Two women missing in the hills south of Corona since heading out for a hike more than 24 hours ago were found safely Wednesday afternoon.

The best friends went hiking around 1 p.m. Tuesday, and one of their cars was found parked near a trailhead where they had gone hiking before.

Searchers looked for Amanda Sanchez, 22, from Murrieta, and Jasmine Jackson, 23, from Corona, overnight using bloodhounds and helicopters in a massive search effort, according to the Riverside County Sheriff's Department.

Late in the afternoon, Amanda's dad, Peter Sanchez, set out with his brother to begin searching on their own.

On their way down the hill, the men said, their wishes came true when they found the women.

"I was wishing I could find them, you know. When you're up there looking for your daughter, you wish that you're the one that finds them, and I'm the one that found them," Sanchez said. "I feel great."

Sanchez's brother, Roy, described the moment as an emotional one.

"My brother just screamed and they screamed and I screamed and we hugged and it was like seeing a ghost," he said.

The women said they simply got lost on a hiking trail they had done before, and huddled together for warmth as temperatures dipped overnight.

"I'm super hungry and thirsty," Amanda Sanchez said. "It was super cold."

Ira Jackson, Jasmine's father, cried as he hugged his daughter after they were found, unable to speak through his tears.

Both women said they are thankful to be alive as they tearfully reunited with family members.

An allegedly armed man was killed in a barrage of bullets during a police standoff in Santa Ana that began with an argument over a woman, officials said.

Witness cellphone video shows the moments when officers had their guns drawn behind the man's pickup truck on Main and Pine streets shortly after 1 p.m. Wednesday. Officers can be heard ordering the man to "drop the gun" before shots rang out.

The incident began in the 800 block of South Cypress Avenue, where the man shot at another man but missed during the argument, Santa Ana police spokesman Cpl. Anthony Bertagna said.

The man took off in the pickup truck before stopping several blocks away and getting into a standoff with police.

Detectives alleged the man shot himself in the chin during the standoff.

The man then got out of the pickup while allegedly holding a gun, prompting officers to open fire, police said.

"My boss pulled us inside," said Karina Moreno, who works nearby. "We ran inside, we were afraid of the bullets. I started crying. It was really, really sad."

The man was taken to Western Medical Center, where he was pronounced dead.

Police identified him as 39-year-old Santa Ana resident Benito Osorio.

No officers were hurt.
 

Two roaming coyotes have taken up residence in an old doghouse in a New Jersey backyard, keeping up the family living there with their incessant nighttime howling, the family says.

Liora Sofer of Closter said the coyotes have been trotting to the unused doghouse in her backyard each night for the last three days. The coyotes sleep there and then leave in the morning.

Sofer said she first heard howling on Saturday night.

"The next morning I woke up, and I saw them again waking up from the doghouse. That's when I started to freak out a little bit," she said.

They aren't exactly respectful neighbors, either. Sofer said she and her teenage daughter have been awakened multiple times during the night by the coyotes' screeching and howling.

"They howl so loudly that I can't sleep," said Sofer.

Sofer's 15-year-old daughter Maayan said, "One time I even thought it was my mom screaming. It's so loud it sounds like shrieking noises. It's really scary."

Sofer called police, who were "very nice" but told her there was nothing they could do. They referred her to animal control, who told her they couldn't do anything, either.

Sofer said she was told to make loud noises to scare off the coyotes and to board up the old doghouse, which she did Wednesday night. But so far, it hasn't been a permanent solution.

If the coyotes continue to return, Sofer splans hire a private company to catch and remove them.

The borough of Closter was not available after hours to comment Wednesday. 

Last year, when police in the northern New Jersey community of Elmwood Park warned residents of coyote sightings and in one case, an attack on a pet dog, authorities noted that it's become "quite common for coyotes to enter into urban and residential areas and in many cases make small wooded areas their home," according to the New Jersey Division of Fish and Wildlife. 

Coyotes generally hide from humans but in the spring, when they give birth and begin to raise litters, they concentrate their activities around dens or burrows in which the young are sheltered, according to the Humane Society, and may become defensive and territorial.

People who encounter a coyote should never run away; instead, they're encouraged to "haze" the animal with techniques like making loud noises or throwing sticks or objects towards (but not at) the coyote.

The controversial Exide recycling plant in Vernon is to permanently close down under an agreement reached late Wednesday night with the U.S Attorney's Office.

The battery recycling plant has been at the center of community outrage due to its long history of violating air pollution and hazardous waste laws.

