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f0 now at 11:00, video of a woman attacking a dog in front of a bay area home is going viral. the latest on a search for the suspect. >> worst case scenario? surgery, and hopefully she recovers. then it's a new drug hot spot dubbed zombie park. the huge crackdown from police, and why they say this bust won't be the last. . and rewarding people for staying clean.

plus, gene hackman, his wife, and dog all found dead inside their home. how the legendary actor is being remembered tonight, and what we know about the investigation. from kpix, this is the late news with sara donchey on cbs news bay area. hi, i'm sara donchey. hearing about people hurting animals is always shocking and awful. and what seems to be a pretty disturbing case of animal cruelty out of pittsburgh has made a lot of people incredibly mad online. police say they found two woman allegedly caught on camera kicking a tiny dog and flashing a gun during a dispute. this happened near old town in a driveway. our andrea nakano has more and has a warning to you, some of the video in the story you might find disturbing. >> reporter: the good news is gigi the dog is back home recovering from her injuries. the owner says he can't talk about the case, but shares the

story of his dog's recovery. >> you yelling at my mama over there? >> i didn't yell at her. >> the disk between her shoulders on the spine impacts many parts of her because it's nerves. >> reporter: gigi is improving every day after injuries from an unprovoked attack. she takes a few steps, but mostly cuddles with her dad. >> she'll get every bit of loving and everything she needs i could possibly give her. >> reporter: this happened last week after albert lopes got into a verbal confrontation with two women. it ends with one of them violently kicking gigi several feet. >> best case scenario? time and love. worst case scenario? surgery, and hopefully she recovers. >> reporter: the incident has shocked the community. >> i think the only complaint is

people picking up their dog poop, but as you can tell everything is very family oriented. >> reporter: but video of gigi getting kicked went viral, and leads started pouring in about the two women responsible for animal abuse. detectives quickly identified legatia williams and garciela lamar as the suspects. both were arrested in oakland thursday night. many say they just want justice served for gigi. >> even if there's more to the story, there's no reason to kick a dog. and people trying to justify her actions, there was no reason for her to be on the property. overnight, san francisco police swarmed a city park that was quickly earning a bad reputation as a new hot spot to be a drug market. jefferson square park has become known as zombie park, a name neighbors weren't too happy to hear. the police say the raids like the one they did overnight will not

be the last. but will the approach work or just move the problem around? our lauren toms talked to city leaders. >> reporter: just after 11:00 p.m. wednesday night, dozens of law enforcement officers descended upon jefferson square park, a typically quiet park perched atop the city's western addition neighborhood that's recently become a hot bed for overnight drug use and sales. a sudden and forceful crackdown on the open drug market, targeting users and dealers who were pushed out of the tenderloin and into neighborhoods like this one. it was a scene both chaotic and carefully orchestrated. and according to the sfpd chief scott, this is only the beginning. >> resources is a problem, but these types of operations, you will see moving forward. >> reporter: scott calls this multi-agency operation a blue

print for what's to come. a first step in what he says is an ongoing effort to break up large clusters of drug users and dealers. >> it was a massive undertaking, so it's not something you'll see every single day. but you will see this more often, and we'll use this to deal with the displacement that's haunting us. >> reporter: in total, 86 people were arrested facing charges from felony drug sales to drug possession, loitering, and being in the park after hours. of those taken into custody, their cases are now in the hands of district attorney brooke jenkins who says at least 30 already had outstanding warrants for offenses in counties as far away as solano. >> that puts them out of our county, now in the hands of the county that needs to prosecute them and continue forward with their case. that alleviates some of the burden on our system and conditions on our streets.

>> reporter: for supervisor steven sherrill, who's district borders the park, he says this is a potential turning point for the city's long and complicated battle with drug use and public safety. >> it's about the city as a whole and really working with people most at risk who maybe haven't been getting the attention they deserve, and right now jefferson square park is everybody's focus point, but it won't let it move from that. we'll continue to focus and press. >> reporter: but the raid also highlights the city's struggle with displacement and questions of where people pushed out of jefferson square will go next. the supervisor who represents jefferson square and the tenderloin says it's a pressure campaign, and coordination with city hall that he believes will dissolve the open air drug market. >> once you have the sting operations and the severe crackdowns, you need to have ambassadors to hold the fort. that's what we're advocating for. >> reporter: and for scott, the goal is more than returning a park back to residents of the city. it's sending a message that open drug use and dealing

is over. a message meant for those arrested and residents watching from their windows. >> so one of the criticisms of these kinds of busts is they may make things better in one neighborhood for awhile, but then they just move the problem to a new area, and it gets worse there. and the mission district has reportedly seen an influx of trouble. we recently went to 16th and valencia where neighbors say the vibes are different. >> it's always been a little bit, but this is different. drugs, dealing, trash on the street, po o. in san mateo county, they're trying something different to treat addiction. the program rewards recovering meth users with gift cards if they continue to test clean. we talked to a man in the program about how it's already changing his life.

