Parents at an Inland Empire high school are raising concerns after they say they were left in the dark about a teacher’s decision to pursue gender reassignment, although many say they are supportive of her choice.

The teacher, Amanda Swager, told NBC4 it wasn't really a secret that she was slowly transitioning to into a woman, and asked parents to not be angry with the school district.

Students said they have noticed that over the last year that a male chemistry teacher at Chino High School was slowly transitioning to female.

"He would have heels under his desk, and people would be like ‘Why do you have heels?’" said Viviana Vasquez. "I was kind of shocked, but not really because it kind of felt like he was going toward that."

Viviana said school officials did not explain to her what was going on, leaving her and many other students uncertain on how to understand what was happening. They were especially surprised last week, when she said Swager starting dressing as a woman and calling herself Amanda.

"In the end it's his choice. It's his life, but they should have at least said something about it so we could have known,” Vasquez said.

That is exactly why some parents are outraged.

"On a Friday he was a man, on Monday he was woman," one parent said.

Some parents said they fully support the teacher's gender transition, but they also believe the school district should have notified them so that they could talk to their kids about it.

"This probably brought or is going to bring disruption in the classroom because all these questions need to be answered,” said one parent, who identified himself as Rusty. “They're going to want to know why did the teacher did what he did."

In a statement, a spokesperson for the Chino Valley Unified School District said they couldn't comment because it’s a personal and private matter for the teacher.

An advocate for the LGBTQ community reinforced the privacy issue.

"The more support they have from friends loved ones and co-workers, the easier it's going to be for them to live in the world,” said Porter Gilberg, executive director of the LGBTQ Center of Long Beach. “And be seen in the world like they want to be seen."

Swager said she feels that overall most colleagues have been supportive of her choice.

"I've got nothing but overwhelming support from the school district, the faculty here," she said.

Swager also told NBC4 it was her decision to notify only students in her class and some parents about her change, but not all students and parents.

"We decided as a district, as a faculty, that it would do more harm than good to do a mass notification," Swager said. "Instead do individual notifications in classrooms where they knew what to expect."

She said she has heard the some churches in the area have been critical of what is happening, but she said it won't affect her drive to be who she is and to continue to be a good teacher.

One parent said he doesn’t think Swager's transition is an issue at all.

"Live and let live,” said the parent, Bruce. “That's how I like to raise my kids and show I feel they should live."

A driver shot at another vehicle during a road rage incident early Friday in Long Beach, authorities said.

The incident happened at about 3:25 a.m. at the 10th Street and Pacific Avenue intersection, a Long Beach Police Department spokesman said.

Police said no one was injured and they are still searching for the shooter.

Video from the scene showed a shattered car window. Residents from the area said they did not see or hear anything.

Police did not release any more details.

A Southern California group is hoping to make LA's streets safer for Angelenos by sharing the staggering number of pedestrian collisions at some of the city's busiest intersections.

Los Angeles Walks, an organization that strives to make walking in LA enjoyable and safe, created a map to show the city's pedestrian hot spots.

That map marks 49 pedestrian vs. car collisions at the famed Hollywood and Highland intersection, and 51 pedestrian collisions at downtown LA's 7th and Spring streets.

"We hope that a map like this, in raising awareness like that, will cause our city leaders to take action and say '100 deaths (of) people walking a year is not acceptable,'" said Jessica Meaney of Los Angeles Walks. "Every couple of days we see in the news, someone's either been (in a) hit-and-run (while) walking or been killed, and we hope that we raise awareness to address this and make it safer for all of us so we can enjoy LA."

That's the hope, but the reality is between 2003 and 2009, there were 19,000 pedestrian involved accidents, many of them deadly.

Kelly Smith not only walks, but jogs frequently by her home near Silver Lake and is a perfect example of what many pedestrians are up against on Santa Monica Boulevard and Vermont Avenue, an intersection, where about 40 people are hit each year.

