Residents of a Monterey Park neighborhood mourned the loss of a beloved school crossing guard who was struck and killed by a car Tuesday.

Abel Castellanos, 76, died after the crash, which happened about 3:40 p.m. at Garfield Avenue and Elmgate Street, where Monterey Park Fire Station 42 is located, according to the Monterey Park Police Department.

The 19-year-old driver of the convertible Ford Mustang stayed at the scene. The teen’s mother, who was in the passenger seat, suffered injuries to her arm.

CHP officials said the driver may have swerved to avoid another car and slammed into the corner where the crossing guard was sitting.

The LA Cororners Office confirmed the victim's identity early Wednesday. Castellanos was a Monterey Park resident who lived near the scene of the accident.

Mourners placed candles, flowers and a teddy bear on the corner to mark the spot where the crossing guard was killed. A not there said, “Thank you! You kept me safe as a kid. Thank you! On behalf of all of us kids.”

Matthew Lewis said he spoke with the crossings guard every day after work. He said the victim always seemed happy.

"I can honestly say I didn't come across him once when he wasn't happy," Lewis said. "He would always be there, and it's shocking that he's not going to be here no more."
 

Families in a Southern California neighborhood worried by black and foul-smelling water pouring from their faucets, toilets and showers say their water company is not doing enough to fix the problem.

"We don't want to drink our water, because our water is black," said Gardena resident Emy Sebastian. "My daughter says, 'Mommy the water is black and it stinks. Why does the water stink?' She doesn't want to wash her clothes."

Diane Morita and her neighbors say it's been happening off and on for months. She said the murky water "has an odor of rotten eggs or sewer smell."

"I'm concerned because it's getting worse, if it's even safe," Morita said.

"I refuse to drink the water," said resident Don Inouye. "I run it through a filter and I drink bottled water."

Some residents wonder if the black water is connected to their recent health problems. Sebastian said she and her daughter have gotten sick from drinking the tap water.

Morita contacted Golden State Water Company, which sent someone out to look at the sample she collected and to flush the nearby hydrant.

"They say it's safe to drink. I don't know anyone who would want to drink that," Morita said.

The utility told NBC4 it was an isolated situation and it's looking into the cause.

"While, yes, the water is clear right now we will continue to investigate to determine what caused it last Wednesday, what has caused it in the past so that we can prevent it from happening again," said Golden State's general manager, Kate Nutting.

While the search for the source continues, residents say they continue to spend money on bottled water and replacement filters for their water heaters, blackened by the sludge.

"It's horrible, terrible, terrible. We're scared," said.

A resident said the superintended for the water company told her he'd credit her bill $10 per month for the added expenses she's incurring. She said it was not enough.

A man was hospitalized in an extremely critical condition after being gunned down in South Los Angeles late Tuesday.

The incident happened on the 12100 block of Blakely Avenue at 10:13 p.m, Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department said.

Homicide were investigating the circumstances surrounding the shooting. It is currently unknown what led up to the incident.

Residents and business were counting the cost after vandals shot the windows and windshields of more than 20 vehicles while driving through South Bay beach cities.

The crime spree, which caused thousands of dollars’ worth of damage, happened in Torrance, Redondo Beach and Manhattan Beach in the early morning hours of Monday.

And with investigators conceding they have no leads to help them track down who was behind the apparently random shootings, victims are not confident the perpetrators will be brought to justice.

"It's not right I wish they would catch the person somehow but I don't think they will," Nancy Cowden, who woke up to discover her car had been damaged, said.

Torrance Police Department received reports of seven damaged vehicles in the 5200 block of Torrance Boulevard. The windows had been shattered by BB gun rounds.

They vandals then headed to Prospect Avenue in Redondo Beach, where officers received 13 reports of damaged vehicles including at the Land Rover South Bay dealership.

"I don't think they really realize how this affects people's livelihoods, you know, I could've sold his car today, “Jason Thurman, who works at the dealership said, "There’s got to be better things to do with your time than shooting out windows of cars."

