good evening. >> i'm josh benson. thanks for being with us tonight. sarasota police have just put the brakes on a car burglary ring. they arrested four people who went on a spree, breaking into around 40 cars within a 24 hour period. john rogers is live from sarasota. and we hear police now need the help to find all these victims out there. >> reporter: they certainly do. so listen closely, this crime spree happened in downtown sarasota across three different parking garage, all during the daytime. so if you have been down here lately, it might behoove you to check inside your car. if you have been spending time in downtown sarasota lately,

crime and not even realize it. police say on monday and tuesday, an 18-year-old and three other teens skipped school to go car hopping. they wandered through parking garages and would pick at door handles until one would open up. they would then rush inside, search the car and take anything they could find. they did. cars. but get this, so far, not a single victim has come forward. officers have recovered money, phones and electronics, stuff that victims may not even realize they're missing. >> we are currently working on finding exactly how many victims we have. >> reporter: recently this has become a huge problem in sarasota. and it can happen anywhere. check out this video from january, this cyclist decided to test the waters on the road. and when the door open, he took advantage of it. this clip shows a burglar

front of the owner's home. >> criminals are looking for the easy mark, vehicles that are left unlocked. >> reporter: it's a problem rampant around the nation. each year, more than $1.2 billion worth of personal items are stolen from cars. there are ways to combat this. you could pay to have an expensive security system in the car or combat this the cheap, old fashioned way, simply locking your car. now here's the scary thought, sarasota police say last year a number of guns were stolen from cars that were left unlocked. so always lock your car no matter where you are. >> such a maddening situation. but they were caught. how did they catch these guys? >> reporter: well, that's a unique story in itself. they were spotted by a witness and the witness turned out to be a federal agent working for coast guard. so he chased them down and

until the cops came by. >> what are the odds of that? being at the right place at the right time. thank you so much. a vague threat put plant high school on lockdown this morning. tampa police and school security officers investigated and found a student in the car with weapons used for hunting but they tell us, that was unrelated to the threat or the lockdown. the student meantime told officers he was in the car because the lockdown prevented him from getting inside. he has been charged with two counts of possession of a firearm on school property. a pasco county man is accused of stabbing a dog. houston spencer's girlfriend claims she saw him standing over the dog with a knife in the garage. spencer is charged with animal cruelty. yesterday we told you about a florida man accused of throwing a gator, a live gator, through a wendy's drive-thru window.

story in his own words. josh james told reporters that they were hanging out fishing when they spotted the gator. they had what seemed like a good idea at the time. >> we thought we would pull a prank on our buddy who worked at wendy's and throe it at him -- and throw it at him. >> well, their buddy wasn't there but they went ahead as planned and lobbed the gator through the window and it landed near a female employee. >> i don't know. we took off. i think one of the guys in the car just heard her scream. i'm sorry for what i did. i mean, yeah, just being stupid, not thinking and obviously i found out what the consequences were. >> and there are consequences. james turned himself into authorities yesterday and now faces charges of assault with a deadly weapon, petty theft and illegally possessing an alligator. he told reporters his pranking days are definitely now over.

whoever shot a raccoon with an arrow. last night a rescue call went out after someone spotted the raccoon with the arrow sticking out of his back. wildlife officials were able to catch him but he died after x- rays were taken. some florida lawmakers are working to make the state more film friendly. and now they're urging the legislature to replenish a 2010 program that provided nearly $300 million in film tax credits. they pointed to an upcoming ben affleck movie that's supposed to be set in tampa's ybor city. the studio chose to recreate the city in more incentive- friendly georgia instead. florida lawmakers are at odds over how many jurors should be required for the death penalty. we have a closer look at what's going on.

went to his death on an 11-1 jury recommendation. and john who recollects killed the 9-year-old got death on a 10-2 recommendation. now lawmakers are struggling over how many jurors should be required to send someone to their death. prosecutors testifying before a house committee say requiring a unanimous verdict like most other states would be a mistake. >> john cuocy earned the death penalty by what he did. >> reporter: prosecutors got help from victims like emily, her father was murdered seven years ago. >> he was not able to be there when i learned how to drive. he was not there when i graduated high school. >> reporter: after her testimony, the house committee voted down legislation requiring all 12 jurors to agree on death. >> no. >> reporter: instead, they would require a 9-3 vote. even at 9-3 or 10-2, florida would remain an outlier in