Under the agreement, Exide will not face criminal charges but will pay tens of millions of dollars to clean up the problem. They will also have to admit to the illegal storage and transportation of hazardous materials.

It is a victory for residents, environmental activists, and a number of Los Angeles County officials who contended the plant, which dates to the 1920s, has posed a threat to public health.

An Exide spokesperson said the company will release a comment later Thursday.

In December, the second phase of the cleanup of two residential neighborhoods near the plant began. Crews began removing contaminated soil from two yards in Boyle Heights that contain concentrations of lead that could pose a risk to young children or women who are pregnant.

These two neighborhoods were identified by the South Coast Air Quality Management District as the most likely to be impacted by lead emissions from the plant.  

Exide was previously ordered by the State Department of Toxic Substances to put aside $9 million to clean up the two neighborhoods. The state Department of Toxic Substances also ordered Exide to set aside $38.6 million for cleanup costs if the Vernon plant ever closes.

A report released last year disclosed that concentrations of lead in excess of 80 parts per million (ppm) were found in the yards of 39 homes. Eighty ppm is deemed a "screening" threshold; California Public Health considers concentrations in excess of 400 ppm to be potentially harmful, especially to young children whose brain development can be impaired by lead poisoning.

A hydrant sheared off in a crash Thursday morning smashed through the windshield of an SUV at a dealership in Hollywood.

Nearby streets were closed after the single-vehicle crash near Santa Monica Boulevard and Wilcox Avenue. Water gushed from the hydrant and into the street after it was struck by a vehicle, but crews turned off the supply soon after the 5:30 a.m. crash.

A fence around the dealership also appeared to have been damaged.

The driver will likely be cited for DUI, according to police.

No serious injuries were reported.

A woman was arrested after allegedly throwing a dog from a window during a police chase in northern Orange County Wednesday.

Police received a call at 9:32 p.m. from witnesses who reported seeing a car fleeing the scene of a collision in Anaheim, a Cypress Police Department spokesman said.

Witnesses followed the car while on the phone with police. When officers arrived, the driver refused to pull over and the pursuit began. The chase, which took place entirely on city streets, reached speeds of up to 65 miles per hour, police said.

During the chase the driver tossed a dog out of her window, and minutes later she crashed her car in a Cypress neighborhood. Police then found a second pooch in the back seat of her vehicle. It is unclear what happened to the animal thrown from the car.

She has been charged with felony evasion of police, DUI, and animal cruelty.

A homeowner watched helplessly on his security system as thieves broke into his Los Angeles house. 

The man, who asked to remain anonymous, watched as the two men banged on his door, then jumped the fence to get access to the side of his home on the 600 block of Mansfield Avenue at around 10 a.m. on  March 1.

He called 911, but had to observe as the burglars tried to gain access to his property, which has been ransacked by thieves before.

"They don't know if I'm some crazy guy that has a shotgun that might have been waiting to shoot em. To go steal some money or a watch… or a computer, it's not worth it," he said.

The homeowner looked on as the thieves donned gloves and tried to get into the second floor, as he had barred up the ground level following the previous burglary.

One of the men used the victim's patio furniture to climb up to the second floor window and enter the house. Meanwhile, his sidekick was waiting in the backyard, at times praying and making the sign of the cross. 

Once they entered the home, they triggered the home security alarm and left the residence. They got into their late model silver four-door sedan and left in an unknown direction, moments before Los Angeles Police Department officers arrived.

"The really scary part about this is this owner was actually home at the time of that break in. That's probably the most troubling part for us," LAPD Officer Jack Richter said.

The first man has black hair is approximately 5 feet 10 inches tall and, weighs between 140 and 150 pounds.  He was wearing a black shirt and blue jeans.

The second also had black hair, is  around 5 feet 10 inches tall, and weighs between 150 and 160 pounds. He was wearing a white shirt with black print, white pants and black shoes.

A SoCal $1 million Powerball winner has just hours left to claim his prize – but may have lost his ticket.

California Lottery officials said they are working to help the man get his hands on his massive wad of cash after he bought a winning ticket in the Rosemead Supermarket at 8800 East Valley Boulevard on Sept. 13.

Officials also said the store has identified the man they believe has won, and that he himself knows he is a winner but has so far been unable to locate his slip.

He has to claim the prize at a lottery district office by 5 p.m. Thursday, and if he cannot find his ticket he can still get his money if he can prove he bought the ticket. However, he will be subject to extensive interviews to prevent a fraudulent claim.

The winning numbers were 1, 6, 16, 34, and 53. The powerball itself was 27 and was the only number he did not get, or his prize would be even bigger.

