The former Connecticut state trooper who stole jewelry and money from a dying crash victim on the Merritt Parkway in 2012 will spend a year behind bars.

Aaron Huntsman was sentenced in court on Friday to five years in prison, with the sentence suspended after one year, after he pleaded guilty over the summer. Huntsman will also serve three years' probation.

Dashcam video from Huntsman's own cruiser allegedly caught the former trooper stealing from the body of Orange resident John Scalesse, who was killed in a crash on the Merritt Parkway in Fairfield on Sept. 22, 2012.

Detectives began investigating after Scalesse's family members came forward looking for a gold chain valued at more than $5,000, along with $3,700 in cash and missing clothing.

According to court documents, Huntsman was first at the scene and snatched the broken chain from a pool of blood around Scalesse. Huntsman repeatedly told the victim’s father he never saw the missing items.

But the affidavit says another emergency responder handed Scalesse's cash to Huntsman, who claimed to be taking it in as evidence.

State police said they later found the missing money in Huntsman’s cruiser.

The former trooper has been convicted on charges of larceny and tampering with evidence.

A group of students at San Diego State University have filed a resolution with the Associated Students governing body asking the university to change its mascot, The Aztec Warrior, SDSU confirmed.

The resolution was filed on Oct. 2 by students with the SDSU Queer People of Color Collective.

The group argues, in part, that the:

“Use of the name ‘Aztec’ and the ‘Aztec Warrior’ mascot perpetuate harmful stereotypes of Native Americans, including the notion that Native Americans are innately violent, dangerous, and 'savage' which is demonstrated by the Aztec Warrior’s aggressive body language, the Aztec Warrior’s use of a spear at special events, the use of a spear on the SDSU Athletics Logo which is printed on uniforms and SDSU memorabilia, and the slogan ‘fear the spear.’”

The resolution cites other universities that have used native symbols and mascots, “but then later acknowledged [them] as inappropriate” and retired the characters, including Dartmouth College, Eastern Michigan University, Seattle University, Southern Oregon University and Stanford University.

NBC 7 reached out to SDSU for comment on the matter, and university officials released the following statement:

“A small group of SDSU students have brought forward a resolution to the Associated Students' governing body regarding the university's use of the name Aztecs and its use of the Aztec Warrior as a mascot. San Diego State University has a long and successful tradition of shared governance.

As such, the university is respectful of that process and does not comment on Associated Students' or other resolutions in process.

By way of background, however, the university went through a broadly based, thorough and thoughtful process in 2000-2003 to study, discuss and revise the university logo and mascot in a manner that is a fitting and appropriate affiliation with Aztec culture and history. The changes were overwhelmingly confirmed in a student referendum.

That process - led by a task force of students, faculty, staff, alumni and experts in Aztec culture - provided important guidelines on how best to represent Aztec traditions, build communal spirit and honor specific facets of Aztec culture reflecting the virtues of valor, determination and community-building.”

According to the SDSU website, the current version of The Aztec Warrior mascot made his first public appearance in February 2004 at an SDSU men’s basketball game.

SDSU alumni, faculty and students approved the Aztec Warrior mascot concept in separate referendums held in December 2003. Nearly 10,000 students voted in this process.

Before that, the first Aztec Warrior figure associated with SDSU was Montezuma, who appeared in a skit during halftime at a football game in 1941. The character – commonly known as “Monty” – was created by the school’s rally committee based on the ruler of the Aztec empire in the early 1500s, Montezuma II.

The SDSU website says the Monty mascot adopted a more dignified persona beginning in 1983 during his appearances at sporting events.

In 2000, student groups proposed changes for Monty, including alterations to his costume and the modified moniker, The Aztec Warrior.
 

Hundreds filled a San Diego church Thursday night to mourn a deacon killed when his cab crashed into the back of a San Diego Gas & Electric truck in the Webster area.

Abebe Ainekulu, 53, died when the Discovery Cab he was driving southbound on Fairmount Avenue collided with the truck near Home Avenue.

Ainekulu made a sudden swerve into the right turn lane and slammed hard into the back of the SDG&E utility truck, according to witnesses.

The husband and father of a daughter and son died at the scene, just two blocks from his home and two miles from Saint Gabriel Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo Church in Logan Heights, where he served as a deacon.  

More than 200 people wanted to share their condolences and grief so family members opened up the church hours after the crash.