"I almost get hit by cars, like, all the time," Smith said. "People don't look, they're just like speeding through, and people make turns really sharply and they don't really watch."

In the map, there are over 10 hot spots with over 30 people getting hit in each one every year.

Flower Street and Wilshire Boulevard in downtown LA is one of those dangerous intersections, with an average of 41 pedestrians involved in accidents.

"When I'm crossing the street, I like to look twice because some of the drivers are on their phones," said Jacob Gago, who works downtown. "I can't trust anybody driving."

Students at a Lancaster middle school are one step closer to opening a 3-D printing lab thanks to the help of their community.

In one week, the community donated seven 3-D printers for the classroom of Matt Anderson, a Joe Walker Middle School teacher.

"Our goal is to get over 30 (printers) so we can hit our population of 900 plus students," Anderson  said.

He will use the printers to teach students about prototyping and the manufacturing process, he said.

A special night for community members or weekend classes for parents to learn about the technology is planned if the lab materializes, Anderson said.

"The learning curve for this for the students is a lot less than the learning curve for the adults," he said. "Now, I'm learning from them."

In fact, four students attended a conference in Sacramento where they taught teachers how to use the 3-D printers, he said.

There are only two limits Anderson said exist in 3-D printing: the size of the built plates and the children's imagination.

"We're limited just to the kids imagination and what they can build," he said.

Anderson and his students plan to print objects to donate to local retirement homes and veterans homes to be used around their houses, he said.

Joe Walker Middle School student Nassim Tavakoli said it's cool to walk into the classroom and see 3-D printing.

"When I first started I thought 3-D printing was one of those things you could only do when you get to university or college," Tavakoli said. "So, when I heard of the program I knew I had to join."

Everyone should do 3-D printing, she said.

The FBI announced a reward of up to $25,000 Friday for information that leads to the arrest of a rookie LAPD officer accused of murder who may have fled to Mexico or Texas.

Federal authorities believe Henry Solis has multiple weapons, and that his training as a Marine may make it more challenging to find him. Authorities hope that offering the reward will lead to his capture.

"Obviously, he's gotten some training on how to survive," FBI Special Agent Scott Garriola said.

The 27-year-old former LAPD officer, officially terminated by Chief Charlie Beck on Tuesday, is accused of murder in the fatal shooting of 23-year-old Salome Rodriguez Jr. in Pomona last Friday.

Agents say in a federal warrant issued Thursday that they found Solis' father in El Paso, Texas, who told them on March 13 he drove his son there from California and took him to a bus stop.

"The neighboring town, the border town for El Paso, is Ciudad Juárez," Garriola said. "There's a chance he could be there. He may have connections there or he could be deeper in Mexico at this point."

That means the FBI would have to rely on Mexican police to capture Solis, and hope that authorities there will not choose an extradition process that could take years, but instead deport Solis since he is an American citizen.

"There's decisions that need to be made obviously from the Mexican immigration department and the Mexican police department, hopefully working together with us," Garriola said. "If he is located in Mexico, we can have him deported."

"I've got a lot of experience chasing fugitives," Garriola continued. "I'm not worried, we will find him."

The FBI said it will be up to the district attorney to determine if Solis' father faces any charges for helping his son.
 

Dan Murphy was surfing Cardiff By-the-Sea when a wiggly little creature jumped on his board and crawled up his back.

At first, the Cardiff resident thought he was being attacked. But as he turned around, he saw a sea lion pup hugging him, as if the animal were scared.

Murphy, a longtime surfer, was amazed. On that Sunday morning off the shore of San Elijo Campground, a friendship was formed, he said.

“You see a lot of wildlife. You see those pups around this time of year,” he said. “I’ve never seen them interact with people like that.”

Murphy said the pup did not appear malnourished and suspects he was one of the sea lions rehabilitated by SeaWorld trainers and then returned to the wild, as the little guy appeared so comfortable around humans.

