A convicted Mexican mafia hitman could be free from his California jail cell in weeks after local law enforcement agencies endorsed him for parole.

Former mobster Rene "Boxer" Enriquez earned high praise for his work as a snitch from the FBI, Los Angeles Police Department, and the district attorney's offices in LA, Orange and Ventura counties at a recent hearing.

It is now up to California Gov. Jerry Brown to decide whether he should be set free, despite the fact he is serving two life sentences for murder. A decision has to be made by Feb. 22.

This comes on the heels of a controversial appearance made by Enriquez at an event hosted by the LAPD in downtown Los Angeles,  where he gave a crowd of about 125 people a firsthand insight about the inner-workings of the criminal enterprise. He was given a SWAT escort to the meeting.

Former Orange County Deputy District Attorney Rudy Lowenstein is not convinced allowing him to go free would be the correct decision.

"Boxer Enriquez is the most deviant, manipulative killer that I have ever encountered in 36 years as a DA first and then as a criminal defense lawyer," Lowenstein said.

A 150 page transcript of the hearing obtained by NBC4, which came with considerable redactions, quoted him as saying he works as an informant for law enforcement on a daily basis, a role he plans to continue in if he is freed.

"I know I have really good career lined up with law enforcement, he told the parole board," Enriquez said.

Enriquez was also candid when describing his own past offenses, admitting he was a "horrific individual who had little or no concern for human life." Enriquez is the subject of the book "The Black Hand: The Bloody Rise and Redemption of 'Boxer' Enriquez, a Mexican Mob Killer." He worked his way up from enforcer to shot caller for the organization known as La Eme before his arrest.

In 1989, he pleaded guilty in the slayings of a woman, whose body was found in a vacant lot, and a man, leading to the prison sentence. He suspected that the woman, 28, was stealing drugs from him and ordered her execution, the Los Angeles Times reported, citing court records. He then targeted a member of the Mexican Mafia, giving him an overdose of heroin and shooting him in the head, the Times reported, citing parole records.

As well as being praised by law enforcement for his work, one letter from someone in the LA County Sheriff's Department suggested he was a suitable candidate for parole. The California Parole Board states Enriquez does not pose a threat to public safety and is suitable for parole. If he is freed he will have to register as a sex offender.

Brown's office has refused to be drawn on how the decision may turn out.

"We do not comment on pending parole reviews. The governor has until February 22nd to act," a spokesman said.

Homes are evacuated and nearby streets remained closed throughout Friday morning during a standoff involving the subject of a search warrant in Hawthorne.

Five people were detained after the six-hour standoff that began early Friday near 145th Street and Doty Avenue, just south of Rosecrans Avenue. Law enforcement personnel with the Hawthorne and Gardena police departments were serving a search warrant at the home in connection with an assault with a deadly weapon investigation.

The case involved a shooting in January for which search warrants were issued Friday, Hawthorne police said. The man wanted in connection with the investigation saw officers approach, shut the door of the home and refused to exit, police said.

Nearby homes were evacuated. No shots were fired during the standoff.

Police swooped on a 20-year-old woman accused of swiping money from a Beverly Hills restaurant's tip jar Friday night and several others.

The woman, Jessica Shub, is suspected of other tip jar thefts in Beverly Hills and Los Angeles in a spree that's been credited to the "Tip Jar Bandit."

Shub was arrested within about 60 seconds of stealing tip money from the Brighton Coffee Shop in Beverly Hills, according to the Beverly Hills Police Department, which is investigating three other Tip Jar Bandit cases. The Los Angeles Police Department is investigating two.

Local restaurants were on alert for about a month -- about $50 was taken from LA restaurant Komodo on Monday, Jan. 12, according to a worker at the restaurant. Security footage showed a woman on her phone wait until the shop's cashier turned his back, then reach into the tip jar and stuff her hand into her purse.

A witness trailed Shub out of Brighton Coffee Shop after she allegedly took money from the shop at about 4:40 p.m. Friday. Beverly Hills police were called and arrested the 20-year-old "within 60 seconds," according to Lt. Lincoln Hoshino.

“Stay tuned, San Diego. Kyle will be back on the air.”

That’s the statement from the family of CBS 8 sportscaster Kyle Kraska that was posted on the station’s website to update viewers on Kraska’s condition Thursday.

