good morning to you. i'm laura garcia-cannon. >> and i'm marla tellez. a tsunami watch is in effect after a launch earthquake off indonesia's western province. it's a magnitude 8.6 quake. it hit just before 2:00 a.m. our time with several aftershocks. since then, including an aftershock measuring 8.2. >> that tsunami watch is issued for many countries in the indian ocean, including malaysia, pakistan, even as far as the east coast of africa. local television cameras caught

people rushing out of the buildings after the quake. quite amazing to see, no doubt the panic that ensued after the 8.6 quake was triggered. most of the people trying to run for cover and instantly running. they had a quake there back in 2004 that was rather large and killed over 200,000 people. we have to talks to folks from the usgs a little later about the similarities between the two quakes and where we could be when it comes to that tsunami watch. >> officials are actually saying this quake lasted almost four minutes long. >> right. >> that is a very long time, certainly, if you've experienced an earthquake. which we have had here in the bay area. let's check that forecast with meteorologist christina loren. a lot of rain out there already. >> yeah, a lot of rain out there and it's one of those mornings you want to give yourself plenty of time to reach your destination safely. the showers for the time being of rather light and scattered, mostly in the south bay, but

there's more on the way as we head throughout the morning. i will time out those showers coming up. switching gears, mike has the day off. we have some traffic issues to tell you about. flooding on the bay bridge eastbound that's headed into oakland past i-80 skyway. so travel cautiously through there. really want to slow it down this morning where you'll find puddling and ponding just about everywhere. i-80 accident an accident as you approach central avenue so travel cautiously getting into the berkeley area. crash is on the right shoulder. we'll walk weather and traffic for you all morning long. well, this morning a concord man and his 9-year-old daughter will be laid to rest after they were killed during a weekend morning bike ride. the teen accused of running into them is free for now after police missed a custody to keep him in custody. stephanie trong is live with the latest. >> reporter: the memorial here behind me has grown.

people have been stopping by since that saturday morning tragedy. they'll get their chance to say their final goodbyes fat a funeral service this morning. as for the teen driver accused of killing them both, his parents picked him up from juvenile hall in martinez. they left without speaking to anybody. prosecutors had 48 hours, two business days, to file charges against the teen but they said they had been waiting for police to finish their investigation. that could take a cup more weeks. meantime family members of the 41-year-old man and his 9-year-old daughter say right now they're just focused on remembering their loved ones and leaving it in the hands of the legal system. >> we're really not focused on the kid because we know the justice system and how it works. >> based upon their review at that time of the information we provided them, they would rather have seen the case in its completed state. >> so far police have said the teen driver was likely speeding

when he lost control of his suv. they are looking at cell phone records and waiting for toxicology test results to rule out alcohol and/or drugs. prosecutors can still file charges, probably vehicular manslaughter, when police complete their investigation. again, as for that funeral service for the 41-year-old and his third grade daughter, that will be 10:30 this morning in antioch at oakview memorial park. volunteers will go out again this morning to search for sierra lamar. the 15-year-old morgan hill girl disappeared almost a month ago. teams will gather at 8:00 a.m. at burnett elementary school. in the meantime the klaas kids foundation is asking for donations of office supplies and bug repellent. go to nbcbayarea.com for a complete list of the supplies needed. the man who ran down a young baseball fan near at&t park will be sentenced today. andrew vargas was convicted last

month of felony dui and hit and run for the august crash that critically injured 9-year-old ryan white. vargas is expected to be sentenced to one year in jail, five years probation and community service. the victim's family is expected to release a statement later today in court. it is 4:35 now. a verdict will be handed down this morning for a south bay engineer accused of killing a lawyer. jason chi is charged in the shooting death of a woman outside her office back in july of '08. prosecutors believe the 53-year-old killed the attorney because she was representing her wife's family in a $15 million wrongful death suit. his wife drowned in their swimming pool in 2003. a jury acquitted him in that case. now if he is found guilty of murder, he faces the possibility of life in prison without parole. in southern california, one of america's most notorious

