good evening, i'm dan ashley. >> and i'm kristen sze. bart riders are nervous about being on the train. nia wilson was one of three people killed on the system in five days. >> lesley brinkley talked with the bart board president one on one and asked tough questions about what riders can do to be safe. >> she's live at bart headquarters in oakland. lesley? >> reporter: bart police told me they are not going to be releasing the video of that 18-year-old being stabbed at the mcarthur station, it's too bloody and vicious to share with the public. they do say really clear cut camera shots they have of the suspect ended up -- it was shots from a previous encounter he had with bart police over not having a valid ticket. that's what led to bart police say last night a male rider called dispatch directly from his cell phone to say i think i saw the guy you want on a richmond bound train. he described him as having a 925

tattoo on his neck, a reference to the area code. john lee cowell was arrested at the pleasant hill station. he had just transferred at the same mcarthur station where the mrder had taken place the day before. bart says in their may report that the stations with the most violent crime include richmond, mcarthur, coliseum and daly city. the advisory committee met this morning and the board president talked to me about rider safety. >> reporter: why not have bart put an officer on every single train? >> budget. >> reporter: how much would it cost to put an officer on every single train? >> we don't have enough officers to deploy them in every single station. >> reporter: bart runs 75 trains a day through 48 stations. they are short staffed on police. >> we've had 41 vacancies at one point, and now down to 25. our recruitment efforts are working. we're getting more people on the streets. >> reporter: bart encourages riders to report crime,

especially weapons, threats and violence by using their bart app or calling in. there is no way to text. things they want riders to report include people urinating on trains, and people fondling themselves, they generally do not want reports of things like solicitation, loud music or bad smells. someone swearing or ranting on a train, there's nothing that can be done about that? >> no, i would report. that's disruptive behavior. and it often escalates. >> reporter: safety tips include being extra vigilant after hours, at night and on weekends, don't be staefriring out your p, and don't pull out your wallet. have the bart dispatch number on speed dial on your cell phone. so if you ride bart, even occasionally, here's the number you want to add to your contact list. it's 510-464-7000. 510-46

510-464-7000. remove yourself from the bart platform or the train before you make a phone call. and that will be faster, they say, than calling 911. reporting live in oakland, i'm lesley brinkley, abc 7 news. >> lesley, thank you. bart officials are strongly encouraging passengers to download the bart watch app to report criminal activity on board its trains. >> but when you're in a scary situation, how quick and discreet is it to use? chris nguyen tested it out. >> reporter: after the deadly stabbing on sunday, mixed reaction from passengers regarding overall safety. >> generally speaking i feel relatively safe. there are some concerns with safety. >> i've had violent people come up to me and i've had to call bart police on several occasions in the last four months. it's been very, very scary to ride bart. >> reporter: bart is now urging passengers to install the bart watch app if you haven't already done so. in just under three minutes we downloaded the app, followed the

prompts and filed a test report all while traveling on a train this afternoon. >> calmly text that car number, and say, car number, knife, black hoodie, green sweatshirt, whatever. that we don't make a false arrest. >> reporter: depending where you're at in the bart system, you may be a spot with no reception. that's why it's important to download the app before you get on board. pssenger jennifer clooney has the number on speed dial. it may be quieter to report something on an app than to pick up a phone and talk to a person. you never know. what's the response once it gets to bart? >> reporter: reports go directly to dispatch. bart officials did not release response rates, but say the app has been downloaded nearly 46,000 times since the launch. in san francisco, chris nguyen,

abc 7 news. bart says it received more than 15,000 reports through its app last year, more than a third complained about disruptive behavior. now, we do want to hear your concerns about safety on bart. so we can follow up with bart officials. we're reviving the #dearbart, we first launched that five years ago during the bart strike. as long as you use the #dearbart, you can find your comments and get answers for you. just into the newsroom, an amber alert has been issued in the last few minutes by theal e alameda county sheriff's office. it's for a suspected kidnapping. the victim is 16-year-old isabel eps. the sheriff's office says eps may have been abducted by the man on your right, antonio agular zolag at 2:00 this afternoon. police believe they're in a 2005

black honda ridgeline. the license plate, 7 y 51010. anyone who sees this car, the victim or the suspect, urged to please call 911 immediately. well, some of the most popular areas of yosemite national park will close to the public tomorrow at noon because of the threat pose by that out of control ferguson fire that just keeps raging. yosemite village and the mariposa sequoia grove will be off limits until sunday at the earliest. a busy highway into the park will also close. natalie granda in fresno has more. >> get yourself out of here if you can. there is some administrative leave. >> reporter: the ferguson fire is forcing parts of yosemite national park to close. highway 41 will also shut down as the fire creeps closer to dozens of homes and structures. >> this is a full suppression fire. and we are fully engaged.

