Officers are searching a Koreatown neighborhood early Friday after a report of a shooting.

The search is near Third Street, west of Vermont Avenue. An LAPD tweet advised drivers to avoid the area due to the search.

The shooting victim, struck by a round in the leg, suffered minor injuries, according to police. One person is in custody in connection with the shooting, but officers are looking for a second individual.

A detailed description of the wanted subject was not available.

Refresh this page for updates.
 

A 14-year-old girl is missing from her South Los Angeles home and may be traveling across the country, police said.

Lauren Jackson's family reported her missing Thursday evening at 5:30 p.m., according to the Los Angeles Police Department. She may be traveling to Georgia or North Carolina, police said.

Jackson is 14 years old, 5-foot-10 and about 120 pounds, and lives in the 6700 block of 88th Street in Westchester, police said. She was last seen in a black shirt; floral pants; a puffy, pink jacket and red shoes.

Police ask anyone with information about Jackson's whereabouts to call 310-482-6445.

A new breakthrough lens that corrects nearsightedness, farsightedness, and reading vision in cataracts patients has been approved by the Food and Drug Administration.

Melissa Crow is one of the first cataract patients to receive the new lens. Cataracts occur when the lens inside the eye becomes cloudy, but the new lens is used to replace that lens.

"With this lens, I don't have to compromise," said Crow.

Before undergoing surgery, Crow struggled to read. She described her vision as "blurry during the day and at night when I'm driving I notice that the lights reflect off of it and there’s a halo."

Dr. Kerry Assil, of the Assil Eye Institute, suggested the one-of-a-kind lens to cure Crow's cataracts and restore her full range of vision while eliminating the need for glasses. Crow did not even have to go to sleep for the procedure, which took less than an hour.

First, Assil numbed the eye, then he removed the cloudy lens. The new lens fit easily into the same spot in the eye.

"It has an envelope that we leave behind of the original lens and that envelope serves as a hammock to support the new synthetic lens," Assil said.

Just a few days later, Crow already noticed a major improvement in the quality of her eyesight.

"I was so excited. When I woke up that next morning, I could see 20/20 and it was amazing because I was used to getting up and just seeing a blur out of that eye and all of the sudden I was seeing print that I hadn’t seen in ages," Crow said.

Dr Bruce Says: This lens is not prescribed for near or far vision, which may be corrected by Lasik, or for reading vision, which affects everyone sooner or later. Its major use is as a replacement for cataract affected lenses but the added bonus is its ability to help with a wide range of vision problems.

Two West Covina schools were placed on lockdown and evacuated Friday afternoon after a bomb threat was reported, police said.

South Hills High School and Mesa Elementary School closed, with students evacuating to Barranca Elementary School, according to West Covina Police Department officials.

Roads around South Hills High School were also closed, police said.

Parents were told to pick up their children at Barranca Elementary School at 727 S. Barranca Avenue in Covina

The road surrounding South Hills High School were closed in connection with the bomb threat investigation until further notice, according to a police tweet.

Police were searching both schools soon after 2 p.m., officials said.

South Hills High School was in the news for two separate allegations of sexual contact with students this month, with two teachers and a part-time wrestling coach arrested.

Calls to school officials were not returned.

A pediatric nurse accused of performing sex acts on two infants and videotaping them entered a guilty plea Thursday, the U.S. attorney said.

Michael William Lutts, 50, a former nurse, was arrested last August at his College Grove home and charged with sexual exploitation of a child.

Lutts pleaded guilty to two counts of sexual exploitation of a child and one count of distribution of child pornography. He admitted to 15 instances of photographing or videotaping the infants in "sexually explicit situations at both his home and his work place," the U.S. attorney said.

Lutts also agreed to give up his College area home, in which many of the crimes took place.

A federal grand jury indictment says around July 24, he took sexually explicit digital photos of an 11-month-old girl.

He then began performing lewd acts on his prematurely born, 2-month-old foster child on Aug. 4, 2014, the day Lutts received custody of him, officials say.

Investigators detail graphic incidents in court documents, alleging Lutts touched and manipulated the infant’s genitals while masturbating and filming the abuse.

Pictures show the hospital tag was still attached to the boy’s leg, according to a complaint. The FBI says the baby can be heard crying through many of the videos.

