>> schools in chaos. our 8 on your side investigation shows financial failure in schools across the bay area and how you could be paying for it. >> and an alligator takes a dip in a bay area pool. we will talk to the homeowners about their unwelcome guest. i'm keith cate. >> i'm jennifer leigh. thank you very much for joining us this evening. exclusive video of a samurai sword standoff in pasco county. you can see the man lifting his arm if you look closely, he wings his sword at deputies. you might expect this to play out on a show like chicago pd, but this is real life. >> so how do you get the bad guys when you are one of the good guys? you go all in with eyes in the sky. it is a story you will only see on newschannel8. melissa melanie michael is live with the report. >> reporter: this is are the magic happens. taking to the skies to save

you can run, but you can't hide. watch this guy sprinting to get away from pasco deputies. look closely as he takes a moment to crouch down. he wants to conceal his crime. he stays there for a second. hoping to go unnoticed. but, he's not going to get very far. the eyes in the sky tracking his every move. look at this. check out his samurai pose. watch his arm pull back. the sword in his hand. moments later as deputies closed in, watch the bottom of your screen. the sword fighter throws his weapon. teams are close by. and with a bird's eye view, pasco pilots guide the ground crews the whole time. they have the best seat in the house. >> tell me this. from this vantage point, you can see everything you need to see when you are tracking the bad guys. >> absolutely. absolutely.

>> reporter: chief pilot john perez is one of the best in the business with nearly three decades at the pasco sheriff's office. >> he decides to run. you can see the view we have up here. it is hard to get away. >> bad guys on the ground beware. you guys are coming for him. >> reporter: a crime-fighting tool that is crucial and saves lives. >> he is a perfect team. but we play for real. we don't often get a time out or a redo. >> reporter: as of right now here at the pasco county sheriff's office. there are four helicopters and four pilots in service. they might have to borrow this any minute. >> pasco is booming. so, i have to imagine these pilots are very busy. >> reporter: incredibly busy. 24 hours a day. we are talking service calls constantly. and they work closely with the k-9 unit. you imagine, very, very, very busy and tracking down the

very hard here at the pasco sheriff's office. >> very interesting. melanie michael live for us in pasco county. thanks mel. a violent carjacker is on the run in winter haven. the man held a shotgun to a woman's head before he took off in her car along with an accomplice an a 16-year-old girl. jenn holloway is live in the tampa news center with this report. they already have two of the three in custody. >> reporter: they certainly do. this happened yesterday morning in a walgreens parking lot. the victim, 15-year-old sandra hunter. she had made the stop plenty of times before. but she had no clue it would be unsafe. it is a well-lit parking lot at a 24-hour walgreens. hunter pulled into a space. she is in the car texting her son that she will be home soon. you can see the man walking back and forth in the video. that is when the unthinkable happens. >> i went to put my phone back

and that is when my door was pulled open. and, he says in so many words, get out of the car. i couldn't believe it was happening. he was waving the gun around me. he said get out now. >> reporter: hunter didn't want her face shown because the gunman is still out there. police think it is this man. 18-year-old william bradley summerland from bartow. he and john crist and a 16-year- old girl took off in the car. highway patrol troopers spotted the car driving 108 miles an hour near saint augustine. when they tried stopping it, the car crashed. all three inside took off on foot. but the cops caught up with crist and the teenage girl. they are still on the look out for summerland. she hopes the gunman is caught. he stole her cell phone and car, and her peace of mind. >> you hear about it happening to someone else. but when it is somewhere in my safe zone, somewhere i stop everyday at.

but you know, on a regular basis. >> do you still have a safe zone? >> no. no. no. >> reporter: hunter also tells us she is very shook up. she is not sleeping since the incident happened. she lies awake in bed wondering what she could have done differently. >> does this guy have a criminal record? >> he does. he was arrested in polk county in 2015 on two counts. burglary, petty theft. he has yet to be arrested tonight. but we are keeping an eye on the case. >> jenn holloway, thank you. only on newschannel8 tonight, a saint petersburg mother is talking about a terrifying road rage incident that ended, she says, with a gun pointed at her head. pinellas deputies are pointing the finger at an armored truck for sunday might's incident. a man cut her off so she honked her horn and flashed her

a short time later while relaying the events to her husband on her cell phone, the man pulled in front of her. >> i told my husband, he has a gun. i started screaming he's got a gun. he turned it sideways and raised it up and pointed it directly at me. >> 44-year-old dean contorte is charged with aggravated assault. he is an employee at dunbar armored car in pinellas county. now, an 8 on your side investigation. schools in chaos. >> a bay area charter school is running out of money. windsor prep is under scrutiny for not only a million dollars deficit, but also, for spending $300,000 on consulting. tonight, we are learning more about the troubled track record of the consultants across the state of florida.