Two vehicle owners in Manhattan Beach also reported damage to their windows on Manahttan Beach Boulevard.

A teenager is in a critical condition after a hit and run in Los Angeles Tuesday.

The incident occurred on 48th Street and 9th Avenue in Hyde Park at around 6:30 p.m, Los Angeles Police Department said.

The 17-year-old victim was not crossing within the crosswalk when she got hit by the light blue Toyota Camry.

The vehicle was located a few blocks from location of crime on South Normandie Avenue.

Investigators do have leads on a possible suspect, but no one is in custody at this time.

A man who dressed as Mr. Incredible, the superhero dad from the hit animated movie, was convicted of battery for beating a woman dressed as Batgirl on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, the Los Angeles City Attorney said Tuesday.

Muhammet Bilik, 35, was sentenced to three years probation, 20 days of California Department of Transportation work, 36 anger-management sessions, as well as one day in jail for the fight, prosecutors said. He is also banned from the Hollywood Entertainment District.

"Hollywood Blvd. is famous around the globe and attracts millions of visitors every year. We must keep it safe," said City Attorney Mike Feuer in a statement. "The characters who interact with children and family along Hollywood Blvd. have to obey the law."

The beating, caught on a video that went viral, shows Bilik in a red costume and black mask covering his eyes body slamming and punching the woman dressed as Batgirl in front of the TCL Chinese Theatre as costumed Chewbacca and Waldo try to restrain him.

A couple of weeks later, the victim came forward and confirmed the masked man’s identity, prosecutors said.

This conviction is one of seven cases in the past six months involving costumed characters, including Mickey Mouse, Donald Duck, Captain America, and Superman, Feuer said.

The rash of cases is leading some to worry about the safety of the characters and tourists.

"For him to do something like that just ruins it for us," said a man dressed as Captain Jack Sparrow from the movie "Pirates of the Caribbean." "It makes us look bad."

Added a costumed Spider Man: "There's kids around. There's tourists around, families that are just coming here just to have a good time."

Los Angeles City Councilman Mitch O'Farrell, who represents Hollywood, has been trying to figure out ways to make sure the characters aren't a danger.

He says one possibility is to ask private businesses such as the Hollywood and Highland complex to hire their own characters.

"That could require background checks and some sort of formal process," he said. "It's what they do in Las Vegas. It's what they do in other locations. I would love to see Hollywood take that type of step forward."

O'Farrell says what the city can do is limited because the characters have a First Amendment right to be on public sidewalks.

Spider Man and Captain Jack hope that any action the city takes makes a distinction between those who make trouble and those who do not.

"It's not everyone," Spider Man said. "It's just certain people."

Four years ago the LAPD conducted a crackdown on Hollywood Boulevard street characters. The sweeps led to a lawsuit which a judge ruled violated their First Amendment rights.

The mother of a disabled man who was fatally beaten in a road rage confrontation at a Riverside County intersection said she is relieved the suspect is "off the street."

Steven Joshua Lesher, 35, made his first court appearance Tuesday after he was arrested Friday in connection with the beating death of 55-year-old Jerry Lakes at a Riverside County intersection. Lesher, charged with murder, is accused of tailgating the driver and using his vehicle to block the disabled man's car before fatally beating him.

"It's just a relief to know he's off the street," said Lakes' mother, who asked not to be identified. "We're hoping he gets full punishment for what he did."

Lesher's arraignment was re-scheduled for Feb. 10. Family members refused to discuss in detail the accusations against Lesher as they left court.

"Talk to the victim's family, they're not telling you guys the truth," a family member said.

The fatal confrontation, part of which was captured on security camera video, occurred Jan. 4 at the intersection of Skyview Drive and Avenue Juan Bautista. A driver in a Jeep Liberty who was tailgating Lakes on a two-lane road drove around him at an intersection and used his SUV to block Lakes' Ford Mustang.

Lakes, whose vehicle has handicap license plates because he suffered from a debilitating kidney condition, exited his vehicle and was struck in the head during a fight, family members said. The attacker left the location and Lakes drove home before going to a hospital, where he died Jan. 12 due to head injuries.

