trying to make an arrest when police say a drunk and angry man intervened. >> reporter: watch the man highlighted in the olive- colored jacket, heading toward police as they make an arrest. he lunges at an officer, knocking him to the ground, in front of a crowd of people, on monument and row streets in east baltimore. more officers rush in and get the man under control. >> i think it's time to make this man famous. i think the people of baltimore should know that this is the individual responsible for hurting the people that are trying to keep you safe. >> reporter: he say its happened new year's eve, around 2:30 in the afternoon. he say its started when manuel and mel banged his car door into a police cruiser. the officer inside got out to confront him. noticing amel was drunk. then another man rushed to the scene. the man who police are trying to arrest on the video. he got in the officer's face, angry he was questioning amel, while police had their hands full trying to arrest him, amel

left and came back. [ screaming ] >> reporter: and the confrontation unfolded. >> there were no issues of excessive force. no tasers, no guns, no batons. >> reporter: and mel, who has a lengthy criminal record, faces several new charges, including assaulting law enforcement, resisting arrest, and disorderly conduct. police say they don't know who filmed the incident, but it should help with prosecution. the man who police were trying to get into custody originally fled the scene. they're not identifying him but say there is a warrant out for his arrest. >> reporter: police say at this point, it is unclear whether he and emil had any sort of connection, whether they knew each other at all prior to this. reporting live at city police headquarters, mike hellgren, wjz eyewitness news. >> mike, thank you. what a story. the city police say the officers involved are from the eastern district. we have an update on the breaking news, a possible carbon monoxide incident in northwest baltimore. sky eye chopper 13 is over the scene. captain mike perry has details

for us. captain mike? >> we're in the 1100 block of winchester street. where firefighters a short time ago, about 4:00, were called to the scene for a possible carbon monoxide incident. apparently six people inside a middle group town home are receiving evaluation from fire officials at this time. it's not clear how many of those people will be transported. but fire officials found a generator running in the basement of the town home, along this block. and were able to get it stopped, but not before determining that there were about 600 parts per million on a carbon monoxide level for some of these homes. they are now getting them aired out. it is not clear again, as i said, how many people can be transported or how many other of these town homes may be affected. fire officials remain on the scene. back to you on tv hill. >> thank you. we continue to remain on this story and bring you any updates when they become available. it is another day of frigid

weather around the state. it is so cold, the patapsco river is starting to freeze over tonight. temperatures are well below normal this time of year. and heavy jackets are a must if you're going outside. cloudy skies are possible. as we take a live look outside, it is pretty out there. but it is freezing. wjz is live with first warning weather. meteorologist tim williams and bob turk are tracking the temperatures and live doppler radar. >> it's been such a mild winter. two cold, arctic air days. it's not going to be that much longer. we have flurry activities. warmer air already trying to move in overhead. temperature-wise, take a look at the morning's lows. 13 degrees here at the airport. 6 in oakland. 15, ocean city. we haven't warmed up a whole lot. 31 in downtown. 32 in d.c. 27 in oakland. dew points very low. 7 degrees. very dry air. you might see a few flurries, but with the air so dry, it may

be a little tough to get some of those flakes flakes flakes to reach the ground. tim has a look at some of those temperatures we have been experiencing. tim? >> well, bob, as you already talked about, today is already cold. and well below the average high. but we were following these trends through the week. we started off pretty warm. and we will eventually get pretty -- get pretty nice again. keep in mind, the average is 42. we started a gradual decline. 47 monday. down to 32. and today, well, the official high could be up around 34. but it looks like we're topping out around freezing yet again. now, for tomorrow, we'll start to see a gradual shift in the winds. we'll bring in a little milder air. so not quite as cold. although it is still going to be a little chilly. heading into the weekend, it looks like things get nice again. bob will have your complete updated forecast coming up. >> stay with wjz for first warning weather coverage for an updated forecast, or a look at radar, log onto wjz.com at any

time. the gop field is changing after the iowa talk uss. michele bachmann drops out. and now, most. remaining candidates are in new hampshire, trying to chip away at mitt romney's lead. randall pinkston has the latest. >> mitt romney picked up a major endorsement at his first campaign stop in new hampshire. >> i am really here for one reason and one reason only. and that is to make sure that we make mitt romney the next president of the united states of america. >> reporter: senator john mccain won the gop nomination four years ago and is now helping his one-time rival try to take back the white house. >> it's time for barack obama to go home. and for someone who understands our economy to lead this country. >> reporter: polls show romney enters new hampshire with a double-digit lead. >> game on. >> but rick santorum is looking to shrink that and capitalize on his lead. >> today, he launched a full