Agents started tracking Lutts because they believed he was a child pornography distributor. When they served a search warrant to his house, they say they found several hundred pornographic images and videos involving children.

“This is a deeply disturbing case,” said U.S. Attorney Laura Duffy. “We will do everything in our power to protect our precious, defenseless children from sexual abuse and exploitation, especially at the hands of caregivers who are supposed to keep them safe .”

The foster child has since been placed in the care of Child Protective Services.

Kaiser Permanente said Lutts was terminated in September.

Two other men are accused of conspiring with Lutts. A federal indictment says Stephen Schaffner, an ex-counselor, directed Lutts to sexually abuse his foster child and send pictures to him.

Last week, Bartolomeo Baravella was arrested on suspicion of planning to kidnap a baby with Lutts. Baravella has been charged with possession of images of minors engaged in sexually explicit conduct.

“Though the FBI investigates many types of criminal investigations, it is particularly disturbing when the victims are sexually exploited children or infants," said FBI Special Agent in Eric S. Birnbaum. "When this type of sexual exploitation takes place, the FBI and our law enforcement partners will aggressively pursue those who would exploit and abuse children, and bring them to justice."

Lutts faces a maximum of 80 years in prison. He is scheduled to be sentenced April 20.

A 43-year-old Bronx man was arrested for allegedly punching a 6-month-old pit bull and beating it with a shovel, then burying it in the snow so deep only its head was visible, authorities say.

Police responded to a 911 call about a dog being abused shortly before 3 a.m. Friday and found the pooch, which appears to be a pit bull, buried in the snow on 167th Street. Only its head was visible.

Officers pulled the pup out of the snow and saw signs of mistreatment and abuse. It apparently The dog, a female named Hennessy, was taken to the ASPCA in Manhattan for treatment.

About an hour later, police arrested Raul Cruz, who witnesses had identified as the alleged dog abuser, not far from where they rescued the pup.

He was charged with aggravated cruelty to animals and torturing, injuring or not feeding an animal. It wasn't clear if Cruz had an attorney.

Want to see if your college student is skipping class? There’s an app for that.

For $200 a year, parents, professors and campus administrators can use Class120 to check to see if a student is in class at the scheduled time.

The minds behind the app, which was debuted by start-up Core Principle this month, say the accountability app could help students stay on track with their studies and prepare them for being punctual once they enter the workforce. But some students say it gives parents too much control over the lives of their adult children.

Jeff Whorley, founder and CEO of Core Principle, developed the app after a conversation he had with a college professor that left him thinking that if colleges treated all students the way they treat Division 1 athletes, whose attendance in class is closely monitored, then graduation levels would rise.

“If we could get students everywhere to attend at least 90 percent of their classes, over 80 percent would graduate,” Whorley told NBC Owned Television Stations.

The app tracks if the student is in class, and sends an alert to the student’s parent or teacher if they do not show up to class for two days in a row. Core Principle can also call the student directly if a parent or teacher does not feel comfortable contacting the student. The app must be downloaded by the student, and it can only be used to track if a student is in class, not at parties or other activities.

Still, some have criticized the app for being too controlling over students who should be treated like adults.

"I would probably be more annoyed than anything," Natalie Pike told NBC affiliate WTHR. "I would feel like my life is being pried into."

But Whorley argues that in the post-college world, a recent grad will face immediate consequences if they do not show up or even show up late to work. More students, he says, need to be treated with similar consequences by having a teacher or parent point out that they are late and help get back on track before the entire semester goes down the drain.

“We don’t think this app is anti-adult," Whorley said. "It’s an introduction to the real economy.”

The app has made recent headlines, with coverage in the Wall Street Journal and USA Today. In the last four days alone, the start-up has seen a huge increase in traffic from parents in Europe and Asia looking to track their children who are studying abroad in the U.S., he said. So far the app is available for close to 2,000 college campuses across the country that the company has geomapped.

Whorley hopes that in the future this app can work to take class attendance.

“The future of taking attendance is Wi-Fi or GPS where a professor looks down at a piece of smart technology instead of calling roll," he said.

The outbreak of measles at Disneyland in Orange County, California, has caught the country’s attention and has reignited the debate over the anti-vaccination movement, driven by parents who question whether vaccines are safe and and whether there is a connection to autism in particular. Medical experts say the study showing such a link has been repeatedly discredited and other parents counter their children are being endangered by irresponsible behavior. Arizona meanwhile is monitoring more than 1,000 people who might have been exposed as thousands begin arriving for the Super Bowl on Sunday. Here’s what you should know.