Family members told NBC4 the attacker used a racial slur during the altercation. Hate crime charges have not been filed, but prosecutors said charges could be amended, if warranted.

Authorities distributed a composite sketch last week of the attacker and handed out details about the case Sunday at an informational checkpoint near the site of the assault. The checkpoint and sketch helped lead to Lesher's arrest, police said.

The suspect's residence is just around the corner from the victim's residence, according to the victim's family.
 

More than 20 people have been displaced and a woman injured after a fire gutted two homes and a garage in El Monte early Wednesday.

The fire happened in the 3900 block of Arden Drive at 3:09 a.m., Los Angeles County Fire Department said.

When firefighters arrived, two structures were engulfed as fire spread from a non-functioning vehicle in the carport to the adjacent structures.

Resident Kevin Chaparro was one of those affected, and helped his son, nephews and nieces escape the flames.

"It was scary. At first I actually tried to turn off the fire with the hose, but within seconds I knew that wasn't working," Chaparro said, "I took all the kids out and they were actually screaming. They didn't know what was going on."

The fires were finally extinguished at 3:48 a.m., with one woman being taken to a hospital for treatment to burns, which she sustained as she tried to shield children from the flames as they evacuated.

In total, 24 people were displaced, including children as young as two or three-years-old. The Red Cross is being notified, and will provide aid to the displaced.

The house had a second home to the rear, while the garage had been converted to a living space. According to the LACFD, they had the proper permits for their living arrangements.

Arson investigators are investigating to determine the cause of the fire.

A woman accused of killing four people after allegedly driving her car through a group of pedestrians crossing a street after a Christmas concert in Redondo Beach has been ordered to stand trial.

Margo Bronstein has been charged with four felony counts of gross vehicular manslaughter while intoxicated and one felony count of driving under the influence of a drug causing injury.

Los Angeles Superior Court Judge Laura Priver denied a defense motion to dismiss the case against 56-year-old.

She is accused of running a red light at around 8 p.m. on Dec. 17, and plowing into a group of pedestrians who had just attended a Christmas concert at St. James Catholic Church.

Four people died, including 6-year-old Samuel Gaza and his mother Martha Garza and two other women. 

Investigators say Bronstein, who has a long term disability and drives with hand-brakes due to her condition, was driving while under the influence of prescription drugs medications.

Witnesses said they saw Bronstein swerve around several stopped cars and into the on-coming lane of traffic before running into the crosswalk.

A Redondo Beach Police Department officer testified the defendant turned over 13 muscle relaxant pills, nine opioid pain pills and five other unidentified pills she had in the car at the time.

Defense attorney Jeffrey Gray is expected to argue it was an accident, and that his client was not addicted to prescription drug medications.

Bronstein, who sat next to the defense table in a wheelchair, showed no emotion during the proceedings. She previously pleaded not guilty to the charges.

The defendant is being held in lieu of $500,000 bail, with the trial set to begin February 10th. She faces up to 40 years in state prison if convicted.

San Jose councilmembers have made permanent a measure that allows the shooting of wild pigs that have become a nuisance by ripping up lawns and golf course fairways.
 
The council voted 7-3 on Tuesday to establish a permanent law that allows licensed trappers to catch and shoot boars.
 
A trial law clearing the way for pig-killing, passed in late 2013, was set to expire next week.

Residents such as Gigi Michelle, whose south San Jose property near Coyote Creek and Forsum road has been dug up by pigs.

"Basically it’s a buffet for them," she said previously. "They have grubs there, and they have water. Once they step on this pan, close the door."

The pigs, some weighing hundreds of pounds, have been spotted in south San Jose over the past decade. Some people have reported thousands of dollars in damage as the pigs try to dig up food under the grass.
 
Those who are thinking about shooting a pig have to obtain a depredation permit from the California Department of Fish and Wildlife.