Longtime friend Tesfai Takele, in tears at the accident scene, said Ainekulu was a friend to everyone.

He worked as a independent driver who had owned his own cab for about 7 years, according to Ferede Gebru, who said he's known Ainekulu for 23 years.

"He's disciplined, how he drive, everything. I know, I know for sure," Gebru said.

Ainekulu had no passengers in the cab at the time of the crash. Gebru believes the victim was on his way to work from his home.

SDG&E sent out the following statement about the fatal collision: 

"While we are thankful that our crewmembers were not injured, we are saddened to learn that the cab driver has passed away. Our condolences go out to those involved in this tragic incident and to their families."

A San Diego man will spend three years behind bars for his role in a crash that killed a U.S. Marine.

Ezequiel Garcia, 30, pleaded guilty to felony hit and run in connection with the August 28 crash that killed U.S. Marine Sgt. Brandon Bizzarro.

Garcia made an illegal U-turn with a rental truck and fled the scene after colliding with Bizzarro on Douglas Drive in Oceanside. He drove back to the rental agency so he could get back his deposit, prosecutors argued.

He was also driving on an expired license at the time of the crash.

Garcia was sentenced Thursday to three years in prison. The charge carries a maximum of four years in prison.

Bizzarro was a member of the Sinland MC Temecula club who has said they plan to hold a memorial ride for him sometime this month.

NBC 7 has learned that law enforcement officials, including the FBI, have been notified of a threatening letter with an unknown substance inside sent to a San Diego mosque, an act one group is calling a hate crime.

The Islamic Center of San Diego in Clairemont Mesa received a signed letter in the mail that allegedly includes a threat specific to their location and other mosques located in San Francisco, Los Angeles and Oakland. 

The envelope included a mysterious substance, though the FBI later confirmed it was harmless. A member of the mosque told NBC 7 the name signed to the letter was not known by the center’s leadership.

Details of the letter were not revealed, though a representative from the Council for American-Islamic Relations says it contains the words "death sentence." The spokesperson called the letter a hate crime and is asking the Muslim-American community to be on the lookout, reporting any threats to local authorities.

"It's a shock because this is the country where everybody has the freedom of religion, of speech, of opinion, of creed or whatever and we are no different than any other people," said Walid Bishawi.

On Friday, there was a heightened sense of security at the mosque, with police cruisers in the parking lot with the center's own security guard. However, most people who attended afternoon prayers say they don't feel afraid.

Leaders at the center handed out fliers and pamphlets about safety protocols, and they plan to hold a public safety expo during an event Saturday.

San Diego Police referred NBC 7's request for information to the FBI.

Agents confirmed they are reviewing facts and circumstances surrounding the incident and letter, and the case is still under review.

Between 2011 and 2012, 51 mosques nationwide have been targeted or attacked, the council says.

Anyone with information can contact the FBI at (858) 320-1800.
 

A former teacher's aide who was busted at the border with more than $500,000 worth of cocaine and methamphetamine was sentenced Friday to 37 months in federal prison and three years supervised release.

After Garrett Anthony Clifton was arrested at the U.S.-Mexico border south of San Diego in April 2013, he continued working at the San Diego Unified School District for nearly a year until NBC7 Investigates asked the school district about his legal situation. It turned out officials with the SDUSD had no idea about Clifton’s arrest.

The case has prompted local school officials and congressional leaders to call for new legislation requiring that school districts be informed when an employee is arrested for a federal crime.

Prosecutors say Clifton showed little emotion but looked "a little shaky" as he appeared in Judge Janis Sammartino's federal courtroom Friday morning.

Clifton also told the court he just fathered a baby, according to a prosecutor. Court records show he was arrested in April 2013 with 9.9 kilos of meth and 8 kilograms of coke in the car he was driving at the border.

He did not return requests for comment and neither did his attorney.

About the drugs in his car, Clifton told court he thought it was "just marijuana," according to a federal prosecutor.

Between April 2013 and February 2014, Clifton attended nearly a dozen court appearances, all the while maintaining employment and working with children at the SDUSD.

He was on his way to work at Mann Middle School when NBC7 Investigates asked the school district about his arrest.

Federal law enforcement agencies do not report such arrests to schools or other public agencies.

State law requires law enforcement agencies to provide official information about an arrest to schools and other entities classified under the law as "care-providing."

The state education code requires an employee to be placed on paid administrative leave when they are arrested for a crime that would disqualify them from working with children, such as a drug bust.