page ad, attacking romney. he said voters have a choice between himself, a reagan conservative and romney, a massachusetts moderate. >> reporter: john huntsman has already held 150 events here. >> you have to be on the ground. you have to shake hands and have to have ideas to shape the future of this country. >> reporter: michele bachmann is no longer in the race. >> i have decided to stand aside. >> reporter: she quit after a poor performance in iowa. but rick perry says it's not over for him. >> we're going to go into, you know, places where they have actual primaries. and they're going to be real republicans voting. >> reporter: perry is focusing on south carolina to reenergize his campaign. in manchester, new hampshire, randall pinkston, wjz eyewitness news. >> ron paul, who finished third in the iowa caucus is back in texas today, preparing for the new hampshire primary. meanwhile, president obama is campaigning in the battleground state of ohio. today, he spoke at a cleveland

suburb, where he pushed his economic recovery plan. we'll have more on the president's comments, coming up new at 5:30. two elderly women are without a home tonight, after someone intentionally set their house on fire in anne arundel county. it happened at the 300 block of church street in brooklyn park area. the fire caused $150,000 in damage. and firefighters also discovered racial and sexual slurs, tainted on the outside of the house. investigators are asking anybody with information to come forward. desire a 13-year-old -- a 13-year-old rape victim takes the stand in a baltimore court to identify one of her attackers. denise is in the newsroom with this. >> reporter: the girl broke into tears as she told the jury she was gang-raped at gang werks. prosecutors say it it happened in august 2010 in a storage room at the roller rink. the testimony comes from a victim charged. the girl pointed to davon perry

in the courtroom and identified him as one of the suspects. perry's attorney says his client's dna was not found anywhere on the victim or her clothing. he could face life in prison if he's convicted. mary? >> denise, thank you. wjz is in the courtroom. we will have new developments in the trial coming up tonight on eyewitness news at 6:00. maryland's same-sex marriage bill gets a key endorsement. the state's afl-cio labor union says it will back the legislation. governor o'malley plans to submit it in annapolis. advocates for traditional marriage are planning events in opposition. we know the play-offs are inching closer. and the excitement is definitely building for ravens fans all around maryland. wjz is live with complete coverage. jessica kartalija explains how you can voice your support for the team. but first, sports director mark viviano in owings mills today. >> it was a light practice. but some meaningful perspoactive attached to it.

sure, baltimore and the ravens are accustomed to being in the play-offs. but for some players, this is a brand-new sprnlings. >> four years in the nfl. four times to the play-off. same for quarterback joe flacco. but receiver lee evans, played the last seven years in buffalo. so he's going to the play-offs for the first time. >> i can't even put into words. it's a special experience for me. it's kind of like being a rookie all over again, going to the play-offs. it's somewhere i've never been. i'm looking forward to it. and i have been preparing for it since i came in the league. i'm excited. >> when you have been in the league for seven, eight, nine, 10 years, and you haven't been to the play-offs -- sometimes the young guys take it for granted. and the veterans can let them know how special it is. >> reporter: he is embracing a rare opportunity. >> when you get into the upper echelon of teams and you have

an opportunity to go deep into the play-offs, it's different. and i think it's really where heroes are made, stars are made and careers are made. i think we'll have an opportunity to really show how special we are. >> now, ravens' linebacker ray lewis is the only player on the current team who has played on a super bowl champion champion team. two others played in the super bowl but both with losing teams. ravens will have another light practice tomorrow. >> mark. thank you. complete coverage continues with jessica kartalija. she's live in pikesville and explains the special way that fans wish the team well. >> hello, kai. and hello to everyone. baltimore city and county are going completely purple. mayor stephanie rawlings-blake is urging everyone to show their theirle pride. meanwhile, here in the county, the giants' store, kids are putting pens to paper to cheer on the home team. >> reporter: your neighborhood giants store has now become a

