More than 15 tons of marijuana hidden in a mattress shipment was seized at the Otay Mesa cargo port of entry — the largest narcotics bust in the history of that border crossing and the second largest seizure at any crossing nationwide.
U.S. Customs and Border Protection officers made the find as they inspected a truck claiming to carry mattresses and cushions on Thursday evening.
The officer inspecting it referred it to an x-ray exam, where an anomaly was detected.
As the truck was docked for a more intense examination, a CBP officer raised the trailer's door and found plastic-wrapped packages, stacked floor to ceiling and front to back, filling nearly the entire truck. Just a few mattresses were stacked along the wall at the other end.
Officers tallied the find, which came to 1,296 packages containing about 31,598 pounds of marijuana. That load has an estimated street value of about $18.96 million.
The driver, a 46-year-old Mexican citizen with a valid border crossing card, was turned over to the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement Homeland Security Investigations. The tractor-trailer, cargo shipment and drugs were all seized by CBP officers.
The Otay Mesa cargo port of entry saw its last record-breaking bust in 2003 when 19,999 pounds of marijuana was discovered. The largest seizure ever recorded by CBP officers was 35,265 pounds of marijuana at the Calexico East port of entry in 2013.
The westbound 210 Freeway was closed near Azusa overnight after a man was struck and killed while walking in and out of traffic.
He was hit just before midnight, and reports of him walking on the road barefoot came in at around 11:40 p.m, California Highway Patrol said.
The pedestrian died after being hit at Citrus Avenue. it was unknown why he was on the freeway, or if he was suicidal or under the influence at this time.
All lanes were blocked just after midnight and the number four lane re-opened just before 12:30 a.m . The rest of the lanes were expected to be closed for an unknown duration of time.
The Los Angeles Lakers won again on Friday night, as they beat the Milwaukee Bucks 101-93 at Staples Center behind a balanced effort that resulted in six players scoring in double figures.
With the victory, the Lakers won their 16th game of the season but continued to hold the fourth worst record in the NBA. On social media, fans were livid with the victory, as it moved the team further from guaranteeing a top-five draft pick. If the Lakers don't finish with a top five pick, they lose their top draft pick as part of the Steve Nash trade.
"At the end of the day, we are competitors," guard Wayne Ellington said after the win. "We're not coming out here trying to lose any game."
Ellington missed all six of his shots in the first three quarters before catching fire and hitting six of seven shots for 14 points in the fourth quarter. Quick to heap praise onto his teammates, the 27-year-old out of the University of North Carolina credited Jeremy Lin with finding him to get him going.
Off the bench, Lin played an efficient game and finished with 14 points, six assists and five rebounds with no turnovers. Lin would finish the game, and the 26-year-old earned due praise from his coach after the game.
"What I saw tonight was a guy who was aggressive, just playing the way we asked him to play," Lakers coach Byron Scott said after the game. "He's had an up-and-down season, just like a lot of our guys have, but in the last few games, he's really starting to get into a little bit of a groove. I think he's played extremely well."
While Lin took over finishing duties, Jordan Clarkson continued to display positive signs as a starting point guard. The 22-year-old rookie followed up on his career-high night against the Utah Jazz with a team-high 16 points to go along with five assists and four rebounds. On the night, Clarkson only missed two shots and only turned the ball over once.
Friday's game, however, came down to the final 12 minutes after the Lakers allowed an early 10-point lead transform into an 11-point deficit early in the fourth quarter. Tenacious defense and balanced scoring helped the Lakers out-score the Bucks 36 to 21 in the final 12 minutes to run away with a victory. Having Ellington catch fire certainly didn't hurt the cause.
Next, the LA Lakers will host the Oklahoma City Thunder on Sunday afternoon in an early 3:30 p.m. Pacific Time start at Staples Center.
Notes: Nick Young missed his second straight game with a sore left knee. The Lakers are 3-0 since Carlos Boozer moved back into the starting lineup. Everyone won tacos.
Police are hunting for a man who exposed himself to a woman in an East Los Angeles park.
The flasher parked his black four-door Toyota next to the victim, who was sitting inside her car, at Obregon Park on 4021 East First Street at around 4:25 p.m on February 11, Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department said.
When she looked over after he managed to her attention she saw he was exposing himself to her.