CBS 8 reports that Kraska is in “critical but stable condition” following the Tuesday afternoon shooting outside his Scripps Ranch home. Kraska was shot 10 times, the station reports.

A suspect, Mike Montana, has been arrested in connection to the shooting. Investigators say the incident resulted from a business dispute with Kraska over work done on his home. Montana is expected to be arraigned on charges on Tuesday.

In the statement, Kraska’s family said they were deeply grateful to the community for the outpouring of support following the shooting.

The family goes on to say they believe the sportscaster’s fighting spirit will keep him going.

“We’ve long known Kyle is a tour de force, touching and inspiring everyone he’s come into contact with during his 27-year career,” the statement reads. “It’s never been clearer how many people Kyle impacted with his exuberant TV presence and dedicated reporting … Kyle is healing more and more each day. He will certainly be so touched by all of your words. We look forward to sharing them with him.”

“Stay tuned, San Diego. Kyle will be back on air – with his typical charm and encyclopedic knowledge of sports – as soon as he’s able.”

The final two women who authorities believe were killed by suspected serial killer Darren Deon Vann were identified Thursday.

Lake County, Indiana, Coroner Merrilee Frey said DNA testing identified the bodies found in October as Tanya Gatlin, 27, and Sonya Billingsly, 53. Both were last known to have resided in Gary, Indiana.

Vann, 43, is being held without bail at the Lake County Jail. He's been charged with murder in the strangulation deaths of Afrika Hardy, 19 and Anith Jones, 35, of Merrillville last fall. Additional charges have been delayed while police waited for Frey to declare additional women as homicide victims. In her latest release, Frey made no mention of the cause or manner of Gatlin's and Billingsly's deaths.

The case against Vann, of Gary, broke when Hammond police found Hardy dead in motel bathtub on Oct. 17 and determined that Vann had been with her at the motel. He was arrested the following day after police traced Hardy’s cellphone to him. Vann admitted killing several women and told police where the bodies could be found.

Gatlin and Billingsly were two of three women found in two adjacent abandoned houses at 43rd Avenue and Delaware Street. The third was Jones, whose sister had reported her missing days before her body was discovered.

The body of Kristine Williams, 36, was in a vacant house at 4330 Massachusetts St., and Tearia Batey, 28, was found in a vacant unit at the Dorie Miller Housing Development.

A body found in a vacant house at 2200 Massachusetts St. was identified last month as 41-year-old Tracy Martin.

Lake County prosecutors in January obtained five search warrants related to Vann’s case. The warrants were sealed and a gag order prohibits investigators from speaking publicly about the case.

A bird struck a high-voltage power line at Los Angeles International Airport Friday morning, affecting at all terminals, an airport spokeswoman said.

LAX and LA Department of Water and Power workers restored full power to the airport after the approximately 6:47 a.m. incident, according to spokeswoman Amanda Parsons. Baggage and conveyance systems were affected.

No flights were impacted, Parsons said.

Power surged, then went out for about 10 seconds, Parsons said.

"Since that time, crews have been going terminal by terminal to manually reset baggage and conveyance systems. The impact has been minimal," she said in an e-mail.

Systems were gradually restored, in a proecess that ended at about 10 a.m., Parsons said.

Crews working to reset impacted baggage & conveyance systems after bird struck power line. Systems now restored at Terminals 2,4,7,8 & TBIT

— LAX Airport (@flyLAXairport) February 13, 2015

The airport has experienced power outages before, including a 90-minute stretch when lights went out at all passenger terminals in October, 2010.

Refresh this page for updates on this story.

A warning has been issued after two more measles cases were confirmed in Ventura County, including one involving a person who visited two Southern California theme parks.

The new cases bring county's total to 14, and the California state total to 110.

One case involved  a Ventura County resident who visited Disneyland in mid-December, who also visited the Magic Mountain theme park on December 28. 