How many people are affected?

Sixty-eight people have reported contracting measles as a result of the outbreak that began at Disneyland, according to the national Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

The majority of the children and adults who became ill either had not been inoculated or did not know if they had been, said Dr. Anne Schuchat, assistant surgeon general and director of the CDC’s National Center for Immunization and Respiratory Diseases.

“This is not a problem of the measles vaccine not working,” she told reporters this week. “This is a problem of the measles vaccine not being used.”

Since 2000, measles has been eliminated in the United States, meaning it is no longer native to the country. But it can still be spread by someone infected elsewhere and the CDC is assuming that is what happened at Disneyland.

How widespread is measles?

Each year there are 20 million cases around the world, and 145,000 people die, according to the CDC. Other complications: encephalitis and pneumonia.

Last year, there were a record number of measles in the United States, 644 cases, up from a median of 60 a year over the previous decade. And this January a total of 84 cases in 14 states were reported, more than what was typical in an entire year.

Those numbers pale compared to the average number of cases reported each year before the vaccine became available: 549,000.

Is there reason to worry?

The CDC's Schuchat said the numbers for January were concerning.

"I want to do everything possible to prevent measles from getting a foothold in the United States and becoming endemic again," she said.

Dr. Stephen Morse, professor of epidemiology at Columbia University's Mailman School of Public Health, said he thought the country was a long way from returning to the high number of measles cases and other diseases.

"If enough people are not taking these vaccines, we will see a resurgence, but right now these are fairly small events," he said. "So I think the reason everyone pays attention to it in medical and public health communities is simply because this is not a trend you would like to see really going up."

How high are vaccination rates?

Immunization rates remain high despite the attention the measles outbreak is receiving. Among kindergartners enrolled in the 2013-2014 school year, the median vaccination coverage was 93 percent and higher for measles, mumps, rubella, diphtheria, tetanus, whooping cough and chicken pox.

To provide what is called herd immunity -- to protect people who cannot be immunization and those for whom the vaccines are not effective -- experts recommend that between 90 and 95 percent of a community be fully inoculated. Health officials are worried about pockets of parents who are rejecting inoculation.

Morse said the control of a disease such as measles was hard won.

"When we actually had these diseases among us people feared them or at least really wanted a vaccine," he said. "Now of course we’re much more blasé, which is a mistake."

What is the reaction from parents worried about vaccines?

Barbara Loe Fisher, the president of the National Vaccine Information Center, a Virginia-based nonprofit that advocates allowing parents to choose whether to vaccinate their children, said that it was premature to point fingers at those who decided to forgo vaccines.

"There is no question that there is a tremendous amount of pressure being placed on parents who are making informed vaccine decisions for their children," she said. "I think this has gone way too far. The discussion has gotten very ugly, it has gotten extremely polarized and it's caused a lot of parents to be very afraid of doctors and public health officials."

Less than 1.8 percent of children attending kindergarten have vaccination exceptions, she noted. Less than 1 percent of children under the age of 3 are unvaccinated, she said.

What about other diseases?

Mumps, rubella, pertussis or whooping cough and chickenpox are among others that could also spike if parents continue to forgo vaccinations, experts say.

“This isn’t just a measles problem,” said Dr. Gregory A. Poland, the director of the Mayo Clinic Vaccine Research Group in Rochester, Minnesota. “This is a problem for any transmissible disease for which we have safe and effective vaccines that aren’t unfortunately used.”

Measles is especially contagious, but there have been other outbreaks. Mumps, for example, is no longer common in the United States, with only 229 cases reported in 2012 compared to 186,000 cases each year before the mumps vaccination program began in 1967. But in 2009-2010, there were two large outbreaks, according to the CDC: one among mostly Hasidic Jewish children in New York who were delaying immunization, and another among mostly school aged children in Guam.

A motorcylce crash was blocking all lanes of the eastbound 210 Freeway in Glendora Friday afternoon, according to the California Highway Patrol.

A motorcycle hit the back of a vehicle at about 2:45 p.m. on the freeway near 57 Freeway, the CHP said.

One person was taken by helicopter to a trauma center, the Los Angeles County Fire Department said.

