Tesla overtook General Motors during trading Monday to become the most valuable automaker in the United States, CNBC reported.

The electric car company sold about 76,000 vehicles last year, a fraction of the 10 million sold the same year by GM.

But Tesla's market capitalization, which is calculated by multiplying the total number of shares by the present stock price, hit about $51 billion, Bloomberg reported. That was about $1.7 billion more than GM, as of 9:35 a.m. ET.

PiperJaffray analyst Alexander Potter said in a note that Tesla has a "captivating impact on consumers and shareholders alike" that will be difficult for competitors to replicate.

Tesla shares rose more than 3 percent to reach a fresh all-time high of $313.73 in midafternoon trading Monday, after receiving the highest price forecast ever issued for the stock by an analyst at a major firm.

The stock closed up over 3 percent at $312.39 per share.

An iconic, bright red Seahorse was stolen from a resident's property in La Jolla on Thursday night.

Someone took off with the statue that was proudly displayed at the 7200 block of La Jolla Boulevard for many years, according to its owner Clemel Gazzar.

"Everyone wants it found!" Gazzar told NBC 7. "Now it still has not been returned and I am bummed."

Gazzar submitted a police report online on Friday, but has not yet received a response.

A new land acquisition in East County has brought a local conservation group one step closer to their vision of a continuous trail stretching from the mountains to the sea.

Lakeside's River Park Conservancy (LRPC) bought 6.05 acres of wetland and riparian forest alongside the San Diego River in Lakeside Friday, said Robin Rierdan, the Executive Director of the Lakeside River Park.

“It is a critical link along the river that will connect two portions of the trail, and move us one step closer to reaching our goal of a 52-mile long trail from the mountains to the ocean,” said Rierdan.

Once fully restored, hikers, horse-riders and mountain bikers will be able to access the main San Diego River trail, as well as the county's bike path, according to LRPC. This project will also connect the East County Equestrian Foundation with the San Diego River Trail.

The land was acquired as part of a long-standing partnership that LRPC has with Serving Hands International, the philanthropic arm of The Caster Group, said Rierdan. The Environmental Enhancement Mitigation Program made the $181,000 land acquisition possible with a grant to LRPC.

"This acquisition enhances the ecological integrity of our local community while playing an important role for the future of recreation in San Diego County," said Rierdan, in a statement.

"I am pleased that we were able to protect this land from development pressures, and this will allow us to provide increased opportunities for people to enjoy it."

The land is known locally as the Caster Pond, with San Diego County's Cactus Park and Cactus BMX Park, just east of Highway 67 in Lakeside. Before LRPC bought the land, the Caster Pond was closed to the public.

With right of entry permits, the Conservancy has been allowed to send volunteers to clean up the property from trash, map invasive plant species and identify illegal activity from trespassers.

On Saturday, Apr. 22 the public will be invited to celebrate Earth Day at the newly-acquired property for the 15th annual Creek to Bay Cleanup.  Volunteers will need to RSVP online.

Some residents attempting to pay their property taxes Monday morning hit a road block: the County Treasurer-Tax Collector's website was undergoing maintenance.

The County Treasurer-Tax Collector's website was one of several County sites experiencing intermittent outages, according to Communications Manager Andie Jokerst. 

Monday marks the deadline for residents to pay their second installment of property taxes to avoid penalties. 

The issues were resolved around noon the same day. 

"We are still working to analyze the source of the issue, but taxpayers have been able to successfully complete payments through our online payment system," a statement from Jokerst read.

Those looking to still pay their taxes can do so online or in person until 5 p.m. at one of five branch locations. 

U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) agents arrested a man with nearly $200,000 in narcotics hidden in his car.

Around 1:30 p.m. on Friday, CBP agents stopped a 53-year-old man driving a Dodge Journey SUV in Murrieta, off the northbound Interstate 215.

A K-9 search alerted agents to drugs, and a more thorough search revealed a hidden compartment within the side of the vehicle holding narcotics.

Agents removed 57 bundles of methamphetamine and two bundles of heroin from the compartment, according to a statement from CBP.

The methamphetamine weighed 53.55 pounds and has an estimated street value of $128,520.

The two bundles of heroin together weighed 6.21 pound, a street value of $68,310.

CBP was unable to state what prompted the vehicle stop.

“Every seizure is different,” said San Diego Supervisory Border Patrol Agent Mark Endicott. “Not all of them are generated from community reports or tips. Some of them are just developed from pure observation from agents’ perspectives.”

Endicott said the San Diego CBP agents are highly skilled at recognizing signs of suspicious activity.