serial killers is up for parole today. the department of corrections recently released this updated photo of charles manson. he is not expected to attend the hearing today. manson has been up for parole 11 times before and has been denied every time. once again talking about the tsunami after a large earthquake off of indonesia's westernmost province this morning, there are several fault lines there. we want to join bruce pressgrate from the usgs. bruce, are you there? >> yes, i am. >> it was a magnitude 8.6 quake just before 2:00 a.m. our time. what else can you tell us about it? >> fortunately, that earthquake has a mechanism -- a strike-slip mechanism or horizontal motion. that type of earthquake is much less likely to cause a

destructive tsunami than a thrust fault or vertical mechanism. we can't rule out that possibility, but generally strike-slip earthquakes are much less likely to cause destructive tsunamis. >> and so the tsunami watch is still in effect for the coastline there. the video that we're looking at here, people in utter chaos running out of these office buildings. also officials saying online that hospital patients even running out with their iv bags. no injuries so far that you've heard of? >> we have not heard one way or the other on any injuries or deaths. again, good news is that these earthquakes are located a long way off the coast of indonesia. it's about 4 kilometers from

ba banda aceh so the great distance tends to releaduce the likeliho. >> back in 2004 they had an earthquake that took the lives of 200,000 people. is this along the same area? >> i would say this is related, but this is earthquake is actually out to sea. it's actually in the indian plate west of the interface between the indian plate and the berma plate. >> and it was felt so widespread as well. so you mentioned that the likelihood of a tsunami not likely because of the vertical movement of this quake rather than horizontal along the plates. >> actually the reverse. this one is horizontal. >> at what point do you call off the tsunami watch then? >> that will be up to local civil defense officials.

>> i'm sorry, go ahead. >> and i was going to say we urge people in the area to continue to monitor the instructions of their local civil defense officials and pay attention to their instructions. we have also had a second earthquake, magnitude 8.2 that occurred just about an hour ago. and that too is, again, big enough that it could cause tsunamis, but again the mechanism of this one appears to be horizontal or strike-slip. >> and what about talk of aftershocks? you mentioned the 8.2 that happened about an hour after the initial one and about an hour ago so now we're dealing with aftershocks there? >> yes, there have definitely been aftershocks in between these events, yes, sir. >> all right, bruce presgrave

from the usgs, thank you for joining us. >> you're welcome. >> we'll continue to monitor the aftereffects of this earthquake. you can't imagine what people are feeling there especially after the powerful one that hit early this morning. as we receive more video of the region, we'll be able to assess a little bit more the damage of that region. >> here in the bay area, what we're dealing with is some rain. let's check that forecast with christina loren. >> a lot of unknowns when it comes to the deep sea. it could have triggered an underwater landslide, for example. in addition to your weather and traffic, you want to leave early this morning. your grounds are saturated just about everywhere across the bay area and more rain on the way. we'll see a little bit of a break up in the north bay and areas north of the golden gate bridge but then more rain arrives. as we head through tonight, a stronger storm system than the one that previously passed through is on its way to the bay area. today works out like this. we'll see highs mostly in the

upper 50s, low 60s. lots of clouds throughout the day today and temperatures on the cool side. you'll need the jacket and umbrella. i'll let you know when you can finally stick it in the closet at least for five or six days when i get to my seven-day forecast in just a few moments. mike has the day off, much-needed break. we've got flooding reported this morning and an accident to tell you about as well, both in the oakland-berkeley area. i-80 westbound crash on the right shoulder. travel very cautiously as you get into the berkeley area. i-80 westbound is very wet. you've got areas of puddling and ponding and that's all due to the construction taking place. we also have flooding reported on the bay bridge this morning, that's heading eastbound as you get into oakland just past i-80 skyway, so keep that in mind this morning. travel cautiously, give yourself plenty of time. we've got a little bit of a break because some kids are still off for spring break.

nonetheless we'll be watching your drive and weather all morning. it's a video that's gone viral online and causing major controversy for a bay area native. why a baseball brawl is forcing him to change schools. and then there were three. rick santorum drops out of the presidential race, so what does this mean for mitt romney? we'll explain coming up. plus george zimmerman's defense lawyers step down. why they're withdrawing from the case.