The second case involved a person who went to the following locations:

• Gold's Gym, 1357 E Los Angeles Ave., Simi Valley, Wednesday, February 4, 7:00 - 9:45 pm

• Simi Valley West Target, 51 Tierra Rejada Rd., Wednesday, February 4, 8:00 - 10:30 pm

• Oxnard West Target, 2850 N Oxnard Blvd., Tuesday, February 3, 7:00 - 10:00 pm

• Dickey's's BBQ Pit, 2902 Tapo Canyon Rd., Simi Valley, Sunday, February 1, 1:00 - 3:30 pm

• Costco Simi Valley, 2660 Park Center Dr., Saturday, January 31, 1:00 - 4:45 pm

• Costco Oxnard, 2001 E Ventura Blvd, Thursday, January 29, 10:30 am - 1:30 pm - (This represents a change from the original time reported)

• BG's Restaurant, 428 S. A Street, Oxnard, Tuesday, January 27, 8 am - 12 noon

• Vons, 1291 S. Victoria Ave., Oxnard, Monday, January 26, 5:00 - 8:00 pm

• El Torito, 1720 E. Ventura Blvd., Oxnard, Sunday January 25, 7:00 - 10:00 pm

• Andrea's Seafood, 1449 Spinnaker Dr., Ventura, Saturday , January 24, 7:00 - 10:00 pm

Anyone who has visited one of the locations listed was only at risk of exposure to the measles in the two-hour period after the last hour listed, and on the dates listed. There is no reason to avoid these businesses now as it is no longer possible to be exposed. All employees at the  sites have been screened, with those at risk of coming down with measles excluded from work. 

If you are up to date on your immunizations and have visited one of these locations, you also are not at risk for exposure to measles.

It has also been reported that Disneyland, the initial source of the outbreak, has asked California health officials to reassure the public the amusement park is safe to attend.

A spokesperson for Disneyland told the Associated Press the park contacted health officials to, "ensure that factual and accurate information flowed both ways to avoid confusion and properly inform the public."

Crews used construction equipment to remove piles of debris left behind Friday morning by a fire that burned in packrat conditions and spread to three homes in a Garden Grove neighborhood.

The homes and at least two outbuildings were damaged in a three-alarm house fire in Garden Grove late Thursday. When firefighters arrived at the 14400 block of Flower Street at around 10 p.m. they found single story house well alight, the Garden Grove Fire Department said.

A tightly packed garage, which contained oxygen and carbon tanks that exploded, made the fire particularly difficult to battle. A travel trailer also was inside the garage.

"There were numerous items in there," said Capt. Jim Gabbard, of the Garden Grove Fire Department. "A large amount of construction materials, several acetylene tanks, carbon dioxide tanks, oxygen tanks that were igniting and exploding and leaking."

Crews used a backhoe to remove piles of debris after the fire.

The blaze quickly escalated to a second alarm then a third alarm fire after the flames spread to nearby buildings. Kim Le was in bed when she noticed flames from the home next door. The fire spread to her attic and damaged her bedrooms and living rooms.

It took firefighters around three hours to fully extinguish the flames, and three homes and at least two sheds sustained fire and water damage. Two of the houses sustained extensive damage.

"It was like a raging inferno," said resident Tommy Levan. "From a little fire like this, it seemed like it was an explosion or something."

One firefighter suffered minor injuries.  In total, 12 people are affected and the Red Cross will assist displaced residents with temporary housing.

The cause of the fire is under investigation, and arson investigators were expected to remain on the scene for several hours.

Police arrested a San Bernardino County music teacher on suspicion of possession of child pornography on Thursday, authorities said.

The teacher, Michael William Duffer, was caught looking at "obscene matter" in his classroom at Vista Verde Elementary School, police said. He was found partially undressed at approximately 3 p.m. and was placed on administrative leave by the school district, according to a police statement.

Duffer, 41, was allegedly using the school computer to view the content from an external drive. Upon further investigation police said they found files, photos, and videos containing child pornography at Duffer's home.

Snowline Joint Unified School District Superintendent Luke Ontiveros said he was disappointed, and that Duffer never did anything one would describe as suspicious.

"As much as this underscores the importance of safety, it overshadows great work that all teachers do with kids every day," Ontiveros said.

"My own children performed in performances he led, and was always very impressed with the level of performance of the students," he said.

Duffer was booked into Central Detention Center with bail set at $25,000 and is scheduled to appear in court on Feb. 17, police said.

It was not immediately clear whether he had a lawyer.

Duffer was employed in three elementary schools - Vista Verde, Heritage School and Wrightwood - in the Snowline Joint Unified District, police said. He was also a part-time employee at First United Methodist Church in Redlands.

