A parolee charged with raping a Los Angeles teen and trying to set her ablaze has been indicted on three counts of murder.

Robert Lawrence Ransom Jr., 31, pleaded not guilty to capital murder charges, prosecutors said.

He faces charges in the March 2014 slayings of Margarite Evans and Gisella Yauli and Yauli's 1-year-old son, Dillon Reyes and the abduction and rape of a teen.

The indictment includes the special circumstance of multiple murders. Prosecutors will decide later whether to seek the death penalty against Ransom.

Evans, 19, died after she was found near the corner of West 93rd Street and South Grand Avenue. Yauli, 28, and her son were found dead after a fire broke out in their residence in the 100 block of East 50th Street.

The indictment includes the March 20, 2014, rape, attempted murder, kidnapping to commit robbery and second-degree robbery of a 16-year-old girl who was abducted and doused with gasoline.

The teen was forced into a white van on East Gage Avenue near South San Pedro Street, assaulted and later managed to escape.

Ransom was charged in April 2014 in her abduction and rape. That case will be dismissed following his current indictment, prosecutors said in a statement on Tuesday.

Prosecutors say Ransom was on parole at the time for being a felon possessing a gun.

A co-defendant in the earlier case, Juliana Tobar, 30, is being tried separately.

She pleaded not guilty to one count each of attempted, premeditated murder, kidnapping to commit robbery, second-degree robbery and rape of the 16-year-old victim.

In an effort to reduce the staggering number of hit-and-runs in Los Angeles, city officials joined forces Tuesday with the Los Angeles Police Department and the Department of Transportation to announce a city-wide alert system.

"The city of Los Angeles unfortunately has become known as the hit and run capital of the US," said Damian Kevitt, who lost a leg when he was struck by a hit-and-run driver two years ago.

"When I was hit on the freeway on the streets of Griffith Park and dragged nearly a quarter of a mile underneath the car, I didn't know my life would change so drastically," Kevitt said. "All I knew was I wanted to live."

Councilmen Joe Busciano and Mitchell Englander hope to reduce the epidemic of hit-and-runs in LA with the implementation of a mass notification system that would use social media accounts, including Facebook, Twitter and Instagram, and Nixle to alert residents.

"If we have year, make, model, description of damage to vehicle, the driver perhaps," Englander said. "If we have that information, then it will go out geographically by division."

Englander said they have reached out not only to Google and Waze, but also to any company with a dispatch system, including Uber, sanitation services, bus drivers, and metro and taxi drivers.

Nearly 21,000 hit-and-runs resulted in 27 deaths and 144 severe injuries in LA during 2014, according to LAPD records. With nearly 50 percent of crashes classified as hit-and-runs in the city, LA soars over the national average of 11 percent.

There's also an effort to create an alert system statewide, called a Yellow Alert. It would work like the current Amber Alert system, using electronic billboards and text messages to alert the public to hit-and-run drivers.

It's modeled after a program in Colorado called the Medina alert, which has been successful — 76 percent of the hit-and-runs that were displayed on the billboards were solved.

"Anything to catch these criminals that are leaving people on the side of the road, that is what we are going to do," said Stephanie Saporito, a spokeswoman for Englander.

Additionally, Busciano and Englander will also ask the City Attorney to draft an ordinance that would offer a standing reward for the apprehension and conviction of hit-and-run drivers.

With the 2015 tax season under way, here are a few tips on how to file your taxes, notes on what is new this year, and some lighter tax tidbits.

E-Filing Is Most Popular Method — And Offers Fewer Errors

Four out of five taxpayers will file electronically, which has been the case over the past three years, according to a Jan. 15 news release by the Internal Revenue Service. The agency is expecting to receive about 150 million individual income tax returns this year.

As of Jan. 31, the IRS has already received more than 14 million returns so far this season and issued refunds worth $26.8 billion. The average refund is $3,539.  

The error rate for a paper return is 21 percent, according to the IRS. Compare that with an e-file return error rate of half a percent.

Those who decide to file paper tax returns could also wait an extra week or possibly longer to see their tax returns than those who file electronically, IRS Commissioner John Koskinen said last month.

Click here for information from the IRS on how to file your taxes for free.

