An iguana named Godzilla has been reunited with her owners after she was stolen from a SoCal pet shop Monday afternoon.

The three-foot-long tamed reptile was taken from her outdoor enclosure in front of the Paramount Pet Entertainment store earlier this week, the owner said. She was returned by another pet shop owner on Wednesday.

"It feels like our family is full again," said Holly Cepeda, owner of Paramount Pets.

Surveillance footage shows a man reach inside the enclosure and walk away with the iguana in  daylight. Godzilla can be seen whipping her tail and scratching the thief during the struggle.

Cepeda and her family were reunited with the store's "mascot" two days later. She was told that a man walked into a Huntington Park pet store and sold them the iguana for $200. The owner of the store saw news coverage of the stolen iguana and called Paramount Pets to inform them he had Godzilla.

The owner of that pet store has asked that his name nor his pet shop be identified.

 

(Eminem voice )Guess who's back?...... Back again! ......... Guess who's back....Guess who's back...GODZILLA is back tell a friend. THANK YOU for all the support!!!! SPECIAL THANKS to the NEWS coverage!!! Because of them we have her back. We are SUPER HAPPY!! @rexy_and_godzilla_ #paramountpetentertainment #wemissedyou.

A photo posted by PPE Reptiles (@ppereptiles) on Feb 4, 2015 at 11:08am PST

Cepeda told NBC4 Wednesday that she intends to pursue charges against the man who was caught on camera stealing the iguana. The thief appears to have dark hair with a widow's peak hairline in the surveillance video.

She said that her family and members of the community have been stopping by the shop all day to see Godzilla in her outdoor habitat. However, Cepeda said she will "take precautions" to make sure she and her prized pet are never separated again.

Anyone with information on the case is asked to call the Paramount sheriff’s station at 562-220-2002.

Rap mogul Marion "Suge" Knight remains in the hospital Wednesday, a day after being taken in an ambulance from court for an "anxiety attack," officials said.

Knight, 49, suffered a medical emergency in a courthouse lockup on Tuesday about an hour after pleading not guilty to murder and other charges in a hit-and-run case outside a Compton burger stand on Thursday, officials said.

Knight is at an unnamed hospital and officials would not comment on his medical condition, said Nicole Nishida, a spokeswoman with the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department.

Attorneys for Knight have not returned calls seeking an update on their client's health.

NBC4 was not able to independently verify a report by TMZ saying Knight was treated for a blood clot.

Knight is accused of running down and killing his friend Terry Carter, 55, and attempting to kill Cle "Bone" Sloan, 51, in a burger stand parking lot after an argument on the set of "Straight Outta Compton," a movie about the rise of the rap group N.W.A.

Knight founded Death Row Records, which once featured Snoop Dogg, Dr. Dre and Tupac Shakur as its top artists.

A jewelry store worker, a finance executive and a museum curator were among the six people killed when a Metro-North train crashed into an SUV stuck between crossing gates in Westchester Tuesday, those who knew them told NBC 4 New York, as medical officials work to identified the three other men killed.

Family members identified 53-year-old Eric Vandercar of Bedford Hills as one of the five male passengers who died when their train, on the railroad's Harlem line, crashed into a Mercedes SUV stopped on the tracks in Valhalla Tuesday afternoon.

The Metropolitan Museum of Art confirmed Wednesday that Walter Liedtke, a curator of European paintings at the museum, was another victim in the train crash.

The driver of the SUV was identified as 49-year-old Ellen Brody by the owner of the Chappaqua jewelry store where she worked for 15 years, ICD Contemporary Jewelry.

"She was our beloved colleague, and we pray for her and other families whose loved ones were lost and injured in yesterday's tragedy," the owner said in a statement to NBC 4 New York.

Co-worker and friend Varda Singer said, "I describe her as a saint, because she was the most selfless person." 

Making the tragedy more unbearable for friends is not knowing how Brody, a mother of three, got stuck on the train tracks. 

"She's a very responsible person, a very reliable person," said Singer. "I just cannot believe that she's gone." 

Vandercar's family declined to comment to NBC 4 New York Wednesday, but said they were meeting with a rabbi. A woman walking near Vandercar's home said he was "a wonderful husband and loving father."

Vandercar worked for Morgan Stanley for 16 years before leaving his position as executive director of the municipal finance group in January 2014, according to the company. 

"Those of us who worked with Eric for many years at Morgan Stanley are deeply saddened by this tragic loss," a spokesman said in a statement. "Our hearts and prayers go out to his family at this difficult time." 