If he does not claim the prize the money will be donated to California schools.

A driver flipped his car in the middle of the road after crashing into parked cars Wednesday in one Mount Hope neighborhood.

San Diego Police arrested a man just after 11:30 p.m. for the collision on 43rd Avenue.

The man was driving a compact SUV that ended up on its roof with significant damage.
 

A woman whose body was found in a suitcase should not be defined by the bizarre circumstances surrounding her death, two of her teacher’s aides told NBC 7 in an exclusive interview Wednesday.

Brooke Macbeth's intellectual and physical disabilities, which left her a paraplegic, prevented her from forming words, but she engaged the world through a variety of expressions.

“She was an overall happy person and strong-willed,” Brandee van Alstine said.

Van Alstine and Sabrina Baltes, special education teachers’ aides, were Brooke’s hands when she could not hold and her balance when she could not stand for five of the eight years the girl attended Viking Academy.

“When she was in high school, she had a one-on-one aide. She was a person you could not leave alone at all,” van Alstine said.

So the aides were shocked to hear Brooke's remains were discovered in a large suitcase last week, duct-taped shut and stored in the Lakeside apartment she shared with her mother Bonnie.

“It's just sad,” Baltes said.

Bonnie alerted sheriff's deputies to her 28-year-old daughter’s body when they arrived at her door to evict her for failing to pay rent.

Bonnie was taken to a hospital for an undisclosed reason. The medical examiner’s office has not yet determined Brooke’s cause of death, and no charges have been filed in this case.

“Her mom loved her to pieces. She loved her so much,” Baltes said.

Neighbors said they were disturbed to hear Brooke’s body may have been in the apartment for more than six months, but the teacher’s aides have another opinion.

“She just lost her baby of 28 years, and that was her whole world,” Baltes said.

Van Alstine is helping to organize a vigil for Brooke at John F. Kennedy Park in El Cajon, scheduled to begin at 7 p.m. Friday. Most of the expected visitors will be Brooke’s teachers, assistants and staffers from Viking who knew her when she attended the school there.
 

Two horses that had escaped their Alpine-area pens were hit by separate vehicles early Wednesday morning, San Diego County Animal Services says.

Just before 3 a.m., one horse was killed instantly after car struck it going 65 mph on Interstate 8. A pickup truck, driving 35 mph, hit the second animal on Willow Road, injuring him.

While both vehicles were badly damaged, both drivers walked away from the crashes.

California Highway Patrol officers took the surviving horse on a trailer to the county shelter in Bonita. There, the bay gelding was treated for a serious injury to his rear leg and other cuts.

When the owner saw the story on the news, she recognized her horse. She found he was missing when she visited the ranch where she boards him.

“The gate containing the horses is normally clicked shut, but when she arrived, she said the main gate to the boarding facility was open and four horses had been let out of their pens,” said County Animal Services Deputy Director Dan DeSousa.

Two other horses stayed put in the pens. The owner picked him up Wednesday afternoon.

Officials with GameStop are the latest to honor slain Philadelphia Police Officer Robert Wilson III with a large donation to his family.

GameStop executives stopped by the Philadelphia Fraternal Order of Police headquarters Wednesday and dropped off a $50,000 check for Wilson’s family.

“They really didn’t want any fanfare,” said FOP President John McNesby. “They didn’t want any cameras. They didn’t want any crazy stuff. They just wanted to come in very quietly. They didn’t want to take away from the heroic actions of Officer Wilson.”

In addition to the $50,000 check, GameStop officials also plan on setting up donation jars for Wilson’s family in stores along the east coast. All of the proceeds will go to Officer Wilson’s memorial fund.

Wilson, a 30-year-old father of two, was killed during a robbery at the GameStop on Lehigh Avenue in North Philadelphia last Thursday.

Wilson was in full uniform when brothers Carlton Hipps, 30, and Ramone Williams, 26, entered the GameStop store inside and announced the robbery, subsequently sparking a "fierce and violent" gun battle that ended with the officer being shot in the head and killed, according to officials.

"They were both firing at him," said Police Commissioner Charles Ramsey. "He was actually being hit during the exchange of gunfire but he continued to fight, continued to shoot until the fatal wound was fired and it brought him down."

Wilson is being hailed a hero and is credited with saving the lives of customers and store employees, according to Ramsey.

Both Williams and Hipps are charged with Wilson’s murder.