But there's no similar federal law or mechanism for notifying schools of federal arrests.

Because of what NBC7 Investigates uncovered, school board President Kevin Beiser is asking the federal government to take a closer look at its policies.

"What I do know is that when we have employees working with children and they're arrested with $500,000 worth of narcotics, we need to know about that, so that we can make sure that we're doing everything we can to keep our kids safe," Beiser said.

Both U.S. Representatives Scott Peters and Susan Davis also said the policy needed to change.

"This is just preposterous," said Peters. "It really goes to Washington's ... sometimes they are tone deaf to community needs. So, as a parent and as a taxpayer, I think it's just outrageous."

Davis said the school district should have been notified.

"It's appropriate for federal law enforcement to notify school officials in cases like this," Davis said via an email statement. "I will be following up with the federal agencies involved regarding the policy in place, if it should have been applied here and if there are legislative remedies needed."

NBC7 Investigates received the following statement from Homeland Security Investigations, the agency responsible for investigating Clifton's arrest:

“In criminal cases where a defendant is found to have regular contact with children, a variety of factors impact Homeland Security Investigations’ (HSI) decision as to whether notification of the subject’s employer or other associated parties is warranted or appropriate. Factors include: is there evidence the defendant has previously harmed children; are there indications the defendant is engaged in ongoing abuse of children; and finally, does the subject appear to pose an imminent threat to the safety of the children with whom he or she interacts. HSI is reviewing the matter to determine if appropriate procedures were followed."

Children were caught up in a chaotic scene at the San Ysidro Elementary School District Office as a group of striking teachers and supporters pushed their way into the building Friday.

The protest was held in support of a teachers strike ongoing since Wednesday after last-minute negotiations between the district and teachers union failed.

Chanting and carrying signs, dozens of people pushed against the district office doors that were guarded by what appeared to be two or three school police officers.

After several minutes, the door opened and approximately a dozen protesters made their way into the building to the sound of cheers behind them. Among those entering the building were dozens of  children, some in strollers.

Esmeralda Cortez said she brought her children to be part of Friday's protest because the teachers at the school were part of her kids' lives.

"They know what's going on, the district doesn't," she said.

Substitute teachers have been brought in so that classes could continue while the teachers were out on strike.

"We're not walking out on our students," said teacher Beatrice Bautista. "We're fighting for their rights we're fighting for their needs."

After teachers successfully made entry into the district building, school police asked them to leave the office and stand outside. The crowd complied with no arrests.

No one was injured in the incident.

San Ysidro teachers say they’re facing a 6.5 percent pay cut and some of the worst health benefits in the county. They're also calling for smaller class sizes and more manageable workloads.

However, district officials say they're dealing with a financial crisis. Interim Superintendent George Cameron, Ed. D., says the district is in negative certification, meaning its finances are so bad that the San Diego County Office of Education has to oversee its spending.

“Any settlement we reach with the teachers is going to have to take that into account,” Cameron said.

The teachers accuse of the district of lying about its budget and even bullying them. The district argues that it respects and supports its teachers, but needs to face financial reality.

According to Transparent California, the median teacher in the San Ysidro Elementary School District received $80,259.86 in total pay and benefits in 2013.

San Diego Harbor Police must fix approximately $5,000 in damage to one of their vessels after another ship ran into it in the San Diego Bay Friday .

Police say the Lord Hornblower, a dinner cruise ship, was backing out of the harbor when it hit the boat between the Broadway and Midway piers just after 2 p.m.

The crash caused damage to the police vessel's railing along the bow, but there were no injuries because no one was onboard at the time.

The damage is moderate, officers say, but they can make the repairs. The ship will be out of use until then.

If you have $800,000 to spare, you could soon be the new owner of a Connecticut ghost town.

The long-abandoned village of Johnsonville, located in the Moodus section of East Haddam, will be up for auction later this month.

The historic 62-acre property is nestled between two state parks and once housed restaurants and hosted holiday events. It also served as the set for a couple movies – and a Billy Joel music video.

But the buildings have sat empty for decades.

Johnsonville’s current owners, who purchased the property in 2008, are selling off the ghost town in a worldwide auction that runs from Oct. 28 to 30.

Town officials hope the village’s new owners will breathe life back into the area.

“We want it to go to an owner who wants to invest and bring it back to what it once was,” said East Haddam First Selectman Mark Walter. “We’re looking forward to working with whoever buys the property to achieve that.”