ravens' post office. >> it's very exciting. the kids come in. they write their letters. they're very excited of. >> reporter: kids have the opportunity to wish the ravens luck. >> you can submit your own letter. you fill out the information. they'll send you a letter back. it also puts you in the running for cool things like tickets to sunday's game or the ravens' cheerleaders and poe visiting your school. >> the letters are then brought here to the ravens' practice facility in owings mills, where they're posted for the ravens to read. >> the whole atmosphere is fantastic. the fact that they get to see support coming from the fans directly. they thought they did the art work. it's fantastic. >> reporter: the letters can be dropped off at any baltimore area giants store, where they can be collected and delivers. -- delivered. the pole goal is to completely cover the wall of the ravens' cafeteria. >> they had football pray

players. and now it's just coming back full circle. it's exciting. everybody loves it. >> reporter: and if i can introduce photojournalist, slash, super model. this is our bradged new north afc championship official gear. it hasn't yet hit store shelves. we're told if you want to order it, you can log onto ravens gear. or the hat and gear hit store shelves tomorrow. >> jessica, joel is looking a little thick. has he been hitting the weight room or what? >> i have to confess, this is a medium. it's my fault, not his. he looks good. it makes his muscles look big. >> he looks great. he looks great. and he's a great photographer. thank you, joel. thank you, jess. by the way, the ravens will host either houston, denver or pittsburgh on sunday, january 15th at 1:00 p.m.

you can only watch that game here on wjz 13. and speaking of the steelers, they'll take the field this sunday. pittsburgh battles the broncos in denver, this sunday, at 4:30, live on wjz. >> that's a good trick, right? a size smaller. >> look at joel, looking a little cut there today, huh? >> it's a medium. [ laughter ] oh, my goodness. still ahead on wjz eyewitness news at 5:00. fighting higher prices at the pump. how one group is trying to prevent a hike in maryland's gas tax. a student killed by police. in the hallway of this middle school. i'm alex demetrick. coming up, four of maryland's historic black colleges are suing the state. that story as eyewitness news continues. it is another night to turn up the heat. it's beautiful out there. look at that sky. you know what? we are tracking a warmup. and bob will have more in his updated forecast. woman: we had been called up for the first time.

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with the legislation session just days away, lawmakers are preparing to tackle controversial topics, including a hike in the gas tax. derek valcourt explains, there is a grass roots effort under way to stop it right now. >> and public opinion appears to be on their side. a september poll shows strong opposition to a gas tax increase. >> reporter: ask most drivers about raising the gas tax, and the answers come quick. >> terrible idea. >> but this year, the governor may consider raising that tax to pay for state infrastructure projects that create jobs. >> we have to figure out whether we're willing to pay another penny in order to bring those things about or another nickel or another dime. >> this is a recession.

we shouldn't be raising taxes, period. >> reporter: nick laugher is with americans for prosperity. they're planning what they call "occupy the gas tax rallies" at several major intersections this weekend. >> it's a double tax. once at the pump. and then whatever you do something or have to pay for something that is dependent on gasoline, that cost is going to be passed onto you. >> reporter: those who support a gas tax say it's about time. they point it's been 20 years, back in 1992, when the state last raise the taxes we pay per gallon. >> i think we consume fossil fuels recklessly. i think we should pay much more. it's a good thing. i support it. >> reporter: a 15-cent hike for drivers of the most sedans would equal about $2.50. >> i understand the motivation behind it. but it's scary.

i already pay a lot for gas. >> reporter: the opposition appears to cross political lines. that september gonzalez poll shows that democrat and republican voters, both significantly oppose a significant increase in the gas tax. derek valcourt, wjz eyewitness news. >> derek, thank you. occupy the gas tax rallies will be held this saturday, from 11:00 to 1:00. they'll have one at york road and one at bel air road. and a third on route 40. for more details, log onto wjz.com, and click on the news tab. if you're waiting for someone to get home from work, let's check on the roads with kristy breslin at wjz traffic control. hi, kristy. >> hi, kai. hi, everyone. it is definitely starting to slow down out there. slowing from shawan to belfast. northbound 95 also seeing delays there from howard county line past 175. traveling 70 westbound, just bumper to bumper there. 29 to marriottsville road. and the northbound outer loop,

still sluggish there. as far as accidents are concerned, we have another crash at southbound bel air road at silver spring. and also, garrison boulevard. so far, no delays. this traffic report is brought to you by subway. introducing the hot new pastrami melt on freshly-baked bread. only from subway, eat fresh. back to you. >> kristy, thank you. getting out the vote. that's the goal of a new nationwide push by wjz. andrea fujii explains. after a low turnout, the naacp is making a strong push to push to vote. >> people need to understand to