>> reporter: it's something daniel maldonado, who's recovering from meth addiction, hasn't been able to do for the majority of his life. walk into a store, pick something out, and then walk up to the register to pay for it. it's all thanks to a gift card program run by our common ground, a nonprofit for substance abuse treatment. >> being able to have extra help without having to steal nothing or having to worry about nothing, just go into a store and getting it, it's a plus, you know? you ain't got to worry about going to jail. >> reporter: the concept was developed based on scientific research that shows rewards help stimulate users like maldonado, recovery more effectively than conventional treatment alone. maldonado has been clean for over a year, but he used for a long time, and it changed the trajectory of his life. >> i've been using since i was nine. and in 2009, i started slamming. you know what i mean?

my hands, all the track marks, i did a lot of time behind the wall. at the age of 14 i ended up getting six years. >> reporter: he's fully immersed himself in treatment programs, and the gift card program is just one more incentive to keep him going. it lasts 24 weeks, and each week those that test clean get a $25 gift card, totaling $600. >> you can get hygiene, clothes without stealing it. >> reporter: the cost is a far cry from the more than $100,000 a year the vera institute of justice estimates it costs to jail someone. director of operations for ocg, chris morales, says so far it's been successful. >> it's had great results so far. all of the clients who meat

the criteria have done very well. they're all testing clean, over 90 or even 95% of the time. >> reporter: ocg has been running the program since july. so far, more than 30 people have enrolled. they hope to have more in the future. maldonado says he's grateful for the program and plans to continue on the path and even recommend it to others. >> i won't go back to that other life. i'm so happy where i'm at right now. >> reporter: fighting addiction one swipe at a time. >> while this is a different approach, there's pilot programs already in other counties including alameda and san francisco. federal funding for the programs lasts through 2026. so i think the lesson in this next story is if you break the law, loudly bragging about it is probably not going to end well for you. a chico couple was on the a plane flying to sacramento talking about their illegal wild life hunt to two passengers ahead of them. the

passengers were officers with the california department of fish and wildlife on their way back home from a conference applying everything they learned on the play. and probably also in shock that this landed in their laps. when the officers asked to see the couple's goods, they even pulled out the skull of an endangered sea turtle. it's illegal to have that, let alone transport it. >> poachers and those who hunt or take animals illegally often times brag about their accomplishments. sometimes they often incriminate themselves leading to these sorts of investigations. >> so officers investigated this time and eventually found other protected species in the couple's home. the couple and another family member were each fined $1,000 and sentenced to a year of probation, and will probably reconsider the oversharing thing next time they fly. gene hackman is a household name, whose many films cemented his legacy in hollywood, and his

sudden death has been shocking for many. >> one could say i've achieved some manner of success. >> the investigation into how he, his wife, and his dog mysteriously died, and the tributes from people who knew him. unseasonably warm weather for most of the bay area again today. well into the 70s in santa rosa and santa rosa. close to 70 in concord. and we have one more warm day to finish the month of february, and then big changes to start the month of march. that's coming up in first alert weather. and if you're making spring break plans, you might want to check the rule book before booking that trip to miami.

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that was gene hackman and a young harrison ford in the film the conversation. it follows hackman as a surveillance expert in san francisco hired by a mysterious client to listen in on a man and woman in union square. it gets complicated after he overhears details about a potential murder. it's one of dozens of hackman's credits. the actor, his wife, and one of

their dogs were all found dead at their home in santa fe, new mexico. the sheriff says it seems like they had been dead for awhile. investigators say the deaths were suspicious enough to require a thorough search. >> there was no obvious sign or indication of, you know, of foul play. there was no immediate sign of foul play. haven't ruled that out yet. this is an investigation, so we're keeping everything on the table. >> obviously everyone is wondering what happened here, but the manner and the cause of their deaths has not been determined as of now. autopsy and toxicology reports are still spending. hackman retired from acting about 20 years ago, but the out pouring of tributes shows he still had a big impact on hollywood to this day. here's a look back at his young career. >> i always wanted to be an actor. that's all i ever wanted to do. >> reporter: he was an unlikely leading man. >> if you don't want to be on the team, feel free to leave

