his cell earlier this month. 

Dalton Ramirez, the piñata maker, said he likes to design pinatas with social or controversial themes. The crafter even made a depiction of Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump.

The piñatas are crafted with every detail— including what "El Chapo" would have in his pockets like a toy gun and toy grenade. The workers were sure to study Guzman's features on the Internet before crafting the piñata.

The drug kingpin may be on the run, but at least he will be visiting a few parties.

The California Highway Patrol issued a Sig Alert on Interstate 15 after a mobile home pulled by a pickup truck rolled over in Escondido.

The driver of the truck told NBC 7 that he was in the far right lane of southbound I-15, nearing 9th Avenue, when he realized too late that he was in an "exit only" lane.

As he tried to jerk his truck and the trailer into the left lanes, the trailer, carrying the mobile home, began to wobble.

The driver could not regain control, and the mobile home flipped on its side at about 8:30 p.m. near Felicita Road. The crash blocked multiple lanes on the freeway.

The truck was half suspended in the air when the driver and his family scrambled out. No injuries were reported.

Officials issued the Sig Alert as they figured out how to clear the scene.

The medical examiner's office has identified a pedestrian killed last week in Mission Bay as a 29-year-old woman who had a "transient lifestyle."

Officials say Nora T. Doty was walking across Ingraham Street at Perez Cove Way on July 15 when she was struck by a Nissan Altima.

Though she was in a crosswalk, police say the 28-year-old male driver had a green light and the right of way.

Doty was taken to UCSD Medical Center, where she later died.

Alcohol was not a suspected factor in the crash.

More than 100 people gathered late Wednesday for a vigil to honor a California police officer who was fatally shot.

The officer, identified as 48-year-old Sergeant Scott Lunger, was shot during a traffic stop earlier in the day, police said.

Speaking at a press conference, Hayward Police Capt. Mark Koller said: "[Scott] was always out there, eager to get involved. He was engaged in the community."

Koller deemed Lunger's death a "tremendous loss" and Wednesday a "dark day for the community of Hayward, the Hayward Police Department, the family of [the] department and the men and women of law enforcement."

The shooting occurred at 3:14 a.m. in the vicinity of Myrtle and Lion streets, police said.

Lunger stopped a vehicle whose driver was "observed driving erratically," police said. But when he got out of his car and approached the driver's side of the vehicle, its occupant opened fire without warning, they added. 

A second officer, who was present at the scene and did not sustain injuries, fired back. But the suspect fled despite being struck, police said. The entire exchange lasted about 45 seconds, they added.

Police also said that the suspect vehicle, believed to be a white GMC pickup truck, was later recovered in Oakland. Abandoned at an intersection, the car was reportedly riddled with bullet holes on the driver's side door.

Based on information found in the vehicle, police were able to identify a "person of interest" and ensure that he no longer posed a "threat to the community," Koller said.

The suspect, 21-year-old Mark Astrada, was arrested Wednesday afternoon when he was admitted to San Leandro Hospital and then transferred to Highland Hospital to be treated for a gunshot wound, police sources told NBC Bay Area.

Authorities said they are not searching for any other suspects at this time.

Citing the active investigation, which is in its early — and most "crucial" — stage, Koller declined to furnish additional details. Providing information prematurely could "jeapordize" ongoing police work, he said.

But Koller didn't hold back when talking about Lunger.

He said the 15-year veteran who was promoted to sergeant in 2009 was "well liked" and "well respected" — in short, an "ideal" police officer. The pair were "close [friends]," Koller said, noting that Lunger was an "accomplished" member of the police department's gang and SWAT teams, and also helped train young police officers.

"Scott loved this job," Koller said. "He did it eagerly. It is a tragedy that this has happened, that someone has done this. … The department is devastated but we are pulling together and we will get through this."

The California Highway Patrol, Alameda County Sheriff's Department and District Attorney's Office, and San Jose, San Leandro and Union City police departments are assisting Hayward police.

Thanking all those who have come forward to support the department, Koller said the "outpouring is overwhelming."

Earlier in the day, Lieutenant Eric Krimm deemed the shooting "devastating to the officers involved and to the community." 

“No officer comes to work wanting to be involved in something like that so [officer-involved shootings are] very difficult,” he noted. “They’re difficult for those involved, they’re difficult for the families, they’re difficult for the communities.”

According to the Hayward police department's "Officer Down Memorial Page," three officers have been killed in the line of duty — most recently in 1987.

"Unfortunately, a police officer’s job is very dangerous and as we can see today ... there's nothing routine about what our officers do," Koller said. "There are times [when] they have no idea who they’re stopping … Tragedy happens immediately and without warning."

NBC Bay Area's chopper showed heavy police presence at Eden Medical Center in Castro Valley where Lunger was taken. Law enforcement officers saluted as a casket carrying the slain officer's body was loaded into a vehicle.

On Wednesday, news of Lunger's death rocked Bay Area's law enforcement agencies.

Captain Christopher Sherry, commander of the CHP in San Francisco, wrote on Twitter: "My thoughts and Prayers are with the Hayward PD. This is a very sad day for all law enforcement. #GodSpeed"

Mountain View police echoed the same sentiment.

"We mourn with our brothers + sisters of the HaywardPD + family of the fallen," they tweeted. "Rest peacefully Sgt. Scott Lunger."

Police said anyone wishing to make a donation for the Lunger family can contact the Hayward Police Officers Association at 510-293-5010.