The roadway was cleared at 3:15 p.m., accoridng to the CHP.

Two married San Diego Police officers convicted of drug sales and burglary charges were sentenced to three years in state prison in a downtown courtroom Friday.

Bryce Charpentier, 32, and Jennifer Charpentier, 41, admitted to selling and furnishing a narcotic substance, possession of a firearm by an addict, conspiracy to commit a burglary and conspiracy to commit a crime: possession and sale of a controlled substance. They were arrested in June.

As a result, the two resigned from the SDPD in November. Jennifer also lost partial custody of her kids after her arrest.

In court Friday, Bryce was teary as he apologized to the department and his family. The prosecution, however, called him "manipulative."

In an attempt to argue against jail time, the defense said the two never used their authority status and witnesses did not know they were cops. They also said the two have gotten clean and are active in 12-step programs, and that Post Traumatic Stress Disorder contributed to their actions.

Prosecutors asked for maximum sentences for both, saying other officers who suffer addiction and PTSD don't start distribution labs.

Both officers initially pleaded not guilty, but changed their pleas after new charges were filed against the couple, accusing them of stealing prescription medication from their parent, burglarizing a home while on the clock as officers and leading a distribution chain.

Bryce, a six-year veteran of the SDPD, and Jennifer, an 18-year veteran, were arrested in June during a San Diego County Sheriff’s Department narcotics investigation.

Search warrants said Jennifer got seven different drugs in 71 prescriptions from seven separate doctors and then traveled to 17 pharmacies to fill them. Bryce went as far as Oakhurst near Yosemite to fill 79 prescriptions from six different doctors.

One victim was Jennifer's own mother. During a visit to their home, Bryce texted his wife he was coming back and pulling into the driveway. At that point, Jennifer texted she was taking her mother into the backyard, presumably to distract her while Bryce took prescription medication from her.

Before the couple's sentencing, Jennifer said she and her mom have worked things out and her mom wrote a letter to the court.

The judge said she gave probation serious consideration, but the case does not involve simple street corner drug sales, and denied the motion. However, the two are out of custody until Feb. 6 and will only serve 50 percent of their sentence on good behavior.

The district attorney's office is expected to speak about the case Friday afternoon.

This is a developing story. Check back here for updates.

The San Francisco Chief Medical Examiner's office confirmed Friday the human body parts found in the suitcase in San Francisco's South of Market neighborhood are those of an unidentified light-skinned male.

The Medical Examiner's office said that the California Department of Justice Bureau of Forensic Servicea DNA Laboratory will be assesting in the identification process.

The case is currently under investigation with the cause and manner of death pending.

Homicide investigators spent Thursday going door-to-door in SoMa looking for surveillance camera video that might show them who left the suitcase on the sidewalk. And they had some luck — one video showing a person pulling the suitcase was recovered from a Goodwill nearby. Police released those images Friday afternoon.

San Francisco police discovered a dismembered body when they opened the suitcase, found abandoned Wednesday on 11th Street near Market Street, a block from Twitter's headquarters. Police then made another gruesome discovery when they uncovered more body parts within a three-block radius.

Police spokeswoman Grace Gatpandan said investigators have a rough description of a suspect but aren't releasing additional details because the investigation is ongoing.

Police also said they have recovered at least one surveillance video from a Goodwill store from Wednesday showing a person with the suitcase.

"It just showed a person across the street pulling like a suit case, that's basically it,"  Gary Grellman of Goodwill Industries told NBC Bay Area. "Male or female, I couldn't tell. I think it's male."

Officers spent Thursday morning dumping trash cans and looking for body parts or anything that could be linked to the case.

Meanwhile, the discovery has left residents in the area startled and on edge.

"To find something like that, it's just real shocking to me," resident Miguel Valdez said.

NBC Bay Area's Riya Bhattacharjee and The Associated Press contributed to this report.

A child was diagnosed with measles in Southern California this week, sending their preschool scrambling to screen other students.

More than 40 students and staff members at Little Explorers Preschool Academy in Simi Valley may have been exposed to the highly infectious virus, which is spreading throughout California and beyond.

California health officials have reported at least 81 measles cases since December, when several people who visited Disney theme parks in Anaheim came down with measles. The Simi Valley case is related to Disneyland as well, according to school officials, but some infections in the recent outbreak were contracted elsewhere.