Fun fact:

On January 24, 1986, the first electronic transmission of tax return data from a preparer to the IRS was completed, according to the IRS. By 1989, taxpayers in 36 states could file their taxes electronically. By 1990, taxpayers across the United States who expected a refund could file electronically.

IRS Assistance Down After Record-Low Funding


Some not-so-good-news is that the IRS is cutting taxpayer services to historically low levels. If you need to reach the IRS for assistance, only half of the 100 million people expected to call this year will be able to reach someone, the tax agency said.

Koskinen said that the IRS is taking a nearly $600 million dollar cut, resulting in the lowest level of funding they’ve received since 2008, The Associated Press reported.

Health Insurance Information is Required

Taxpayers this year will have to report their health insurance information when filing, choosing from three circumstances, according to HealthCare.gov.

If you were enrolled in a health plan through the Health Insurance Marketplace in 2014, you will receive a new Form 1095-A by mail in early February. Once received, it’s important to check over your information before using it to file your federal income tax return.

If you had health coverage in 2014 from another source, including a job, Medicare, Medicaid or a plan bought outside of the Marketplace, you will report so by checking a specific box on your federal income tax return. You won’t receive a Form 1095-A or have to fill out any additional tax forms.

Those who were not insured during 2014 for three months or more will either qualify for a health coverage exemption or will pay a fee while filing.

Nearly six million households may have to pay a penalty for not having health insurance in 2014, which was required under the Affordable Care Act, U.S. government officials told The Wall Street Journal. The penalty is $95 per adult or 1 percent of family income, whichever is greater.

Fun Fact:

Income isn't the only thing that's taxed. Some European countries have begun taxing cattle owners on cow flatulence for their role in contributing to climate change. In the U.S., certain states have slapped a tax on candy and playing cards. Check out a round-up here. 

Tax Return Fraud Happens

While tax return fraud isn’t a new issue, taxpayers should be aware that when filing online there is the possibility that sensitive information could be compromised.

Turbotax makers Intuit temporarily stopped the transmission of e-filing state income tax returns for less than one day, after the Utah Tax Commission and the Minnesota Department of Revenue found thousands of possibly fraudulent returns, NBC News reported. 

A leading cyber security expert told NBC News that most likely the fraudulent work is caused by “a criminal gang, possibly working outside the country.”

Instead of stealing Social Security numbers, thieves buy compromised credentials to gain access to past returns stored on tax preparation software.

Despite the issue, the IRS said that taxpayers should continue to file their tax returns as they normally would. It’s recommended that once users file their taxes on services, they change their login information right away, NBC News reported.

The growing trend of "pet rent" is making the dream of dog or cat ownership impossible for many Southern California animal lovers.

"I can’t even foster," model and actress Sanelly Quintero told I-Team Consumer Investigator Randy Mac.

As she played with the dogs up for adoption at Lucky Puppy Rescue & Retail Boutique in Studio City, Quintero complained that the costs associated with having a pet in her apartment building are simply too steep.

"The deposit is $250, and the monthly rent is $50."

 And the numbers vary among buildings; the I-Team got hold of a lease agreement for a rental unit in Encino requiring a $5000 pet deposit, along with a $25 monthly “pet rent” fee.

Lucky Puppy assistant manager Alice Ensor told Mac that charges like these are resulting in a decline in pet adoptions. Ensor and other animal rights advocates fear that decrease could lead to more dogs and cats being euthanized in shelters.

"It’s sad because these animals could use that love and that safe place to be."

Ashton Derakhshan, owner of Iconic Real Estate of Woodland Hills, specializes in finding pet owners the perfect rental property. He says the concept of pet rent is gaining popularity among landlords because deposits often prove insufficient in covering damage caused by animals.

"It’s not the pet’s fault," he told Mac. "It’s the pet owner’s fault."

Ashton says some properties offer services that merit an added monthly rental, including dog walking and day care. But others are charging the fee despite offering no additional benefits.

Magda Madrigal, an attorney with the Eviction Defense Network, says in some cases, it’s not fair.

"Some people [who] have come into our office are being charged a $200 monthly pet deposit almost [as if the animal were] an additional occupant, and that is unreasonable," she said.

A survey conducted by real estate website Hotpads.com found pet rent and other fees differ by neighborhood. The site’s research found the pet-friendliest zip code is 90401, which covers part of Santa Monica.