The starting bid is $800,000.

The family of a TSA officer who was killed during a shooting rampage at LAX last year has sued Los Angeles authorities for $25 million, saying their actions led to his wrongful death.

Gerardo Hernandez, 39, was killed last November when a gunman shot his way past security and into the passenger area of Terminal 3 at LAX. Three other people were wounded.

His family says in its lawsuit filed Tuesday that authorities failed to properly train staff, created a "dangerous lapse in security" when police officers left posts without calling for backup and failed to provide immediate medical assistance for Hernandez.

"The city of Los Angeles employees failed in carrying out their duties, creating a very dangerous lapse in security which was a factor causing Mr. Hernandez to be fatally shot and killed," said Michael Alder, the family's attorney, when the initial complaint was filed in April. "Even more horrific, is that the city's employees delayed medical care to Mr. Hernandez."

The family also alleges that a mayoral committee had previously exposed inadequate emergency response training to respond to active shooter scenarios, but officials failed to rectify the issues, and that the 911 "red phones" at LAX were outdated, according to the lawsuit.

An 83-page report released in March pointed out failures in communication and coordination between police and fire departments that led to delays in the establishment of a unified command center after the shooting.

The lawsuit's claims are leveled against the city and county of Los Angeles, Los Angeles World Airports, the airport’s police, LA police and fire departments and 100 unnamed individuals, all of whom in the lawsuit attorneys believe "were, in some way, negligently or otherwise, responsible for" Hernandez’s death.

John Krattli, an attorney for the county, has denied the allegations.

"A preliminary investigation fails to indicate any involvement on the part of the County of Los Angeles, its officers, agents, or employees," he said in a memo from April.

A man in a baseball cap emerged on a West Village street through a sidewalk grate and threw a smoke bomb into a crowd of restaurant diners before fleeing back into the grate Friday evening, police say.

The man popped up from underground outside Bar Pitti on Sixth Avenue between Bleecker and Houston, lobbed a smoke bomb into the outdoor patio area, then went back through the grate, which leads to the subway system, according to police.

The smoke bomb resembled a red safety flare as it went off, according to a witness. 

No one was hurt, authorities say, but diners were shaken.

"We were just trying to relax and have a nice dinner, and then there was smoke and a bunch of policemen," said Sara Bond, who was visiting from New Orleans. 

Australian tourist Tina Millet said it was "quite a big commotion." 

"I've seen everything in New York, absolutely everything," she said.

It also sparked questions of how secure the city's subway system is. Neighbor Monica Vickers said she immediately wondered whether the smoke bomb was terror-related. 

"I guess they're going to have to do more security or something, right?" she said. 

Police haven't said how they think the man was able to get underground and up through the grate.

The suspect was described as a man in his 30s with blonde hair, wearing a baseball cap and a T-shirt with an American flag on it. 

Follow Brynn Gingras on Twitter @Brynn4NY

A South Florida synagogue says its website was hacked and plastered with pro-ISIS, anti-Semitic hate speech.

Temple Kol Ami Emmanu-El said the hack was first brought to its attention when concerned congregants began calling the synagogue to complain about what was on the homepage.

“Our website had been taken over, and had been redirected to this page that included hateful speech,” said Rabbi Howard Needlemen.

The hate speech was aimed at Jews, their faith and Israel.

The hack also boasted support of the radical Islamist militant group ISIS, infamous for the beheadings of captured western aid workers and journalists, including Steven Sotloff of Miami.

The synagogue's director believes the hackers are based in the Middle East based on discussions with investigators and the hackers' link to a purported Syrian hacking group. Some commenters on Facebook bragged about taking over the synagogue's site.

The site has been taken down as local and federal authorities are investigating.

“Although we were the first synagogue, I unfortunately do not think we’ll be the last,” said Rabbi Needleman.

Aaron Hernandez's personal cell phone will not be thrown out as evidence in his Bristol County, Massachusetts, murder trial, ruled Judge Susan Garsh on Friday.

The defense had argued that they were misled by the prosecution into believing the search warrant for the phone required that they surrender it. It was ultimately taken by state police at their Boston law office.

The prosecution argued that police had the proper search warrant for it, and that it was seized lawfully from Hernandez's attorneys.

Judge Susan Garsh found that Hernandez's lawyers voluntarily surrendered the phone and weren't duped by the police.

Garsh also ruled today that a rifle found in Hernandez's Toyota, at his North Attleboro home, will not be thrown out.