we have even authorized dozer line inside yosemite, which is hardly ever done. >> reporter: the road will close to the valley floor. residents are rushing to leave. >> a little crazy, all kind of going over my head. i know a lot of hi friends are leaving and going to just higher places where the smoke isn't affecting quite yet. >> reporter: crews are making some improvement on containing the fire. however, they say the most active area is headed toward the yosemite west region. cal fire officials say they'll have to fight fire with fire to stop the spread. >> we're going to bring fire, along the fire lines up to highway 49. there will be a lot of firefighters on the ground looking to make sure that we don't have any spot fires or anything like that. obviously there will be a lot of smoke generated. it will be lack of visibility. >> reporter: folks staying in the campgrounds and hotels will have until noon to check out. they can't access the valley floor, and operations will stop.

>> as these firefighters are working in this area, for safety, with even to close the roads. we can't have vehicles on that road, you have the firefighter equipment, air operations. >> reporter: the closure will last until sunday. at that point, the park rangers and firefighters will assess the situation and determine whether they're ready to reopen. people are asked to use 120 or 41 south to evacuate. highway 120 will remain open, but will be closed in the flat area since visitors will not have access to the valley floor. abc 7 news. some -- governor electric utilities financially liable when their equipment causes wildfires. allowing judges how much utilities should have to pay. utilities are held entirely liable for the cost of wildfires triggered by power lines, transformers or other

infrastructure. critics say changing the liability mechanism would raise insurance premiums and remove incentives for utilities to do everything they can to prevent fires. well, this is really something, a gang of thieves is apparently targeting lululemon stores, big time, 13 stores in the bay area have been robbed in 12 days. the thieves come in and take thousands of dollars of merchandise right in front of people. lyanne melendez is live outside the store in berkeley, which has been hit several times, right? >> reporter: this store has been targeted the most, four times this month. but, of course, they're not the only ones, like you said, and i have the complete list. walnut creek, stanford, santana row in san jose, gilroy and the hillside shopping center in san mateo. police suspect they may all be related. three women were caught on surveillance video stealing thousands of dollars worth of leggings at this lululemon store in berkeley, the fourth time the store has been robbed in the

past nine days. they're quick, and they have a getaway car. police don't know why they target this store. >> well, there is easy access to the freeway. but in actuality, i don't know what the reason is, truthfully. >> reporter: lululemon has a policy that once a chief has walk -- other stores have been robbed in the same fashion. >> we know many are related. >> reporter: the wall nut creek store robbed twice, the second time police managed to grab the three people allegedly involved. two women and a man a block away in front of this restaurant. inside the getaway car police also found items from the berkeley store. they know because each tag has a tracking device that tells them what store the item came from. this past sunday, fresno police responded to a robbery at the lululemon store there. the surveillance video shows three women stashing 148 pairs of leggings into tote bags.

the manager did nothing to stop them. christine brown, a yoga instructor, was inside at the time. >> the manager just was like trying to get -- keep everybody calm and was just like, it's okay, it's okay. >> reporter: is this robbery connected to the other ones? it appears so. >> they believe it's related to a crew that has hit the bay area. >> reporter: police say they think the people arrested in walnut creek on july 12th were eventually released, and they started committing these crimes all over again. i'm live in berkeley, lyanne melendez, abc 7 news. >> thank you. quite a few earthquakes in the northern part of the state this morning. the largest measured 5.6. the usgs says the smallest of the cluster was at least 4.2. a total of ten earthquakes hit off the coast, not far from eureka. due to high temperatures throughout the state this week, iso has issued a flex alert to

conserve energy. we're urged to cut back on energy use from 9:00 p.m. and again tomorrow. that's when people come home, have dinner, and increase energy use. tips for conservation, turn off unnecessary lights, delay using major appliances and set air conditioners to 78 degrees or higher. >> all good tips. while we're talking about the weather -- >> yeah, certainly a sunny afternoon has brought warm weather away from the coast. but tomorrow, even warmer air moves in. the numbers and the accuweather foster coming up. the case sparked national outrage. now a hail mary pass from a former stanford simmer. it's a dirty job, but it's got to get done. city leaders hope this can will encourage people to do exactly that. and sleeping on the job, a california dmv worker did you know when you're at ross shopping for backpacks... ...and mom also gets a back-to-school bag? that's yes for less. ross has the brands you want for back to school. and it feels even better when you find them for less.

at ross. yes for less. you know when you're at ross and you'rhello.... ...and then the price is like, helllooo! that's yes for less. find the latest trends and styles at prices that are a perfect fit. it feels even better when you find it for less. at ross. yes for less.