right now. >> reporter: he wasn't hollywood handsome, but he was charismatic. you couldn't take your eyes off him. in nearly 80 movies, he played every part, like the chameleon of a character actor he was at heart. >> my wife, oh that's right isn't it? we'll have to swing by her grave too. >> reporter: gene hackman won two oscars. in 1972 in the french connection, and then in 1993 in unforgiven. >> i ain't gonna hurt no woman, but i'm gonna hurt you. >> reporter: he was a hollywood titan who shunned hollywood, living with his wife betsy in the mountains near santa fe, new mexico. i met him there in 2000, when he had just written the first of his five novels. he dropped out of school at 16 and lied about his age to join the

marines, but had, in fact, a relentless intellect. you paint, you dive, you write books. what else is on that lists? >> well, i'm a pilot, and i've raced cars. >> reporter: gene hackman's assessment of his own acting career? >> one could say i've achieved some manner of success. >> reporter: that's some understatement. gene hackman was 95. >> hackman and his wife settled in santa fe in the late 1980s. he also had an interest in art and spent seven years on the board of trustees for the georgia o' keefe museum and shared his paintings with other artists. >> his paintings, i mean they were landscapes and that attracted him to it. the fact that he could walkout side of his house and be in the mountains and smell the trees.

>> hackman also co-wrote or wrote several novels in his later years. first alert weather powered by kia. learn more at kia.com. kia, movement that inspires. no part of today felt like february, and i've been waiting to tell you this because it was so nice outside that i did something totally out of character. >> you went for a run. >> yeah. >> ! >> did you really? look at my face, i'm genuinely shocked. >> paul runs all the time. >> how did it feel? >> it sucked, but it was so nice today. everybody all over the bay area, a lot of people just wanted to get outside. >> yes, and then things change a little bit into the weekend. maybe another run tomorrow? >> actually, i'm going to try. i may have to call out sick. >> text me when you're feeling that in the morning. let's look at the big picture pattern and how things will change the next

couple of days. the storm track is more of a factor for us with one storm system lining up off the coast, and there's a train of these out in the pacific heading our direction. and instead of being pushed to the north like they have the past couple of weeks and most of january, they'll be aimed more directly at the west coast. i don't think we'll see anything threatening, but some beneficial rain is on the way eventually. another dry day tomorrow. another mild day in store tomorrow, so enjoy it while it lasts whether or not you'll join sara for the run tomorrow. now we're mostly in the 50s, but still holding onto 61 in downtown san francisco at 11:00 in the evening on february 27th. 62 the normal high temperature for today, so we're close to that. about five hours after the sun went down. everyone else cooling off, but modestly. temperatures level into the 40s overnight. fog not a major factor tomorrow. there will be a

little, but shouldn't take long to dissipate. temperatures start mostly in the mid to upper 40s. some warmer spots around 50 for san francisco and pacifica with temperatures on the cool end of the spectrum in the mid-40s in the north bay valleys. temperatures will jump once the sun comes up tomorrow. high temperatures in the low to mid-70s inland. the exception to the warm weather is going to be right along the coast because there's going to be a southerly surge of cloud cover keeping you in the lower half of the 60s. but upper 60s in san francisco. not record setting, but a good 5 to 10, even 11-degrees above what's normal for the last day of february. then the changes head in for early march p. first we see the increase in cloud cover. we start the clock where we are this evening, we're going to be seeing this storm system off the coast initially. that little swirl of clouds will miss us to the south. maybe a couple of showers for southern

california. but the one on the globe map is still off the coast saturday but sending clouds and cooling the temperatures for the first half of the weekend. the showers hitting the coast by late afternoon and early evening, and off and on showers likely saturday night continuing into saturday. it's not going to rain everywhere all the time, and no heavy downpours. light to moderate rain with zero flooding threat essentially because we've been mostly dry for a couple of weeks. but that trend sticks around into the first full week of march. another wave of rain heads our way by wednesday into thursday, but this first wave adds up to a quarter to half inch of rain. on the low end a tenth of an inch in rain shadow shots, and a couple of locations could hit the jackpot and pick up closer to one inch. but since it's falling over the course of about 36 hours, not enough to yield any kind of flooding threat. there's the next chance of rain wednesday into thursday. still a lot of questions about

this one. we have to get the weekend storm system out of the way before we can focus on midweek, but it's a sign of a more active and wetter pattern. without any atmospheric rivers driving these though, the threat of damaging weather remains low. just beneficial rain headed our way as we head into the new month. march madness right around the corner vern! that's right, and steph didn't just put on a show, he was the dominant performer