vote. >> reporter: out of the 610,000 city residents, about 48% are not registered to vote. of those, about 44% are minorities. >> right now, i may vote or may not vote. >> reporter: to combat that thinking, the national naacp is launching 2012. they hope to educate voiders. >> we want to make sure they all have a voice. some may feel they don't. but today, we stand in solidarity, in knowing that they have a voice. >> reporter: this is one of 25 churches that are involved. volunteers will also canvas neighborhoods, instead of voter registration tables in malls and campuses. >> city resident reginald owens doesn't vote because he's frustrated with the system. >> i feel like it doesn't matter. whoever they're going to elect, they're going to elect. >> it's the right thing to do. if you want your candidate in

office, then you vote for him. >> churches will launch project 2012 on january 15th, martin luther king, jr.'s birthday. kai, back to you. >> maryland's presidential primary is april 3rd. the general election is november 6th. bob is back. welcome back. >> of course, new year. new weather. >> new tie. >> cold air, new tie. take a look at temps now. 31 degrees. yeah, it's still below freezing. humidity, very dry. air 35%. north winds, 6. barometer holding steady. maybe a few flurries. we'll tell you about that after we'll tell you about that after this. ,,,,

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and get a cold... ...you need a cold medicine with a heart. only coricidin hbp has a heart, right here. it's the only cold and flu brand that won't raise your blood pressure. coricidin hbp. powerful cold medicine with a heart. all right. a lot of clouds north of the city. now, a few flurries being reported across the city. take a look at radar, just north of the maryland- pennsylvania border, across york county, adams county p.a. a few flurries coming down. looks like the general trend is moving off to the southeast. i think portions of northern carroll, northern baltimore county and harford county can probably see some of these flakes coming down. in the next hour, hour and a half. so don't be surprised if you might see another very, very light dusting. most of these flakes won't

reach the ground. it's so dry out there. we're seeing some reports also out there of a few flakes and a few flurries. may cause another light dusting out in garrett. out in allegheny county. a little more eastward out there. but here in the city, a few more flakes. 31 now. the warm spots, as you can see, just at the freezing. dew point is so low. very dry air. it's tough to get the little snow flakes, from 3,000 to 4,000 feet to reach down to the ground without melting. 28 in bel air. 32 in kent island, annapolis. just at the freezing work. and yes, we saw some ice forming. but we had four five, six, seven eight days. 31, 13 today. february 9th. coldest since then. record, 70 in 2000. and 4 in 1918.

right now, winds beginning to turn more to the southwest. believe it or not, we're going to have a big warmup the next few days. even though it's being cold. the clouds coming in overhead. that's causing the clouds to produce some flurries. to the west of us, milder temps. 40s and 50s. and yes, we'll be that warm by the end of the week and weekend right now, with the exception of sunday. with a chance of showers sunday. but temperatures will go way up above normal once again. so here goes the cold air. goodbye. more mild air coming in. i know it's been a crazy mild winter. december was 5 1/2 degrees above normal, by the way. west winds gusting to 20 knots. bay temp around 41 degrees. tonight, flurries possible, yes. 13 up to 27 tonight. 44, above average, with partly sunny skies. a little breezy. so even though it will be warm, it will still feel chilly tomorrow afternoon. >> bob, thank you.

still ahead on eyewitness news at 5:00. retaliation attack. new information about the man accused of setting fires around los angeles. and why his crime may be connected to his mother. police are revealing more about a body found on queen elizabeth's estate. is it connected to a cold case? a baltimore native premieres her first film in her hometown. coming up, we'll have more on the christma,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,

it's 5:30. 30 degrees and cloudy. here are some of the stories people are talking about tonight. in a bid to stay competitive with other universities, four of the black colleges are suing the state. the lawsuit links the past tol desperately needed funding today. >> many compete for money. they needed to fund everything from faculty to facility in order to draw students. the state's historic black colleges also need funding but claim they have been short- changed by a segregated past that continues on in the form of less money for black colleges. now they've gone to federal court to get money say they the state has promised. >> and they just haven't done it. they have said they want to do it. they've committed to doing it. but actions speak louder than words. we are filing a lawsuit, trying