The least-pet-friendly zip code, according to the findings, is 90067, which includes Century City.

To see how L.A. neighborhoods compare, you can see the Hotpads' map:

Mobile users can click here to view the map.

If you have a tip on this story — or anything else — the I-Team wants to hear from you. Give us a call at 818-520-TIPS or email nbc4iteam@nbcuni.

A season ago, Nick Young's house was robbed, and the LA Lakers star took the understandable step of moving to a hotel temporarily and finding a new place to stay for the long term.

For a famous and public personality, fears of being robbed or stalked by the paparazzi are rational. Fear of dolphins? That's an unusual one.

Well, Young is an unusual character, and apparently, "Swaggy P" is afraid of dolphins. Young's girlfriend, Iggy Azalea, revealed her significant other's somewhat silly fear via Twitter.

• Worst Lakers Team Ever? So Far, Yes

Nick is scared of Dolphins.

— IGGY AZALEA (@IGGYAZALEA) February 10, 2015

According to the girlfriend, if the basketball star had it his way, a particular Mexican dolphin would be on trial for attempted murder.

A dolphin in Cabo tried to kill him once. I was there and to be fair, it's true. Now he won't go on the wild dolphin snorkel tour. Lol.

— IGGY AZALEA (@IGGYAZALEA) February 10, 2015

While the pair of tweets could be interpreted as a girlfriend chiding and teasing her boyfriend in front of millions of people as only celebritites can, CNN's Rachel Nichols confirmed the odd fear with Young on Tuesday.

Swaggy also confirmed what @IggyAzalea said yesterday, that he's scared of dolphins. "It's true," he told me. "A dolphin tried to kill me."

— Rachel Nichols (@Rachel__Nichols) February 10, 2015

And there you have it. An arena full of 20,000 fans jeering his every move may not affect him, and millions of eyeballs watching his every mistake may not jar him, but put him in the water near one dolphin, and "Swaggy P" will probably lose his mind.

NBCLA.com would like to thank the homicidal Mexican dolphin for making this story possible.

A 13-year-old girl was hospitalized after she was struck by a stray bullet fired from a vehicle Tuesday morning at a South Los Angeles bus stop.

The girl was struck in the leg by a stray bullet in the 9300 block of South Central Avenue, according to the Los Angeles Police Department. The victim's condition was described by firefighter-paramedics as "fair to serious."

She was released from the hospital later Tuesday morning.

The shooting was reported at about 7 a.m.

At least one person, possibly the intended target of the shooting, was being questioned at midday in connection with the crime, police said. Authorities are searching for the occupants of a vehicle from which rounds were fired.

The vehicle was described as a newer model white SUV with a modified exhaust. Details regarding a make and model were not available.

Lifeguards rescued someone from the ocean near the Santa Monica pier Tuesday afternoon.

Los Angeles County lifeguards and Santa Monica fire and police departments responded.

There was a report of someone in the water near the pier around 1:20 p.m., according to Inspector Wright with the Los Angeles County Fire Department.

Additional details of the rescue are not immediately available.

A commuter train derailed just outside Union Station in downtown Los Angeles on Tuesday, but no injuries were reported, fire officials said.

The four-car Metrolink train was about 500 yards outside the station when it came off the tracks about 4:45 p.m., Los Angeles Fire Department officials said. The train remained upright after it buckled and blocked three tracks.

Firefighters helped all passengers get off the train.

The cause of the derailment was unclear.

The derailment was expected to cause significant delays for Metrolink trains Tuesday night.

The sports director at San Diego's CBS station was injured Tuesday in a shooting at his Scripps Ranch home, San Diego Police confirmed.

Officers discovered a silver Mercedes-Benz with its windows shot out on Avonette Court near Angelique Street, south of Scripps Ranch Parkway. The shooting was reported just after 3 p.m.

"I heard a bunch of gunfire, and then there was a pause, and then there was another bunch of gunfire," said neighbor Stephen Rowe, who reported hearing at least 12 rounds. 

Rowe said he walked up the street to find a man lying on the ground with his knees bent. An off-duty police officer soon arrived on the scene and ordered Rowe to stay down the hill as he called for help.

