always wanting to be a cop landed him behind bars. >> a woman slammed to the ground, the sheriff insisting there is more to this story. >> coverage confusion, insurance company florida blue will have your checking your policy. good evening. i'm jennifer leigh. >> i'm keith cate. thank you for joining us tonight. right now only on news channel 8 this pinellas county man talks about his wild ride in hot pursuit of a stolen car 1 minute, behind bars the next. he felt he had a good reason to do what he did. he heard about a stolen car with a toddler in the back seat and when he spotted that car, he made his move. >> but police say he made the wrong move. paul mueller joins us live along u.s. 19 and clearwater. paul, why did he even get involved in the first place? >> reporter: he told me tonight he wanted to be a cop and part of the chase just so he could help out and that's exactly why he followed that car right here along 19.

on busy u.s. 19 at speeds of 85 miles an hour, charles long did what he thought was the right thing, following a stolen car with a toddler in the back seat. >> your body kind of goes into a fight or flight mode and you have no control over that and my body said fight. do the right thing. i'm a christian. >> reporter: as he tried to get the plate number so he could call 911 long now found himself smack dab in the middle of at least a dozen cop cars. moments later his part of the chase would end as he crashed into a cruiser. >> they grabbed me and jerked me out of the car, threw me in the back of a police car. >> reporter: the car he was chased wound up wrapped around a sign and the reason why long wanted to help out so badly, that toddler in the back, turns out the mom lied and the kid was safe at daycare the whole time. >> and i will never do this again ever in my life. i love my kids and i'm going to go get my kids. >> reporter: cops say as telling as it might be, don't try to do their jobs for them. >> just imagine a moment, if you will, if everybody decided

have quite a mess on our hands. >> reporter: if you had to do it over again. >> i would have pulled over to the side of the road and got the heck out of the way, let the police do their job, none of my damn business. >> reporter: long also telling me tonight when he goes eye to eye with a judge next month, that he hopes the judge will have some leniency especially given the fact that he has no criminal background. >> seems like mr. long now realizes he made a big mistake, but in the heat of the moment also sounds like he thought he was doing the right thing by helping police. >> reporter: yeah. exactly right and the thing is, too, keith, he didn't realize following was equipped with gps and he says if he did know that, he would not have gotten involved in the first place. >> we'll see if the judge weighs all those factors into his decision when it comes time. in clearwater. a controversy arrest caught on a deputy's body camera, the video showing the cop slamming the ground.

this video is a little graphic, but the sheriff tells us it's the entire arrest that proves his officer is justified in the takedown. >> ma'am, loss prevention. >> reporter: as tiffany tebo walks out of a department store, she's confronted by a store employee and a pasco deputy. things go from bad to worse. >> put your hands behind your back. i'm going to put you on the ground. >> please. please. >> put your hands -- >> oh, my god, okay. >> stop resisting me. >> reporter: the arrest has become controversial because as the deputy tries to take tebo into custody, her head slams bleeding immediately. then he pulls out his taser. one critic on social media says the consequences of shoplifting isn't supposed to be assault. deserved. what do you think of this arrest? >> when you look at the whole account, the deputy did an outstanding job.

nocco believes the woman's own actions resulted in her injury. >> the takedown occurred because she kept moving away and you can see it was a rodeo. they were going all around. it was the momentum of both of them and him trying to get ahold of her is when she goes in the wall. >> reporter: nocco points out tiffany tebo should never have put up a fight. >> it really goes back to the fight one, she should have never stolen anything and two, when the officer tells you put your hands behind your back, she should have never resisted. >> she's been arrested in pasco county for the sale and trafficking of drugs, shoplifting and domestic battery. the video is getting national attention. if you want it see it for yourself, download the wfla app on your phone. we have the entire video on our homepage. ill some new information tonight on the -- some new information tonight on the government behind a mass shooting in nevada.