The infected student is doing well, the school said, and screenings were quickly coordinated. Parents at Little Explorers Preschool Academy said they weren't worried that the classmate of their children, described as a toddler, was diagnosed with the highly infectious disease.

"I'm highly impressed with the school and actions that they took and steps they took to make sure everybody was OK," said Terry Richardson, a school grandparent.

The Ventura County school notified parents as soon as they learned that the student, who has not been named, was potentially exposed to the measles on Wednesday, Jan. 28, the school said in a statement. They are working with county health officials, already checking each student for immunity and vaccinating those who needed it.

"Our number one priority is the health and well being of our students," the statement said. "At the present time the child in quarantine is doing well and none of our other students are demonstrating any signs of the measles virus."

The videos are disturbing. A young girl in pink pajamas leans on another, cutting off her air supply until the girl collapses.

Link: Erik's Cause

A young boy in a public gym quietly slumps down against a wall. A teenager, alone in her room, chokes herself until she begins to twitch and gasp.

All of these are recent examples of videos posted online of kids playing "the choking game." The game goes by many names, including, the fainting game, pass out challenge, space monkey, California choke and maybe most appropriately, suffocation roulette.

The game has been around for generations, but with the proliferation of online videos, safety advocates worry there is more temptation than ever. Judy Rogg, a social worker, told NBC4 these videos encourage kids to dare others to "go further" with little regard for the risk involved.

"Kids think it's fun," she said. "Kids don't realize that it's dangerous."

The game cuts the oxygen to the brain, in the hopes of getting light headed, or a feeling of euphoria. But the high comes with great risks including broken bones, seizures and even death.

There is a long list of things parents warn their children about, and Rogg said "the choking game" should be part of that conversation. It is a conversation Rogg wishes she had with her own son. Erik was just 12 years old, when found him unresponsive, alone in their home, with a rope around his neck.

"This is important, as important to talk about with your kids as drugs and alcohol and sex," said Rogg. "The horror just stops you cold.

"I truly believe he did not intend to end his life. He had plans that evening, he had plans the next day, and he wasn’t going anywhere."

Erik was rushed to the hospital. While there, Judy explains that detectives told her they believed her son died from "the choking game."

It was the first time she had ever heard of it. Several days later, a classmate of Erik's came forward and told her Erik had learned the game at school on a Monday.

He died one day later.

Judy struggles with the loss every day. Her apartment celebrates his memory -- in one corner rests his skateboard. A collection of baseball bats are on a shelf and baby booties are tucked in the pocket of a handmade quilt.

Rogg has now developed an awareness program called "Erik's Cause."

"This is about saving other kids, that's Erik’s legacy, and that's the legacy that I want for my son right now," Rogg said.

Rogg insists if Erik knew the dangers, he never would have played the game.

"I would love to see this program in every health curriculum across the country."

Right now, only one district has taken up her program. Jennifer Wood, Director of Secondary Education for the Iron County School District in Cedar City Utah, said the choking game is a real problem.

"We've had four children die of this," Wood said.

San Bernardino Child Welfare Coordinator Earl Smith said he believes there have been choking deaths in the San Bernardino area. He is one of the first school administrators to advocate for a program like "Erik's Cause."

"As a teacher I actually heard students talking about it all of the time," Smith said. "We have to get the education out, not only to kids, but to parents."

There's a long list of topics teenagers are already warned about, including drugs, alcohol and texting while driving. Still, 17-year-old Roman Valentine said schools need to include warnings against the fleeting high of the choking game because it can be more dangerous than drugs.

"Weed isn't really good, but I mean, when do you really see deaths about that?"

Rogg continues to travel the country, talking to health professionals and school districts, hoping more of them will adopt her program. She said Erik always wanted to be of service and she feels his presence as she now tries to help others.

"He was really smart, and as one of his best friends said, 'Even smart strong kids can make dumb choices, with deadly consequences.'"

A transgender woman who attended a body-modification party in Orange County died as a result of an off-the-books procedure she received there, investigators said.

Santa Ana police say the woman checked herself into an Irvine hospital on Jan. 1 because she was having trouble breathing. Three weeks later, the 40-year-old was dead, and authorities believe the cause of death was an embolism from a silicone injection.