The pup held on to Murphy for about 20 minutes before crawling into his lap “like a puppy,” he said.

“He spent well over an hour on my board,” Murphy said.

Murphy spent the next hour floating on his surf board with the sea lion pup, as his friend, Eileen Quintilla, grabbed her camera from the shore and began snapping pictures.

When their human-sea lion bonding experience was over, Murphy said he had to nudge the pup off his board and say goodbye.

“I was literally in tears,” he said. “I waved to him.”

In the 2004 teen comedy "Mean Girls," students create a so-called "burn book" to spread rumors about other classmates and teachers.

Students are getting that real life lesson in Torrance after several incidents of cyberbullying and online threats to commit shootings at two schools in town were all traced back to an app called Burnbook.

"In the movie, it's not as mean, I don't think, as it is today," said Camille Moses, a senior at North High School.

Other students agreed.

"A lot of rumors are being spread and a lot of people are just bullying over it — and I think it's really mean," said Natalie Rojas, also a senior at North High School.

The Torrance Unified School District is not only encouraging students to delete the app it sent a letter straight to the app developer, requesting it block all Torrance Unified schools from accessing the app.

"We hope from these incidents that students and parents will be aware that there is an impact to what students put online and there can be consequences and repercussions," said Tammy Khan, a spokeswoman for the district.

Some students said they voluntarily deleted the app after they discovered how cruel other students could be while using it.

"I had the Burnbook app for a day or two," said Aaron Tebache, a freshman at North.

He said he quickly deleted the app after finding negative comments about some of his close friends.

"I used to get bullied, but a lot of it was just, like, regular bullying. It wasn't, like, cyberbullying and that's a lot worse because once you put something on the Internet, it never goes away," Tebache said.

While Burnbook does not require a sign in or username, school officials and parents say this is a teachable moment that nothing is quite 100 percent anonymous online.

"Kids who haven't learned responsibility yet, they can just take and abuse that too easily," said parent Kevin Leathers. "I think there needs to be some adult accountability involved."

SAN DIEGO (AP) -- A Southern California doughnut shop has come up with yet another guilty pleasure gone viral: a gigantic doughnut stuffed with a Pop Tart filling.

Donut Bar, with outlets in Fountain Valley and San Diego, calls the 1-pound creation the "Big Poppa Tart Donut."

It's appeared on "The Ellen DeGeneres Show," "the Steve Harvey Show," BuzzFeed and TV news.

The 2-inch-thick square is stuffed with strawberry jam and a strawberry Pop Tart, then topped with diced Pop Tart, sprinkles and drizzled jam.

There's also a second flavor: S'mores.

Donut Bar sells about 150 of the doughnuts daily, at $4 each.

Owner-baker Santiago Campa tells the Orange County Register that the doughnut was supposed to be a one-week special, but it's become so popular he couldn't pull it off the menu.
 

Four Fort Lauderdale, Florida, police officers are off the force after exchanging racist text messages between themselves and creating a video with racial bias, officials said Friday.

Three of the officers, Jason Holding, James Wells and Christopher Sousa, were fired following an extensive internal affairs investigation that began in October 2014, Chief Frank Adderley said at a news conference.

A fourth officer, Alex Alvarez, resigned during the course of the investigation and would have been fired, Adderley said.

The inappropriate material included images of President Barack Obama and fellow Fort Lauderdale Police officers, Adderley said. The video was made by Alvarez using iMovie, Adderley said.

According to a police report on the firings, the officers criticized co-workers' appearance and work ethic, and they "exchanged text messages that included derogatory comments towards Hispanics and homosexuals."

According to Adderley, the officers said they were just joking around.

"Based on the investigation, they felt, in their words, that it was a joke," Adderley said.

Adderley said the officers were terminated due to department misconduct, including conduct unbecoming of a police officer and engaging in conduct prejudicial to the good of the order of the police department.