A trust fund was set up last week for Wilson’s two sons, a 10-year-old and a 1-year-old. The fund is being managed by the Police and Fire Federal Credit Union. Donations can be made in person at the following branches:

• 901 Arch Street
• 7604 City Avenue
• 8500 Henry Avenue
• Leo Mall, Byberry and Bustleton Avenue
• 7500 Castor Avenue
• 3300 Grant Avenue

Checks can be mailed and made payable to:
The Robert Wilson III Family Memorial Trust Fund
Police and Fire Federal Credit Union
901 Arch Street
Philadelphia PA, 19107

Pleasanton police arrested a 25-year-old woman after they say she stole Home Depot power tools, and they're still looking for her alleged accomplice, a 21-year-old driver who rammed his gold Lexus into a security officer.

Sgt. Kurt Schlehuber said Ainslee Smith of Walnut Creek was arrested on Tuesday, three days after they say she was captured on surveillance video inside a Pleasanton Home Depot, where they say she stole some tools.

Schlehuber said that as they were looking into this theft, Home Depot officials called them to say there was a similar crime in Vacaville, and that Smith and her boyfriend, Steven Proctor of Danville, were suspects in that case. After a photo lineup, both Smith and Proctor were identified as the suspects in the Pleasanton case, police said.

Officers found Smith in Fairfield and arrested her on charges of robbery, assault and possessing methamphetamine. Police are still searching for Proctor, who they said tried to get away from the Pleasanton Home Depot by striking a security officer with his gold Lexus. A warrant was issued for Pro

Anybody who has information should Pleasanton Police Department at (925) 931-5100.

Police say a Suffolk County cop who was named officer of the year is in a medically induced coma after being shot during a confrontation with a suspect on Long Island late Wednesday.

Authorities say Mark Collins, a 12-year veteran who was named the department's Officer of the Year in 2008, was shot twice by a suspect at about midnight on Mercer Court, just off Jericho Turnpike, in Huntington Station.

Collins and two other officers were attempting to stop a car with four people inside on a traffic violation when one person ran from the car, police say. Collins, who was in plain clothes and driving an unmarked police car, got out of his vehicle and chased after the man. The suspect shot the officer in the neck and hip after a brief confrontation about a block away, authorities say.

"He is a hero and we are thankful that his injuries, although serious, are not worse," Webber said of Collins.

At a news conference early Wednesday at Stony Brook University Hospital, where Collins was brought by police helicopter, Suffolk County Executive Steve Bellone said the officer was in "serious condition" and remains in a medically induced coma in the intensive care unit.

Bellone said that Collins was "speaking and able to communicate" when he arrived at the hospital. He is expected to make a full recovery.

"While we are at home, sleeping comfortably in our beds, these officers are out there working to apprehend the people who are doing harm," Bellone said, adding he was grateful for the positive prognosis.

The alleged shooter was arrested after about an hour-long manhunt, police say. Charges are pending.

The three other people who were inside the suspect's car were being questioned. 

A 16-year-old girl has been arrested in connection with a vicious brawl involving a group of girls inside a Brooklyn McDonald's earlier this week that sparked cries for action from community advocates who saw the brutality in a now viral video that had been posted online.

The teen was arrested Thursday, three days after the afternoon brawl at the McDonald's on Flatbush Avenue in Flatbush. Police allege she was the ringleader in the attack; specific charges against her weren't immediately clear.

Video of the attack, which was posted on Facebook, shows four girls, all believed to be Erasmus Hall High School students, repeatedly punching and kicking another teen wearing a blue hooded sweatshirt while throngs of bystanders shout in the background

The larger group continues to attack the teen in the blue sweatshirt, even pulling out her hair extensions, until the girl huddles underneath a table with her hands over her head. At one point, one of the girls in the group stomps on the victim's head.

At several points during the fight, bystanders can be heard saying, "She’s dead," and, "You murdered her."

The video ends with several students picking the girl up off the ground and putting her on a bench.

Police did not get a 911 call about the fight, and said that officers didn't learn about the fight until getting an unrelated call in the area. The FDNY said it received a call to the restaurant.

The girl in the blue hooded sweatshirt did not want to make a report or go to the hospital. She went to the hospital later with a Department of Education staff member who was called after the fight and was treated for bumps and bruises, the department said.

Police said the investigation had been hampered by a lack of cooperating witnesses; neither the apparent victim nor her mother will work with authorities, they said.

One boy who witnessed the attack told NBC 4 New York Wednesday he "felt bad for the girl," but was concerned about intervening.

"I didn't know what was going on and I was kind of scared, I'm not gonna lie," said the boy, who asked not to be identified.

The Department of Education called the actions seen in the video "abhorrent."