to get them to fulfill their promises. >> reporter: following suit are coppin state, buoy state, -- bowie state. they should have received $644 million in state appropriations and another $450 million to help low-income students. >> reporter: the state's position is minority students have far more opportunities today than in the past and that current practices are normally connected to a segregated past. >> if you look at the historical documents, they say the same thing in the 1940s and 50s. and in 1991, maryland said they were going to fix this by providing funding that took into account the cumulative underfunding. and they just didn't do it. >> reporter: it's an argument here that is being closely followed by the other black colleges in the country. >> it will take six weeks for the trial and it will be

decided by a judge rather than jury. police opened fire on a student armed with a gun. denise is in the newsroom to explain exactly what happened. >> reporter: police in the southwest texas town of brownsville -- officers found a 15-year-old student in the hallway with a handgun. police opened fire and the student died from his injuries. investigators would not say whether the teen fired his weapon, but did say he engaged officers on the scene. it's still not clear how the boy got his hands on the gun, though. >> the school was locked down for about two hours after the shooting. there are no reports of any other injuries. in just a short time, the suspect in a frightening string of arsons will appear in a los angeles courtroom for arraignment. right now, the man is on suicide watch. lee cowan reports for wjz. >> the day before some 53 arson fires.

now their prime suspect. went on a tirade. sources say he was upset that his mother, dorothy burkhart, had been arrested by u.s. marshals on a warrant out of germany. >> he entered the courtroom and made quite a disturbance. there was a lot of cursing in english, words that i won't repeat here. >> reporter: court documents indicate his mother is being held on 19 counts of fraud. and they will be extradited out of the u.s. if burkhart's motive was retaliation for his mother's arrest, investigators aren't saying. >> i'm not going to get into any details of statements he made. >> reporter: both were here in the country illegally, say officials. a website linked to dorothy burkhart indicated she ran an adult massage. he had an outburst in court when he saw a videotape police released of the suspect.

police say a lot more charges are pending. lee cowan, cbs news, los angeles. >> wjz has just learned, burkhart has been charged with 30 additional counts of arson. he's also under investigation for a suspicious fire in germany in october. investigators in england are working to identify the body of a young woman found on the queens country estate. the remains were discovered about three miles from the main house on the vachtd property. now, police are focusing on recent missing persons reports and cold cases. they say the woman appears to be between the age of 15 and 23. the body has been there for one to four months. president obama campaigns in a key swing state today, to push his economic recovery plan. it is his 17th trip to ohio, a state that supported him in 2008. but as tara mergener reports, this year could be a different story. >> it is good to be back in ohio. [ cheering ]

>> reporter: president obama looked and sounded very much the candidate as he greeted supporters at a cleveland high school. >> you're the reason why i ran for this office in the first place. [ cheering ] >> you remind me what we are still fighting for. but he has also ignited a fight with fellow republicans. the president announced the appointment of richard cordray to lead the new consumer protection bureau. >> his job will be to protect families like yours from the abuses of the financial industry. >> reporter: cordray was first nominated to the position last summer. and touched off with a battle. the nomination was blocked by the gop just last month. >> we're not going to let the president put another unelected czar in place, unaccountable. >> reporter: but the president used a recessed appointment to

give cordray the job for at least two years without congressional approval. it's a move republicans are calling arrogant but that the president says was necessary since congress refused to act. >> i'm not going to stand by while a minority in the senate puts party ideology ahead in the senate that we serve. >> reporter: they are putting the session forward friday. but nose action is planned. republicans say they are not technically in recess. at the white house, tara mergener, wjz eyewitness news. >> undecided voters will probably be watching closely in the next months, as the president battles congress over how to pay for extending that popular tax cut for the rest of 2012. good news for retailers, as consumers remained in the holiday shopping mood, even after christmas. sales during the final week of the year, rose more than 5%, compared with the same period last year. a trade group says the use of gift cards, mild weather, and a federal holiday on monday, all

contributed to the surge in retail sales. now, the students are back in school after the holiday break. bus drivers report more motorists, ignoring their stop signs and flashing lights. mike schuh reports, that has police stepping in. >> reporter: when driver joe bryant heads out on a school bus, a scene like this one, captured on you tube, will play out. a motorist, ignoring and driving around the stop sign and flashing lights. [ siren ] >> so it's just about every day that you can see this happening. not only with me, with other buses and all. >> every day? >> every day. >> reporter: it happens so often, he simply doesn't trust motorists. one day, in his mirror, joe saw a car passing on the right. >> yes, i have had to literally grab a kid by his coat. >> reporter: besides the obvious safety implications of ignoring this sign, it also could mean your license and a lot of money. up to 3 points and $600. >> this is something we do as a