The drug bust occurred a day after Murrieta Border Patrol seized 34.94 pounds of methamphetamine from a 21-year-old driver, April 6.

“In recent years we have seized more methamphetamine than before,” said Endicott. “[Numbers] have gone up regarding cocaine, meth and heroin. We do seize more methamphetamine than other sectors in the Southwest border.”

Both suspected smugglers are booked into the Riverside County Jail and face state narcotic charges, according to CBP.

CBP said suspicious activity including human, drug and contraband trafficking can be reported to San Diego Border Patrol at (619) 498-9900.

A new approach to treating AIDS was discovered by scientists at the Scripps Research Institute (TSRI).

Scientists have found a way to stick HIV-fighting antibodies to immune cells, which may foster a cell population resistant to the virus.

The experiments under lab conditions show resistant cells can quickly replace diseased cells under lab conditions, which shows the potential to cure a person with HIV, according to TSRI.

"This protection would be long term," said Jia Xie, senior staff scientist at TSRI and the first author of the study. It was published Monday in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.

Richard Lerner, M.D., Lita Annenberg Hazen Professor of Immunochemistry at TSRI, led the study. The researchers will work with investigators at City of Hope's Center for Gene Therapy to investigate this new therapy as a potential treatment for HIV.

They will evaluate the treatment with safety tests as required by federal regulations.

"City of Hope currently has active clinical trials of gene therapy for AIDS using blood stem cell transplantation, and this experience will be applied to the task of bringing this discovery to the clinic," said John A. Zaia, M.D., director of the Center for Gene Therapy, in a statement.

"The ultimate goal will be the control of HIV in patients with AIDS without the need for other medications," said Zaia.

A significant new advantage with this treatment is that antibodies hang onto a cell's surface, blocking HIV from accessing a crucial cell receptor and spreading infection, according to TSRI.

“This is really a form of cellular vaccination,” said Lerner.

Antibodies recognize the CDR4 binding site, which allows them to block HIV from attacking a critical receptor in the cell. Scientists say this technique can produce an HIV-resistant population of cells.

Five children were injured when a bounce house was caught by a wind gust in Greenville County, South Carolina, during a church carnival on Saturday. 

"It just took off like a kite into the sky," parent Alyssa Wentzel told NBC News. "All I could do was yell and pray 'God, please keep those kids inside!' Thank God no one died, no one fell out, it was a miracle, it could've been much worse."

No charges were expected.

Tired of paying a lot for TV but not ready to cut the cord entirely? Some cable companies now offer skinny TV packages, but another option is an Internet streaming service.

Consumer Reports says some of the newest players offer lots of channels for less money.

Soon, YouTube TV will launch in major cities, offering 40 streaming cable channels, including Disney, ESPN, NBC News, even some regional sports networks, for 35-dollars per month, but remember there are channel tradeoffs with these slimmer streaming services.

So if you can’t live without a certain channel, make sure it’s offered before you sign up. For example, right now YouTube TV doesn’t offer Comedy Central, CNN, HBO, HGTV and a few other channels, though you can pay extra to get Showtime.

Sling TV starts at $20/month, but its $40 “All Channels” package includes 50 channels.. add-ons for local broadcast, sports, movies and premium channels range from $5 to $15 a month.

Direct TV Now has a promotional price of $35 a month for sixty channels, or $60 a month for over a hundred channels. Hulu is also expected to launch a streaming TV service called Hulu Live.

One thing to remember: All these streaming services require a smart TV or streaming media player, and a decent broadband connection. If your Internet service isn’t fast enough, they might not be the best choice. And if you have a lot of TVs, you might have to limit how many people are watching at the same time since each service limits the number of simultaneous streams.

Live streaming of our own newscasts are available by going to www.nbc7.com.

You can catch all of NBC programing on demand, butyhou have to sign in to the app with your cable provider information.

A man and a woman, accompanied by a 5-year-old boy, were arrested for smuggling cocaine by Border Patrol agents over the weekend.

The U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) also confirmed that a previously deported sex offender was arrested the same day.

CBP said the first incident occurred Saturday around 9 a.m. at the checkpoint of Highway 86.

During primary inspection, the driver, a 37-year-old man, told agents he was accompanied by his wife and 5-year-old son.

After being alerted to the man's Jeep by a Border Patrol detection canine team, agents discovered six bundles of cocaine hidden inside the front driver seat.

The narcotics are have an estimated street value of $218,250.

CBP said the man, woman and 5-year-old, all Mexican citizens, were turned over the Drug Enforcement Administration for further investigation.

That same day, around 9:30 p.m., agents arrested three men who had illegally entered the U.S. near Ocotillo.