The whodunnit from Tuesday’s blizzard -- Who shoveled the snow off the Boston Marathon’s finish line? -- has been solved. At least partially.

One of the mystery men has been identified as Chris Laudani, a runner and bartender at the Back Bay Social Club on Boylston Street. He has run the Boston Marathon a few times and is just a fanatic about it, said Ryan Swann, the club's general manager.

"He was actually working that day and then he asked if he could borrow the shovel for a little bit so he could go do it," Swann said.

Laudani told Boston magazine that he wanted to send a message.

"I love the Boston Marathon and everything it stands for," he said. "The finish line doesn’t deserve to be covered in snow.”

But he is not a hero, a word being used about him on social media, he told the magazine.

"I’m just a nut who loves the marathon," he said. "The real heroes are the people who were out there clearing the streets and sidewalks, the [Boston Police Department], and the [Boston Fire Department] who risk their lives every day to keep people safe."

Philip Hillman took photos of what appears to be Laudani clearing the spot from the Charlesmark Hotel on Boylston Street and he started the search.

He and others began tweeting with the hashtag #whoshoveledthefinishline in hopes of finding Laudani.

“I had no idea it would have this response,” Hillman told Runner’s World in the wake of the storm, which dumped 18.5 inches in Boston on Tuesday.

Hillman, the northeast district manager of the Rodney Strong Wine Estates in Healdsburg, California, told NBC that he had stayed overnight at the hotel because of the blizzard and was working in his room around noon on Tuesday when he stood up to stretch. He looked at the window and spotted the then mystery shoveler.

“And I said, ‘How cool is that?’” he said. “This city loves the marathon and that little patch of ground is like sacred ground.”

So he took a photo with his iPhone, another of the finish line alone and put it first on Facebook and then Twitter.

“And the rest is history,” he said. “My buddy, he retweeted it and it’s been ongoing. I think we broke Twitter.”

By Wednesday afternoon, even the Boston police department was tweeting the photos.

Hillman said Laudani was there for about a half hour keeping the snow off as it fell.

Another photographer, Adam Reynolds, got a close-up.

And apparently, a second man also was out in the blizzard doing the same thing. Kelsey Karkos took a photograph of him and wrote on Instagram: "The guy was so nice to shovel off the #bostonmarathon finish line today to remind us why we go out there and run #everyday even in the blizzard! #bostonstrong #boston."

She wrote that he saw her looking for the finish line while he was shoveling the sidewalk.

"He knew exactly what I was looking for and came over to help me!," she wrote. "Such a great person with some boston spirit during the blizzard! I wish I knew his name!"

The marathon will be run this year on April 18.

Jury selection in the trial of Dzhokhar Tsarnaev, accused of setting off two bombs near the finish line in 2013, was delayed because of the blizzard. The attack killed three people and wounded more than 260.

Tsarnaev’s brother, Tamerlan, was killed during a shoot-out with police.

A Christmas tree that had been cut down more than 60 days earlier fueled a massive mansion fire that killed six family members in Maryland, officials said Wednesday.

The blaze was sparked by an electrical failure, which quickly spread flames to the furniture and the family's 15-foot Christmas tree, authorities said Wednesday.

"The involvement of the Christmas tree explains the heavy fire conditions encountered by responding fire crews," Anne Arundel County Fire Chief Allan Graves said at an afternoon news conference discussing the investigation's findings.

The victims have been positively identified as Don Pyle, 56, Sandra Pyle, 63, and four of their grandchildren: sisters Alexis and Kaitlyn Boone, 8 and 7; and their cousins, siblings Charlotte and Wesley Boone, 8 and 6.

The blaze was "a tragic accident that occurred at the absolutely worst possible time, while the Pyles and their grandchildren were sleeping," said Special Age in Charge Bill McMullan with the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF).

The 15-foot Christmas tree was located in the family's great room, which had 19-foot ceilings and was surrounded by sleeping and living areas, Graves said.

Sources said earlier Wednesday that investigators had found an electrical issue from an outlet behind the tree, which they recovered after the fire.