She however, ruled that a white towel, taken from Hernandez's home, won't be allowed into trial.

Prosecutors argued the towel was important to the case, because a similar towel was found at the Oden Lloyd murder scene.

Garsh further ruled that marijuana, and a bottle of Vitamin Water that was found in Hernandez's home, was properly seized by police and will be admissible into trial.

Prosecutors have alleged that a cigar with marijuana was found at the murder scene.

Prosecutors have also said the Vitamin Water was the same flavor and brand that was allegedly found in the vehicle reportedly rented by Hernandez and used in the murder.

Previously, in another big win for the prosecution, the Judge ruled that Hernandez's own home video surveillance system will be allowed into trial.

Prosecutors say video shows Hernandez allegedly holding a gun both before and after Lloyd's murder.

In a prior win for the defense, Judge Garsh threw out .45 caliber bullet casings seized from Hernandez's Franklin "flop house," along with a .45 caliber magazine found in his Hummer.

Prosecutors have said they never found the murder weapon that killed Llloyd, but that it was a .45 caliber Glock.

Garsh also threw out iPads and cell phones seized from Hernandez's North Attleboro home. It's unclear of the significance of those items to the case.

Hernandez is behind bars, awaiting a January trial in the Lloyd case. He's pleaded not guilty.

He's also pleaded not guilty to two more murders out of Boston.

His fiance, Shayanna Jenkins, will not have her perjury case thrown out either.

According to the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, there is direct evidence linking Jenkins to 14 separate perjurious statements.

A woman wrongly convicted of murder in the 1997 beating death of a homeless man in Lawndale is now free after spending 17 years behind bars.

A judge on Friday overturned the conviction of Susan Mellen, 59, who was accused of orchestrating the killing of former boyfriend Richard Daly over items he allegedly stole from her mother’s house.

She walked out of the courthouse about 5:50 p.m. and was embraced by her emotional family.

"This is the greatest miracle ever," Mellen said. "I'm just so excited, I don't know what to say. I'm overwhelmed. It's just so amazing, this is huge."

"I told the judge the day I got sentenced that one day God would bring the truth to the light," she said.

Judge Mark Arnold on Friday ordered Mellen released as soon as possible, and dismissed the case against her. He noted the Los Angeles County District Attorney concurred on many points of the case, which hinged on the testimony of a woman he called a "habitual liar."

Mellen insisted on her innocence from the moment of her arrest, and openly wept when the judge spoke.

Mellen's three children were emotional outside court, and said they could not wait for her to release. Mellen's time behind bars was spent most recently at the Central California Women's Facility in Chowchilla.

They have been part of the process to free their mother, and said they were overjoyed that she may be free as early as the end of Friday.

Mellen’s daughter, Jessica Besch, called Friday the “happiest day of my life.”

She said the idea that her mother might be set free “felt like a dream.”

“It still doesn't feel real yet until I see her walk through that door,” she said.

In 1997, soon after Daly was found dead, an acquaintance named June Patti told police Mellen had confessed to being part of the beating, and had sought Patti’s advice as a paralegal, court records show.

Mellen was arrested August 1997 in the parking lot of a McDonald’s while her 9-year-old daughter looked on. In videotaped police interviews, Mellen insisted over and over again that she had nothing to do with Daly’s killing, and at trial witnesses testified supporting her alibi for the time of the killing.

While she acknowledged having a drug problem at the time of her arrest, she said she was not present when Daly was killed.

LAPD investigators largely relied on the testimony of a woman named June Patti, who it became clear was known for calling in crimes that never happened or implicating people who had no relation to a crime, according to court documents.

The filings cite Patti’s incidents with the Torrance Police Department, Gardena Police Department, Redondo Beach Police Department and the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department; they also cite her lengthy arrest record.

Mellen was convicted in 1998.

By 2009, representatives from the California Innocence Project began to do interviews with people who had some involvement with the group of people who knew the victim and Mellen, and who could have known something about the killing.

In 2013, Torrance nonprofit Innocence Matters began reinvestigating the case, and worked with the Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office to reexamine evidence from the Daly murder.

According to court filings petitioning for Mellen’s release, evidence consistently pointed to three known gang members who frequented one of two houses on the property where Daly was killed. Both houses belonged to Mellen’s mother.