Liedtke was a "brilliant, respected curator and scholar of Dutch and Flemish paintings who was part of the Met family for 35 years," said Elyse Topalian, vice president for communications for The Metropolitan Museum of Art.

"He organized dozens of major exhibitions that brought the works of Rembrandt, Vermeer, Hals, and many other great artists to millions of our visitors. He will long be remembered for his vast knowledge, his wit, and a passion for art that inspired all who came in contact with him," Topalian said in the statement. 

Westchester County Executive Rob Astorino said Wednesday that medical officials are using dental records to identify the remains of the six people killed in the crash because all but one of the victims were severely burned in a fire that was sparked by the impact. The crash caused the front of the train to burst into flames and the electrified third rail to slice into a train car as it pushed the SUV nearly 10 car-lengths down the tracks. 

Astorino said it could take as long as a day to identify each body once the records are received.

"Victims' families are in total shock," he said.

Fifteen train riders were hurt in the crash, some of them seriously. Twelve of those passengers were treated at Westchester Medical Center, including one who remained in critical condition Wednesday afternoon. One other passenger is in serious condition, and six others remain at the hospital in good to fair condition, hospital officials say. Four others were released.

The passengers treated at Westchester Medical Center had injuries including, cuts, bruises, dislocations, open fractures, smoke inhalations and burns. All of the injured passengers are adults. 

"The injuries were not as serious as they could have been," Dr. Joseph Turkowski said. "There could have been a lot more deaths."

The train engineer was also treated for his injuries at a hospital, but was not believed to be one of the casualties, MTA Chairman Tom Prendergast said.

A La Verne couple’s dream renovation has become a nightmare of unfinished construction, and they say their contractor is to blame.

The project started as an act of generosity by baby boomers Jim and Kim Howard, who find themselves in what’s becoming a familiar position for their generation: caretakers of their elderly parents.

"Three years ago my mother-in-law had a massive stroke and she’s paralyzed on her left side," Jim Howard said. To help out, the Howards refinanced their home to build an addition where Kim’s mom and dad could live in safe proximity, while still maintaining their privacy.

"When it came to her parents, (I thought) you know what we can do this," Howard told NBC4 I-Team Consumer Investigator Randy Mac.

On a neighbor's recommendation, the Howards consulted with, and ultimately hired Finest Home Remodeling Inc., owned by Lanny Dugar, to do the job. In July of 2014, Dugar’s crews broke ground on the project.

"Three months into construction we could actually start to see things materialize," Howard said.

But the situation went downhill from there.

The original contract was for $160,000, with additions increasing estimated costs to $172,250. But Howard became increasingly concerned when he didn’t see specific materials he’d paid for being installed, including items like windows and a patio cover.

"Each time he started something, this is where he was asking for more money," said Howard, who asked Dugar to provide an itemized budget and payment schedule for the remainder of work.

Instead, Howard says he received an incoherent handwritten note.

"It just amounts to a bunch of jibberish," Howard recalled.

Howard showed the NBC4 I-Team documents and canceled checks that indicate they’ve paid Dugar $135,000.00. During a phone call with NBC4, Dugar did not dispute the figure. The last check the Howards wrote Dugar was on Oct. 9; two days later, Howard says the project ended abruptly.

"I got a text message from the owner of the company stating that he was off the job," Howard said

The I-Team has verified that text message, and has made numerous attempts for a face-to-face interview with Dugar, whose business address is a post office box at a Calabasas UPS Store.

Reached by phone, Dugar told NBC4 he "didn’t walk off the job," and that he "was locked out" by the Howards. He indicated the money dispute may end in litigation.

The Howards have filed a complaint against Dugar’s company. The resulting investigation by the Contractors State License Board found that the work on the Howard’s home "does not meet accepted trade standards for goods and workmanlike construction."

The investigator estimated the cost to fix what’s wrong at $173,874.24.

Howard’s reaction: stunned and furious.

"I don’t know if I can say how I feel," he said.

A tour of the property reveals why he’s so frustrated: NBC4 saw a skeleton of a frame of an addition, surrounded by dangerous 6-foot deep trenches; raccoons are living in the attic, because of easy access from the outdoors, and a colony of ants crawls along the woodwork.

"It’s a little frustrating to say the least," Howard said.

Dugar is scheduled to meet with the Contractors State License Board and address their investigators report this week, but what the Howards want is a date certain for the project’s completion: Howard’s elderly in-laws are still living on their own, and in need of help.

"I don’t get upset very easily but this is wrong," Howard said.

Four things to remember when hiring a contractor:

1. Beware the down payment: California law says contractors cannot collect more than 10 percent of the value of a contract up front.