A 53-year-old man had been convicted of sexual assault in the second degree in Colorado and had served 18 months in prison, CBP said.

He had previously been deported.

CBP said the man will be criminally prosecuted for Re-Entry After Removal as a convicted sex offender.

A motorcycle crash is causing traffic delays on southbound interstate 805 and state route 52 in Clairemont Mesa.

It happened when a motorcycle rear ended a green ford SUV, a witness told California Highway Patrol (CHP). That was at about 5:50 p.m. Monday.

CHP officers say two lanes are blocked from the crash.

It was not immediately clear whether anyone was injured in the crash. No other information was available.

Visit NBC 7's traffic page for immediate updates on gridlock in the area.

Please refresh this page for updates on this breaking story. Details may change as more information becomes available.

A local teenager is spending her spring break launching a suicide prevention campaign near the train tracks in the North County.

Kassidy Kanner, 18, spent Monday afternoon walking around Del Mar, posting signs that read: "There is Help" followed by a crisis hotline number.

“We're putting up signs, we're just really trying to spread the word and get out as many signs up as possible today,” Kanner told NBC 7. “We’ve posted signs in Leucadia, Cardiff, Solana Beach, and Del Mar.”

The teenager decided to launch the campaign last month, after her boyfriend witnessed an apparent suicide on the tracks near Leucadia Boulevard.

He was so affected by the tragedy, she decided to take action.

“It just happened so close to our home. It was a terrible scene to have seen and obviously you knew what had happened,” recalled Kanner. “I want there to be actual permanent signs, not paper.”

According to the North County Transit District (NCTD), this year alone 11 people have been struck by the train. Six of them died. It’s unclear if the deaths were due to suicide attempts or accidents.

Through a statement sent to NBC 7 , Sean Loofbourrow, NCTD’s Chief of Safety said the team is considering ways to prevent more deaths along the tracks.

“NCTD is considering posting signs along our property to show that there are resources available at the national, state and local levels for those who might be considering harming themselves,” said Loofbourrow.

Hoping to gather enough support, Kanner started an online petition to push for permanent suicide prevention signs, similar to those installed on the Coronado Bridge. 

“If they're thinking about it, they can see the number and say, ok I can call the number if I need help or maybe that sign will even be a sign to not do what they're thinking of doing.”

For Jessica Kann and Brittany Gaie, the cause is personal.

Last October, they lost their best friend Zoe, when she decided to end her life on the railroad tracks. Zoe was only 16-years-old.

“She called us that day and she had broken up with her boyfriend,” recalled Gaie. “I feel like the only reason she did that was that a lot of things had gone wrong that day, there was a lot of emotions built up that day.”

Kann hopes that through her involvement in this campaign, she can honor her friend’s life and help save someone else’s.

“They are looking for a sign that they are loved and that someone really cares about them,” Kann told NBC 7. “Sometimes it's just an impulse decision and they don't really think about it. If you see something that will make you stop and think about it, all the effects that it has, it can really maybe save a life.”

The suicide hotline number is 1-800-273-8255.

San Diego State University (SDSU) Men's Basketball coach Steve Fisher has retired, according to a report in the Union-Tribune. 

The well-known coach told his staff, players and university president Elliot Hirshman on Monday, according to the report. 

SDSU officials have scheduled a news conference on Tuesday, likely to announce the news. 

Longtime assistant Brian Dutcher will be announced as his replacement, according to the report. 

NBC 7 has reached out to SDSU for comment. We will update this story when we hear back. 

Hundreds of teachers and staff rallied by Madison High School in San Diego Monday morning, demanding the school district rescind their layoff notices.

Nearly 300 educators have told the San Diego Unified School District (SDUSD) that they will participate in the four-day hearing for educators to contest their pink slips, according to SDUSD.

They rallied at the 4800 block of Doliva Drive at 8:30 a.m., while chanting about the teacher's union, saying: "We are the union, fighting for schools, fighting for justice, everywhere we go."

Some of the teachers say these upcoming layoffs will diminish the students' quality of education. Educators say many schools are concerned they will not have enough substitutes available to cover classes next week.

"I don't want to be worried about this. I don't want to come here today. I want to be with my kids, but I have to be here and I have to stand with my fellow teachers," said Pattrick Trotter, a teacher for the District.

More than $120 million in debt will prompt the layoff of one in seven teachers in the District. Now teachers are wondering how the District  plans to make sure children still receive a top-notch education with less resources.

Some teachers say the lack of job security is discouraging future educators from pursuing a teaching career.

