this is the result of a bomb threat at the house of sweden, which houses the swedish embassy in georgetown. this is the heart of georgetown. police got a call around 3:30 in the 2900 block of k street. several roads in the area blocked. again, a live look at the e street expressway. it is a mess. we have crews monitoring the scene. we are going bring you the update, a lot of updates within the hour. we are still following breaking news about a reportedly deadly theater collapse in london. let's go to the live desk, barbara? >> pat, we got new details. the ceiling did collapse during a performance at the apollo theatre in london. there are at least 40 people injured, currently being treated. all those trapped inside have been freed. police are saying there are no fatalities they are aware of. still, they say it's early in the investigation. it's still a chaotic scene

there. one witness who made it out of the chaos described it. look what she said. >> we went outside, about three minutes, we saw sirens, police arrived, then fire crews. within five minutes, everybody was there. they were very, very quick about it. >> we are waiting to confirm whether anyone died in the theater collapse in london. we will follow the story and get back to you with more information. >> now to one of the largest breaches ever of consumer data. >> it is a theft so serious the u.s. secret service is investigating the crime. >> target said today that the credit card and debit card information of as many as 40 million customers was compromised. the breach is extended to almost all target stores in the united states. it happened from november 27th, the day before thanksgiving

through december 15th. >> news 4 is digging up details of what it means for the millions of shoppers at risk. we spoke to a shopper who believes he's a victim. derrick ward is live with that person's story. derrick? >> reporter: good evening. we talked to several people who don't know whether they are victims or not. a lot of people are assuming they are and taking action with that in mind. coming up on news 4 at 6:00, we'll have an interview with a woman who is pretty sure she has been victimized. there couldn't be a worse time for this security breach. the target chain says they have closed the breach. consumers are watching. >> i used my red card several times since then. if there's a really problem with it, i haven't paid the bill yet. i suppose i'll worry about it at that time. >> reporter: the stolen information comes from target cards. it took him 20 minutes, but he reached target.

>> we called them to get new cards. i'm not concerned because i'm watching it. >> reporter: major credit cards and debit cards are affected. >> oh, this is going to be tough for a bunch of folks. >> reporter: as many as 40 million. this is an attorney, personal finance expert and ceo of financially fierce. those afraid they are in the affected group, check debit card or credit card statements. if it's a debit card, check with a bank. if it's credit, pull the report. >> there's a section with inquiries. you can see every company that asked for your credit report. if any company is on that list that you have not attempted to get credit with, that means your information has been compromised. >> contact that company. >> hey, whoever applied wasn't me, close that account, it's fraudulent. >> reporter: she suggests a credit freeze z a good idea

time. freezing it is as simple as thawing it again. the phone calls should be followed up by letters. bottom line, target may have been the target of this massive theft, there's a new reality to being a consumer. it pays to be proactive about your protection. >> think about it everywhere you go. >> reporter: coming up on news 4 in the 6:00 hour, we'll talk to a woman who is pretty sure she was a victim of this. if she was, this wouldn't be the first time. derrick ward, news 4. >> how often should you check your credit card information? is there a way to prevent trouble? what are the odds of becoming a victim? we'll answer those questions in a half hour. it's part of the credit card security breach. stay with news 4 and www.nbcwashington.com for updates. police identified a man found dead alongside the

beltway. honorio nava-paredes. he was found beyond the shoulder of the inner loop on georgia avenue. right now, an autopsy is determining how he died. a long-time professor was hit by a car and killed as she was walking her dog. francis parsons taught art history and traveled the world writing books. she lived in the town square towers apartment in southwest. that's where the deadly accident happened yesterday afternoon. someone pulling out of the parking garage hit her. news 4s mark segraves has the story. >> reporter: the death of the professor is doubly troubling for the people in this apartment building. they lost a friend and neighbor, and the man who hit parsons also lives here. it happened as residents were gathering for the annual holiday party. >> she lived in this building for about 20 years.

well liked. we would see her go out every morning with her little dog. >> reporter: 90-year-old francis parsons pictured here with her previous dog would walk her current dog every day. >> she was so close with that dog. if anyone tried, in an aggressive move to get close to her, he would be yapping, you know? >> reporter: yesterday afternoon, parson's was walking her dog here on the ramp in her building when one of her neighbors driving a 2013 porsche was coming out of the garage and hit her. the driver came into the building where the annual party was about to begin and asked for help. >> he was so distraught. he was very, very distraught. >> parsons was pronounced dead at a nearby hospital. she spent her life teaching sign language and traveling the world helping the hearing-impaired.