"The four officers' conduct was inexcusable and there is zero tolerance for this type of behavior within the Fort Lauderdale Police Department," Adderley said.

The conduct wasn't against the law, Adderley said.

"I'm very disappointed, disgusted and shocked by this incident," Mayor Jack Seiler said. "The inappropriate racist behavior exhibited by those involved is unacceptable and reprehensible. It violates the trust we place in our law enforcement officers; it damages the bond we have established with our community; and it undermines the standards to which each and every City employee is held accountable."

The investigation began after the former fiancee of Alvarez saw the text messages and came forward after she felt they were inappropriate, Adderley said. Adderley said the officers were removed from contact with the public during the investigation.

"The Fraternal Order of Police is a multicultural organization which does not tolerate racism. Our officers take great pride in our commitment to diversity," Fort Lauderdale FOP president Sgt. Jack Lokeinsky said in a statement. "Our dedicated officers have positive relationships with residents in every community we serve."

In response to the incident, the department has created a human diversity class that every officer will attend on a yearly basis, and they will be evaluating their screening process for newly hired employees.

"We will do everything we can to educate our officers of the consequences they face if they do not adhere to the zero tolerance to racism within our agency," Adderley said.

An hours-old baby was in good condition at an Orange County hospital Friday night after a young mother surrendered the child to firefighters.

The mother rang the bell at a Santa Ana fire station around 7 p.m., and gave the newborn to firefighters under California’s Safe Surrender law.

The child was thought to be between 12 and 18 hours old and seemed to be in good condition, according to Ben Gonzalez, spokesman for the Orange County Fire Authority.

For many of the firefighters, it was the first time they had received a child under the Safe Surrender law, and it was an emotional moment for many of them, Gonzalez said.

The Safe Surrender law allows parents to surrender a child less than 72 hours old to designated locations — chiefly hospitals and fire stations — with no questions asked.

The law was designed to prevent infant abandonment, and Gonzalez said the mother's actions may have given the baby a chance at a better life and the mother a chance at a fresh start.

"Unfortunately in my tenure I've seen the other side of it and with this that allows the young mother to do this, what a great thing this program is, definitely, because it does give the baby a second chance. It gives mom a second chance," said Gonzalez.

A family is holding out hope, more than a month after an Orange County woman went missing after a Valentine’s Day date.

The family of Erica Alonso gathered Friday night to keep hope that she will be found safe.

"I just want my daughter back," said Margarita Alonso of her daughter. "I really miss her, I don't know what to do without her."

Erica Alonso was last seen at her boyfriend’s home in Irvine. She has not been heard from since, and her car has not been found.

Family members spoke one by one to the crowd of hundreds gathered at a park in Irvine, all praying for answers.

"We couldn’t hear each other and I texted her and I was like, ‘Nevermind, have fun and be safe,’" recalled Erica's older sister and best friend, Patricia, remembering her last conversation and text message with Erica on Valentine's night.

Orange County Sheriff’s investigators said after a night out at Club Sutra in Costa Mesa, Erica vanished from her on-again-off-again boyfriend's home in Irvine after an argument.

She may have left his home, in her white 2014 Honda Civic, which is also still missing.

Everyone, including close friend Arlette Salazar, agree, it's unlike Erica not to be on social media or her cellphone.

"I know she’s in trouble and she needs our help."

One child was killed and two others hospitalized after a stabbing at a Florida home Friday, police said.

The stabbing happened in Palm Bay, about 75 miles southeast of Orlando.

Palm Bay Police said officers responded to a 911 call that multiple children had been injured or killed in the home. When the officers arrived they found a woman outside armed with a knife.

Inside the home were three unresponsive children. One of the children, a 6-year-old girl, later died at a nearby hospital, police said.

Two boys were hospitalized in critical condition, police said. The woman with the knife was also injured and was being treated at the hospital.

The incident remains under investigation.

A man was stabbed in the head during a street brawl in Garden Grove.