ford seen here firing a semiautomatic rifle was no stranger to the police. he shot more than a dozen other people at a lawn mower parts factory. three people were killed. the father of one of the injured praises his son's co- workers for pulling him out of harm's way. >> when i got there, i know some of the welders on second shift and they told me where he was at and that he'd been shot. some of his co-workers pulled him off to the side. one of them got shot helping him out. >> the sheriff definitelied these are two of -- confirmed these are two of the three men killed in the deadly rampage. the shooter cedric ford was also killed. he was upset after being served a restraining order by his girl friend just hours before the rampage we also learned. in an 8 on your side consumer alert sarasota police are taking a more active

credit card skimmers. the annoying devices have been frequently popping up all over tampa bay stealing credit card victims. officers plan to meet regularly with gas station owners to open inside. ahead. >> typically what you see is when you get a handle on one thing, they'll figure out a different scheme. again these are people who have nothing else to do but sit at home and figure out ways to steal money from hard working people. >> credit card skimmers cost u.s. consumers $2 million a year. a somewhat surprising duo topping your vote coverage tonight, new jersey governor chris christie throwing his support behind presidential candidate donald trump. trump feels pretty good about this endorsement. the two appeared together at a rally in fort worth, texas, today where christie gave his reasons for backing trump. >> the single most important thing for the republican party is to nominate the person who

beat hillary clinton. i can guarantee you that the one person hillary and bill clinton do not want to see on that stage in september is donald trump. >> the endorsement came the day after trump endured a fiery debate where he was sort of double teamed by marco rubio and ted cruz. when asked about chris christie's endorsement, both of those candidates seemed unfazed. guy. donald probably needs a lifeline after last night, so i respect that. i have more than my fair share of endorsements. >> i think the endorsement was no doubt troubling news for the rubio campaign. i like chris. i don't think the endorsement was a big surprise to many observers. >> all of the candidates are back on the campaign trail tonight looking ahead to super tuesday. meantime the democrats facing off tomorrow in south carolina's primary. hillary clinton and bernie sanders spending the day campaigning all around the palmetto state. most polls predict clinton will win by a large margin.

are missing in st. petersburg. police tell us gregory phillips stole them from an elderly man's home while he was supposed to be working in the man's yard. so far detectives only recovered nine guns. if you have any information on the missing firearms, call st. st. petersburg police leaders are now trying new ways to curb gun violence. last year 293 guns were reported stolen, 155 of them taken from cars. today the mayor and police chief offered free gun locks to people as well as car anti- theft devices. they're also asking gun shop owners to tell their customers make sure your guns are locked up. >> so we're just trying to slow people down say hey, take a second. that's what we're trying to do. just be responsible. if you leave it in your glove box, lock the glove box. >> pay long time youth mentor reverend ken irby has been tapped by the city as the new interim prevention director to

on track. five people are dead in what bliss describe as a horrific murder -- police describe as a horrific murder suicide in washington state. a man called 911 claiming he shot his wife and children. after an hours long standoff himself. four bodies were found inside that house. a 12-year-old girl was also found unharmed. police are now working to figure out what led to that tragedy. an odd rescue in hillsborough county caught on camera all began when a man's sailboat capsized on a lake in seffner. someone saw what was going on, topped on his boat, tried to sink. in the end the sheriff's deputies and firefighters inflated a rescue boat, paddled out there and saved of them. no one was hurt. still ahead a biarea woman called 8 on your side looking for -- a bay area woman called 8 on your side looking for help with her healthcare plan. >> plus we'll show you how to

the times are changing. >> a cool 62 degrees today, had plenty of sunshine and expect more this weekend, although temps remain below normal. we'll have those weekend numbers coming up. (vo) making the most out of every mile. that's why i got a subaru impreza. love.

now an 8 on your side investigation, coverage confusion. >> are you getting the healthcare coverage you paid for? our 8 on your side investigation found computer database problems at insurer florida blue are causing headaches once again. last month we stepped in and helped a couple sort through the red tape. now a tampa woman turned to 8 on your side because florida blue won't pay her claims even though she's never missed a payment. 8 on your side investigator shannon behnken set out for answers. >> reporter: this is clearly a computer problem just like the issue we investigated last month. i set out for answers for her and discovered everyone with health insurance needs to check their policies online and fix mistakes before this happens to you. >> i don't know how to fix this. >> reporter: mary zulmyer is beyond frustrated.

blue signed her up for multiple accounts, overcharge heard and now went to pay her doctor bill -- won't pay her doctor bills. >> every time i called i'd be on hold for like 45 minutes. >> reporter: she's promised help and then nothing happens. three policies. the billing department is saying i only have one. >> reporter: now she's stuck with a crazy choice, use the money she sets aside for healthcare premiums to pay her doctor directly or continue to pay premiums for coverage she can't even use. >> i can't afford to pay my premiums and the doctor. >> reporter: if this sounds familiar, it is. >> he's doing it to get rejections. >> reporter: last month bay area jane elsen turned to 8 on your side after they received an e-mail from florida blue that they had no medical coverage at all. claims for doctors and prescriptions were rejected.