2. Insist on paying "as you go," which is typical in major construction projects.

3. Always verify what you pay for: if you’ve handed over money for windows and concrete work, you should see it; if you don’t see it, report it.

4. If you have a complaint about a contractor, contact the Contractor State License Board (CSLB) at 800-321-2752.

Students at UC Riverside are being warned not to use their smartphones while out walking on campus after armed robbers stole phones from students near the school.

The first robbery happened off-campus Sunday night as two female students unloaded groceries outside their home near Blaine Street and Canyon Crest Drive, officials said.

Two men, one armed with a gun, demanded cash and cellphones.

"I mean, that's absolutely terrifying," student Amy Holt said.

On Tuesday morning, one block away on Linden Street, a man flashed what appeared to be a knife, snatched a phone from a female student, and ran away, police said.

That robbery happened just a few hundred feet from the campus police station, officials said.

"I constantly tell students in the campus community, please do not use these devices when out in public, because it advertises that you have it on your person," UCR Assistant Police Chief John Freese said.

After victims reported the robberies, campus police sent email alerts with advice on how to prevent crimes and remind students not to walk alone after dark.

After the victims reported the robberies, campus police immediately sent out email alerts.

"You can't really fight for your things," student Jennifer Ceron said. "Your life is much more valuable than a cellphone."

Investigators are checking to see if security cameras captured the robbers.

A commuter bus struck two pedestrians, killing one of them and injuring the other, in a busy shopping area of Redondo Beach on Wednesday night, fire officials said.

The crash was reported about 6:15 p.m. in the 1700 block of South Catalina Avenue in the city’s Riviera Village area, officials with the Redondo Beach Police Department said.

The LA Department of Transportation bus was making a left turn from Catalina Avenue to Avenue I when it struck a man and a woman in a crosswalk, police said.

The man died at the scene from his injuries, police said.

The woman was taken to a hospital. The extent of her injuries was not known.

The names of the victims were not released. Their relationship was unclear. The woman was believed to be in her 70s.

The cause of the crash was under investigation, police said. DUI was not suspected, they said.

Police shut down South Catalina Avenue, Avenida Del Norte and Avenue I to traffic.

Southern California and iconic buildings perched dramatically atop hills are a rather classic twosome. There's Griffith Observatory, and the Ennis House, and a host of Beverly Hills mansions that sit high above the flats and at the center of our civic imagination.

We mean ... it's hard not stare at those places, right? It can't just be us.

Count the Hollyhock House in that storied bunch, but bump it up a few notches on the "lore-filled" list. Why? Because the Frank Lloyd Wright gem, which is a prime example of the California Romanza style, has been shuttered for a few years for various renovations.

Adding to its mystique is that the elegantly austere, finished-in-1921 abode is in the metro-middle of everything, just a short stroll away from the shops and restaurants of Los Feliz's humming heart. 

So close ... but so closed.

The closed sign is coming off the Hollyhock House at Barnsdall Art Park on Friday, Feb. 13, however, with a ribbon-cutting and a grand, lover's holiday of a hello (again). Meaning this: The landmark will remain open for 24 hours beginning at 4 o'clock in the afternoon on Feb. 13.

Open to all and free of charge through 11 o'clock the following morning, let us add. Plus? Photos are A-OK. 

The house was nominated to the UNESCO World Heritage List and is "now among a group of 10 Frank Lloyd Wright buildings to have become the first modern architecture buildings" to receive that honor.

Big stuff for the big house on the hill, a structure so many of us pass daily, zipping down Vermont or heading along Hollywood Boulevard.

But do we take the house for granted, even though we live in a city filled with perched-high icons? We do not. Did we miss it while it was under renovation for three years? We did.

Will a throng of romantic, landmark-loving twosomes make a visit to the reopened Hollyhock House the first thing they do on Valentine's Day, at 2 or 3 o'clock in the AM on Saturday, Feb. 14? They certainly can, since it'll be open.

Perhaps it is fitting that Valentine's Day will be the Hollyhock's first full day back in the swing. It's OK to feel a fervor for the buildings that connect us to the bygone days. It's OK to have the heart patter over places of importance.

And that "Romanza" is officially part of its very style? The truth is out: We're feeling a little romantic toward the Hollyhock House's stately sashay back onto the SoCal architecture scene.

Despite leading by six points with less than a minute to play in regulation, the Los Angeles Lakers lost 113-105 to the Milwaukee Bucks after an overtime period. 