Emergency crews took the man to a La Jolla hospital. SDPD Lt. Scott Wahl said the victim was CBS 8 sports director Kyle Kraska.  A source close to Kraska said he was conscious and alert when he went into surgery and his wounds are non-life threatening.

Wahl said they are looking for suspect Mike Montana, described as a white man, standing 6-foot-3-inches and weighing 190 pounds. He was last seen driving a white minivan with "Superior Painting" on the outside.

Wahl said the shooting was a "targeted" attack, and the suspect was in or around his vehicle at the time of the attack. Montana is considered armed and dangerous, so if you see him, call police and do not approach him, Wahl warns.

When news came in that Kraska was shot, a CBS news photographer said there was a collective gasp of shock.

Kraska started at CBS 8 in 1999 as morning and noon co-anchor, and four years later, he was promoted to evening sports anchor.

Prior to coming to CBS, he had a stint hosting “Hard Copy,” a nationally syndicated news magazine show and was an evening news anchor at KCBS in Los Angeles.

A Boston native, Kraska started his career in television journalism in Watertown, New York, at WWNY-TV. He then worked at a number of TV stations in Florida, New York and Texas before coming to San Diego.

About working at CBS 8, Kraska said, according to the station’s website bio: “My Dream job in my dream city…Sometimes I wonder how on earth I’m getting paid for this.”

Check back here for details on this breaking news story.

Three children have been reunited with their father after they were abducted by their non-custodial, biological mother late last year.

Cari Ann Gleason, 33, removed the children from their Victorville home in November 2014 and fled the state, according to the San Bernardino County District Attorney's Office.

After conducting a lengthy investigation, officials were able to locate the children in Florida, more than 2,000 miles from their home.

Investigators from the Child Abduction Unit arranged to meet Gleason in Daytona Beach on Jan. 30. She voluntarily turned the children over to investigators, officials said. The children, whose names and ages were not released, were reunited with their 57-year-old father, Augustus Scott, the following day.

"No matter how many times we do this, it’s always gratifying to reunite a child, or, as in this case, children, with their legal parent or guardian and ensure that the court’s child custody orders are followed," Senior Investigator Karen Cragg said in a news release.

Scott told NBC4 that his outlook on police "is totally different now." 

"I can’t be grateful enough to those two officers in that division and that department … there are no words," Scott said. 

Charges will not be fired against Gleason, said San Bernardino Deputy District Attorney Kurt Rowley.

In response to a surge of gang shootings over an area stretching from Boyle Heights to South Los Angeles, LAPD Chief Charlie Beck ordered a series of responses to take effect immediately.

The responses include redeploying officers and allocating additional resources to Hollenbeck station in Boyle Heights and three area stations on the city's southside: Newton, 77th and Southeast.

Police counted 10 shootings over the weekend, most appearing to have gang involvement, and two Monday. By 8 a.m. Tuesday, there had been three more, plus an officer-involved shooting when gang homicide detectives encountered a man with a gun near 10th and Florence Avenues. South Bureau was placed on tactical alert for the morning.

Beck had already decided on responses when the civilian police commission convened at 9:30 a.m. for its regular weekly meeting, and he informed the board members.

One of the steps includes assigning more parole compliance officers to the four areas. A driver who fled officers Monday night, crashing into vehicles and carjacking another, has been identified by police as a parolee and known gang member, Aaron Lorta, 29.

The violence is believed associated with several different gangs, according to LAPD Commander Andrew Smith. Whether the surge in different areas of the city at the same time is more than coincident, police cannot yet say.

In the south Figueroa Street corridor, a long simmering feud between two gangs has recently become more active, according to LAPD Southeast Lt. Ron Masterson.

"What sparks it can be one little thing. But if we don't address quickly, it can get out of control," Masterson said.

The concern is that unless the chain of violence is stopped, shootings lead to retaliations.

Violent crime in general, and gang crime in particular, had been steadily declining in Los Angeles since 2003. But the trend reversed last year, when LAPD reported violent crime overal increased
14.3 percent.

"The gang problem is not going to be solved solely by the presence of more police officers," said Jasmyne Cannick, a political analyst based in South LA. "We need to budget more money for intervention and prevention so at some point these gangs die out."

Police intend to cotinue working with the mayor's office of Gang Reduction and Youth Development, said Smith.