>> she was loved. very sweet, loving person. it's sad that this had to happen, very sad. >> reporter: now, there have been no charges filed against the driver in this case. he is cooperating with police. as for parson's dog, the dog is in a shelter. coming up at 6:00, the efforts by friends to get the dog released and the bureaucratic issues standing in the way. in southwest, mark segraves, news 4. right now, we have new details on the gunman in front of the federal courthouse in baltimore today. this video shows agents leading someone away in handcuffs. the fbi says this man appears to have a semiautomatic handgun. it was a pellet gun. he pointed it at his head and demanded to speak to u.s. marshalls. the fbi hasn't released his name and the courthouse did have to be evacuated. five years in prison for the

northern virginia man found guilty of setting a sandwich shop on fire. he was sentenced today. investigators say he intentionally poured gasoline inside a sub shop on richmond highway in february and then ignited it. it set off a massive explosion and fire ball that caused extensive damage to the shop. the shop owner was seriously injured. seeking an indictment against virginia governor bob mcdonnell. >> prosecutors told mcdonnell and his wife they would be charged in connection with the scandal involving businessman johnny williams. they are looking into whether they worked together to promote a struggling dietary supplement company in exchange for money and gifts. the company is run by williams. a meeting between mcdonnell's lawyers and the justice department prompted them to wait until january before asking them

to return an indictment the day before the lawyers asked for the delay, news 4 asked the governor if he was convinced -- if he had convinced them he had done nothing wrong. >> that's a choice they have to make. you know, i know in my heart and i know from analyzing the law, i have not violated any state or federal laws. i have tried diligently to follow the laws and i rest in that assurance. >> mcdonnell said he did nothing illegal in his relationship with johnny williams. after two weeks of below average temperatures, we are finally moving out of the freezer. >> yeah, here is a look at the people enjoying the warmer weather in georgetown this afternoon. it's going to get warmer, doug, right? >> it's going to get a lot warmer. we have been in the icebox for about the last two weeks. a lot of areas of snow including one last snowball i found on the patio. this will be out of here.

the temperatures continue to warm. we may see record warmth. first off, take a look at the temperatures. today, 61 degrees in d.c. that was the high so far. 64 fredericksburg, 68 in la ray. warm air. frederick, 48. still snow on the ground up there. don't worry, if you want the snow out of here, it will get out of here this weekend. a warmer weekend as temperatures climb to near 72. if we hit that mark, that would tie our record on sunday. after that, of course, we have christmas. do we want it to stay this warm around christmas? we are going to talk about that changes christmas weather pattern coming up in a minute. an ashburn man who runs a driving school is accused of sexually abusing his female students. he operated a school called aali fast track. northern virginia bureau chief, julie carey obtained documents showing some of the abuse took place inside a moving vehicle with the student at the wheel. >> reporter: this is driving

instructor. the 63-year-old is the owner and only teacher at aali fast track driving school. he operates the business out of his ashburn town home. he's accused of sexual aabusing at least two of his female students. >> i don't think what to think. i never interacted with him. his wife is very nice. she brought over stuff during ramadan two years in a row. she's pretty nice. >> reporter: neighbors say they had little interaction with the driving teacher. they knew that's what he did for a living, but there was no sign of the business here. no cars with a sign or placard saying driving school. this search warrant shows new details about the investigation. it began in mid september that he had been assaulting female