>> reporter: it turned out to be a computer glitch. zulmyer insists florida blue customer service tells her a computer is causing her nightmare, too. >> i feel like this has to be widespread if it's a database problem. >> reporter: 8 on your side cut through the red tape for the elsens. hi, this is is shannon behnken. so i went back to state regulators with e-mails and phone calls. within an hour i had a promise from a state official to get to the bottom of this. zulmyer hopes this leads to help and soon. >> it's heart breaking. it's frustrating. it causes anxiety. >> a spokesman for the department of financial services assures me this will be taken care of. he said computer problems are the easiest to fix, but getting that information in front of the right people is not always easy and, of course, it should be because this is clearly another mistake. >> why can't they just cancel the accounts in she doesn't have?

>> it should be an easy fix and that is what makes it so troubling for her because she is getting termination letters and she doesn't know if it's for the right account or the account that she actually needs. >> my goodness, what a mess. thank you, shannon. in an 8 on your side consumer report tonight coupon cutters might not get as good of deal at macy's. the store complain is no longer applying coupons to clearance items. traditionally macy's let you stack coupons and rack up big savings. the store will still allow coupons for full price and sale items, just not for clearance items anyway. however, j.c. penney shoppers are being offered certain items for a penny. the penny day promotion kicks off sunday. customers can get an arizona branded item at full price and the second arizona item for one penny. the campaign runs all year and they'll update the items you can get throughout the year. if you're looking for a new

log and davis islands, you're in luck. this weekend a new water taxi service is available. today mayor bob buckhorn helped christen the right water taxis. each boat can hold up to 50 people. and concessions. you can buy a ticket on board and then hop on and off all day long. >> this is a city that literally is on fire and it's because of ammenities like this. that. it's because of a waterfront, our best asset. >> the service will run three boats between 14 stops in downtown tampa seven days a week. tickets will normally be $15, but since it's opening weekend an all did i pass is just 10 bucks -- all day pass is just 10 bucks. well, the weekend is here, got a very nice one planned for you weatherwise anyway, saturday 64 degrees after our high of 62 degrees, lots of sunshine, cold morning, blue

maybe a few high clouds, no big deal. we'll see lots of sunshine. a great shot of the sky in the distance from our own bryan bennett. gradually warm-up taking place for us, 64, 70 degrees, 74 degrees by monday. in fact, temperatures above the average line it looks like by tuesday at 77 degrees with another slight rain chance heading into tuesday. temperatures are cold. they're already coal in the upper 30s in some of the -- cold in the upper 30s in some of the northern areas, a chilly start to the day, 43 degrees at 7 a.m. with lots of sunshine, same story heading into the afternoon hours. it will stay well below normal. in fact, our high temperature is expected to be about 10 degrees below normal. 50 degrees current temp at tampa international airport. the wind has been falling off throughout the day and now calm conditions. that could lead to patchy frost in areas.

zephyrhills 44, inverness 45, lakeland, wimauma 44, 46 north port. big area of high pressure settled to the west. this will slowly move east the next several days. it's the flow of the high on the eastern side that gives us a northerly flow northwest and then north and taps into some of the cooler air farther north and drags it down here to the sunshine state. shouldn't stick around too long as this area of high pressure moves east, but all weekend we'll feel the effects of the cooler air in place. rpm forecast model saturday morning, temps in the 30s and 40s with the possibility of that patchy frost because we have the lighter winds. it's all about watching this area of low pressure behind me as it continues to move east. as it gets more on top of us saturday afternoon into sunday morning, temperatures will still be very chilly to start the day on sunday, still lots of sunshine, a very stable atmosphere, calm, sinking atmosphere. so that doesn't provide even a lot of cloud development, a few high cloud possible about it. a few fair weather clouds farther down to the south.