However, it remains unknown what caused the tree to ignite. An official said there are several possible scenarios, and investigators will conduct test burns at an ATF lab in Beltsville, Marland.

Reports indicate that the tree had been cut down more than 60 days before the fire, Graves said. Investigators recovered the tree stand and discovered an inch or two of fallen needles.

Authorities believe the fire spread rapidly.

"The fuel load from the Christmas tree itself is... what caused the fire to spread as quickly as it did," said an official.

Investigators have also looked at recent family photos of the tree in the great room and photos taken prior to the blaze.

"...We're aware that Christmas trees, when they're dry, they burn quickly," Graves said. "...Whatever the circumstance in which the Christmas tree ignited, which we believe was electrical in nature, was something that led to the large fire that was found by the crews when they first arrived."

Graves said that the Christmas tree was lit "most of the time."

Investigators found the remains of the final victim Monday, the Anne Arundel County Fire Department said.

The six family members were in the mansion in the 900 block of Childs Point Road in Annapolis when the massive four-alarm fire tore through the home early Jan. 19.

"Life is fragile. Make time today to embrace your loved ones," a statement from the Boone and Pyle families read in part.

The house was equipped with a smoke alarm system monitored by a security company. Investigators said Wednesday that on the morning of the fire, the home's smoke alarm went off at 3:29 a.m.

The alarm company called the house and got no answer. The company then called the Anne Arundel County Fire Department at 3:32 a.m.

Firefighters were dispatched immediately and arrived at 3:42 a.m. During that 10-minute span, a neighbor called 911 about the fire. "The timeline of the rapid fire growth of the fire is defined by that series of events," said an official, who said there is no indication that the smoke alarm system did not work.

The first firefighters to arrive found heavy smoke and fire, and called for backup.

Officials said it's unknown at this point whether the victims tried to get out of the house.

The bodies of Sandy Pyle and two of the couple's grandchildren were found together in a bedroom, sources said. The body of a third child was found in another bedroom, and the fourth child's body was found in a separate bedroom.

Authorities are still working to determine the victims' causes of death.

Alexis and Kaitlyn are the daughters of Randy and Stacey Boone, while Charlotte and Wesley are the children of Clint Boone and his ex-wife Eve Morrison. The children's fathers are the sons of Sandra Pyle and the stepsons of Don Pyle.

The families said in a statement that they "are blessed that so many family, friends, and neighbors have come together for us in our time of need."

The home did not have a sprinkler system. A fire official said sprinklers would likely have made a difference, but the home was built in 2005, before a law was passed requiring them.

Loretta Lynch had no shortage of sister support as she fielded questions from a U.S. Senate committee in her bid to become the first black woman to serve as the nation's attorney general.

At least ten members of her sorority, Delta Sigma Theta, attended the top Brooklyn prosecutor's confirmation hearing in Washington, D.C., Wednesday, according to a photo posted by Ohio Rep. Joyce Beatty, another alumna.

The "Deltas" in both Beatty's photo and another picture of the packed committee room posted by Rep. Alma Adams donned the African American Greek organization's signature colors of crimson and cream, as Time.com noted.

Lynch, who was nominated by President Barack Obama to succeed current Attorney General Eric Holder, was reportedly a founding member of Delta Sigma Theta's chapter at Harvard University.

Holder's wife was also a charter member, according to reports and the chapter website.

A driver crashed his new $400,000 Lamborghini Murcielago into a telephone pole in Los Angeles early Wednesday.

The incident happened on Sepulveda Boulevard near Getty Center Drive at around 1 a.m, Los Angeles Police Department said.

The driver told officers at the scene he had swerved to avoid an animal, and then crashed into the pole. He also said he had only recently purchased the high-powered, limited-production sportscar.

Although police checked the driver at the scene for DUI, he was not arrested.

A driver drove at high speeds through the U.S.-Mexico border crossing south of San Diego Wednesday, crashing before entering into the U.S.

The driver attempted to drive through the San Ysidro Port of Entry checkpoint without stopping just before midnight.