students. at least four young women have come forward ranging in age from 16 to 18. they allege their driving teacher kissed them, made them touch his crotch while driving and rubbed their upper thigh area. they say he took digital pictures of them and asked them to text back photos. this is a list of items taken during an october raid. it includes business documents, laptops, camcorders and iphone. he's out of jail tonight after posting bond. he holds his dmv issued license for the driving school but it is under review. julie carey, news 4. a career criminal with a rap sheet dating back to 1977 will likely spend the rest of his life behind bars. a judge sentenced larry to 105 years in prison. his latest crime was the armed robbery of a boost mobile store in oxon hill in october. police say he has a long list of

robbery convictions dating back 36 years. now, to another one-man crime that spread across two states. only one victim is coming forward about when she came face-to-face with this violent criminal. >> i was very afraid. then i was afraid he was going to kill me. >> and we are getting our first look inside the cracked capitol

the long time host of nbc 4s trivia game, "itis academic" mac mcgarry was laid to rest today. the funeral at our lady of mercy church. donate to his scholarship fund in his honor. to tell you how to do that, we invite you to www.nbcwashington.com. >> i'll miss mac. one of the most recognizable structures in our city will soon have a brand-new look. >> here is a live look at the capitol right now. the dome will soon be covered in scaffolding. >> architects say the dome has cracks and rust damage. tom sherwood is live on the national mall with details about the repair plan and reaction to the capitol's makeover. tom? >> reporter: pat and wendy, you know the capitol dome looks solid as a rock. looks can be deceiving, and

expensive to fix. for months, the washington monument has been draped in scaffolding, which is now only coming down after extensive earthquake restoration work. now, it's the capitol dome's turn. it's about to be wrapped in scaffolding for a 2 year restoration project. >> as we commence this restoration of the dome, it hasn't been done in 50 years. >> reporter: the capital dome and hundreds of leaks have been studied for the last ten years. >> we were inspecting it every two or three years. those number of cracks grew and grew and grew. as late as 2012, there are nearly 1300 cracks and broken and missing pieces. water and cast-iron don't work well together. that process of water incursion and cast-iron continues to rust and rust and rust. >> reporter: plans are for the

exterior scaffolding to be delivered and put up next spring. priceless interiors inside will be prosected inside by interior scaffolding allowing some access while the work is being done. >> we thought it was important now, after 50 years, to intervene and do preservation work on the dome. >> reporter: reporters and tourists, alike, has one key question, is the dome itself structurally sound or in danger of collapsing? >> it's in great structural condition. it's not in any way unsafe at all. >> reporter: citizens are for the restoration, even if they are not happy with the politics going on inside. >> no, i don't want to talk about what's going on inside the capitol. >> reporter: the goal is to have the dome done before the next presidential inaugural. on the national mall, tom sherwood, news 4. turning to the weather. what season is this, anyway?

>> exactly right. it is not going to feel like winter. >> no, it feels great. >> if you are in the sunshine, it did feel nice. temperatures made their way into the 60s. take a look at the cam. a gorgeous look there. it has been a very nice day. not a lot in the way of cloud cover. fantastic day for recess. that's what the kids were doing out there at forest elementary school. hello to all the kids out there we spoke with today all about the weather. these were fantastic kids. i love going to this school, this is my third year in a row. hello to them, once again. they wanted to know about snow. kids, not in this forecast. 55 degrees. that's the high temperature, the temperature out there now. it's still ten degrees above the average high for this time of year. winds out of the south at 9 miles per hour. 57 in winchester. 59 in la ray. 58 toward camp springs. frederick is the cold spot with

a lot of snow on the ground. temperatures were held down there. storm team 4 radar, nothing to show. no rain anytime soon. not much rain out of the next storm system. we saw clouds earlier. they gave way to sunshine early in the afternoon. the clouds will try to make their way back in as we move through the night tonight. once again, we have been cold during the month of december. for the most part, temperatures well below average. warm to the south. it's where it is now. watch how the warmth moves in toward our destruction. sunday, i'm going for a high of 72. that would tie the record. speaking of records, these are sunday afternoon temperatures. 72 in leesburg. the record high at dulles, 67. i think we may blow it out of the water. 69 in gaithersburg. sunday, the best chance of rain to the west, then eventually it will move through here. this weekend, not calling for a