court told them more than a decade ago. the senate is pushing a unanimous verdict. until the two agree, florida remains without a viable death penalty. and even though his name is on death warrant, rick scott has yet to weigh in on the controversy. >> when the legislature passes something, i will be glad to review it. >> reporter: a unanimous verdict is considered by many to be a safe haven. anything else opens the doors for more legal challenges. news channel 8. >> only alabama and delaware require less than a unanimous verdict for death. well a typical night at work takes a terrifying turn. >> a taxi driver held at gun point by a crook who wanted his money but he wasn't about to give it to him. what happened next. and we know how important exercise is but what about workouts that target our brains? we will show you some simple steps to keep your brain sharp

windy and cold today despite the sunshine, a high of only 58 degrees. a freeze warning for a couple county, frost elsewhere. we will talk about that

did you know there are some things we can do to help your brain function better. >> we have some simple tips. >> reporter: should we shell

that we're told will make our game work better) brain development starts in yacht row. >> reporter: and after that, it's pretty much a downward slide. >> it's like the rest of the bide, nothing works as well when we are in the prime age. >> reporter: that's when brain games come into the occasion, with promises of less forgetfulness, sharper and quicker problem solving and better thinking power. >> the question that pops up, to what degree do these tasks that you practiced on will help maintain skill in a variety of real world tasks? >> reporter: we know there are some things that we can all do to make our brains function better. healthy living and exercise will help keep your brain strong. >> the the social interactions and the more broad types of

are related to maintaining that level of function. >> reporter: don't forget to get outside, see people and try something new because those brain boosters are free. >> another tip from brain experts bring music into it. try memorizing a song to keep your mind sharp. all right, speaking of music, bruce springsteen made by kids late to school. sounds crazy but that's what one new york dad told his kids' teachers. he took his 7 and 12-year-old kids to see springsteen, a concert monday night. and since they were up so late, he let the kids sleep in and then sent them to school with a note blaming the boss for their tardiness. the excuse may fly because one of the teacher was also at the concert. the actor is battling stomach cancer.

surgery back home and is now recooperating at the hospital. his return to broadway is now on hold. he was nominated for an oscar with tom cruise. and people magazine named ryan reynolds this year's sexiest dad alive. comes six years after the publication declared him the sexiest man alive. he became a dad in december. he and his wife welcomed their daughter james. and jimmy fallon announced the honor last night, unvailing the magazine cover featuring reynolds. well if you thought harry potter was over and done with, think again. an 8th inning stallment will come out this summer. it's not a traditional book, hold on. it's a hard book version of script book for two-part play harry potter and the cursed child. it opens on july 30th in london. the publisher announced today that the script will be released as a book the

way, harry potter's birthday. a rocket carrying a payload for the u.s. government successfully lifted off in california today. morning. onboard, a payload for the national reconnaissance office which operates america's gathering satellites. back here at home, a st. pete taxi driver held at gun point. he may have been staring down the barrel of a gun but he was not about to give up his hard earned cash. paul mueller spoke to the driver about why he put his life in danger. >> reporter: it was supposed to be a routine call here in south st. pete but for the cabbie, it turned out to be anything but. >> this a split second, you had to make a decision. >> yeah, that's all you have, a split second. >> reporter: it was the six minute cab ride that ended with a heart pounding 60 seconds. he had to decide whether to hand over a few hundred bucks

year-old. >> the gun cocked and pointed at me and -- >> reporter: he pulls out a gun at you? >> yeah. >> reporter: you're not scared? >> no. and he pointed closer and said, i'm going to cap you. >> reporter: even with the gun >> i. >> i told him no, the look on his face was priceless. he was in shock. >> reporter: no shock for him. heleneed over, grabbed the gun running. talk about leaving evidence behind, this guy left his wallet right on the seat. >> reporter: you do realize, no, don't do that? you did it,. if you get -- cowardess. >> reporter: would you do it the same way) yeah. >> reporter: no question? >> no question. >> reporter: paul mueller, news channel 8. >> well, an update, he is behind bars at the pinellas county jail on more than

he is facing several other charges and is no stranger to the law. a few clouds on the horizon but generally clear skies. you can see sun city center, 53 degrees. that's the number, 53. that's an indication that once the sunsets with the clear skies and calmer wind condition, we will see the evening. so much so that a freeze hernando and sumpter county and a frost advisory. you can see where it goes, away from coastal areas but inland spots. and there's places in pinellas county that are quite chilly, so if you want to take the precautions, do you think that including for frost but that's the official advisory. and for the forecast this evening, mostly clear sky, quickly dropping temperatures into the 40s. forecast low of 40 degrees. and that means temperatures near freezing in the northern areas. chilly, so bundle up to start the day. and the afternoon looks nice, 64 degrees. and we had a high of 58 today. and forecasting 64 for