An Anaheim teen was hospitalized Tuesday after an electronic cigarette exploded.

His hand was badly burned in the explosion, which his girlfriend described as sounding like a gun going off. He was back at home recovering Tuesday night.

The teen is the second person reportedly injured by one of the devices in Southern California in as many days. 

"At the time that this explosion occurred he was holding some type of e-cigarette device what precipitated this device to fail or this type of explosion we don't know, Ahaheim Police Department's Lt. Bob Dunn said,  "it was called in as a possible explosion so certainly people heard it."

A San Diego man was rushed to the burn unit after his e-cig exploded inside a liquor store in Ramona, also shattering glass.

CalFire officials told NBC San Diego that they did not know what caused that explosion, but that it was not the first time a user had been injured by one of the devices.

Lt. Dunn said detectives and arson investigators will be looking into the two separate cases to see if there could be something triggering the devices to malfunction. 

"We will look to see in the upcoming days if there are more situations or incidents like this or if perhaps manufactures reach out and indicate that there have been a series of these kinds of failures," Lt. Dunn said.

E-cigarettes heat liquid nicotine into an inhalable vapor.

Two weeks ago, the Federal Aviation Administration issued a warning urging airlines to bar users from carrying the devices in checked luggage because they are believed to be behind incidents were fires were sparked in the baggage hold of aircraft.

The FAA pointed to after-market parts as part of the concern.

Michael Larkin and NBC San Diego’s Liberty Zabala and R. Stickney contributed to this story.

A man was arrested after he reversed into a cop car then attempted to run from the scene in North Hollywood late Tuesday.

The crash occurred as officers were walking toward the driver's vehicle after pulling him over at Laurelgrove Avenue at around 11:30 p.m, Los Angeles Police Department said.

Force had to be used to stop the man as he tried to run away. The police cruiser sustained minor damage, however no one was injured in the crash.

The driver was arrested for drunken driving.

Wednesday was a short day in court for the Aaron Hernandez murder trial - testimony stopped after just two hours for scheduling reasons.

But in that time, a juror was dismissed from the case.

Superior Court Judge Susan Garsh told jurors that they may have noticed another empty seat in the jury box.

"That was for reasons that were entirely personal to that juror," Garsh said. "It has nothing to do with this case."

We heard from a Massachusetts State Police Trooper, a North Attleboro patrolman and a firefighter, who responded to the crime scene in that town on June 17, 2013.

Jurors even saw video of the scene taken by the trooper on the stand, as victim Odin Lloyd's mother watched on.

Hernandez's fiancee, Shayanna Jenkins, who was there in support of the former Patriots tight end, looked annoyed when the video was played.

Again, the defense tried to hammer home sloppy police work. Attorneys representing Hernandez also accused the North Attleboro police officer of keeping a shoddy police log.

In court, photos and video of tire tracks recorded by police at the scene were entered into evidence, along with a set of footprints near Lloyd's body.

The prosecution, once again, laid out a picture of a meticulous investigation - one where investigators knew where they leaving additional footprints.

Information from the Associated Press was used in this report.

Jon Stewart never pulled in the ratings of Johnny Carson, Jay Leno or David Letterman. Nor did Stewart, who will have logged 16-plus years behind his "Daily Show" desk by the time he exits later this year, match the longevity of the Big Three.

But in his own way, Stewart forever altered the late night landscape, as he remade the fake news game and spawned a mini-empire of innovative satirists.

The departure of Stewart, who announced plans on Tuesday’s show to quit Comedy Central's marquee program, will leave a big gap. But he also leaves behind a franchise that he built strong enough to withstand his absence.

Stewart proved as much in 2013 when he took off the summer to direct a film and turned over the show to John Oliver, who did well enough to earn his own breakout news satire program on HBO. "The Daily Show" also served as the springboard for "The Colbert Report," Stephen Colbert's nine-year spoof of cable news partisan gabfests, and, more recently, "The Nightly Show with Larry Wilmore,” which is off to a strong start.

Stewart took over "The Daily Show" in 1999 from Craig Kilborn, who ably delivered jokes as if he were hosting a half-hour, pop culture-driven version of "Weekend Update." But Stewart – whose interviewing style owes much to Carson and whose correspondents' segments displayed a Letterman influence – reinvented the form.