Officers responded to reports that four people were fighting in front of a house on the 12000 block Dunklee Lane just before 9 p.m. Friday, Garden Grove Police Department said.

On arrival they found a victim who had suffered two stab wounds to his cranium, and he was taken to UC Irvine Medical Center

Two suspects were arrested at the scene, Alfredo Palacios Jr, 19, of Anaheim, and 19-year-old Garden Grove resident Antonio Gonzalez. They were taken to the Orange County Jail where they were booked for assault with a deadly weapon.

Officers also found  two knives at the scene.

A house which appears to have been used to grow marijuana was damaged by an explosion.

The blast blew out windows at the residence on the 15100 block of Blockewee Street in  in Van Nuys at around 10:30 p.m. Friday, a Los Angeles Fire Department spokesman said.

The blaze was quickly extinguished, and a honey operation and signs of cannabis growth were found inside the dwelling, the spokesman added.

Two men were detained for questioning, but  have not been arrested. 

No one was injured in the explosion, and an investigation is underway to determine the cause.

Three people were taken into custody Friday after a possible Woodland Hills home invasion, officials said.

A resident told authorities three masked men were trying to break in to the back door of a house, according to officials from the Los Angeles Police Department. The incident happened in the 5100 block of Alhama Drive at about 2 p.m.

One of the suspects threatened a resident with a gun, officials said.

Police took three people into custody and said they may have known the victim.

The daughter of an elderly woman badly injured in a hit-and-run in Los Angeles has urged the driver responsible to come forward.

Barbara Summerfield, 86, was badly injured in the crash near the University of Southern California campus Monday. She suffered two broken legs, cracked ribs, a quadruple pelvis fracture and possible head injuries. She was left breathing with a respirator and could not speak.

Her daughter, Felicia Summerfield, wants the person responsible to know they will be forgiven if they surrender to the law and face the consequences.

"No one will blame you for the mistake of hitting the person," Felicia said, "But if you don't accept accountability and the responsibility for the action we as a community have to do something."

The driver's silver Infiniti SUV struck Summerfield as it turned north onto Figueroa Street from Adams Boulevard.

Described as a strong-willed woman who loves attending her South LA church and her community, the retired LAX drug officer trainer tried to shake off her injuries after being struck.

"This woman took the hit full on in the front of her body and after she fell and the car hit her she  tried to stand up. She wanted to go home," Felicia said.

Her daughter credit's her mother's dedication to exercise with keeping her alive.

"She's a yoga enthusiast… she goes to sunrise senior citizens exercise daily which is probably what saved her," Felicia said.

After hitting Summerfield, the driver made a U-turn and drove past her, before speeding through a red light and heading into the  USC Campus according to Los Angeles Police Department investigators.

Anyone with information is asked to call 323-421-2500 or 1877-LAPD-24-7.

A man's beloved dog was shot and killed by Los Angeles police in East Hollywood Friday morning after officers said the dog charged at them, police said.

The fatal shooting of the pit bull-Labrador mix named 2Face happened at the 1500 block of N. Serrano Avenue near Sunset Boulevard at about 11:10 a.m., a Los Angeles Police Department spokesman said.

LAPD officials said the dog "became unsecure."

"As they were investigating a radio call, a dog that was at the location came at the officers, attacked one of the officers and an officer-involved shooting occurred," LAPD Detective Ronald Grandos said.

2Face's owner is devastated he lost his 7-year-old dog, a dog he says was his best friend for the last six years.

"He was my right hand, I don't have any kids," Phillip Hurlic said. "He will be missed. He'll be missed here in the neighborhood."

Hurlic said police told him the dog went through the door and officers felt threatened. He also said 2Face had a situation with officers who came to his home two months ago.

"We had one incident, you know, he didn't really care for police, so I could understand today's event, but he never bit anyone else," Hurlic said.

Neighbors say police should have acted differently when approached by the dog.