The suspect, is described as a being between 30 and 40-years-old between 5'06 and 5'08" tall, around 200 lbs, and had black hair and brown eyes. He was wearing a blue shirt and blue and white shorts. A sketch of the man has been released.
The suspect's vehicle had the possible partial plate 6WPK.
Anyone with information is asked to contact Detective Mario Chairez at (661) 294-3544, or can give information anonymously to Crime Stoppers (800) 222-8477.
A man was gunned down outside a strip club in Conoga park early Saturday.
The drive-by shooting happened in the "Xposed" parking lot on the 8200 block of Canoga Avenue just after just after 3 a.m, Los Angeles Police Department said.
On arrival, officers found the victim had suffered wounds to the abdomen, and he was taken to the hospital in a stable condition for treatment.
There is no suspect description, however they were last seen in a Mercedes, and headed off in an unknown direction
it is not known if the shooting was targeted, gang related and or a random act. Detectives were looking for any possible surveillance footage.
Preparations were well underway Friday night for this weekend's coming storm.
Residents in areas around the San Bernardino Mountains were stocking up on antifreeze, tire chains and other essentials, with up to 12 inches of snow possible in the coming days. Snow plowing teams were also on standby.
The Colby burn area was also being prepared in case the predicted light rain ends up turning into a downpour, which could cause damaging debris flows. Up to two inches of rain was predicted for the foothills early Saturday.
Rancho Cucamonga resident Karen Douglas said she had already made sure she was well-equipped.
"See it rained today, look what was in my car, my rain jacket," Douglas said, "My mother taught me well, keep your antifreeze in your car 'cause you never know. What if you get stuck in the snow?"
This did happen to hundreds of drivers during the last winter blast to hit the area back in December, though things fairly were quiet in Big Bear Friday night.
However it is predicted between six and 12 inches of snow on the San Bernardino Mountains Saturday, and CalTrans will not be letting people onto mountain roads without tire chains, with a winter weather advisory in effect from 4 p.m. Saturday to 4 a.m. Monday.
"There will be periods of rain all weekend long," said NBC4 forecaster Crystal Egger. "We're looking at the possibility of thunderstorms Saturday and Sunday."
The system moved into Southern California late Friday and will continue to drop rain and snow through Monday, according to the National Weather Service
Light drizzle caused slick roads in Glendora late Friday, and preparations were well underway at the base of the Colby Burn area, with k- rail barricades and sandbags line the streets in case of a flash downpour.
"They're really prepared and they're on it, Glendora Resident Michelle Black said, "I guess it's better to be over prepared… than tragedy."
A half inch of rain to fall by Sunday night around Los Angeles, with more rain possible for Monday and Tuesday.
February 2015 was brutal. The bone-numbing, punishing cold shattered records in the Northeast, making February the coldest month for some cities since reliable records were first kept.
Some places recorded the most days of zero or below temperatures. Adding to the misery were multiple winter storms that buried Boston under piles of snow.
While the first day of March will be blustery, with another snowstorm expected to hit Sunday evening, the end is surely near.
Weather Services International predicts that March, April and May should all be warmer than normal in the Northeast.
Take a look at the frigid February by the numbers:
6.2 degrees: The average temperature in Bangor, Maine, according to the National Weather Service. That's about 15 degrees below normal and easily beats the old record of 8.4 degrees, from January 1994.
9.2 degrees: The average temperature in Syracuse, New York, which shattered by 3 degrees the old record set in February 1934. That makes February 2015 the coldest month ever for Syracuse.
15.7 degrees: The average temperature in February in Hartford, Connecticut, according to First Alert Meteorologist Ryan Hanrahan. That's a degree below the current record of 16.5 degrees, which was set in February 1934. This month is also expected to break the 2004 record in Bridgeport, Connecticut, which stands at 21.9 degrees. The average temperature in the Bridgeport area in February was 19.7 degrees.
18.8 degrees: The average temperature in Boston, making February the second-coldest month on record. The city spent over 500 hours without breaking 32 degrees.
24.1 degrees: The average temperature in New York City. That’s some 11 degrees below the average of 35 for February, according the National Weather Service. Those numbers make the month the coldest recorded February in New York City since 1934, when the average temperature in Central Park was 19.9 degrees. February 2015 is tied with February of 1895 for the third-coldest observed in New York City.