female announcer: we pray for those who will hear and those we hope will one day listen. we pray for everyone who will bear witness and those who are waiting to see. we pray for everyone on every part of earth to know the freedom of christ, for his kingdom to come closer than ever. join us. nba up top, and look out february 27th. when that day hits, might as well call it steph curry day. 12 years ago tonight scored 54 points at madison square garden. nine years ago tonight, he scored 46ful and in a buzzer beating three in oklahoma city. and

tonight near disney world, move over mickey mouse, curry went off again. curry bouncing. mouth piece chewing. called the magic arena one of his favorite places. and they're down 17 after the magic bucket to end the half. curry and the warriors, here's curry. and how the game flipped, bang! 49 feet away. curry scored 21 in the first half. then went on a curry flurry in the third. hit three triples in less than two minutes. just put on a show. scored 22 in the quarter. he had nine deep balls and 43 points going into the fourth. golden state won the quarter 40-21 to get the lead. and even quinten post delivered. he had 18. 16 in the second half. four minutes left. warriors up 6. then they went to the closer, curry again.

that three made it 106-99. under three to play. triple number 11. steph bouncing down the court. magic didn't go away. two point game. curry beat the buzzer with his 12th and final three. he finished with 56 points and golden state won their fifth straight game 121-115 to improve to 32 and 27 and jump from eighth to seventh in the conference. here's curry after the game. >> we were a little slow the first quarter, the whole first half. it's one of those kind of knives where you just need to keep us afloat. once you see a couple go down, juices start flowing and the rim grows. just keep shooting and having fun with it. college basketball. let's check in with st. mary's and coach randy bennett. they're

already the conference regular season champion. game at loyola marymount. the corner three. the gales won 58-55 with a record of 26 and 4. sherman smith and cal hosted georgia tech. penultimate game of the regular season. love shooting from the c logo. that's like a lay up for her. she was 5 of 8 from deep. cal won it 79-65. school record tying 15th home win of the season. looking for a strong seed come march madness. also tonight stanford beat miami 86-69. sharks with a dj spinning, kid rocking, we're in montreal. tied at 3 in overtime. what happened? the canadiens scored. montreal won it 4-3. san jose

had a lead, they just could not hold again. their seventh straight loss and second in a row in overtime. i'll tell you this, 2026, once they figure out how to finish games, look out. but nobody made bigger noise than steph curry tonight. man, he just can'ts to just -- >> cook. >> when you go on the road and the opposing team crowd chants mvp, mvp, that's something. >> yeah, that olympics performance helped everyone feel what it's like to root for steph curry. so we all do now. all right, spring break will be here before you know it. one city says it's got some new rules. toyota's packed up and ready to go. but before we get out there, let's take a look at what conditions are like. the

toyota tahoe report is ready. let's head over to the map. we've enjoyed unseasonably warm weather across all of california this week, but that does, of course, take a toll on snow conditions in the sierra. fortunately, at this point in the season, all the resorts have a good base, and they're all reporting either machine groomed or what they call variable conditions. there's obviously been zero new snow over the past 24 hours, but the mountains should pick up some light snow this weekend, mainly on sunday, generally 4 to 8in in the higher elevations, with only an inch or two at lake level. that's still enough to slow down return travel on sunday. something to keep in mind as you're planning ahead temperature wise tomorrow and saturday. still warm with highs in the 50s, but the storm system bringing the snow on sunday will drop temperatures down to the 30s for the second half of the weekend. as always, have fun. be safe. we'll keep

students nationwide are planning spring break get aways, but one city says if you visit them, you have to play by the rules. >> spring break, baby! >> once we got to miami beach, things went downhill fast. >> how you guys doing? >> what's going on? >> you're drinking in public. that's not allowed. the speaker, that's not allowed. >> rule after rule after rule. >> so the city of miami beach

put out this video to let spring breakers know they would not tolerate wild behavior. some restrictions you can expect, possible curfews, restricted beach access, and dui access. but i would say another tale of pretty good marketing because i don't really watch the shows are you ready to see your skin go from this... to this? i mean, look at that transformation! seriously, let's just look at that again! before and after. you want to know what makes that dry crepey skin look so much younger and healthier? this! the best crepe erase formula ever! (male announcer) this is crepe erase, the revolutionary skincare system loved by millions, including your favorite hollywood celebrities, delivering visible, age-defying results right from the first application! and now, discover our latest breakthrough: the skin revitalizing tool, an exclusive innovation