One of those suspected to be involved told investigators Mellen had nothing to do with the slaying, according to court documents. Innocence Matters has also called into question the motives and ability of the LAPD homicide detective who oversaw the investigation.

Correction: An earlier version of this article stated Mellen was behind bars for 16 years, but the correct amount is 17 years. She was arrested in August 1997.

Police are looking for a suspect in a bizarre pair of shoe robberies on the subway in which a sneaker was stolen off each victim's right foot.

The first happened the afternoon of Sept. 11 at the West 8th Street station in Coney Island, when the suspect went up behind a woman walking up the stairs to the Q train, took her right shoe -- a black Adidas sneaker -- and then ran away.

On the morning of Oct. 2, at the same station, the suspect approached a woman going upstairs to the F train and took her right-foot Nike sneaker, then ran away.

Coney Island resident Shirley Perry called the thefts "weird" and wondered what the robber's motive was.

"As women, we want to feel safe on the subway," she said. 

Anyone with information is asked to contact Crime Stoppers at 800-577-TIPS.

One person has died in a five-alarm blaze that tore through a three-story, six-family home in Boston's Roxbury section Friday night, an official says.

The victim was male, an official on the scene of the fire said, as crews worked to put out lingering hot spots at 104 Winthrop Street.

A female patient was taken to the hospital, and another 30 people were displaced.

Flames could be seen bursting from the home and through the roof, sending heavy smoke billowing into the night sky, after the fire broke out around 9:30 p.m.

A runner who participated in the Del Mar Mud Run last weekend is undergoing rabies tests for rabies after coming into contact with a bat during the race, San Diego County health officials said Friday.

According to the County of San Diego Health and Human Services Agency (HHSA), the runner from New York reported that a bat had landed on him during the run. The bat was captured and turned over to county officials for rabies testing and the County Public Health Lab confirmed the bat was infected with rabies.

HHSA officials are concerned that the runner and other people at the Del Mar Mud Run, which took place on Oct. 4 at the Del Mar Fairgrounds, may have directly handled the rabid bat.

“We want to make absolutely sure that no participants or observers were potentially exposed to this deadly disease,” said Wilma Wooten, M.D., M.P.H., county public health officer.

The health department at first did not know the identity of the person who may have been exposed, so it released a media alert in an effort to reach the runner. Health officials also worked with the race's organizer VAVi. 

"Safety is our number 1 priority at VAVi when producing events locally and across the country," said Keith Cunningham, VAVi's vice president of events and sponsorship. "Within hours we found the person and they're getting taken care of. We appreciate the help the city and media has given us." 

Health leaders said event participants and spectators who had no contact with the bat are not at risk for the disease.

According to the HHSA, rabies is a preventable viral disease most often transmitted through the bite of a rabid animal. Though rare, it can also be transmitted if the saliva from a rabid animal makes contact with a person’s eyes, nose, mouth or open wound.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) says the first symptoms of rabies may be similar to those of the flu, including weakness, discomfort, fever or headache. The symptoms could last for days.

A person infected with rabies may also experience itching or a prickling sensation at the site of the animal bite. Within days, symptoms may progress to include cerebral dysfunction, anxiety, confusion and agitation. As the disease unfolds, the infected person may also experience delirium, abnormal behavior, hallucinations and insomnia.

Rabies symptoms can take weeks to months to develop after exposure. Once symptoms develop, health officials say rabies is almost always fatal. To date, the CDC says less than 10 documented cases of human survival from clinical rabies have been reported.

Health officials say prompt post-exposure treatment is crucial in order to prevent the deadly disease. This treatment includes a round of injections with rabies vaccine and an injection of human immune globulin.
 

Security has lifted the lockdown at the Navy Broadway Complex along Harbor Drive after a suspicious person was spotted with a weapon in the parking lot.

Someone called Navy security to report a person sitting in a vehicle, holding a weapon at about 12:20 p.m. Friday, according to a press release. The lockdown was ordered just minutes later.

NCIS, San Diego Police and Harbor Police swept the building and parking lot with guns, military dogs were called in to help with the search.

Police diverted traffic on Harbor Drive from Broadway to avoid the compound.

"Any report we receive of suspicious activity is taken very seriously. Our security is working with local partner agencies to ensure our sailors and civilians are safe," said Capt. Curt Jones, commanding officer, Naval Base San Diego.

Officials lifted the lockdown at 2:42 p.m. after a hunt turned up nothing. 

Operations are returning to normal, and traffic can come on and off the complex once again.