Stewart targeted political absurdity with his "Indecision" election year shows. He became a trusted news source for some – an absurdity of another kind that he pointed to at times. He sometimes blurred the lines between activism, news and humor, most notably with his and Colbert’s massive 2010 Rally to Restore Sanity and/or Fear in Washington.

The success of Stewart’s "Daily Show" forced “Saturday Night Live” to up its game, most notably during the 2008 election season. More significantly, he proved confident enough to let talent like Steve Carell, Colbert, Oliver and Wilmore shine.

The show will go on without him – whether helmed by show "correspondents" like Samantha Bee, Jason Jones, Al Madrigal, Aasiv Mandvi and Jessica Williams – or by an outside performer (memo to Comedy Central: Give W. Kamau Bell a call).

"It's time for someone else to have (this) opportunity," Stewart said near the end of Tuesday night's show.

Stewart’s unexpected announcement marked the latest entry in a late night shake-up litany that began last year: Jimmy Fallon replaced Jay Leno on NBC’s “The Tonight Show.” Seth Meyers replaced Fallon on “Late Night.” CBS announced that Colbert would replace Letterman this year and that James Corden would replace Craig Ferguson.

Perhaps all the changes combined aren’t as a big a deal as when Carson stepped down in 1992, in the pre-Internet, pre-on-demand era when timeslots were everything. But Stewart fans, no doubt, will miss his comic voice arriving Monday through Thursday at 11 p.m., particular during next year’s “Indecision 2016” run.

Stewart, though, has clearly made up his mind, even if it’s less clear what’s next for him. He joked Tuesday about having time to have dinner with his family "who, I have heard from multiple sources, are lovely people." But, speaking more seriously, he hinted at creative wanderlust: "This show doesn't deserve an even slightly restless host and neither do you," he told viewers.

Whatever his reasons for leaving, after almost 17 years of making us laugh and think, Jon Stewart has earned his moment of Zen.

Jere Hester is founding director of the award-winning, multimedia NYCity News Service at the City University of New York Graduate School of Journalism. He is also the author of "Raising a Beatle Baby: How John, Paul, George and Ringo Helped us Come Together as a Family." Follow him on Twitter.

The Los Angeles Lakers lost on Tuesday night, which would be a surprise if they had not lost the previous four games and 14 of the past 15 games.

Just as the Lakers helped the Orlando Magic snap their 10-game losing streak two games earlier, the purple and gold assisted the Denver Nuggets in snapping a six-game losing streak on Tuesday night. As has often been the case this season, the Lakers left it until late before allowing the game to completely slip.

The Lakers started Tuesday's game with a 7-0 run. From there, the lead would grow to 10 points before leveling out to a five-point differential at the end of the first quarter. Wayne Ellington got off to a fast start with 11 points in the opening 12 minutes, and rookie Jordan Clarkson likewise added five points and four assists in the early going.

In the second quarter, the Lakers would again build out a lead and grow their advantage to 12 points. However, closing quarters continued to be a problem, and the Lakers allowed the Nuggets to trim the lead to only three points by the halftime buzzer.

To that point, Nuggets point guard Ty Lawson had been relatively quiet with only four points and six assists. In the second half, Lawson would take over. The 27-year-old point guard would tab 28 points and 10 assists in the second half to finish with a grand total of 32 points, which was a new season high, and 16 assists, which tied his previous season high.

For the Lakers, Carlos Boozer would finish as LA's top scorer and rebounder with 21 points and 10 rebounds.

Even with Lawson slicing and dicing his way through the Lakers, the purple and gold managed to stay close. With 1:37 to play, Boozer's layup brought the Lakers within one point. Lawson would immediately answer with a long range jump shot, and Lakers coach Byron Scott lost his patience with his rookie point guard's defensive effort.

"It was the fact that [Clarkson] wasn't guarding [Lawson]," Scott explained why he pulled Clarkson at that late stage. "[Clarkson] was giving [Lawson] way too much space, way too much respect. And that's what I told [Clarkson] when I took him out."

With 1:11 on the clock and the Lakers trailing by three points, Jeremy Lin came in for the Lakers. After Lawson found Darrell Arthur for a bucket, Lin committed his fifth turnover of the night with a terrible pass that led directly to two points the other way.