welcome back. it's 4:45 now. the worst cheap shot you'll ever see in baseball. that's the title of a youtube video that's gotten more than two million views in just three days and it's forcing the controversial star of the video, a bay area native, to change schools. today in the bay's george has the story. >> reporter: the video has gone viral. it's not the bench-clearing

brawl that's getting people's attention it's what in the background caught on video and uploaded quickly on youtube that's causing a firestorm online. watch as he blind sides his opponent. such blind sides his opponent at full speed. he has been kicked off the team for his actions. >> we went ahead this last saturday and decided on a remainder of the season suspension, so he's suspended for the rest of the year. >> reporter: we are hearing reports someone has posted his cell phone number and home address online. no criminal charges have been filed against him at this point. he does plan to transfer at the end of the semester. we are getting a look at the tsunami warnings in southeast asia and how they could actually affect the markets today. for that and a look at the rest of our news before the bell, we

turn to jackie live at cnbc headquarters. good morning, jackie. >> reporter: good morning to you. well, the futures are sharply higher today after yesterday's sell-off. that could be partly due to alcoa, which kicked off earnings season with a surprise first quarter profit as the company seize improving demand for alumin aluminum. stocks fell on tuesday as government bond yields surged in ilgt italy and spain. europe has rebounded a bit for today. the doesn't appear that the markets are reacting that much to the news of the earthquake and tsunami warnings near indonesia but we'll be following that story today. in the u.s. we get data on import prices and the beige book report. we saw the dow falling 213 points to 12,715. the nasdaq losing 55 to 2,991. best buy's ceo has resigned

amid a probe into his personal conduct. he didn't initially disclose information. certain issues were brought to the board's attention but wouldn't elaborate. remember best buy has struggled as consumers armed with smartphones are using the chain as a showroom for item that say they end up buying elsewhere online. finally, the unemployment rate fell in nearly two-thirds of u.s. cities in february, a sign that hiring gains were spread throughout the country. nationwide employers added 240,000 jobs in february. only 120,000 were added last month. in the bay area unemployment held steady but it's down from nearly 10% a year ago. back over to you. >> thank you very much for the update. right now we are following breaking news out of indonesia. an 8.6 magnitude quake struck about 2:00 a.m. our time. that was followed by an 8.2 about 3:30 our time.

joining us on the phone from the u.s. embassy in indonesia is walter brownoler. walter, what are you hearing about injuries and the latest that's happening overseas? >> at this point we are tracking the 8.5 to 8.9 earthquake that occurred off the coast of sumatra and sparked tsunami warnings in the area. fortunately, we've had no reports of u.s. citizen casualties, but we are continuing to monitor with local authorities and we urge everyone in this part of the world to register with the u.s. government, travel to state.gov and listen to local authorities for the most under pp-to-date information. >> do you know of any reports of damage so far? it's good news there aren't any injuries to report. >> yes. up in bangkok we felt the quake a little bit but most of the damage reports that come in will

be along the coastline in thailand and indonesia. that's where we're really focusing our attention right now. >> so the warning goes out to u.s. citizens in neighboring countries as well, obviously. >> yes. here in thailand we focus mostly on u.s. citizens living in and traveling to the indian ocean part of thailand. again, we really do encourage anyone if they're traveling in the region or know of people traveling in the region go to travel.state.gov. take a look on twitter or facebook on your american embassy in the region, follow them. >> because there will be so many people state side wondering about loved ones traveling in different areas there as it was felt so widespread. >> absolutely. and i can't stress enough, if you are in one of these places, tune into the radio, tune into television, listen to your local

authorities. the situation may vary widely from one place to another. some times they may tell you to go to high ground, sometimes they may tell you it's all clear. just listen to local authorities. >> in checking with folks and talking to them, are you getting a sense of the mood? has the panic subsided or is that sort of the state in which people are moving forward in right now? >> thankfully, i don't think we're seeing a repeat of the devastating 2004 tsunami that happened the day after christmas. that said, there are -- there can be aftershocks. we do have a tsunami warning system in place. people, if they're able to, should really hook in, be prepar prepared. >> thank you very much for joining us this morning. >> my pleasure. >> we're monitoring an 8.6 quake