"No one wants to sub and no one wants to be a teacher because I have been teaching since 2005 but I didn't become permanent until 2012 and I am still worrying about job security," Amber Hazwski, an art teacher for the District, told NBC 7.

Nearly 1,000 educators will be laid off if the District continues with its current plan for budget cuts.

"Not all the students are going to be scientists and brains surgeons," said Hazwski. "We need the art, we need the music and we especially need the P.E. The kids need some physical activity."

The hearings will continue for three more days, to make sure the District followed proper protocol when issuing pink slips and picking where the cuts would be made.

Educators say the notices were sent to cover a worst-case scenario budget shortfall which has not yet come to pass, according to the San Diego Education Association.

In response to the rally, the District released a statement saying, "The teacher's union is doing an outstanding job representing the interest of their members and we respect their role. However, the district must remain focused on our service to our students and the entire City of San Diego."

An armed man who allegedly used his young son as a human shield during an Encinitas SWAT standoff, has changed his plea, according to the District Attorney's office. 

Victor Bautista, of Cardiff, pleaded guilty to felony making a criminal threat which would result in death or great bodily injury and felony child endangerment.

He had previously pleaded not guilty and was set to go to trial in May.

The standoff began on Nov. 2 on the 2300 block of Carol View Drive when San Diego County Sheriff's deputies responded to a call of a disturbance, according to San Diego County Sheriff's Department (SDSO) spokesman Ryan Keim.

Bautista, armed with a rifle, made him way into an apartment in the complex, where he barricaded himself, prompting a SWAT standoff, deputies said. 

All the while he was inside, deputies kept contact with him, Keim said. 

When SDSO's Special Enforcement Detail arrived on scene, they eventually fired a beanbag shotgun round and took the suspect into custody. No shots were fired, aside from the beanbag shotgun, deputies said. 

The young child was released unharmed.

Bautista will be sentenced on May 25. 

Local State Park officials are looking for further guidance from the governor on how to proceed with "rinse-off” showers at state beaches, which have been turned off since 2015. 

The showers were first turned off two summers ago when the State of California was in a period of severe drought. The showers were shut off to conserve water. 

In April, Gov. Jerry Brown's office announced the state would lift its drought emergency for most of the state after a winter of record rain and snowfall that followed a five-year dry spell.

"This drought emergency is over, but the next drought could be around the corner," Gov. Brown said. "Conservation must remain a way of life."

In light of Brown's conversation message, state park representatives are looking for more guidance on whether they should turn the showers back on. As of Monday, the showers remain off. 

In the meantime, officials will be working to make sure the showers are still in working order, since they have been turned off for some time. 

The San Diego County beaches affected are: Carlsbad State Beach, Cardiff State Beach, San Elijo State Beach, San Onofre State Beach, Silver Strand State Beach, South Carlsbad State Beach and Torrey Pines State Beach.

The Associated Press contributed to this report. 

NBC LA newschopper captures video on the campus of one of three schools affected by a shooting Monday, April 10, 2017.

A teacher and a student were shot dead and another child was critically wounded Monday in a murder-suicide inside an elementary school special needs classroom in San Bernardino, California. The suspected shooter was also killed.

The 8-year-old child was identified as Jonathan Martinez by San Bernardino police. He was taken to Loma Linda University Medical Center via helicopter where he later died.

The teacher was identified by law enforcement officials as Karen Elaine Smith, 53, Monday afternoon. The suspected shooter was identified as Smith's husband, Cedric Charles Anderson, a 53-year-old resident of the City of Riverside, multiple law enforcement agencies confirmed to NBC4.

Two children, including Martinez, were struck by gunfire behind Smith in the apparent murder-suicide shooting, according to police.

Police do not believe the children were targeted.

Police said Anderson came to the special needs classroom, comprised of first and fourth graders, armed with a .357 revolver and opened fire on Smith. He reloaded his handgun at least one time, and used the last round to take his own life, police said. 

The children were inadvertently hit as they stood behind Smith, police Chief Jarrod Burguan said at a news conference. They were airlifted to Loma Linda University Medical Center. Jonathan did not make it to the operating room before dying, hospital officials said. 

Monica Garcia, of the San Bernardino Unified School District, said the shooting appeared to stem from a domestic violence dispute involving Anderson and Smith, both of whom were found dead in the classroom. The marriage between the two was relatively short — less than two months long — prior to Monday's shooting, Burguan said.

The second student, a 9-year-old whose identity has not been made public, was in stable condition at the hospital.

"Our hearts are broken," said San Bernardino School District Superintendent Dr. Dale Marsden. "This is truly tragic."