so clearly a warm-up. here. you can see the average line of 27 degrees in red mostly through the period, staying below that. so the next five day, still the weekend. if the sun is out and we get upper 60s, that's nice. picture from gulf port and mark, thank you very much. this is a sunrise or sunset. regardless, it's gorgeous. good capture. don't forget the storm team 8 weather max app. it's a free download for iphone or android. great way to keep track of the temperatures because they'll be cool. 40 degrees at 7:00 a.m. and 63 at 3:00 p.m. and 9:00 p.m., bring a jacket, sweater. something to stay warm. a blanket. 50 degrees clearwater. 55 lakeland. 49 degrees weeki wachee. 59 degrees in sarasota county. and the forecast winds here do indicate the lightening of winds.

those winds will become lighter moves over us. and you can see into tomorrow, hour. and clear and calm conditions, dry air aloft leading to that. and this will be the beautiful blue sky for tomorrow. the high clouds streaming our way down to the south of us. and skies definitely clearing and the freeze warnings for north and central portion of the state. when is it going to warm up. we look at the upper-level upstream to the west. and starting to see the ridge of high pressure building. this is now later into next week. you can see the ridge of high pressure shifting. by thursday and friday, that will move over us and should lift up into the mid- to upper 70s. probably the end of next week. and cool this evening though and with the area of high pressure, you don't see the line of equal pressure over us because the high pressure is dense and over us which is why we see bright blue skies for tomorrow under mostly sunny conditions. a beautiful day.

shift by friday morning. and chilly for the morning. and a weak front here coming in on saturday. and we are looking for the temperatures to stay on the the cool side as we have talked about compared to the averages. combined with the sunshine, makes for a nice day. and that includes valentine's day on sunday, 1 degrees for monday. and the rain chance later in the day, we think at this point later in the evening, into the early part of tuesday looks to be the timing at this point. as cool. and i mentioned the warm-up for later next week. that's the question we get more often at the grocery store, which is it going to get warm again? >> unless you're me and i'm asking, how long is it going to stay cool so -- >> because you have the warm weather clothes. >> i know, i'm loving it. >> thank you. well a single mom caught shoplifting. >> but why she was stealing that kept her out of handcuffs. how the story touched the

now to what is making headlines across america. the ferguson city council is agreeing to go along with most of the settlement reached with the justice department. the council did make several

before agreeing to it. and a single mom caught stealing got a helping hand from a pair of cops. the officers were called to a store to catch a shoplifter. when they tracked down the thief, they realized she had two small children. they decided to help her instead of arrest her. >> she stopped, dropped the bags and broke down in tears. >> she said she was a recent victim of domestic violence and he was homeless. >> the mother explained she had stolen some children's gloves and hats to keep her 6-year-old daughter and 4-year-old son warm. the officers went back to the store and pay for the the items. she will not face charges. the water crisis in flint, michigan is taking its toll on pets as well. some people are blaming the death of their dogs and cats on the lead-tainted water. the humane society is working to help flint pet owners by providing donated drinking water. passengers aboard a rail caribbean cruiseship are nearly

storm at sea. passengers had to hunker down for 10 hours ait has ship rocked and swayed. the captain eventually turned the ship around to escape the bad weather. the florida senator bill nelson has called for the national transportation safety board to investigate the voyage. >> wild video there. news channel 8 at 6:00 is next. >> what we're working on. >> new developments tonight in a 8 on your side investigation. >> sinkhole activity under a tampa apartment complex. we brought the problem to the attention of city leaders. don't, engineers begin digging for answers. and breaking developments, just minutes ago in a deadly mass strip club shooting in tampa. plus, these 8 on your side stories. >> reporter: we're going back to cuba this week to cover congresswoman caster and a congressional delegation's visit. why that's important to tampa. >> reporter: tonight we asked the d.o.t. why they hired the company that

now at havertys furniture, it's our annual presidents day sale. which means it's the perfect time to create the perfect home. now through february 15th, everything in our store is on sale. plus, we're offering thirty-six month, no interest financing. come in today for our best prices of the year. with havertys, your home can be perfect. even when life isn't. sfx: knocking. we're early! the presidents day sale. from classic to contemporary,

tonight, engineers are digging for answers at an apartment complex sitting on sinkhole activity. plus, a major bay area roadway under construction for years. now after the contractor just walked away, 8 on your side asks how did they ever get that job in the first place? and police identify a person of interest in a deadly strip club shooting. good evening. i'm stacie schaible. >> i'm keith cate. thank you for joining us tonight. new developments in our 8 on your side investigation, danger lurks beneath.

outside an apartment complex