that struck just before 2:00 a.m. this morning issuing a tsunami warning and now watch that remains in effect this morning off the coast of indonesia. it was felt widespread, including malaysia, pakistan, even as far as the east coast of africa this morning and then they're having huge aftershocks. >> of course the best news so far is that no fatalities have been reported as of yet. of course we will continue to monitor this and bring you the very latest of the morning. much, much closer to home, rain falling down across the area can certainly affect the morning commute. pulling double duty, our own christina loren. >> thanks, ladies. developing as we speak. this morning rain finally starting to subside. that's the good news i have to report. the bad news, we have a lot of aftermath out there. in fact there's a rock slide reported in the big sur area, so even though we do get a little bit of a break from the rain today, still going to be very dangerous to travel to the higher elevations.

livermore right now getting some light, scattered showers. showers just past san jose so you've got slick highways down here. give yourself plenty of time, especially if you're taking the little ones back to school this morning. throughout the day today we've got more rain on the way but it's not going to arrive for the next five or six hours. temperatures are mild as well, but grab that jacket because we're only expecting a 6 to 8-degree climb. 52 in sunnyvale. later on we'll see about 61 in san jose, and 60 in livermore. so seven-day tells this story. more rain on the way tomorrow, lingering showers for that home opener at at&t park. you want to bring something to protect your hair, ladies, if you'll be out there. guys, you can probably get by with a baseball cap. by saturday we get a clear day but we'll have to wait until 10:00 a.m. to see the sun break through the clouds. monday and tuesday, oh, we stay nice and dry. big ridge of high pressure sets up giving us a fair stretch of

weather that extends well into the end of next week. so rain today, gone as we head through this weekend. back to you, ladies. turning to decision 2012, the republican presidential race down to three this morning after rick santorum announces he is dropping out. santorum's decision leaves mitt romney, ron paul and newt gingrich still in the running. romney is already setting his sights on that november election. analysts say it is unlikely gingrich can catch up. >> single digits, it's hard to see him capturing that support that rick santorum left. >> the question remains this morning who will santorum endorse. romney's campaign has asked to meet with him and gingrich has said he would welcome the endorsement. well, attorneys representing the florida man who admitted to killing trayvon martin have withdrawn from the case. george zimmerman's attorneys were in daily contact with their

client until sunday, when he stopped responding to them. then they heard he called a fox news anchor to talk and later called the special prosecutor's office. prosecutor angela corey announced she will release new information from her investigation within the next several days. a 400-pound bear that caused quite a stir in southern california neighborhood yesterday is back in his natural environment this morning. the black bear, nicknamed meatball, went for a stroll through the streets and yards of la crescenta just outside of pasadena. meatball is believed to have been roaming the area for months, even getting into someone's refrigerator. he's not very bold, right? fish and game deputies had to use a tranquilizer eventually to subdue him before reducing him back into the wild late yesterday. the big bear. well, fed up with neighbors, legendary filmmaker george lucas says he is pulling the plug on his proposed marin county compound and wants to turn it into low income housing.

his company was planning to build a digital production studio on the historic grady ranch farm. the county commissioner approved it but neighbors were concerned about its impact on the environment. lucas now says he will turn the area into low income housing and build his studio elsewhere. those old school california license plates could be making a comeback. remember these guys? the plates come in three separate colors, yellow and black from the '50s, black and cold here from the '60s and then who can forget the blue and gold plates from those '70s. if you're interested, the plates will cost $50 apiece. but before any plate can be issued, the dmv has to receive at least 7500 applications. >> it reminds me of my dad's old car picking me up from school. let's check the morning commute out there. christina loren pulling the

heavy lifting covering the forecast and heavy commute, which kind of go hand in hand. >> i-80 westbound, we've got an accident. the accident is actually on the shoulder so you want to travel cautiously through the berkeley area. however, it is in the clearing stages and shouldn't be a problem the next half hour or so. nonetheless the highways are still nice and slick. take you live to the golden gate bridge and show you how traffic is moving here. very light flow this both directions but it just takes a little rain to slow that morning commute so plan on leaving early and give yourself plenty of time. right now i'll send it back to you guys. >> thank you very much. well, stay with us for the latest on the massive earthquake that struck off the coast of , rleasua, iiaones a, indiaesis, early this morning. we'll be right back.

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