She "had been to a silicone injection party somewhere in Santa Ana. She had injections in her buttocks for cosmetic reasons," said Cpl. Anthony Bertagna, of the Santa Ana Police Department.

It's unclear what type of injections she received or how many, and police are still trying to notify her family.

The Orange County Sheriff's Department identified the victim Friday. NBC4 has not yet spoken with her family and is not publishing her name at this time. 

Tony Viramontes, who works with transgender men and women at the LGBT Center OC, said cosmetic surgery can help people feel comfortable in their bodies as part of the transition process. 

"They found happiness in seeing their body takes shape. They have hips and a full buttocks and they feel feminine," Viramontes said.

People in transition can sometimes go to great lengths to feel complete, Viramontes said. Parties like this one offer discounts and instant gratificiation.

"People are taking advantage of people looking to change their looks and it can lead to death," said Viramontes, who noted that there is a program to ensure medical procedures are done by licensed doctors.

The parties do come with a tremendous risk.

April Brown shared with NBC4 her story of getting butt injections three years ago, after she had her limbs amputated in emergency surgery to save her life.

The Los Angeles hair dresser suffered septic shock from industrial silicone injections, the kind sold in hardware stores.

Police are urging anyone who attended the December party where the victim received her injections to call them and explain what happened.

Looking for a bargain online? Beware: many products that appear to be authentic may be counterfeit.

Watch Randy Mac's full report on the NBC4 News at 5 and 6 p.m.

Upland resident Lori Noyes recently found out the hard way when she got an email promising deals on handbags. The email appeared to have been generated by popular designer Michael Kors.

“It said it was a special invitation, only a few hours, so I clicked on it, took a look around, it looked like his site," Noyes told NBC4's I-Team.

Seeing prices listed for less than half what she'd normally pay for a bag, she quickly typed in her credit card, and dropped $200.

“I knew something wasn’t quite right when I didn’t get an instant confirmation email,” Noyes said.

Turns out the email had linked Noyes to a site that wasn't what it seemed.

“I went into the account, saw that they were processing a payment to somebody in China," she said. "I thought wow, Lori, you’re an educated person, you should have known better!"

A few weeks later, she received three cheap-looking fakes.

"The weight of the chain is a dead giveaway," she complained, rattling the hollow-sounding chain. Another sign she'd gotten phony bags: three identical serial number tags were attached to three different models.

But it's not just about designer bags: the number of counterfeit products sold online is skyrocketing.

"Counterfeit razor blades, counterfeit converse tennis shoes, the levis in front of you are fake," said retired police officer Craig Crosby, as he pointed to a table filled with counterfeit products.

Crosby publishes "The Counterfeit Report," a website dedicated to educating consumers about the issue. He told NBC4 that counterfeit sales will reach $1.7 trillion in 2015, and that this criminal enterprise accounts for 10 percent of all goods worldwide.

But the impact can be more than financial -- using a fake product could harm your health.

"Let’s talk about fragrance," Crosby said. "Everyone will recognize the green Polo box. Lab tests done by the FBI (have) come back and found that there are antifreeze, urine, bacteria, cadmium, berilium and arsenic in the counterfeit products."

What makes it even more disturbing: the products Crosby showed the I-Team weren't sold through rogue cyber retailers, like Lori's fake purses.

"We purchase from Amazon, we purchase from eBay," said Crosby. "These are the websites we should have confidence in."

While Amazon and eBay warn their customers about the risk of counterfeit products — and insist they are on the lookout for fake products — according to Crosby, there's only one way to be sure what you're buying online is the real thing.

"You have to go to a manufacturer or go to an authorized retailer in order to get an authentic product," he said.

Lori Noyes says that's her plan, even if it means paying more for a purse next time around.

"If I lost $200, but taught someone else a lesson, I’m happy," Noyes said. "I’m thinking that I’ll be a lot more careful from now on."

Tips on spotting a counterfeit:

• Poor stitching, crooked labels, more misspelled brand names
• Overuse of certain words in online description, including "genuine," "real," or "authentic."
• Flimsy packaging
• An incredibly low price: as the old saying goes, "if it looks too good to be true, it probably is!"

For more information on how to spot counterfeit goods including office products, sports equipment, pet food, alcohol, tobacco, electronics and more, visit The Counterfeit Report.