rolling enforcement situation. >> reporter: in other words, police are stepping up their enforcement. >> are officers, enforcement details are in marked vehicles. and they're observing drivers passing these school buses. >> reporter: as for joe, you don't have to remind him what is really at stake. >> reporter: in towson, mike schuh, wjz eyewitness news. >> county police won't say when they'll end their enforcement efforts. so far, they've written nearly 300 tickets in the past 12 months. time now for a quick look at the stories we'll find in the baltimore sun. the crowd of annapolis lawmakers, planning to take on maryland incumbents in congress. looking to make ways of wearing fur acceptable to animal rights groups? and how the ravens feel about possibly putting their ravens play-off fate on the leg of kicker billy cun dif? remember to look for the updated forecast from wjz's first warning weather team. she grew up in baltimore and is now on her way to making

feature films. monique griego has more on a new project from a local filmmaker. >> reporter: 29-year-old angel williams has dreamed of making movies since she was a little girl growing up in baltimore. >> my dad bought one of those really heavy shoulder vhs cameras when i was around that age. and i picked it up. and i think then i knew that i wanted to do something with film and video. >> reporter: williams finally had the budget and resources to make the christmas tree. >> in terms of scale and story, it's the biggest, most ewill beerate project that i've made to date. >> reporter: it's a 12-minute short about a daughter's first christmas with her father, after her parents are separated. the movie, which involves love and loss, screened for the first time yesterday, at the landmark harbor east. >> it was the first time i saw the film on the screen, with an

audience of my peers. and my family, my mother. >> reporter: then yesterday, right before the screening, williams learned the christmas tree had been accepted into the an american film festival, which is the largest african american film festival in the united states. >> hopefully after the festival circuit, you know, may be picked up for distribution or something. that's the hope. >> reporter: williams also has another mission. >> to make a future. to direct the future. >> reporter: she's hoping the christmas tree gives her the exposure she needs to get there. monique griego, wjz eyewitness news. >> williams is a graduate. universityty of maryland and is currently getting a masters in fine art from columbia. still to come on wjz eyewitness news. corrections crash. a buzz carrying prisoners overturns on a major highway. did any of the inmates escape? parents demand answers, after a little girl suffers a deadly reaction at school.

bob turk in the first warning weather center. a big warmup. we'll have the exclusive first warning five-day forecast. and here's today's report from wall street. ,,,,,,,,,,,,,,

across the region. really for the first time this winter. tim williams has the answer. tim? >> and definitely, it's going to be around for at least tonight. and through tomorrow, we'll start to see a gradual increase. that's where we start tomorrow, with a good bit of sunshine. we'll start to see a wind shift. temperatures will start to get into the 40s. and we'll top out in the low to mid-40s. we'll call it 44 degrees before dropping back down into the 20s again for tonight. for the next five days, we send it in to bob. and look at these temperatures, compared to what we saw this morning. 13 degrees. tomorrow, back up to 44. it will get sunny in the afternoon. 50 on friday.

54 on saturday. insane. maybe some showers sunday, as another cool front comes through. but 49, even on monday, 44 is still above average. tomorrow night's low, 25. once again. tonight, maybe mid- to upper 20s. could be some flurries yet this evening. mary? >> all right, bob. thank you. in today's energy saver, experts recommend installing a programmable thermostat. you can save on average $200 a year by using a programmable thermostat. for more information on how you can be an energy saver, go to wjz.com, scroll down to the right-hand side of that page and click on our special section. this bitter cold reaches all the way to florida, where it's threatening a vital industry. temperatures dipped for several hours across the central and northern parts of the state. some of the crops ever orange -- of oranges are covered in ice. fruit farmers are using irrigation systems with warm water, in hopes of preventing

lasting damage. a department of corrections boss overturns. -- bus overturns. nearly 20 inmates were on board when the bus crashed in muncie. nobody was seriously hurt, but the bus driver was trapped for a short time. police say none of the inmates tried to escape. no word on what caused the crash. a tragic day at an elementary school, after a first grader dies from an allergic reaction. amaria johnson went into cardiac arrest, after she was exposed to a peanut product at the school. medics rushed the girl to the hospital, where she was pronounced dead. her mother is devastated by the news. >> i had fixed her hair. i curled it up. put a little ribbon on it. and i sent her to school. and told her i love her. and she said, i love you, mommy, i'll see you later. >> reporter: it is still unknown how amarria got the peanut product. her mother says the school knew her daughter had a severe allergy to peanuts. and she still wants answers as