wash out, but showers on saturday. a 30% chance. 65 degrees on saturday. 72 degrees on sunday. a 70% chance of rain on sunday. most of that will come late. it's going to last through early portions of monday through the noon hour with a temperature of 51. monday is the day temperatures will be falling. after we go up, we go back down. winter takes hold again in time for christmas. temperatures 42 on tuesday. 43 on wednesday. once again, christmas is looking good. we'll continue to watch a developing weather pattern to see what chances we have for any snow on christmas. right now, guys, not looking too good. i'm going to keep watching for you and all the kids out there at the schools today. >> all righty. an update on the breaking news about the theater collapse in london. first responders say more than 80 people were hurt when the ceiling gave way at the apollo theatre in london. it happened this evening. we are told at least seven people seriously hurt.

still no deaths confirmed at this point. an eye opener in time for dinner. the facts revealed about how much contaminated chicken is in the stores and could be on your dinner table. how about super bowl monday. why plans are in the works to move the biggest football game of the year.

are you ready for super bowl monday? we are going talk about that in a minute. right now, the caps are rocking the red. things are heating up on the ice. >> dianna russini is here with an upcoming milestone for the team's captain and she's going to tell us how it began. >> in hockey, one thing never gets old, that's scoring goals. even at the professional level, players saver the feeling and the moments right before and after the puck crosses the line. even for star players like alec ovechkin close to 400 goals, nothing comes close to the feeling of that first one. >> no matter how many goals you have scored as a professional hockey player, you remember the first one. >> you know, it was pretty cool. >> reporter: throughout his

career, alex ovechkin scored 399 goals. his teammate has six for his career making his first goal difficult to forget. >> my dad was in town for that game. it was a canadian and for me, especially, that was a perfect setting for me to score. >> reporter: 19-year-old tom wilson and this 22-year-old are the future of the organization. they are starting to scratch the surface when it comes to their nhl potential. this season, both players get their goals. >> that was great. probably my biggest hit. >> one of my favorite players. it's cool to have them part of it. >> reporter: after the celebrating and emotions of finally scoring the first nhl goal, now is the hard part for the players, what to do with the

puck. >> it's going to be home. at my grandpa's house and show it to everyone for christmas this year. >> maybe my parents will get a one dayer. give it to him. as of right now, i have it on my wall. i see it every day. >> reporter: jason pugh, news 4 sports. are you ready for super bowl monday or super bowl saturday? those options are on the table if weather interferes with the first game to be played outdoors in a cold region? it's planned at metlife stadium in new jersey february 2nd. organizers are hoping to play despite possible snow. if the weather becomes severe, the option is to reschedule the game. >> it's quite a crystal ball to find out what the weather is going to look like in early february. right now at 5:00, it started with a carjacking. >> that was just the beginning of a crime spree. he went all over the state of

maryland and crossed into virginia. we'll show you the surveillance video that tracked the crime spree all over town. >> tainted chicken. what we learned about the most popular meat. >> we continue to dig up more information about the security breach at target stores. we'll break down what you can do

fast forward through the headlines, a 90-year-old woman

is dead after being hit by a car walking her dog in southwest d.c. he was a long-time professor who retired in 1993. she was hit by a car pulling out of her apartment building's garage while she was walking her dog. her dog was not hurt and no charges have been filed. ashburn driving instructor is charged with sexual assault. he touched an 18-year-old woman and juvenile. police are looking for more victims. one security analyst is describing target's data breach as alarming. this may have been an inside job. some 40 million credit and debit card users are at risk for credit card fraud. that breach started around thanksgiving and continued until