a brock turner case back in court today, this time to appeal the former stanford swimmer's conviction for sexual assault on legal grounds, his attorney claiming the jury relied too much on circumstantial evidence. abc 7 news reporter david louie is in san jose. >> reporter: attorney eric molotov went to court today to say his conviction should be overturned, he told the panel of three appellate justices that he never intended to rape his victim, that's why he was found with his clothes on when the assault was interrupted by two graduate students who discovered them. emily doe was discovered partially nude and intoxicated. that's the foundation for the argument presented. he said the jury did not receive sufficiently compelling evidence that led them to convict turner, turner was also found guilty of two other acts of a sexual

nature. moltov did -- gratification with clothes on. outer course. deputy state district attorney alisa carlisle argued that -- a verdict beyond a reasonable doubt. turner was ultimately sentenced to six months in county jail, but was released after three months, which critics called lenient. the trial judge was criticized, and a successful recall election removed him from office in june. turner was a 19-year-old stanford freshman in 2015 when the crime was committed. emily doe is 22. turner would not comment or do interviews as they left the building. it's the role of appellate court to see if any errors were made during the trial to impact the outcome. >> the three appellate justices will have 90 days to render their decision. in san jose, david louie, abc 7 news. some tense moments along highway 24 this morning when a highway patrol cruiser caught fire. heat from the fire caused

ammunition in the vehicle to just go off. sky 7 was over the badly damaged car near the st. stevens drive exit. traffic on highway 24 was stopped when rounds started going off. fire crews managed to put out the fire quickly. the officer in the suv that caught fire was unharmed. a san francisco mayor london breed is launching a new push to clean up the city's dirty streets. the mayor unveiled a ceremonial trash can with the promise of many more to come. breed is pledging nearly three quarters of a million dollars for this. she's paying for fix it teams that swoop into neighborhoods, remove graffiti, pick up trash and fix broken lights. >> during the campaign all i heard from people all over the city is clean up the city, clean up the city. well, i'm not going to clean up the city by myself. all of you are an important part of helping us to clean.

heig will also pay for programs that employ the homeless to help keep downtown streets clean. a california state audit found numerous state employees were misusing and wasting tax dollars. some of the most noteworthy causes or cases, i should say, included a dmv employee who slept at her desk for hours. costing the state $40,000. another forestry chief that built a tiki bar on state property. and a $7,000 electric car charger that isn't compatible with the campus power grid. now, your accuweather forecast with drew tuma. in accuweather today, morning fog, afternoon sunshine breaking out. we have the wide range in temperatures that is oh so typical of july across the region. live doppler 7 along with satellite giving you an active sweep across the region. we're mainly clear away from the

coast. but the coast, you've got the clouds. take you outside, a live look from the south beach camera, the fog along the coastline beginning to make its traditional trek inland. once again, it will be a foggy night on the way. warmest spots today in the 90s, but california, much of the state is undergoing a heat wave. take a look at this, much of the state under either a heat advisory or an excessive heat warning, those are the shaded areas you see on your screen, not only today, but lasting through thursday, affecting about 7 million people under the heat advisory. but the more severe excessive heat warning in southern california affecting about 15 million people at this hour. and you can see why. away from the coast right now you can see triple digit heat from fresno, bakersfield all the way to palm springs. palm springs hit a high of 120 earlier today, l.a. equally as warm. it's in the upper 80s to low 90s. and once again we'll see this heat build back into the central valley, and into southern california again tomorrow afternoon. so if you are traveling outside of the bay area, it will be

rather warm. one of the issues, though, you're trying to beat the heat to the coastline, with a beach hazard statement in effect until tomorrow night at 11:00. a southerly swell has been very active, breakers as high as 11 feet. so with current and sneaker waves are of concern. presentwood, you are hot right now, 100 degrees at this hour, 94 in concord, and hop to the coast, much cooler, only 63 in san francisco, 83 in san jose, 80 in santa rosa. clear lake, it is hot right now at 101 degrees. overnight tonight you can see we will be mild away from the coast. here's a call from accuweather, our warmest spots will hold in the 60s. but along the coastline, we'll have that fog spilling into the bay, so mid to upper 50s around the bay shoreline. take a look at your 12-hour day planner on wednesday, early on we have that cloud cover along the coast, and in the bay, mid-morning that cloud cover pulls back to the coast. and by the afternoon, it is very hot inland once again, temperatures in the upper 90s.