>> reporter: we are talking about a for profit company called new point education partners. it is in charge of several charter schools. apartments who send their kids to windsor threat are furious about the final threat that threatens to sink the school. >> we will not have a school. >> reporter: that for profit management point is new point education partners which claims to have a 100% clean and positive financial track record. but that's not what we found. trouble scuttled this charter school in hillsborough county. this school tanked after just two weeks. and look what happened when an investigative team from nbc miami asked for a new point contract in panama city. >> why won't you answer the question? >> reporter: since 2007, new point has made millions managing charter schools in six counties from one end of

new point has also quit or been terminated from contracts in four of those counties. they either resigned or lost contracts in sunrise, pensacola, panama city, tampa, soon to be here in clearwater. what are your thoughts on that? >> i think it is fabulous for the people who have been able to separate for them. >> reporter: we have been trying for day to reach new point managers. >> call me back as soon as possible. >> reporter: we visited enterprise high which new point manages in clearwater. >> we are looking for somebody from new point education partners. >> reporter: then we visited new point pinellas academy listed as the corporate headquarters. all we found there was the door. finally, we resorted to house calls. >> reporter: we are looking for mr. styles. >> mark douglas with newschannel8. hello? >> reporter: we never did get a response, but if you heard that bark, at least his dog is

we have a lot of questions about how new point is spending millions of tax dollars in the charter schools it manages. >> what is the impact on the parents and the children at windsor? >> reporter: well, it is a big impact actually. there's a big teacher turnover. administrators are quitting. the district says there is no curriculum. if they don't get their act together and come up with a good financial plan very soon, the school district may move to terminate the contract. they will keep it open, however, until the end of the year even if that does happen. >> thank you mark. appreciate it. well, it was a race against time for firefighters trying to put out a boat fire today in pinellas county. this is video from palm harbor fire and rescue. you can see big flames and smoke. we are told the boat stalled out shortly after it had been refueled. the owner tried to start it again. and that is when an explosion happened. and it caught fire. two men on board were able to

cleanup is underway tonight in bentbrook, alabama. you can see why. forecasters believe an ef2 tornado tore through the suburb last night. win gusts up to 150 miles an homes. you can see the trees that toppled over in some places. four people suffered minor reported. incredible video tonight of a robbery in houston. ten robbers broke into a gun store tuesday morning. look at them there trying to get in. they eventually got in and got away. you can see the entire incident surveillance video. the robbers first chained the door to the back of the truck, the truck breaks off the door, then all ten run inside. and then, once inside, they take as many handguns and rifles as they can carry. the robbers fled the scene and exchanged vehicles about a block away. coverage. ben carson.

signals he is about to quit the race for the white house by saying he does not see a political path moving forward. nothing confirmed yet. but with super tuesday behind democratic candidates are finish. on the republican side, you have the front runner donald trump winning most states but delegates are really what matters here. the republicans need 1,237 delegates to get the nomination. right now, trump is leading. he is followed by ted cruz. the texas senator got a big boost from his superrer tuesday victories encouraged others to drop out of the race. >> for the candidates who have not yet won a state, who have not wracked up significant delegates, i can you to together. >> he made that comment before marco rubio won the state of minnesota tonight. he sits in third place in the delegate race. rubio is optimistic about

as for the democrats, hillary clinton is leading bernie sanders by 190 pledged delegates but sanders is not slowing down. he believes he is also on the path to victory. >> now, given the fact that the pun dents have been wrong from day one. almost everything they have reported about this campaign has turned out to be in inaccurate. that means we are probably going to win in a landslide. >> sanders campaign today in maine ahead of the democratic saturday. hillary clinton spent the day in new york city. we are getting ready for florida's primary. it will take place march 15. early voting is underway in hillsborough and polk counties. the rest of our tampa bay area counties start early voting we posted everything you need to know on wfla.com. the $75 million civil lawsuit filed by sports caster erin andrews could be going to the jury soon.