102 inches: The amount of snow Boston received this winter, most of it in February. It’s just 5.6 inches shy of the snowiest winter on record, according to the National Weather Service. Another storm, however, is expected to hit Sunday, dumping 6 inches in some areas, according to the New England Cable News.
150: The number of structures in Massachusetts where roofs have collapsed because of the snow loads this winter, according to state officials, The Associated Press reported. On Sunday, a youth hockey team escaped without injury when part of a snow-weighted roof at a Canton, Massachusetts, skating rink collapsed.
Coaches and parents are credited with saving the lives of two dozen students after the roof of an ice skating rink collapsed in Canton, Massachusetts.
It came crashing down with little notice - part of the roof over the Metropolis Rink is now gone.
"We were like, 'Why are we alive?'" said Norwood Youth Hockey Coach Mike Fanizzi. "We just looked at each other."
At 7 a.m., the team had just started practicing inside when the coaches heard loud, unusual noises coming from above.
"Heard a second snap and started screaming - we knew something was so wrong," said Coach Chris Sharkey
"I immediately started screaming to get off the ice," said Fanizzi. "I just knew that wasn't a natural sound."
That split-second decision saved lives.
"There were seven kids that we were staring at that were right underneath where it collapsed, and luckily, Mike's voice just was so loud that it forced them to move," said Sharkey.
Fifteen seconds later, the roof gave way.
"Right as we get to probably where the penalty box is, one of the other coaches and a mother went past us, and the roof collapsed right in front of us," said Fanizzi.
Even though the collapse happened at the other end of the rink, the force of it blew out a wall, creating even more damage.
Firefighters say heavy snow on the roof brought it down.
"Every single coach out there did a great job today," said Sharkey.
Remarkably, no one was injured.
The coaches say they were just doing what anyone else would.
"I didn't even think twice," said Fanizzi. "I know none of the other coaches did, either."
State officials say a site survey had been done at the rink just one day prior to the collapse and there were concerns expressed about the amount of snow on the roof.
The Town of Canton operates and leases the rink from the state.
The Massachusetts Department of Conservation and Recreation says they have reached out to all 34 non-DCR managed rinks to make sure their roofs are checked.
The driver of a small car that struck an Uber SUV was was being investigated for possibly driving under the influence, police said following the Saturday morning crash near Beverly Hills
The SUV flipped over and five people were injured in the two-vehicle crash at the intersection of La Cienega Boulevard and Olympic Boulevard in the affluent Carthay area just after 4 a.m, Los Angeles Police Department spokesmen said.
All four patients were taken to a local hospital for treatment, officers said. Two of the injuries were initially described as critical, but were later described as moderate; a police spokesman said the other three injuries were minor.
A man was detained but not arrested by LAPD officers, who were still investigating the crash eight hours later, police said. It was unknown if the person was impaired while driving the small car that police said struck the SUV being used for ridesharing by technology company Uber.
A man suspected of molesting children was caught hiding out in a trailer in Riverside County Friday night, authorities said.
Believing Antelmo Serano was trying to elude capture, sheriff's deputies found the 41-year-old after searching a property in the 22000 block of Deprad Street at abou 6:15 p.m., according to a statement from the Riverside County Sheriff's Department.
Serano, a Perris resident, knows his alleged victims and was booked into jail on several charges of child molestation, but deputies didn't provide details about the allegations other than that the original molestation report was made in June 2014.
Deputies ask anyone with information about Serano to call 951-210-1000.
A brother enjoyed a dream reunion with his soldier sibling as he picked up a commendation on his behalf Friday.
Wyatt Bailey, 17, shed tears of joy when his elder brother Kristopher, who he thought was in Korea, made his surprise appearance in full uniform as he accepted the award in front of his class at Tesoro High School in Rancho Santa Margarita.
The U.S. Army Infantryman was given the Orange County Sheriff's Department award for helping deputies catch a suspected drug dealer as he ran through his neighborhood back in 2013.
"He's a once in a lifetime type of person," Wyatt said, "There's never going to be anyone else like him."
Initially Kristopher thought he was being followed by a patrol car, and instead ended up helping the deputy catch a suspect, tackling the man when he realized what was happening.
"The only thing going through my head was just get this guy, stop him and let the sheriff do the rest," Kristopher said.
Kristopher, wanted to join the army since he was eight, will now enjoy a 15-day break back home with his family before he is stationed in New York.