NBC Bay Area's Ian Cull, Stephanie Chuang, Bob Redell and Shawn Murphy contributed to this report.

On the second floor of a house in Hardwick, Massachusetts, is where police said a 7-year-old boy was abused at the hands of his father.

The abuse was so bad,  the boy was in a coma and unresponsive when he was brought to a local hospital, according to court paperwork.

Police said the boy was suffering from "starvation and dehydration," and weighs just 38.5 pounds.

The boy's father, 26-year-old Randall Lints, faces a slew of child abuse charges.

Amber Loiselle identifies the victim as her son, Jack. She said she's been visiting him on her custody days in the hospital.

"He's my first born, and he's a great older brother" she said. "I just want him to open his eyes, because they're the most beautiful color of blue."

Police say the child had injuries to his skin as a result of "bleach exposure."

Ten-year-old Isabella Johnson rides the bus with the child.

"He told me he scrubs the floor sometimes," Johnson said. "He says for a chore, his parents make him clean the floors."

Johnson also said he would be cold and hungry at school.

"Sometimes he comes to school, like in the winter time, he was really cold," she said. "He'd go to school on the bus and be like, 'I'm hungry,' so he'd open his lunch and eat it, and then he'd have nothing to eat at lunch."

"I'm very upset about this. I hope he's okay," said Isabella's mom, Dawn Johnson, through tears.

She says she saw the little boy just recently.

"I had a yard sale a couple weeks ago and I was giving toys to him and stuff, because he doesn't have — I just let him have stuff," said Dawn Johnson.

Massachusetts State Police say they responded to the home on July 14 for a 911 call.

Lints allegedly told police that he went to check on his son and found him unresponsive, and that he had fallen out of bed days earlier.

First responders said they found bruises to the child's "forehead and jaw," but doctors said the injuries weren't consistent with falling out of bed.

The boy had injuries to his feet "likely from a manufactured object," and that he had a weight loss of about "12-15 pounds in only a few months," according to the report.

Lints was arrested a week after his son was brought to the hospital.

Wednesday, a woman neighbors identified as Lints' girlfriend cried near the house. Neighbors didn't report seeing anything amiss, but one downstairs neighbor said she heard yelling a few months ago.

"I heard him yelling at his son, saying, 'Why did you do it, why did you do it?' and the child crying," she said.

Amber Loiselle s Jack is slowly getting better.

"Justice will prevail for my son, and he is going to come out of this, because he is just the most amazing little boy," she said.

The Massachusetts Department of Children and Families says the boy is in their custody. He is still recovering at a local hospital. A Facebook page set up for him says he is progressing, and that he was able to wiggle his arms and shoulders and cough on his own.

In the face of a changing media landscape and rising costs, a longtime San Diego publication is closing its doors and halting the presses.

The Daily Transcript/San Diego Source will print its last newspaper on Sept. 1 and will cease operations on Sept. 21 2015 after nearly 130 years of operation, according to a post on its website by Publisher Robert L. Loomis.

“The changing publishing paradigm has made the maintenance of a news organization of the size and scope represented by The Daily Transcript/San Diego Source in a market of San Diego’s size problematic,” Loomis wrote.

He cited increasing overhead costs, health care costs and an uncertain future of the news industry as reasons the publication had to shutter. Despite adopting changing technology and turning daily news stories, it had become difficult to continue to provide the level of information and data the publication was known for and maintain the same level of staff.

Chairman William Revelle thanked the employees who helped shape and contribute to the publication over the years.

“The many achievements of the company are widely recognized within the community and reinforced by countless awards for excellence by journalistic professional groups,” the post read. “Employees have been responsible for producing a news product and related services of great value to our loyal readers, subscribers and users. You have our eternal gratitude as well.”

The Transcript’s last issue will print Sept. 1 at 2131 Third Ave.

The 21-year-old website will continue to stay online for a period of time, Loomis said, before “probably fading first to gray and one day in the future going to a 404 message.”

The publication hopes to donate their past print editions to a local library or institute as a possible resource for the future.

“It has been a great ride, one more time, our sincere thanks to our employees, and the many advertisers and subscribers who have supported us during the last 130 years,” Loomis said.

A dog was shot in Milwaukee after it was apparently mistaken for a lion reported to have been spotted on city streets, authorities said on Wednesday, NBC News reported. 

The white pit bull with one blue eye, whose owner has not been found, was shot on Tuesday on the city's North Side about two miles away from the reported lion sighting, animal control officials said. The dog was expected to make a full recovery. 

"It's ludicrous. It's not tall and not anywhere near the size of a lion," said Karen Sparapani, director of the Milwaukee Area Domestic Animal Control Commission. "We are trying to tell people not to panic."

A woman called police on Monday to report seeing a lion in her neighborhood. Hours laters, a cell phone video clip surfaced showing a blurry image of a large cat-like animal strolling about, fueling speculation. 

A video ad for a new lesbian magazine showing a lookalike of German Chancellor Angela Merkel getting kissed by another woman has gone viral. 

"Straight" magazine launched the advertisement on its Facebook and Twitter where it has been viewed more than 1.5 million times, according to the publisher.  

In the ad, a radio moderator is heard saying "62 percent of Germans are in favor of same-sex marriage." As the Merkel lookalike shakes her head, a young woman enters the room, hugs her and gives her a kiss.

Merkel, whose second husband is Joachim Sauer, a professor of theoretical chemistry, has ruled out same-sex marriages in Germany.