"You got to be kidding me. When is this going to stop, you know?" Frank Anastasia said. "You hear about this stuff all the time. They have got to be trained better. They are just animals."

A rally is being held in Carson Saturday in an attempt to fast track a proposal for a new NFL stadum to be built in the city.

In total, 8,041 petition signatures are needed to get the joint San Diego Chargers and Oakland Raiders plan before the City Council, with organizers claiming they are close to meeting that goal. They declined to say how many they had collected so far.  

If they are successful, the council will then be able to approve the proposal outright or make the issue a ballot measure.

The "Red Zone Rally," named after the area between the 20 yard line and the goal in football, is scheduled to be held at noon in the Sun Court at SouthBay Pavilion on the 20700 block of Avalon Boulevard.

"There has been widespread enthusiasm for the stadium proposal in the Carson community as evidenced by the reception our signature-gatherers have been getting as they've been engaging the city's registered voters,"  Fred MacFarlane of stadium group Carson2gether said, "We're not done gathering signatures, but it's safe to say, we're pleased with our progress."

The San Diego Chargers and Oakland Raiders announced in February they are working on a joint proposal to build a 72,000-seat stadium at Del Amo Boulevard and the San Diego (405) Freeway in Carson. However, this is dependent on them being unable to strike deals for new facilities in their respective cities.

Inglewood City Council have already approved a plan by St. Louis Rams owner Stan Kroenke to build a stadium at the former Hollywood Park racetrack site.

Members voted unanimously on February 24 to approve the mooted 80,000-seat stadium. Despite this, the Rams have not announced any plans of moving back to the Los Angeles area.

LA has not had an NFL team since 1994.

City News Service contributed to this report

A mountain lion accomplished a rare feat when she crossed the 101 Freeway this month, marking only the second such journey documented in over a decade, park officials said Friday.

P-33, a 16-month-old cat who recently left her mother, headed to the farthest western end of the mountains in the Camarillo area March 9, according to a National Park Service news release.

"The GPS points show that the lions we’re tracking frequently come right up to the edges of the freeway and then turn around,” said Dr. Seth Riley, a wildlife ecologist for Santa Monica Mountains National Recreation Area. "After more than 10 years of seeing the same pattern in our data, it is very cool to see a lion figure out how to cross the freeway and reach other natural areas to the north."

P-33 is the same big cat recently captured with her mother and sibling in a collection of stunning images.

She crossed the Conejo Grade between midnight and 2 a.m. becoming the first mountain lion of over 35 studied to disperse out of the Santa Monica Mountains, according to the release. But the exact path she took remains unclear.

"It's remarkable that this lion made it across the 101 alive," said Linda Parks, Ventura County supervisor and chair of the Santa Monica Mountains Conservancy, in a statement.

P-33's trip is the second successful crossing documented since 2002 — the year the National Park Service began studying mountain lions, the release stated.

The first lion to cross, P-12, headed the opposite direction. The lion took the trip in 2009, crossing near the Liberty Canyon area, officials said.

Another lion that recently ventured to the Liberty Canyon area in Agoura Hills was struck and killed by a vehicle, the release stated.

"We are fortunate to have vast areas of undeveloped open space for these animals to roam, but we need safe crossing locations for them to keep motorists and animals safe from collisions," Parks said.

A connection between mountain lions in both sides of the 101 Freeway is essential for maintaining long-term genetic health of the population, officials said. The Liberty Canyon area is a proposed wildlife crossing location.

Streets and sidewalks were flooded after a water main broke in Los Angeles early Saturday.

The gusher at Beverly Boulevard east of Formosa in the Fairfax District was reported at around 1:30 a.m, a Los Angeles Police Department spokesman said.

All lanes of Beverly Boulevard were closed between Poinsettia Place and Alta Vista Boulevard, however as of 6:04 a.m, only one eastbound lane remained closed.. No flooding of businesses has been reported.

Repair work has yet to be carried out, however the water has been shut-off.