A woman was struck and killed by a pickup truck while crossing a street in a hit-and-run collision in Los Angeles on Friday night, police said.
Witnesses saw a white Toyota pickup truck slam into a woman walking across Saticoy Street at Lemp Avenue in North Hollywood, according to Los Angeles Police Department spokespeople.
The driver fled the intersection without stopping to help the woman, who died from her injuries before she could be tranported to a hospital, police said. She hasn't been identified.
Police arrived at the scene at approximately 8:20 p.m.
The driver has not been identified, and officers are asking for the public's help in finding him or her. Anyone with information can call 818-644-8116 or 818-644-8021.
A Swedish teen with Asperger's was found safe early Sunday and reuinted with his father nearly a day after he went missing in New York City, police said.
Marcus Kerttu, 15, was scheduled to depart the city Saturday, but instead his family was waiting for word of his whereabouts.
He was last seen Friday evening shortly before 8 p.m. at a McDonald's on Canal Street, police said. He was described as 5 feet 8 inches tall and 120 pounds, wearing blue jeans, black sneakers, black coat and a black hat.
Golden tickets granting a delectable prize are secreted in 15 Girl Scout cookie boxes across the Los Angeles area Saturday -- as if cookie lovers needed another reason to buy them.
The Girl Scouts of Greater Los Angeles is leaving clues on its Twitter page Saturday hinting at which locations are selling gilded boxes of Samoas, in which 15 golden tickets are hidden, according to the organization.
Winners get a month's supply of girl scout cookies, and one of those winners gets a year's worth of cookies. Several winners were already announced by 2 p.m.
Our Palmdale winner and her #SamoaSelfie! Congrats! pic.twitter.com/jFcNTsnjvm
— Girl Scouts LA (@GirlScoutsLA) February 28, 2015
The golden ticket drive was being held on National Girl Scout Cookie Weekend, on the 40th anniversary of the Samoa, a caramel-coated crisp, according to a press release.
More than 2 million cookies are baked each year.
The Metropolitan Transit System is investigating an incident last Monday where several of its security officers were seen standing at a trolley stop in Downtown San Diego apparently refusing to help a bleeding man across the street.
San Diego police confirmed that shortly before 11 p.m. on February 23rd, two men were playing around when one accidently pushed another into a window near the intersection of 6th Avenue and C Street. The injured man was bleeding at the time.
Joseph Hernandez witnessed the accident and started filming with his cellphone. The injured man was on ground near a building and the five or six security officers were standing on the trolley station platform across the street.
In the video, Hernandez asked the MTS security officers, “Do you guys have radio, like on channel two or three or anything like that? You got walkie-talkies here. [Can you call] dispatch or something?”
One woman can be heard screaming, “Why aren’t you guys doing anything?”
One of the security officers told Hernandez, “We’re strictly transit. We’re not…that’s off our property.”
MTS provided NBC 7 with this statement:
“The role of Transit Security Officers is to help ensure a safe and secure environment for MTS passengers on board the Trolley and at Trolley Stations. While they have no enforcement authority outside of MTS property, security officers are trained to provide assistance to people when warranted. MTS is investigating this incident to determine whether protocol was properly followed.”
An MTS spokesman says the agency is currently speaking with the security officers involved to determine what exactly happened.
Hernandez says he does not know the current condition of the injured man.
Police officers on a stakeout arrested two Ventura County men suspected of selling methamphetamine in the streets, officials said Saturday. A third man was arrested for allegedly being in possession of the drug.
Police were conducting surveillance of "street level narcotics dealers" in the 1300 block of Ahart Street on Friday, according to a Simi Valley Police Department news release.
The officers made a traffic stop, resulting in the arrests of 32-year-old Brian Eugene Stewart of Simi Valley and 25-year-old Brian Arthur Wendork of Oak Park.
Stewart was allegedly in possession of methamphetamine, psychedelic mushrooms and nearly $600 in cash, police said. Wendor allegedly had methamphetamine on him as well.
Police continued their stakeout and arrested Nicholas Bobby Petrov, 28, of Simi Valley, on charges of possession and transportation of methamphetamine, the news release said.
The three men were booked into Ventura County Jail.
Petrov was on probation for theft and drug charges, police said. Wendork was on probation for burglary and drug charges.