we have a heat advisory in effect for thursday night, where areas shaded in orange could see highs up to 110 degrees. wednesday and our microclimate, starting south bay, 87 for san jose. 80 for palo alto. cooler along the coast, only the low 60s. 68 for downtown san francisco tomorrow. 63, breezy, for daly city. 89 for petaluma. but 105 in cloverdale, 89 in sonoma. 84 in vallejo. 74 for oakland. 82 in fremont. 98 in brentwood. 94 in san ramon. the accuweather seven-day forecast, let's plan the next seven days for you, it is very hot inland tomorrow. the good news, we begin to cool down by thursday into friday that marine layer moving inland helping to cool us off. and by saturday and sunday, guys, the heat eases, near average, only in the upper 80s. download the accuweather app and

track the temperatures, especially tomorrow, as we heat up very quickly. luggage can take a real beating. so what kind of bag is best for your next vacation? that story is next. and then at 5:30 on world news with david muir. coming up tonight, deadly flash flooding in the east, wildfires in the west, yosemite, tourists told to get out. people reporting demi lovato is rushed to the hospital. hostages at trader joe's, the manager accidentally killed by police. next. >> david, thanks, see you then. new at 6:00, a new look at outside lands festival, hoping

by living off the grid. completely. or... just set the washing machine to cold. do your thing. with energy upgrade california.

we have consumer news tonight about buying luggage. >> "7 on your side" michael finney is here with tips. >> they can be expensive. you want to make sure you get the right stuff. many consumers say they want luggage that's long lasting and lightweight. what kind of luggage is best?

the choices generally come down to hard sided versus soft sided. luggage has come a long way since the days of that old velise. >> enough space, zippers so they don't break. >> nowadays your biggest decision when buying new luggage, should you get soft sided or hard? thanks to modern plastics, hard sided luggage can be durable and light. aluminum luggage is the most durable, but heavier. their strong construction makes it harder to slit through and locks are usually built in. >> they're a good option when traveling with -- you're guaranteed -- there are some drawbacks, taking up twice the space of a soft suitcase when packing. they also lack flexibility. soft sided luggage on the other hand is more flexible, works

well in cars and can compress into overhead bins, extra pockets may mean more organized packing. >> the soft suitcases can be vulnerable when it comes to security and ripping. buy ones made of strong materials. >> like nylon or polyester with a higher denier rating or "d" rating. indicator of thickness and strength. 600 is a good number. even the right luggage won't make travel totally stress free, but it can help take the edge off. >> pay attention to the wheels, suitcases with four wheels are more ergonomic. two-wheel suitcases only go fwar forwards. where you'll be, that's the bottom line. bumpy streets, two wheels. >> it's not one size fits all. >> i remember getting to a place one time, first time i ever used this luggage, and it was mangled. i had to tear it open.

>> oh, goodness. if you need it, more proof your dog really loves you. first we want to thank joseph for this picture of valley fog in petaluma. thanks, joseph. share your pictures with us if

i'm ama daetz, coming up on abc 7 news at 6:00, team coverage on that deadly stabbing of a young woman at an oakland bart station, including the suspect's violent history. also -- >> is kind, sweet, caring, she'll do anything for anybody. >> we're now hearing from the boyfriend of the missing iowa woman who grew up in oakland. tonight what he says he was doing the night she disappeared. and "7 on your side," michael finney investigates whether a phone company's buy

one, get one free offer is really a good deal. all that plus much more coming up in a half hour on abc 7 news at 6:00. dan, kristen? >> ama, thanks. see you then. finally, most dog owners will do about anything for their pets. researchers say that feeling may be mutual. >> it all comes down to a closed door. dogs will do a lot to push it open if their owner is really in trouble. now, the dogs are not as eager to open the door if they are too stressed out by their owner's distress. >> every dog owner has a story. look at that. about coming home from a tough day, sitting down for a cry and their dog immediately licking their face trying to provide comfort. they say the study shows some of the science behind that, it could also be why dogs will kiss your child or sing along with you in the car. so their empathy factor is extremely high.

so true, right? we could watch it all day and all night. thanks for joining us. world news with david muir tonight, several developing headlines as we come on the air. the deadly flash flooding up and down the east coast. the rescues, the trees coming down. authorities now warning the roots saturated. one homeowner killed inside. and tonight, the wildfires, as well. the warning at this hour for tourists now at yosemite. authorities saying, get out. rob marciano is standing by. the breaking headline late today. "people" magazine reporting that singer demi lovato has been rushed to the hospital. >> engine 87 already on scene, unconscious. >> the singer has talked openly for years about her struggle with addiction. and what authorities are now saying tonight. the new police video tonight. the armed shootout. the man taking hostages at a trader joe's.

you'll see the moment he begins firing. police firing back. and tonight, it's