"One pass that he tried to make, a cross court pass...I've told [Lin] before that pass--there's no way," Scott spoke about Lin's back breaking error late in the game. "I can intercept that pass. Can't throw it. Not in this league. Not with these guys."

"Just bad decisions," Scott summarized Lin's turnovers.

After Lin's late giveaway and the subsequent layup, the Lakers trailed by seven points with 46.5 seconds to play. They wouldn't score again, and a Lawson three-pointer would further distance the Nuggets from the Lakers to end the contest with a final score of 106-96.

Next, the Lakers play on Wednesday night in Portland.

A devastated Inglewood dog owner has begged the thieves who stole his "children" to give them back.

Issac Sandoval was heartbroken when his the mother of his litter of English bulldog puppies and their two adult siblings were taken overnight from the 300 block of Magnolia Street Saturday.

And while he can understand why someone would want to take 5-year-old Sunny and her first  litter, two-year-old Bunny and Thor, he is still hopeful he will be reunited with his best friends.

"They're purebred and they're pretty expensive dogs, so it's understandable why someone would want them but it's ridiculous that someone would... steal them," Sandoval said, "I don't breed animals here. I don't have kids and these are my children."

He said his remaining pet pooches, who are only three months old, have been pining for their mother and siblings since the theft occurred.

"They still look for her. They still come out here and wonder why their mom, and their older brother and sister aren't out here to play with them," he said.

Sandoval said he never heard a thing when the thieves struck during the weekend. Their leashes are still hanging near the scene of the crime.

"They came late or very early Saturday night, Sunday morning," Sandoval said. "We just didn't hear them. By the time I came out to feed them Sunday morning, they were gone."

Bulldogs are the fifth most popular purebreed in the United States according to the American Kennel Club, and were the favored pets of Sir Winston Churchill, who was Prime Minister of the United Kingdom during the Second World War.

A house was engulfed in fire in Downey early Wednesday.

When firefighters arrived to fight the blaze at the 8500 block of Meadow Road just after 1:45 a.m. smoke and fire were showing, the Downey Fire Department said.

The back house was fully alight, with fire shooting from the roof.

No one was injured and the blaze was extinguished in just over 30 minutes.

The cause of the fire is being investigated and the damage estimate is currently unknown.

A South African family that journeyed to Los Angeles three years ago to get their son, Reef, the life-saving medical treatment that he needed has been granted two more years in the country to keep the little boy with his doctors.

Just months ago, the family was facing deportation due to expired visas. An immigration attorney took their case pro bono and helped the father obtain authorization to work in the U.S. while his son continued treatments.

"We are so happy that it came through. We feel so blessed," Reef’s mother, Lydia Carneson told NBC4. 

Reef was born in Johannesburg and beat an aggressive form of leukemia when he was just 5 months old. But the now-6-year-old has continued to battle cancer.

Since NBC4’s first story on Reef aired on Jan. 18, the family was invited to appear on the TV show "The Doctors" to raise awareness about childhood cancer. Since then, the family has received an outpouring of support from celebrities on social media and thousands of dollars in donations.

But, unfortunately, Reef's condition recently took a turn for the worse and the family once again needs help.

At the end of 2014, the family learned Reef had developed cancer on his scalp and face. And during the past few weeks, Reef has been hospitalized with infections several times.

His deteriorating condition has baffled his LA doctors, so they have recommended the family travel to Cincinnati Children's Hospital to see a team of specialists — but, getting him there with a severely compromised immune system isn't easy or cheap.

"If there is one sick person on that plane, Reef will pick up whatever they've got. And particularly with the measles scare at this moment in time, measles is one of the diseases that could actually kill Reef," said Reef's father, Ryan Carneson.

If the family can't find a donor with a private plane, they will have to drive across the country — shielding Reef's head from the sun throughout the journey. Reef's parents are considering renting an RV for the trip.

On the bright side, Reef is excited for Cincinnati because he'll see snow for the first time.

His mother says even though little Reef wakes up in pain each day he continues to laugh and dance, showing them how to find the silver lining in every dark cloud.

Reef has to be in Cincinnati by Monday, Feb. 16. If you'd like to donate to Reef's family to help fund the trip to Cincinnati, click here.

To learn more about Reef's battle, visit the Save Baby Reef Facebook page here.