To start the game, Lakers guard Wayne Ellington found his stroke from long range early and scored nine points on three triples in the first quarter. However, the Lakers did find any separation until Carlos Boozer and Nick Young entered the contest. After a stretch on the sidelines, Young came through with 12 points in the first half and 16 points for the game.

Boozer would be the Lakers' top scorer on the night, as the big man scored 12 points in the second quarter alone.

The Lakers led by as many as 14 points in the first half. However, a late Milwaukee run trimmed that lead to only eight points entering the halftime break. After a poor finish to the second quarter, Boozer's late bucket helped LA regain its footing entering the locker room.

In the first 24 minutes, the Lakers had managed to hold Giannis Antetokounmpo to 10 points and three rebounds. In the third quarter, the "Greek freak" would score 10 points and grab three rebounds to double his totals for the game. Antetokounmpo helped the Bucks on a 17-2 run to end the third quarter.

Suddenly, the Lakers found themselves down 74-68 after the Bucks outscored their opposition 28-14 in the third quarter. LA committed five turnovers in the quarter and went ice cold at the wrong time. The Lakers shot only 26 percent for the quarter.

To start the fourth period, the Lakers' bench again battled back. The purple and gold quickly clawed to within one point. Boozer led the rally and had the visitors down 78-77 on his 16th point of the night. Soon after, LA regained the lead and stormed past the Bucks. Boozer, Ellington and Young would combined to finish with 54 points after four quarters.

However, a trio of Bucks' three-pointers would erase a 6-point Lakers' lead with 1:02 to play. When former USC Trojan O.J. Mayo hit the last of those three-pointers with 0.5 seconds to play, the Bucks and Lakers were level at 94-94.

In the overtime period, Milwaukee Bucks guard Brandon Knight would score the first five points and give the home team an early five-point lead in the extra five-minute period. Ellington and Boozer would help the Lakers cut the deficit to only one point, but Knight would respond by hitting a difficult three-pointer despite a solid defensive possession from the Lakers.

With only 57.3 second to play in the overtime period, the Bucks took a four-point lead.

From there, a series of missed shots and an offensive foul would send Khris Middleton to the foul line, where the 23-year-old shooting guard would hit both free throws. Middleton would finish with 21 points, seven assists, seven rebounds and three steals.

Knight would add another couple points at the foul line to finish with 24 points, eight assists and seven rebounds. Antetokoumpo finished with a team-high 25 points to go along with his six rebounds.

On the night, Boozer finished with a game-high 28 points, which was also a new season high for the veteran. Lakers forward Ed Davis pulled down 20 rebounds, which was his new career high.

Still, the Lakers came up short and lost 113-105. The Bucks won their fourth in a row on the season and their fourth in a row against the Lakers. On the season, the Lakers fell to 13-36. 

Next, LA travels to Florida to face the Orlando Magic on Friday.

Notes: Jordan Hill rejoined the team, but the Lakers' starting center/forward did not play against the Bucks. Hill is not expected to play in Orlando. Davis helped the Lakers out-rebound the Bucks 53-35.  LA edged the Bucks 18-5 on the offensive glass. The Lakers lost the turnover battle 18-12, and Milwaukee scored 31 points off turnovers. The Lakers only scored 14 points off Milwaukee errors.

Sensors installed at a Connecticut railroad crossing more than a decade ago can signal to approaching trains if a car is on the tracks — a technology that could attract new interest after a commuter train smashed into an SUV outside New York City, killing six people.

The technology, a four-quadrant gate with a warning capability, was first used at a street-level crossing on Amtrak’s Northeast corridor when the high speed Acela Express trains went into use in the late 1990s.

The quad gates system uses metal-detecting sensors installed in the pavement to detect a car on the tracks and alert an approaching train in time to stop, said Stephen R. Szegedy, a retired engineer who designed the system while working for the Connecticut Department of Transportation.

Six of the 11 street-level crossings on Amtrak’s Northeast Corridor now use the technology, according to Amtrak.

Questions about how to make street level railroad crossings safer follow Tuesday’s deadly Metro-North Railroad in the New York City suburb of Valhalla. A crowded commuter train smashed into an SUV stuck on the tracks, dislodging the third rail. Five people plus the driver of the SUV were killed in the resulting fireball, making it Metro-North's deadliest accident, and about 15 people were injured.

That first quad gate — which uses four gates to seal off the crossing — was installed at School Street in West Mystic, Connecticut, in July 1998, at a time when officials were discussing closing some street-level crossings due to safety concerns. School Street provided the only access to a commercial and residential area called Willow Point.