Firefighters were called to the Los Angeles River in Toluca Lake for a rescue, possibly involving a dog, fire officials said.

Someone was reported in the water at 3:45 p.m. near the Barham Boulevard overpass of the river, according to the Los Angeles Fire Department. 

Refresh this page for updates on this developing story.

A driver being pursued by police crashed a stolen car, then was shot with a stun gun after carjacking a woman in Pomona Friday, police said.

The suspect pulled the woman from her car at roughly 1:55 p.m. in the 200 block of South Garey Avenue, Pomona police said. She was hospitalized.

Police chased the suspect into the city of La Verne, police said, where the stolen car crashed at B Street and Bonita Avenue.

The suspect was arrested after the being stunned with a Taster, according to police.  

Lightning, thunder and pounding rain were moving across parts of Southern California Friday afternoon.

The San Fernando Valley saw heavy rain and thunderstorms around 3 p.m., with some describing "buckets of rain" in North Hollywood.

Commuters in Santa Monica saw rain-slicked roads, and downtown LA saw "pouring rain."

Storms are expected to move south to the Basin and through the South Bay with isolated showers and heavy rain in some areas.
 

Here is when the heavy rain will arrive in Venice & Marina del Rey. pic.twitter.com/QaMY91iwCh

— Anthony Yanez (@AnthonyNBCLA) January 30, 2015

Speculation about whether a trio of ferrets were responsible for the mauling of a 1-month-old girl in a Delaware County, Pennsylvania, home last week have been running rampant since the attack — but police are shooting down the rumors, saying clear evidence points to the ferrets.

Skyy Fraim was released from the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia this week after undergoing emergency surgery following the Jan. 21 attack, police said on Friday. The girl’s nose and part of her cheek were eaten away, while her upper lip was shredded.

The baby’s mother, Jessica Benales, was upstairs using the restroom when the mauling happened. She came down to find at least one of the ferrets attacking the child and pulled the animal off the girl, who was strapped into a car seat on the floor of the family’s Darby home.

Benales, 24, and her 42-year-old fiancé, Burnie Fraim, told police they believed the ferrets somehow broke out of their mesh pen.

But despite the accounts by police and the child's parents of the mauling, some ferret owners and shelter operators told NBC10 the animals could not have inflicted such severe injuries on the child.

Others claimed a necropsy found no human tissue in the animal’s stomach — but necropsies were not performed on the ferrets, Delaware County Animal Control said, so that cannot be known. After the animals were euthanized, a rabies test was performed and came back negative.

A staffer said necropsies are hardly ever performed by the agency and were not in this case because the mother witnessed part of the attack.

Still, the necropsies are unnecessary, says Darby Police Chief Robert Smythe. There is clear evidence that the ferrets were responsible for the mauling, he told NBC10.

“I would refute what they are saying because of physical evidence that was inside the building and that was on the child’s face,” he said.

Skyy Fraim had puncture wounds on her head consistent with a ferret’s teeth and claws, Smythe said. Detectives looked at the family’s other pets and the possibility that a rodent was responsible, but those possibilities were ruled out. It also appeared the ferrets roamed the home, which authorities said was filthy, and broke into pet food.

Benales and Fraim, who have four other children age 5 or younger, have each been charged with five counts of child endangerment. The children have been removed from their parents' care and are currently with the Delaware County Children and Youth Services.

Authorities said the children and parents all have special needs and have been under the care of three social service agencies. 

In addition to the ferrets, the family had six cats and two turtles. Two dogs had previously been removed from the home.

Seven case workers were assigned to the family, Smythe said. He questioned how nothing had been done to improve the family’s quality of life and remove the animals.

“It’s a family in crisis,” he said. “I believe they’re people that have issues and problems and the system is not working.”

Prior to being charged, Fraim told NBC10 that he and his fiancé care for the children.

“We’re good parents. It’s just we made one mistake by leaving them alone. We regret it, and we blame ourselves for it,” he said. The 1-month-old will need to undergo several surgeries to repair the damage done in the attack, the father added.

Smythe said a district court judge disregarded a bail recommendation that included a psychological evaluation and instead released the couple on their own recognizance. They are barred from having contact with the children.

A court date has yet to be set in the case.

Contact Vince Lattanzio at 610.668.5532, vince.lattanzio@nbcuni.com or follow @VinceLattanzio on Twitter and Facebook.