A New York man, stopped for ignoring a "Do Not Enter" sign at the Lincoln Tunnel, was arrested Saturday when records revealed he was wanted in Florida for violating parole as a registered sex offender, Port Authority police said.
Ricardo Hernandez, 40, from Queens, New York, was charged as a fugitive from justice, driving while intoxicated and possessing a false driver's license, police said.
Police stopped Hernandez at about 2:30 a.m. after he allegedly ignored the traffic sign at a toll booth. Hernandez had alcohol on his breath and failed a sobriety test, police said. A bottle of whiskey was found behind the driver's seat of his car.
A records check showed that he was using a false license and that he was a registered sex offender accused of a parole violation by a Broward County warrant, investigators said. Details about the parole violation warrant were unavailable.
Hernandez was being held on $50,000 bail. It was unclear whether he had secured a lawyer.
A New Jersey man faces a slate of charges accusing him of ramming three police squad cars with a stolen Jeep Wrangler after being confronted by officers in farmers market parking lot.
Middlesex Borough police apprehended Kristof McCoy, 19, of Millington, at the Route 28 Farmers Market after being alerted to the vicinity by a motorist who said McCoy had earlier sideswiped his vehicle. The motorist had followed McCoy, but lost him.
As officers approached the Jeep Wrangler, it sideswiped one squad car, rammed another head-on, then backed into a third patrol car. One officer, who had exited his car, had to leap aside to avoid being struck by McCoy, police said.
After striking the squad cars, Jeep Wrangler sideswiped a nearby car and crashed into a fence at the north end of the parking lot. McCoy then fled on foot but was caught by two officers.
Investigators determined that the Jeep Wrangler had been stolen from a residence in Long Hill Township.
McCoy was charged with four counts of aggravated assault, resisting arrest, possession of stolen property and criminal mischief. He was ordered held at the Middlesex County Adult Correctional Center in lieu of $150,000 bail.
It was unclear whether he had obtained a lawyer.
The father of Trayvon Martin took the stage at a local university Saturday — just days after the three-year anniversary of his son's death.
Tracy Martin had a conversation with Philadelphia Daily News columnist Solomon Jones in front of an audience as part of an evening of events that began at 5 p.m. Saturday at Arcadia University in Glenside, Pa.
“I think the next step for all of us is becoming more educated on how the law applies to us,” Martin said. “How the police work.”
Dubbed "Letters to Trayvon: A Celebration of Black Men and Boys," the night also featured the three winners of a citywide letter writing contest for high school students. The teens wrote letters "expressing how they felt when they heard about the death of Trayvon Martin," according to LettersToTrayvon.com. One letter was written by Michael DeShield, a student at Abington High School.
“We can make a difference, Trayvon,” DeShield wrote. “I thought I’d just let you know that your death was not in vain. Thank you.”
The unarmed 17-year-old Florida boy was shot to death Feb. 26, 2012 by a neighborhood watch volunteer, George Zimmerman. Zimmerman said the fatal shooting was in self-defense and he was acquitted by a jury in July 2013 on all state charges.
During the event, Tracy Martin emphasized the importance of family values and parenting.
“We’ve kind of lost the love and respect for other man,” he said. “If our young people don’t respect themselves, they’re not going to respect you. We have to get back to basic parenting 101.”
As the live interview began at 7:30 p.m., a 48-hour social media campaign came to an end. The online push was meant to "flood the internet with positive images of black men and boys, articles, quotes, poetry, and music that speaks to the challenges and triumphs of black men and boys," the website continued.
“We hope we can get other people to come on board and understand that this is about humanity,” said Dr. Doreen Loury of Arcadia University. “Not a black and white thing. This is about humanity.”
Using the hashtag #LTT2015, users began sharing images of Trayvon in a hoodie, as well as shots of Rev. Martin Luther King Jr., Malcolm X and other civil rights leaders Thursday at 7:30 p.m. — the time the Florida teen was pronounced dead three years ago that day.
“People need to get real about the fact a person’s race really impacts the way that they’re treated in America in every aspect of their life,” said Lawanda Horton, an organizer for the event.
A VIP reception, which cost $50 to attend, was hosted by The Black Male Development Symposium, Mission Inc. and Arcadia's Pan African Studies Program. Proceeds from the event benefit students attending the Black Male Development Symposium and the Trayvon Martin Foundation.