The Connecticut Department of Transportation had been awarded an $800,000 grant from the Federal Railroad Administration for the project, and it contributed another $200,000 of its own money. The alternative would have been to re-engineer the intersection to avoid a street-level crossing -- a project that would have cost $4 million.

Before the gate went into service, Szegedy made sure that it worked with a test train and his own Audi.

“The car was detected and the test train came to a stop 400 feet before that,” he said. “And we proved that it did work. And it went into service.”

In September 1999, Szegedy told the Harford Courant that School Street quad gate had alerted train engineers to vehicles on the tracks three times: twice when pickup truck drivers were caught on the tracks trying to beat the train and once when there were people sitting on the tracks as a train approached.

If a driver raises a gate and tries to cross the track, it could be too late for a train to stop, he warned.

A 2007 report by the Federal Railroad Administration's Office of Research and Development found that the School Street four-quadrant gate performed as designed. Initial indications were that the technologies — the quad gates, the obstruction detection and the railroad cab signaling, which transmits data to the train — would be a valuable way to make crossings on high-speed rail corridors safer, the report said.

It also said that the more restrictive gate decreased risky behavior among motorists. And if a vehicle becomes trapped, the exit gates raise to the up position to allow the motorist to escape.

The Metro North Railroad did not immediately respond to a question about whether it had considered the technology.

Installing the technology in all street-level crossings would be expensive. Szegedy estimated in 2011 that the system would cost $1.2 million to $1.5 million per crossing. Connecticut alone has 53 street-level crossings on Metro-North tracks.

“We don’t put enough money in our railroads,” Szegedy said. “It’s an infrastructure system that needs to be brought into the 21st century.”

The cost of rebuilding street-level crossings are a state or local responsibility, said William Vantuono, editor in chief of RailwayAge Magazine.

Sometimes the work is done in partnership, he said, and pointed to a project to bring high-speed rail service between Chicago and St. Louis that is being funded by federal and state money. The work to allow trains to travel at speeds of up to 110 miles per hour includes adding four quadrant gates at street-level crossings.

There are 228,000 street crossings in the country, about 140,000 of them on publicly owned roads, according to the Federal Railroad Administration. About 53 percent of the public ones are equipped with active warning devices, but the administration said it could not say how many had quad gates. An active warning device could include a wide range of measures, from flashing lights or bells to warn drivers of a coming train to the high-tech quad gate system.

Augustine Ubaldi, a railroad engineering expert who works for the Pennsylvania-based Robson Forensic, said that although the safest way for a road to cross railroad tracks was over a bridge or through a tunnel, the crossings are expensive to re-build. There may not be enough land available, he said.

Drivers must be sure that they can clear the tracks before they enter a crossing, he said.

“If you do for some reason get stuck with the gate on top of you, by all means just keep right on driving,” he said. “The gates are designed to break away if somebody hits them.”

Collisions at the crossings have dropped by 85 percent from a high of more than 13,500 in 1978 to just over 2,000 in 2011, according to the administration. It attributes the dramatic decrease to engineering improvements, better enforcement of traffic safety laws and education of motorists. The administration estimates that 94 percent of collisions and 87 percent of fatalities are the result of risky behavior by drivers or poor judgment.

Connecticut's Sen. Richard Blumenthal said Tuesday that the crash showed that there was a need for continued progress on safety and reliability.

“This kind of horrific, terrible crash was preventable,” he said.

New York's Sen. Chuck Schumer called for a thorough investigation and answers as quickly as possible so that any needed corrective action could be taken.

Metro-North Railroad was criticized in a report by the National Transportation Safety Board after a 2013 deadly derailment plus four other accidents. The report found common safety management problems in all of the accidents.

Metro-North Railroad responded then that it was working to improve safety.

–Additional reporting by Khorri Atkinson.

A former teacher at an exclusive Southern California high school was charged with sex crimes involving a student who allegedly miscarried his baby.

Joseph Koetters, 47, was an English teacher at the all-girls Marlborough School in Hancock Park when he allegedly started a sexual relationship with the 16-year-old girl in 2000, according to the Los Angeles County District Attorney's Office.

The alleged victim's attorney, David Ring, said Tuesday his client finds comfort in knowing that Koetters will face a judge for his alleged crimes.

"She's really relieved that Koetters has been taken out of the classroom and he's not going to ever do it to another girl," Ring said.

The criminal complaint alleges that the crimes occurred between June 2000 and June 2002.

"He drew her in and made her feel like she was in love with him, and then he started having sex with her a lot," Ring said. "He got her pregnant and ultimately pressured her into at least thinking about having an abortion, but before that ever happened she miscarried the baby."