to what happened. in healthwatch, the cancer society says cancer rates and deaths are down again this year, thanks to better treatment and screening. but as alison harmelin reports for wjz, some cancers are still on the rise. >> reporter: 68-year-old enrikay lin cescky knew something was wrong. he had pain every time he ate. >> it started to radiate to the chest and to my shoulder. >> reporter: a cat scan revealed bad news. he had pancreatic cancer, one of several cancers on the rise. >> we're seeing a rise in cancers of the thyroid, cancers of the esophagus, cancer of the liver, cancer of the pancreas, and cancer of the throat. >> reporter: it's estimated there will be 1.6 million new cases of cancer. and more than a half million will die in the u.s. this year alone. and doctors say obesity, lack of exercise, and high caloric intake are behind many of the cases. >> reporter: there is some

encouraging news. cancer rates continue to decline in men and women in common cancers, like breast, prostate, lung, and colorectal cancer. >> we're catching it earlier. we're catching the abnormal issue tissue-- tissue earlier so they don't develop into cancer. >> this disease is very serious. very silent. and that's why the death rate is so incredibly high. the survival rate is 5% after five years. >> reporter: but his hopes are high. he plans to be part of that 5%. in new york, alison harmelin, wjz eyewitness news. >> the american cancer society says obesity may overtake smoking as the number 1 cause of cancer within the next decade. check in with eyewitness news at 6:00 for these stories and more coming up. denise is standing by with a preview. >> hi, kai. it is a video gone viral. a baltimore city police officer, attacked while trying

to make an arrest. new details on the suspect in custody. a guilty grinch, a man caught on tape, stealing presents from a doorstep but there is a happy ending to this story. check in for this story and all the breaking news at 6:00. now, back to kai and mary. >> denise, thank you. still to come on today's eyewitness news. >> they are my heroes in every sense of the word. >> a mother thanks strangers who saved her child from an icy river. how the heroes are being honored for risking their own lives. ,,,,,,,,

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it is a nightmare for a surfer. a man is attacked by a shark in deep australian waters. he felt his right arm yanked underneath his surf board. experts believe the shark that bit him was a bronze whaler, which was recently spotted at a beach. witnessed helped stop the bleeding. he is expected to recover. a group of surfers bounced together to help. now, as stella turkhill

reports, the grateful parents are thanking their heroes. >> i was slightly off the road, and sliding down the embankment. hit the water and the car rolled over onto its roof. >> reporter: roger anderson, his daughter mia, son baylor, were headed to the mountain to ski. but slid into the frigid and powerful logan river. >> within a second, it was just the sound of rushing water. >> reporter: roger says he was desperately reaching for his daughter. >> not being able to locate her, i decided the best thing was to get out of the car. >> but help was already on the way. >> there were half a dozen men standing on the banks of the river. >> reporter: this mountain of human strength did the unthinkable. flipped over a 4,000-pound car and freed the children into the arms of strangers. but it was touch-and-go for a while. the children had been submerged for at least two minutes. >> i just dropped to my knees, looked for breath out of his

mouth. looked for any movement. >> reporter: but somehow, baylor, mia, and kenya, made it through, thanks to the good samaritans who put their life- saving skills to work. >> we had outstanding people at the right place, at the right time, doing incredible things. >> reporter: and now there is much more than gratitude for their heroic works. >> these people that were there at the scene, without hesitation, they just did what they had to do. >> we want to say thank you. we appreciate from the bottom of our hearts. >> i love them. i will be forever grateful. they are my heroes in every sense of the word. really. they are the reason i have my children. >> all three children have been released from the hospital. still ahead on eyewitness news tonight. >> caught on camera. i'm mike hellgren, in east baltimore, at the spot where this video shows a police officer being attacked. i'll have the story behind the video.

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tax hike that could affect your wallet. i'll explain coming up on eyewitness news. and republican contenders. one bows out, while another picks up a major endorsement. another night to turn up your heat. but changes are coming. don't miss the updated first warning forecast. check in for these stories and all the day's breaking news. wjz eyewitness news at 6:00 starts now. [ bleep ] attacked. a baltimore city police officer, pushed to the ground issue during an arrest. >> tonight, the story behind a video that has gone viral. hi. radio -- >> hello, everybody. i'm denise koch. >> and i'm kai jackson, in