start to see that wind shift that should allow to us get those temperatures back above 70 degrees by monday because of the flow around the southern side of that area of high pressure, just brings in a bit more moisture for the area. that will help lift our humidity a little bit. 43 westchase, 38 land o'lakes some of the forecast lows, 39 degrees already in brooksville, so possibly down just above freezing at 34 degrees which could mean the possibility of some of that frost, 42 degrees in sarasota. highs tomorrow, today we saw warmer numbers inland areas as compared a little closer to the gulf of mexico, but overall looks like 60s with nice afternoon sunshine. 43 degrees, cold start it looks like to the morning, frost possible farther north, 64 degrees in the afternoon, remains cool, light breeze in the forecast. breeze not too much of an issue, kind of a windy past couple of days. 70 for sunday, 74 monday, still lots of sunshine. start to add a few clouds you can see for tuesday and rain

like lieu this period. period. change. our temperatures, too jump back into the upper 70s tuesday and next week with another warm front passing thursday -- weak friday. pretty sweet looking weekend for those who like cooler air. >> and the air conditioning can go off for tonight, open the window, get some fresh air through the house. coming up the lightning trying to extend their winning streak on the road. >> meanwhile general manager steve yzerman is working double scoring goals. sports. >> plus here's what you'll see 8 today. >> it's a leap year and we get an extra day this month. i'm leigh spann and i'll explain what it has to do with

on february 15th lightning general manager steve yzerman announced he would not be shopping steven stamkos three days before the trade deadline. that was the beginning of the hot streak for stammer and his hockey club entering this evening's dance with the new jersey devils. tampa bay had won four in a row with stamkos scoring in each one of those games. ryan callahan shot for the point deflected by stammer. the puck bounces to alex cologne who buries it.

the 2nd, tyler johnson to andre pollock. he doesn't like the devils. then later in the period you knew this was coming if you paid attention to the intro. steven stamkos tips home for the point, 27th goal of the year. the captain's scoring streak continues, as does the lightning's winning streak. tampa bay takes its fifth in a row 4 -0. ben bishop makes 21 saves in his third shutout of the season. the avalanche are getting ready for their stadium series match-up with the red wings. the rivals played an alumni game tonight. steve yzerman punching home a rebound pass, patrick roy, 11- year-old roy is loving. this the avs go on to win 5 -2, but stevie y, you still got it. >> i had a wide open net and almost missed it, but yeah, scotty is telling me all the time go to the net, go to the net. took till the age of 50 to

>> it's safe to say yzerman worked a full shift today. before the alumni game he signed braydon colburn to a three year contract extension with a full no trade clause effect live immediately the first two years. the 30-year-old coburn has one goal and eight assists in 61 games this season. the tampa bay rays held their first full workout today in charlotte. the manager called the live batting practice the best session he's ever seen. newly acquired outfielder corey dickerson also impressed. >> i think a lot of the guys took some good swings on balls today. a couple guys hit the ball really well, but the pitchers seems like always have an upper hand a few days till guys can get some timing. i think everybody with that aggressive approach, aggressive mindset took advantage of today. >> rays spring opener next wednesday already. you guys ready for baseball? >> oh, yes.

best i've ever seen. that's saying something. >> the lightning right now is on fire. >> yzerman showing he can still play, i like that. >> get to the net at 50. we'll be right back with your

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cash 3, three, 8, 7. play four, 5, 2 , 4, 3. fantasy five, 7, 34, 1, 14, 37, lucky ball 16. mega millions 3, 15, 19, 62, 74 and the mecca ball 14. you get to -- mega ball is 14. you get to wear that christmas jacket still tomorrow. >> and the christmas sweater. >> pull it inside out, the big bear on there. 43 degrees to start the day, lots of sunshine. this is cool for us and a high temperature for tomorrow afternoon about 10 degrees below normal. quickly we'll jump back to normal temps monday. enjoy the cool air if you like it, just beautiful afternoons. time for the night cap, california officers going on a magical quest to find a missing unicorn. first they started getting strange calls about the unicorn on the highway of then they

then they chased it about three hours. turns out that mythical beast is a pony named juliette. she got away from her owner and is now safe at home. >> thanks for joining us. jimmy fallon is coming up next.

[ cheers and applause ] >> steve: from studio 6b in rockefeller center in the heart of new york city, it's "the