Ring said his client never reported the acts to the school and thought she was the only one until an another student, Mikaela Gilbert-Lurie, wrote an essay for xoJane magazine detailing her alleged relationship with Koetters that never became sexual.

"For over 10 years she truly believed that he had only done this to her and then when she found about Mikaela and then she found out about a whole bunch of other girls who said he did very similar things to them, she said that's it, I'm coming forward. This guy is a predator," Ring said.

One of the incidents allegedly occurred too long ago to file charges, and another allegedly occurred in Nevada, police said.

Koetters taught at the Marlborough School for 14 years, according to an interview he gave to the newspaper of the Polytechnic School in Pasadena, where he subsequently went on to teach briefly.

"Polytechnic learned something had happened there with a student there as well but the details are murky," Ring said.

NBC4 reached out to Polytechnic for comment but did not hear back before the publishing of this report.

In a statement to NBC4, Marlborough School said in part it "expresses its deep sympathy for the victims of the sexual misconduct that has come to light."

Ring plans to file a civil suit against the school.

Koetters, who was freed on $140,000 bail, was expected to be arraigned Thursday.

He was charged with two felony counts each of oral copulation of a person under 18 and sexual penetration by a foreign object.

City News Service contributed to this report.

The body of a man was fished out of the Los Angeles River in Long Beach on Wednesday afternoon.

Two fishermen spotted the body on a small island in a wetlands area south of the Willow Street Overpass about 1 p.m. and called authorities, said Jake Heflin of the Long Beach Fire Department.

Heflin said the body was retrieved by lifeguards, who are part of the fire department.

Long Beach police said the coroner's office will determine the cause of death and identify the man, who appeared to be in his 40s.

Rap mogul Marion "Suge" Knight has been released from the hospital and is back in jail.

The 49-year-old was taken back into custody at around 9 p.m, the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department confirmed. He was processed at the Twin Towers Correctional Facility at 1:49 a.m.

Armed guards had previously been watching Knight after he was hospitalized after suffering an "anxiety attack" at court Tuesday, where he pleaded not guilty to murder and other charges in a hit-and-run case

The medical emergency happened about an hour after he made his plea, officials previously said.

Knight said he did "not feel well," said Brett Greenfield, an attorney, adding that no one at his law firm is being told what Knight's health condition is at a South Los Angeles County area hospital. Attorneys say they aren't being allowed to see him.

Knight has had a series of health issues over the years, some related to the gunshot wounds he's suffered at least three times. Knight was shot most recently last August in an incident at a Sunset Strip nightclub.

In the fall, after he was arrested in Las Vegas for an alleged robbery, Knight complained of dizziness and chest pains, and fell while he was being examined.

He was diagnosed with blood clots.

Knight is accused of running down and killing his friend Terry Carter, 55, and attempting to kill Cle "Bone" Sloan, 51, in a burger stand parking lot on Thursday after an argument on the set of "Straight Outta Compton," a movie about the rise of the rap group N.W.A.

He is due back in Compton Superior Court for a bail review hearing on Monday, during which his defense attorney is expected to ask a judge to review the revocation of the $2 million bail initially granted in the case.

Knight founded Death Row Records, which once featured Snoop Dogg, Dr. Dre and Tupac Shakur as its top artists.

Jason Kandel contributed to this report

An estimated 2,100 plants were found during a marijuana factory bust in Santa Ana Wednesday.

Narcotics officers raided the property in the 600 block of South Santa Fe Street after receiving a tip, the Santa Ana Police Department said.

The "factory-like" operation consisted of between 13 and 14 rooms, which housed plants of various sizes, Cpl. Anthony Beragna said. Suspicions were raised after a transformer serving the premises blew on Tuesday night, which caused power to be cut to many businesses in the area.

When code enforcement officials visited the building on Wednesday morning they  noticed a dozen air condition units outside.

The raid then took place at around 2 p.m, with officers smashing a front window to obtain entry when no one answered the door. Inside they found the plants, which were serviced with lights and water, despite the business being listed outside as an airplane parts company.

No arrests were reported Thursday morning. Investigators are hoping local distributors and the property's owners will be able to provide leads so they can catch the growers.

These criminals know what they're after, and their new secret weapon is the victim.

Southern California police say they're dealing with an increasing threat: robbers targeting homes while the victim is inside.

Robbers get to know the neighborhood — the patterns, the people, the rhythms. Somehow they track the victim and the valuables they keep in their home.

"Get on the floor, head down, don't move," recalled Diana Mandt. "I can see his face now. If I close my eyes, I can see the whole scenario."

Two armed intruders broke into Mandt's Hollywood Hills home.