A 10-year-old miniature schnauzer named Sissy walked nearly 20 blocks from home to an Iowa hospital where her owner has been recovering from complications of a cancer-related surgery, according to a report.

Nancy Franck told NBC affiliate KWWL this week that she thought her daughter, Sarah Wood, had brought the dog to Mercy Medical Center in Cedar Rapids, where she has been recovering for the past two weeks.

"I said, 'Did you sneak this dog in?' Sarah said, 'No, (Sissy) snuck herself in,'" Franck said.

The dog was "on a mission," she added.

Nancy Franck's husband Dale had been taking care of Sissy and the dog's brother, Barney, since she was hospitalized. Dale said he took the dogs out for a walk and thought they both came back in the house. 

Dale said he called the animal shelter and Cedar Rapids police after noticing that only Barney had returned.

About four hours later, he got a call from the hospital.

“They say, 'We have a little dog here,'" he recalled.

A surveillance camera inside the hospital lobby showed the dog entering through the automatic doors. Sissy also appeared to be sniffing.

Sissy had never run away before and had no idea where the hospital was, the family said.

Franck, who was able to spend a few minutes with Sissy, called the surprise visit a "big boost."

NBC4 Southern California celebrates Black History Month throughout February with on-air programming, community events and philanthropic contributions throughout the Southland.

Be sure to tune in to NBC4 on Sunday, February 15 at 4:30pm for "Black History Month: Life Connected Special" featuring inspirational stories about African Americans living in Southern California.

Beverly White, NBC4 reporter for more than 25 years, was selected by the City of Pasadena and the Jackie Robinson Community Center to serve as the 2015 Black History Month Parade Grand Marshal on February 21.

She will also be honored at the city’s Black History Month dinner in advance of the parade and festival.

Also look for a series of public service announcements airing all month celebrating Black History Month with NBC4 anchors and reporters.

The station is proud of its longstanding commitment to charities all year long, including causes that enrich the lives of African American families, seniors and veterans.

Nonprofit organizations NBC4 supports include Brotherhood Crusade, Forgiving for Living, SRO Housing, Taste of Soul, United Negro College Fund, Young Visionaries Youth Leadership, and others.

Check the NBC4 Community Photo Gallery frequently for photos of the many places and events we support, including the station’s recent participation in the MLK Kingdom Day Parade.

Stay connected with us by tuning in to NBC4, at NBCLA.com or through the NBCLA mobile app for all breaking news and information.

A man accused of attempting to sell millions of dollars worth of paintings stolen from a San Fernando Valley home six years ago pleaded no contest Friday to a count of receiving stolen property.

Raul Espinoza, 45, was immediately sentenced to four years in state prison, according to the Los Angeles County District Attorney's office.

Authorities investigating the multimillion dollar heist from an Encino home in 2008 received a break in the case late last year when they were tipped to a man soliciting buyers for the stolen art, the Los Angeles Times reported. The subject, known as "Darko," indicated that he was "merely a middleman for an unknown person in possession of the art in California," according to a search warrant obtained by the Times.

Espinoza met Oct. 24 with undercover FBI agents and agreed to sell nine paintings valued at more than $5 million, said Deputy District Attorney Marna Miller. The stolen paintings, which belonged to a wealthy real estate investor, included works by Hans Hofmann, Chaim Soutine, Arshile Gorky, Emil Nolde, Lyonel Feininger and Kess van Dongen.

The nine works were recovered. Three pieces of art are still missing.
 

Looking for roses and a deal, a steady rush of people crowded into a downtown Los Angeles flower wholesaler Friday morning, less than 24 hours before Valentine's Day.

California Flower Mall was going to st for 36 straight hours Friday through Saturday, Feb. 14. The 50,000-square-foot wholesaler gathers different flower vendors selling bouquets of all different kinds and colors.

Normally each vendor charges a $2-$5 entry fee, but those are being waived through 6 p.m. Saturday.

Mitchell Cooper drove down from Simi Valley to be at the store.

"What a $20 bouquet costs here is at least what at $50 bouquet costs somewhere else," said Cooper, who wasn't sure what to get his girlfriend -- as long as they're "not wilted roses."

A propeller plane experiencing mechanical problems returned to Los Angeles International Airport soon after taking off Friday afternoon.

Horizon Air Flight 2474 had "mechanical issues," according to LAX spokeswoman Amanda Parsons. There were 74 people onboard the plane, which was headed to Santa Rosa.