revealed she suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder as a result of the peephole video ordeal. a clinical psychologist took the stand testifying she diagnosed andrews with mild ptsd. andrews says she will have to be in therapy for the rest of her life and lit be up to the jury to decide just how much that pain is worth in dollars, if any. an 8 on your side consumer alert. there are a dozen sports authority stores in the tampa bay area and two of them will be closing. the sporting goods chain filed for disruptly early this morning and they are closing 140 stores over the next three months. eight florida locations are listed for auctions including bradenton and new port richey. gasoline prices are jumping 14 cents overnight in the bay area.

gasoline in the tampa bay area is 1.78. you find the list on wfla.com. as well as on our facebook page. and, two more airlines are jumping into the mix in hopes of providing flights from the united states to cuba. american airlines submitted its application to the department of transportation today. american wants to fly out of miami to six cuban cities including havana. silver airways also proposed service to havana from several florida cities including tampa and orlando. all of this coming as historic changes are happening between cue tampa bay area and the u.s. i will be traveling there to cover president obama's visit to the island. you can watch everything here on newschannel8 beginning sunday march 20. new tonight, a frightening neighborhood. take a look. one family finds this guy in their backyard pool. and tonight, they are sharing a

scare of a lifetime. >> a whopping nine foot long 300-pound alligator right in their backyard pool. paul mueller joins us live from hillsborough county with that story. it's a good thing they spotted this gator early on. >> reporter: that's right. you know, it's a good thing. luckily, they weren't about to just jump in the pool. the problem is this. their pool has a dark bottom. and that is the perfect place for a reptile to blend in. wrestled out of the water. this gator clearly not giving up without a fight. it is an experience the leers of lakeland won't soon forget. that nine foot 300 found gator taking up residence right in their backyard pool. >> well, this is what i see on the news. not in my backyard. when i saw him, i said that is not just any gator. that's a big gator. >> reporter: husband craig knew something was afloat after seeing some suspicious looking

surface. that is when he realized what it was. >> it startled me at first but i knew he wasn't going to attack. >> reporter: they believe the gator came from that lake behind their house. busted right through their screen and that is how he wound upright there in the pool. a scare for the family but for the gator catchers they see it all the time. >> it is not a surprise that a gator wound up in the swimming pool. it happens daily in florida. >> reporter: it is not yet mating season. it is just warming and alligators are active. it is a startling remind tore laura who knows firsthand these gators were here a long time before they moved in. >> we are in gator land, we are in their turf. >> reporter: but not any at least for now. >> there goes the gator. bye bye buddy. bye bye. >> reporter: bye bye is right. neighbors say they have never seen the alligators in the

in the lake, sure, but never in the pools. jenn and keith? >> wow. i have a dark bottom pool at home. i don't live very far from there. so i will be checking before i jump in any time soon. >> paul mueller live, thank you paul. look for bubbles jenn. that's a good sign. strawberry festival is kicking off. great news. we love this time of year. a bit cool. 60 degrees to start. a cold front passed with little notice. just some high clouds moving from west to eastful 76 degrees at 3:00 p.m. 69 degrees our temperature at 8:00 p.m. if you are headed out. barbara coleman got a great shot from lake placid tonight. we had some high clouds give some color to the sky. our eight-day forecast continues to call for a slight cool-down. thursday, friday, and saturday. another round of possible rain

but for the weekend, you can see a-ok on the emoji guy. temperatures jumping back into the mid 80s for some of the inland areas by that period. temperatures overnight. seasonal, 50s primarily. 55 degrees 7:00 a.m. sunshine, a few high clouds continue across the area. 73 degrees at 1:00 p.m. 75 by 3:00 p.m. so nice forecast again for tomorrow. kind of like today. despite the front passing through. temps mostly in the 50s . temple terrace. odessa. 59 lakeland. 64 venice. 54 weeki wachee. and lake placid, 63. high pressure to our knot west. here is the cold front well down to the south now. but we have a pretty good flow here. you can see the subtropical flow carrying the jet stream. mid level clouds as well streaking across the state. so those will be in the sky along with the sunshine. but temperature wise, it is very nice because the dew

bit with the passage of this front. but to see the upstream clouds here. you can't rule out clouds for tomorrow. thursday morning feeling cooler again in the 40s and the 50s . under clear skies especially northern part of the state. probably a little cooler there. in the afternoon, a few clouds return. just saw that trail of clouds back to the west with near normal highs. 65 degrees for a high. another front coming in for friday. again, the rain chance from that one generally early in the day. probably around 6:00 a.m. to 8:00 a.m. a push from north to south. a better chance of seeing a shower. perhaps a lot of you folks will see the showers before you can get going with your day. friday afternoon, skies quickly clear. mild temps in the low 70s . mostly clear skies persist all the way through saturday. should set up a nice day. you notice more of an easterly wind in the area. that may drive a few clouds into the east coast. pollen, is this any surprise? thursday, friday, saturday, in the high category for all. nettle, juniper, and oak