"I heard my husband screaming," she said.

One intruder terrified her, and the other was downstairs yelling at her husband.

"They kept asking, 'Where's your stuff?'" she said. "My husband and I kept saying, 'What stuff?'"

What they wanted was locked in a safe next to what the couple wanted to protect most.

"It was right outside my daughter's bedroom," she said.

The robbers took off with all of their jewelry.

"My husband started screaming for me, but I was afraid to answer him because I didn't know if they forgot where I was," Mandt said.

When she didn't respond, her husband feared the worst.

"My husband said his stomach sank, because I wasn't answering, so he thought something had happened to me," she said.

Home invasion robberies are dangerous, but these crooks have decided it’s worth the risk.

"They're pretty much all over the place," Garden Grove Police Detective Ed Wilson said.

Wilson, who's been with the department for 25 years, said last year the numbers were unlike what the city had seen before: six home invasions in six months. He says none were random.

Beyond tracking the patterns of the neighborhood, police say robbers also take into account how likely it is their victim will fight back, making the elderly and kids home alone some of the most vulnerable targets.

"There were only children at the house at the time (of a home invasion)," Wilson said. Suspects knew that.

In one incident captured on surveillance video, a man pretending to deliver flowers rings the doorbell until someone answers.

"He's reaching for a weapon right now, and a second guy appears from nowhere," Wilson described. "Then the third guy. Now they're in, just like that."

Since the attack, Mandt has launched her own neighborhood watch and is working to get private security for the neighborhood. She's determined to never be a victim again.

"It changes you," she said. "It leaves an imprint on your brain and your heart."

Police say you are your own best defense. To protect yourself, authorities recommend talking to your neighbors and getting to know the community, keeping your eyes open for anything out of the ordinary, and trusting your instincts.

A bank heist in Corona, California, led to a pursuit that ended with the fatal shooting of the suspected robber in Chino, officials said.

The take-over style robbery of Pacific Premier Bank happened about 4 p.m. Wednesday, said Sgt. Brent Nelson of the Corona Police Department.

The chase after the holdup ended in gunfire after the suspect's van crashed near Euclid and Pine avenues. The driver who led police in the pursuit was fatally struck. It is still unclear if he had acted aggressively towards law enforcement officers after his van crashed.

No officers or bystanders were injured, Nelson said.

Ron Danieri walked inside the bank moments after the heist and said he instantly knew something was wrong.

"It was eerie because there were no tellers," Danieri said. "I said, 'Hello? Hello?' Nothing, so we thought this is weird so we walked out," Danieri said.

Danieri said it sounded like tellers and customers were locked away while the robber made his getaway.

Shortly after, police chased the white van to Chino, where it crashed. Police opened fire, leaving the van riddled with bullets

Police did not say whether a gun had been found at the scene.

As of 5:45 a.m. Thursday, the dead man's body and the van remained on the scene. Police were keeping the scene intact for San Bernardino County Sheriff's Department investigators, who were scheduled to arrive on scene later in the morning.

NBC4's Rosa Ordaz and Lolita Lopez contributed to this report.

A lack of snowfall during what are typically the wettest months of the year in California continues to dampen hopes for drought recovery, according to this week's U.S. Drought Monitor Report.

The report highlights the importance of snow accumulation in the region's mountains, including the Sierra Nevada range -- the source of springtime water runoff that provides freshwater for an estimated 25 million Californians. Statewide snowpack was at just 25 percent of normal for this time of year, according to a manual survey conducted last week that confirmed readings from electronic sensors.

The snowpack survey results, described by state water officials as "dismally meager," illustrate the fact that December's drenching storms brought above-average rainfall in some parts of the state but not much snow in the Sierras.

"The consistent issue in the west this current water year is the lack of snowfall, even in the highest elevations," according to the Monitor statement released Thursday. "The majority of the precipitation has fallen as rain, which has impacted many groups who count on snow for their livelihoods.

"Many valley locations are showing adequate rain this winter, but the same cannot be said for the upper elevations and their snow totals. This has made depicting drought quite difficult, as the runoff associated with the upper elevation snowpack is vital."

The snowpack measurement is an important factor in the drought forecast because spring runoff from the Sierras flows into the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta, which then feeds California's major water reservoirs. Without adequate spring runoff, those reservoirs will remain at critically low levels into the dry, hot summer months.

This week's Drought Monitor report shows a small portion of the extreme southeast corner of the state no longer in drought, but 99.84 percent of California remains under some type of drought category. The Monitor depicts drought conditions using five categories -- abnormally dry (D0), moderate (D1), severe (D2), extreme (D3) and exceptional (D4).