last sunday. most experts are saying even if you fear you are a victim, you don't have to cancel your card. the question is, what should you do? >> i would definitely check my account. >> that's right. things have become very good at keeping your information and detecting fraud. they recommend you check your statement at least once a month. if your credit card numbers are stolen, they may not be used right away. the key is to remember it may not show up for months. >> i don't use a bank account. >> using cash is the only way to absolutely avoid credit card or debit theft. for many, it's not practical. odds are that a thief will use your stolen credit card information. you can help keep track of your

credit by getting a report. you can get one report a year with no charge. many people get just one report, one agency every four months. to find out how to get your free credit reports, visit our website, www.nbcwashington.com/liz crenshaw. a string of robberies across the region over a span of several weeks. tonight, there's justice as the man behind the crimes will spend the next three decades behind bars. pat collins is in rockville tonight. pat? >> reporter: i'm live at the scene of the crime. the first crime. this is byron. he got big jail time today for a string of violent crimes. they got enough surveillance video on this guy to make a highlight reel. >> byron is a one-man crime wave. today, 35 years was handed down

for him to think about the crimes he committed. >> reporter: crime number one, this doctor is depositing checks at wells fargo in rockville. byron steals her purse, her checks, her credit card and her blue prius car. >> i was very afraid, then afraid he was going to kill me. >> reporter: crime two, using the stolen prius, he holds up a rite aid. he's caught on tape by security cameras there. crime number three. the prosecutor says he then drives to alexandria and at gunpoint robs a dunkin' donuts, more surveillance video where the prosecutor says you can see him with a gun and see him pulling cash out of a register. that case is still in the virginia courts. crime number four. after the robberies, the lookout for the stolen prius got more intense. he knew it was hot, he made it

hotter. he set fire to it and left it in a ball of flames near the beltway. the doctors car, toast. crime number five. the 11000 block of rockville pike, he carjacks a lincoln, steals more credit cards, goes on a spending spree. $376 for two pair of nikes. $37 for a carolina panthers baseball cap. a $180 sports bar bill. he gets hungry and goes to little seizers for a pizza. they have surveillance of him doing that. what does he think of the sentence handed out today? more on that coming up at 6:00. i'm pat collins, live in montgomery county. we want to take you back to the breaking news that created a traffic nightmare in the georgetown area of northwest d.c. here is barbara harrison at the live desk. >> wendy, we are watching the

area around k street where a bomb threat investigation tied up the roads around georgetown. here is a look at the gridlock along e street expressway over a suspicious package reported at the house of sweden, home of the swedish embassy along k street. police got the call about two hours ago. several roads are still blocked off at this hour. we will continue to monitor the situation and the traffic in that area and get back to you if there are changes. back to you now. when will the new metro silver line over for business? the answer is tba. the project director said there are too many variables to pick a work completion date. that means they can't pick a date for the start of service, either. the silver line was supposed to open before the end of this year. it got pushed into early next year. a second delay came when a train failed to perform. it was eventually stopped.

a nationwideout break of salmonella is being blamed on the u.s. government. the usda didn't do enough to warn people about a salmonella outbreak linked to foster farms chicken. hundreds of people across the country got sick from salmonella poisoning. now the usda is changing the way it handles the outbreaks. they describe the moves as baby steps. let's get the latest on the weather from doug. you didn't need your mittens today. >> you are not going to need them for awhile. we are talking very warm numbers. temperatures outside right now, 55. down to the south, dallas 74 degrees. new orleans, 73. l of that warmer air, it's moving our way. i'll show you how warm we are going to be, coming up in just a minute.