Paul Goodman, the Flatbush Avenue McDonald's franchisee, said his employees contacted the police as soon as the brawl erupted, though it wasn't clear if they tried 911 or a non-emergency line.

McDonald's has not responded to NBC 4 New York's inquiries.

Monday's fight wasn't the first teenage brawl caught on video in recent days. Several male students attacked each other with bats and brass knuckles over the weekend on Long Island amid ongoing racial tensions between students at Connetqout High School in Bohemia. 

A West Los Angeles elementary school teacher was arrested on suspicion of child abuse Wednesday, school officials said.

Thelmo Garcia, a fourth-grade teacher at Rosewood Elementary School, on Croft Avenue, was arrested off campus Wednesday, according to a Los Angeles Unified School District statement released Thursday. Details about the alleged abuse were not immediately available.

Garcia had been removed from the school's campus in February, according to the district's statement, which did not say whether Garcia had been fired.

"We take these allegations very seriously. The District is fully cooperating with the LAPD investigation. Crisis intervention counselors are at the school today for any students who might be affected by the arrest," the LAUSD statement said.

Garcia, 37, is being held on $100,000 bail after he was arrested by the Los Angeles Police Department, according to LA County inmate information posted online.

The LAPD and LA County District Attorney's office did not offer details into the allegations.

Los Angeles's teachers union, United Teachers Los Angeles, didn't immediately respond to a request for comment.

A retired U.S. Marine who was imprisoned in Mexico for almost a year on gun charges has been arrested again, this time in the U.S.

Retired Marine Sgt. Andrew Tahmooressi was arrested in Twin City, Georgia Wednesday on allegations of carrying an open container of alcohol.

Tahmooressi was arrested for drunk driving and held on $4,000 bond, according to Twin City Police Chief Johnny Lee.

His family confirmed his arrest in a social media post: "We are aware that Andrew Tahmooressi is under arrest for various traffic related offenses. The family again reminds all he is suffering from a significant mental illness and respectfully requests privacy. We all remain committed to getting him the help he needs."

Tahmooressi was released in November after spending eight months behind bars for crossing the U.S.-Mexico border with loaded guns. U.S. politicians, veterans groups and social media campaigns demanded Mexican officials release the veteran who had been in treatment for post traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) .

The 26-year-old Florida man said he got lost a San Diego freeway ramp that sent him across the San Ysidro Port of Entry with no way to turn back on March 31, 2014. Mexican authorities found three loaded guns and ammunition in the back of his truck.

The weapons were bought legally in the U.S. however it's illegal to possess weapons in Mexico.

U.S. politicians, veterans groups and social media campaigns demanded his release.

Tahmooressi did not admit wrongdoing, and he still maintains his innocence, his attorney said.

Drivers are advised to be prepared for President Obama's latest visit to Los Angeles Thursday and Friday.

The LAPD is recommending that motorists avoid the following areas Thursday because of expected traffic congestion:

• Sepulveda Boulevard between Lincoln and Century boulevards between 3 and 5 p.m.
• North Hollywood Way between West Empire Avenue and North Glenoaks Boulevard between 3:30 and 5 p.m.
• Sheldon Street between Roscoe Boulevard and San Fernando Road from 3:30 to 5 p.m.
• The area around Highland Avenue between the Hollywood Bowl and Sunset Boulevard between 4 and 6 p.m.
• The area around Ocean Avenue between Pico and San Vicente boulevards between 4 and 7:30 p.m.
• The area around San Vicente Boulevard between Ocean Avenue and 25th Street between 4 and 7:30 p.m.
• The area around Overland Avenue between National Place and Tennessee Avenue between 7 and 8:30 p.m.
• The area around West Pico Boulevard between Overland Avenue and Century Park East between 7 and 8:30 p.m.
• The area around Avenue of the Stars between West Pico and West Olympic boulevards between 7 and 8:30 p.m.

In Burbank, traffic will be affected on side streets as well: Thornton Avenue, Burton Avenue, Tulare Avenue, San Fernando Boulevard and Cohasset Street.

On Friday, motorists should avoid the area around West Pico Boulevard between Avenue of the Stars and Westwood Boulevard between 6 and 8 a.m.

The area around Overland Avenue between West Olympic Boulevard and National Boulevard will be congested between 6 a.m. and 8 a.m. Friday, and the area from around South Centinela Avenue between Pico and Ocean Park boulevards should be avoided between 6 and 8 a.m.

President Obama is scheduled to leave Los Angeles at 10:15 a.m. Friday.