Nearly 40 percent of the state falls under the exceptional category.

The percentage remain largely unchanged since last week as the state endured another stretch of mostly dry conditions in January. San Francisco received no rain for the entire month for the first time in 165 years.

Figures released earlier this week show California is at 85 percent of normal precipitation for this time of year. That includes a stormy December when the state reached 131 percent of normal precipitation.

Significant rainfall is expected late this week for the northern part of California. High-elevation snowfall is possible with the storms, whic moved into extreme northern California early Thursday.

State climatologists estimate the state would need at least 150 percent of normal precipitation by the end of the water year, which is Sept. 30, if California has any chance of significant drought improvement.

Gov. Jerry Brown declared a drought emergency in January 2014 and asked Californians to reduce water use by 20 percent. State records show its a figure residents have had difficulty meeting, except for in December when statewide figures showed a 22-percent water-use reduction.

 

A little black dog with a white spot above its nose kept in neglected conditions was taken to a police station Thursday morning in east Los Angeles County, authorities said.

The "poor little puppy" was found next to a shotgun in the trunk of a vehicle during a traffic stop in Alhambra in the early morning, according to the Alhambra Police Department's Facebook page.

Police pulled over the car for making a right-hand turn from the left lane, at the intersection of Montezuma and Fremont avenues, according to an Alhambra police spokesman. When officers looked inside, they found marijuana and smoking paraphernalia.

The occupants of the stopped vehicle were arrested on suspicion of committing animal neglect and may be charged for misdemeanors, though the drug possession was minor, police said.

"Hopefully this little puppy can have a better life now," said police, who added pictures of the puppy.

The dog was at a police station Thursday morning at 8 a.m.

Seattle Seahawks coach Pete Carroll said the controversial call that led to a stunning, last-minute loss to the New England Patriots in the Super Bowl isn't going to define his team.

“That one moment, that moment isn’t going to define this team and who we are,” Carroll told "Today's" Matt Lauer in an interview that aired Thursday. “This is a championship team, it’s a great team that plays great football.”

Carroll has been criticized for his decision to pass the ball only a yard from the goal line instead of giving it to star running back Marshawn Lynch. Russell Wilson’s pass with 26 seconds remaining in the game was intercepted by Patriots rookie Malcolm Butler to secure the 28-24 victory.

“Immediately — I mean within the instant of the turnover — the gravity of what just happened, I understood.” Carroll said. "There was only a second or two before you stand up and start looking ahead and getting ready for what’s coming.”

Carroll said that his team knew they were going to throw the ball one time in that sequence somewhere “and all of a sudden [New England] had a goal-line group of defense on there that we could take advantage of if we threw it, and so we did, and it just didn’t turn out right.” He explained that he made the call that comes out of the process of preparation and practice during the season.

“It was the worst result of a call ever,” Carroll said. “The call would have been a great one if we catched it. It would have been just fine and no one would have thought twice about it.”

Carroll woke up on Tuesday at 4 a.m. and was able to grasp what had happened and allow the rush of it all to hit him. But that was it, he said. The moment was over and he’s looking toward the future.

“I’m not going to let things go very far before we start to figure it out about how we’re going to move forward and take the next step," he said.

The Seahawks held a weekly team meeting, called "Tell-the-Truth-Monday" where they discussed the call.

“By getting in there and talking about it and facing it up and everybody’s cleared their minds, okay this is what the truth is…. When you finally gather and you’re ready to take that next step, we’re going to go places that are extraordinary," Carroll said.

Police are searching for a man who fled the scene of a hit-and-run crash in El Segundo where a gun was also found.

Two men were in a car that crashed into a parked vehicle near Pine Avenue and Concord Street Thursday morning. One man was arrested and another ran away, according to the El Segundo Police Department.

A gun was found at the scene of the crash.

The second suspect is described as a man in his 20s, about 6 feet tall and with a thin build.

He was last seen wearing a white T-shirt with a black design.

If anyone in the area sees a man matching the description, they are asked to call 911.

Three children were evacuated from a school bus on the 14 Freeway near Newhall Thursday morning after it broke down and began smoking, CHP said.

The bus was first reported as being on fire near Soledad Canyon Road on the northbound side of the freeway just before 8 a.m.

Los Angeles County Fire Department units responded to the report, but found the bus was only smoking, according to CHP.

The smoke may have been caused by a mechanical breakdown. The three students and the driver were the only ones aboard the bus at the time of the incident.

Aerial footage showed one lane remained blocked at 8:45 a.m.