When entering the area of the POE where drivers stop for a check by a U.S. Customs and Border Protection agent, the driver accelerated.

It was long before the vehicle crashed into two other cars just north of the checkpoint.

The California Highway Patrol was called in to help clear the wreckage. All three cars were towed and the border crossing – considered the busiest in the world – was once again operating as normal.

There were no injuries.

When asked by NBC 7, a spokesperson for U.S. Customs and Border Protection would not confirm if the driver was in custody.

CHP officials tell us they made no arrest and assumed CBP detained the driver.
 

A dog’s whimpering led to his rescue from a dumpster in Chula Vista and now, with the help of doctors, the abandoned pup is on the mend.

Hemingway was found Jan. 13 nearly hairless, a victim of months-long neglect according to the Rancho Coastal Humane Society. The 1-year-old Shih Tzu was infested with fleas, disease, and malnourished.

He may have been tossed in the trash or climbed into the dumpster in search of food, RCHS spokesperson John Van Zante told NBC 7.

"This is something that happened over a period of months,” Van Zante said referring to the dog’s bacterial and fungal infections.

Hemingway was first treated by County of San Diego Department of Animal Services in Bonita and is now on five medications and getting constant care from a foster family. After three more weeks of healing, he may be ready for a forever family.

"He was nervous and he shook and he just wasn't sure whether he should trust people. Now even though we give him baths he's starting to come out of his shell,” Van Zante said. “We're finding out he's not just a scared dog. He's a really great dog with a good personality.”

Throwing away a puppy is never the solution especially with 180 rescue shelters in San Diego County, Van Zante adds.

While it seems no one at the humane society knows how the dog got his name, one staff member recalls the famous quote “The world breaks everyone, and afterward, some are strong at the broken places.”

"That's our hope for Hemingway,” RCHS Medical Director Kathy Zerkle said in a statement. “That the broken places will heal strong and he'll find the loving family that he deserves."

For more information visit the shelter at 389 Requeza Street in Encinitas, call 760-753-6413, or log on to www.sdpets.org.
 

A man died and another was injured after they were gunned down at a Pasadena park late Tuesday.

The shooting happened at Ville Park near the intersection of Garfield Avenue and East Villa Street at 10:22 p.m., Pasadena Police Department said. The body of the deceased man, about 50 years old, was found at the park.

"I heard what sounded like a nine millimeter automatic handgun going off seven times. That's what it sounded like to me," said Don Perry, who lives across the street from the park.

Yellow police tape was placed near a playing field at the park early Wednesday.

The second victim, who is in his 30s, was dropped off at a hospital with gunshot wounds at 12:20 a.m., two hours after police responded a report of shots being fired. 

It is unclear whether the attack is gang related.

One person is dead and two others injured after a small plane crashed in Wisconsin Monday morning.

Officials said an initial investigation indicated the plane was having problems and attempted to land eastbound on Center Road in the Town of Hoard in central Wisconsin when it crashed.

Clark County Sheriff Gregory Herrick said the pilot said the plane started to ice up from the weather and began losing altitude. The pilot notified the Minneapolis Air Control Center of their emergency and their attempt to land on the road.

While they were attempting to land, a wing caught a tree and caused the plane to hit a ditch and crash into several other trees, officials said.

Officials said 56-year-old passenger Martin Siegwart, from Boone, Michigan, was killed in the crash.

Herrick said the pilot, 27-year-old Mark Siegwart from Hammond, and his friend, 41-year-old Nathan Smoot from North Pole, Alaska, were flying a recently purchased plane back to Alaska from the Griffith Airport in Hammond, Indiana. The pair had stopped in Cadillac, Michigan to pick up Siegwart’s father, Martin, who planned to accompany them on the trip.

Mark Siegwart and Smoot were taken to St. Joseph’s Hospital in Marshfield in stable condition. Smoot has since been released from the hospital, officials said.

The accident is under investigation by the FAA and the Clark County Sheriff’s Office.