Police first received a report of shots fired at the school at 10:27 a.m., followed by a report of an active shooter at the campus. It was not immediately clear whether the campus has metal detectors or other equipment designed to prevent weapons from being carried into the school.

"There was no indication the gun was visible upon his arrival at the school," police Capt. Ron Maass said at a news conference.

The school of about 600 kindergarten through sixth grade students was placed on lockdown as law enforcement and first responders swarmed the campus. Aerial video showed lines of students walking across campus recreation fields and basketball courts as authorities evacuated the school.

Parents gathered outside the elementary school, waiting to pick up their children and get updates on the shooting. 

"Hold each other, that's all we can do," said a parent who spoke to NBC4. "I'm probably going to cry like a baby. I don't care, I just want to hug my child."

Another man said his daughter left her phone at home, leaving him unable to reach her for updates. He said he was relieved to learn his daughter was safe.

Police asked parents to pick up students at Cajon High School and urged them to bring valid IDs. 

The San Bernardino City Unified School District's website has a list of resources to help parents and children manage their distress in the aftermath of a shooting.  

San Bernardino Mayor R. Carey Davis tweeted there would be a 6 p.m. vigil at Our Lady of Assumption Church located at 796 W. 48th Street.

"This is a tragedy, especially for young students, but school officials and law enforcement acted quickly to deal with the event. As we grieve for those who died or were injured, this is also a time to remind all California public schools to make sure they annually update their mandatory school safety plans," said State Superintendent of Public Instruction Tom Torlakson in a statement released after the shooting.

U.S. Secretary of Education Betsy DeVos also issued a statement:

"My heart and prayers go out to the victims of this horrible act and to all students and members of the North Park Elementary School community. I want to thank the first responders, teachers and school administrators who were there to protect the students in harm’s way. As a mother and grandmother, today’s senseless violence is a tragedy no parent should ever have to face. I ask everyone to join me in keeping all the victims and those impacted in your prayers."

The school is about 10 miles from the Inland Regional Center, where 14 people were killed and 22 wounded in a December 2015 terror attack carried out by a husband and wife.

Italian furniture maker Natuzzi Italia, known officially as Natuzzi S.p.A.., plans to make its San Diego retail debut in late April or early May, with a 1,500-square-foot gallery set to open at the existing Hold It Contemporary Home in Mission Valley.

A statement from San Diego-based Hold It, which operates a store at 1570 Camino de la Reina, said the gallery will be the Italian brand’s only location in the San Diego market.

Started in 1959 by Pasquale Natuzzi, its current chairman and CEO, the furniture maker is based in the southern Italian city of Bari. It is the largest furniture house in Italy and among the largest in Europe, with eight manufacturing plants, 11 commercial offices and an extensive retail network.

The company, listed on the New York Stock Exchange since 1993, touts its upscale products based on elements including environmental sustainability and social responsibility. It employs more than 5,000 workers worldwide and has recently been building up its retail network.

“Retail expansion in the U.S. is definitely a key pillar of our plan, both through our direct-owned stores and our regional partners,” said Nazzario Pozzi, who goes by the title of chief officer, adding the furniture maker has built a “new retail organization” spanning all U.S. states.

Natuzzi Italia is the latest in a string of local debuts by upscale furnishings retailers, following recent openings and announced new stores by companies including Restoration Hardware, Room & Board, and West Elm.

In addition to the Mission Valley store, retailer Hold It Contemporary Home has a warehouse in Kearny Mesa, according to its website. The company is led by Managing Partner Mike McAllister.

At least six Russians have been arrested in Europe on international warrants since July, McClatchy Newspapers reported.

The arrests are part of a larger push on Russian hacking, according to a former high-ranking U.S. intelligence official who spoke to NBC News. Some of the hackers in the dragnet may have information on the election hacking.

Cyber experts have long reported that Russian security services use "patriotic" hackers to carry out attacks on intelligence targets. If a hacker refuses to help, it could lead to trouble with Russian authorities.

Pyotr Levashov, 32, was the latest Russian hacker arrested, just last week in Barcelona. Others were arrested in Prague, Thailand and Finland.

Venezuela was turbulent with a fifth straight day of protests on Monday as civilians and government security forces clashed in cities around the country, NBC News reported.

The violence in the streets seemed to intensify. Government forces threw tear gas canisters from helicopters to deter protesters. Even a hospital was tear-gassed.

"We went into the streets to protest measures taken by the government against our own constitution and our own democracy,” Juan Mejia, an opposition lawmaker, said to NBC News.

Protesters took to the streets after a shortage of basic goods, high levels of inflation and a move to strip the democratically-elected National Assembly of its power.