54 degrees, low temp. west chase tonight. 52 land o' lakes. you might need a light jacket to get going. especially in the northern spots early in the day. 73 degrees friday. 74 degrees saturday. temp sunday, 76. overnight low temperatures down in the 50s . that will feel kind of cool, but we get warmer after the weekend. back in the 80s tuesday, wednesday. as i mentioned possible mid 80s . that is definitely a warming trend. there. >> big time. >> thank you. welcoming up, 10 bolts playing for their countries. hockey rosters. >> and the rays play the first exhibition of the spring.

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>> greek philosopher plato once wrote the beginning is the most important part of the work. some 2300 years later, his words ring true for the tampa words ring true for the tampa bay rays. the pennant is not won in the preseason, but the building blocks are being laid as we speak. the raying took on the nationals. jake odorizzi got the start. he was efficient throwing eight pitches. >> ecstatic. >> reporter: fast forward to the third. rays down 1-0. two on, two out

the bat off his shoulder and doubles in a pair. >> something we will be conscious of this year. >> reporter: tampa bay couldn't hold the lead. relief. a three-run shot to dead center blows it open. hey blake, did you learn anything today? [ laughter ] >> reporter: the rays drop their opener to the nats, 6-2, but they are pleased with the work they got in today. >> i will take them out as quick as they come in the season. if i can get a lot of one or two pitch outs, i can get deeper in the game. something we are all striving for. >> spring training, none of it really counts. it is all about getting better, just learning. yeah. i'm working on the changeups so i have to throw it.

in one of the greatest hockey tournaments of all time. each team released a 16 man roster today. ten lightning players have been tapped to play for their native lands. steven stamkos will dominate the maple leaf for canada. sweden relies on the dynamic d- line duo of hedman and stralman. russia will face a trio of bolts. finally, senior night for the south florida men's basketball team. taking on east carolina. i'm only showing you highlights out of respect to the seniors because the bulls were absolutely awful. usf finished 15 for 54 from the floor. didn't hit a three until the final 90 seconds and got whooped. by a team that was 3-13 in conference play. cousins finished with a game

he is one of the four seniors that won't be back next season. a lot of work to do for the bulls but maybe they will win the conference tournament. >> there is always a chance. >> you never know. >> they they were distracted. >> you could also win the lottery. >> you are just being mean now. >> we will be back with the

>> your winning lottery numbers. >> mr. steve jerve going for the perfect game this week. everyday has been a winner. >> no pressure. >> batting a thousand i guess. or you know, 800. 55 degrees for the morning. looks like a beautiful start to the day. we will see a few high clouds on and off throughout the day. because the cold front went south, a little cooler temperatures in place. but generally highs in the 70s this weekend. it is pretty good. >> awesome. >> i know you like the animal kingdom here. so this is for you in the night cap. disney will debut a new nighttime show at the animal kingdom. this is called rivers of light. you are looking at what it will

it features illuminated lanterns. water screens. a lot more. it debuts at animal kingdom. brittany, our producer will be the first in line. >> people think cinderella is the princess of disney. it isn't. it's brittany. >> thanks for joining us. i do everything on the internet. but it's kind of slow. my friends said i should get fios because it's the fastest... but i thought it would be too expensive... who's that, jenny? no kate...turns out they have a deal that cost me even less than my slow service. and it's 100 megs ...i just downloaded 600 photos in 60 seconds. that's seriously better. we're out of 2% then i thought, maybe other things could be better. i heard that. switching to better internet is now easier than ever. only fios has the fastest internet and wi-fi available. so you can send files up to 5x

your devices. now get something that only fios offers: 100 meg upload and download speeds plus tv and phone for a price we've never offered before: just $69.99 a month online. and there isn't even an annual contract. just go to getfios.com or call 1.888.get.fios. that's 100 meg internet speeds, tv & phone for our best offer ever. switch to better. switch to fios. [ cheers and applause ] >> steve: from studio 6b in rockefeller center in the heart