The plane landed at about 1:20 p.m., roughly an hour after taking off from LAX.

The LA Fire Department was called to a runway at LAX at 1:01 p.m., a  department spokesperson said. Officials confirmed the plane landed safely.

Hoping to solve a two-month-old slaying, Los Angeles County Sheriff's deputies were stopping cars in Pomona Friday to show drivers a composite sketch of a killer.

Detectives believe the sketch shows the hooded man who beat to death Shirley and Armie Isom in their La Verne mansion in the 300 block of Roughrider Road on Dec. 26.

A man was seen in surveillance footage near the home at around the time of the killings, and deputies hoped drivers could give them information about him.

Armie Isom was a wealthy businessman, but nothing was stolen from the home. Several civil lawsuits were pending against him, which investigators are looking into as a possible motive.

"We haven't developed a theory for the motive yet," Lt. Dave Coleman said.

A car chase culminated in a fatal officer-involved shooting in San Bernardino Friday afternoon after multiple assaults on police officers, authorities said.

Officers were pursuing the driver of an allegedly stolen vehicle at the time, according to Lt. Richard Lawhead of the San Bernardino Police Department.

Cell phone video provided by witnesses shows an initial stop on the freeway after the stolen car was rammed by a police car. After a little more than a minute of being surounded by officers, the suspect drove off in the allegedly stolen white SUV.

Police said the owner reported the SUV stolen and then it was tracked down by GPS.

A second cell phone video shows the moments when the chase ended near the 215 Freeway's University Parkway exit, about a mile from the first stop, where the man was fatally shot following a standoff with officers.

No officers were injured.

Five officers shot at the suspect, firing off at least 18 rounds.

Witnesses said they could not believe what they were seeing.

"Just a lot of adrenaline, man. We got scared. You know, we were just watching the whole thing. It was surreal," said Thomas Rivera, who was on the freeway behind the officers during the standoff.

Another witness said the whole drama unfolded quickly.

"Everybody just stopped... and started shooting as soon as they got out of the car," said Jose Garcia.

The northbound 215 remained closed into Friday rush hour at University Parkway while police investigated. Drivers were being asked to avoid the area.

This is a developing story. Refresh for updates.

Rosa Ordaz and Nyree Arabian contributed to this story.

This Valentine's Day holiday will be anything but "ruff" for the children and elderly patients at two Southern California hospitals thanks to some extra-loving pups.

A group of therapy dogs donning valentine costumes delivered custom-made Valentine's Day cards to the patients at Mattel Children's Hospital UCLA in Westwood and UCLA Medical Center in Santa Monica.

"I'm sure that all these kids here on this floor aren't smiling about too many things, with whatever procedures they've had, but with bringing the dogs in like this, it's kind of brought a smile to their face, and in turn it brings smiles to parents' face," said Chris Sanders, whose son suffers from epilepsy and has undergone brain surgery.

"You know, sitting here with your child can be a little heartbreaking, seeing whatever it is that they've been going through," Sanders said. "But every little smile counts."

The pooches are part of UCLA's People-Animal Connection (PAC), a program that has visited more than 100,000 patients since it started in 1994, according to their website.

One of the dogs, a Labrador retriever named Bubbles, visited a 17-year-old boy with kidney failure, said Kim Irwin, UCLA Health Sciences spokeswoman.

Irwin said the teen was happy to see Bubble, and that he said this year, he had a valentine.

The event aims to give the patients a reminder of what "normal" life outside of a hospital is like, Irwin said.

"What’s more normal than a dog?" she said.

This is PAC's third annual Valentine's Day celebration, Irwin said. The dogs also visit the UCLA medical centers on a regular basis, and for holidays including Halloween and Christmas.

A CHP patrol car was in a crash involving a civilian car in Irwindale.

There was no immediate word on the condition of the drivers or any passengers involved.

New York City has hit a record for the longest homicide-free stretch since the NYPD began tracking that data in 1994.

The NYPD says it’s been 11 days since the city has seen a murder.

Police say 10-day, homicide-free stretches have happened before, including one period in 2014, but this is the first recorded 11-day stretch.

The last recorded murder in the city happened at a Hamilton Heights deli on Super Bowl Sunday, according to the New York Post.

A 28-year-old man was shot in the head and four others were injured.