congressman who admitted trying to biko cane in dupont circle is out of rehab and holding a news conference in a few minutes. he pleaded guilty in d.c. superior court last month to a misdemeanor charge and sentenced to a year's probation from agreeing to biko cane from an

under cover agent. hacking scandal extended to prince william. they heard messages left back in 2006 when they were dating. in one, william calls her babykins. the owner of news of the world, rupert murdock closed down the paper. a disturbing incident in vatican city. the police are trying to figure out why a man doused himself in gasoline and set himself on fire. it happened in the middle of st. peters square. a priest tried to smother the flames with a jacket. the man suffered serious burns to his upper body. vatican says he has a piece of paper with him on that paper was his daughter's phone number. a methodist minister is removed from his duties because

he refuses to stop marrying same-sex couples. he was convicted last month for officiating at his son's ceremony. he had one month to agree to stop performing the same-sex marriages and he refused. the church took away his credentials for violating church laws. dozens supported him at a hearing monday. lockheed martin is stopping donations to the boy scouts. the ban on gay scout leaders is at odds with their policy and commitment to diversity. the company didn't disclose how much they were contributing. u.p.s. and intel have also withdrawn support for the scouts. debate over new developments in prince george's county. oxon hill is home to the tanger outlets and may soon take

care of casino krafk as well. it it's how people want to keep it. >> reporter: i'm liz crenshaw. tis the season to donate. how to

we're just a day away from learning where that new casino will be built in the county. one is from mgm. they want it built at national harbor. >> along with it comes construction and traffic. folks along oxon hill road are not looking forward to that. tracee wilkins is live in oxon hill with more on this development drama. >> reporter: they are not looking forward to it because they have had so much of it over the last few years. i can tell you, as a native prince gorge it's getting ready to change more. >> it's not to make life easier. >> reporter: he's lived here 15 years and remembers how oxon hill road used to be. >> still traveled, but wooded, quiet, peaceful.

>> reporter: it's not the case anymore. between tanger outlets, national harbor and the street scape project, oxon hill road is much more than a country road. >> all these people here, most likely, they are going down to waldorf. they are just using this as an alternative to 210. >> reporter: 210 where traffic is even more congested. this sits in the center of three proposed locations. national harbor, penn national gaming and greenwood racings parx casino. mgm has been favored to review the sites. it got the highest traffic rating because it's closest to the beltway. if mgm gets the bid, drivers who don't get the beltway will travel 210 to get there and may come past his house. you can see the line where soon that's going to be your yard. >> yeah. >> reporter: you are about to lose your yard. >> yeah, that's the trade off. >> reporter: it won't widen the

road, it will stay two lanes with sidewalks and bike lanes. >> i have nephews and nieces that come and we can't let them hang out in the front yard. they have to come inside. >> reporter: it's a lot of change at one time. for him and his family, it may be too much. >> looking to move out when the property value goes up. we are crossing our fingers. >> reporter: some folks may be wondering why they don't just widen oxon hill road to make it four lanes instead of two. coming up at 6:00, we'll explain it's by design. the folk that is live here have a lot to do with it. reporting live, i'm tracee wilkins, news 4. a lot of people are talking ability things coming to prince william county high school. it will have two pools, two artificial turf athletic fields and facilities for a fine arts and performing arts program. the board approved a

construction bid yesterday. it's going to cost $100 million. it should open for the 2016-2017 school year. we are looking forward to the night. is it going to be a nice one? doug? >> tonight is going to be a nice night. clouds move in. outside, if you look to the east, you have venus. to the west, you have jupiter. no, turn that around. east is venus and west is jupiter, yeah. there you go. take a look outside where we look to the north. neither one of those is visible, but a plane is. the evening temperatures, 55 degrees is on the mild side. take a look at the numbers, 52 at 7:00. 50 by 9:00. 46 by 11:00. very mild numbers through t still on the cool side, so you'll need your jacket tonight. 60 in culpeper. gaithersburg, frederick, manass manassas, 45. those are the areas that normally cool faster. that's what we are seeing

tonight. nothing on the radar as far as rain or snow is concerned. no chances of snow anytime soon. we have a few chances for rain. here are the clouds. if you want to see the planets, get out now. we are clear. the clouds move in through the next few days. the warm air moved in during the day today. it will move in tomorrow. plenty of warm weather. watch the front to the west. this front comes toward the area on saturday. we are going to be warm on saturday. notice the shower activity. it's scattered. not everybody is going to see rain. i expect you will need an umbrella in some locations during the day saturday. you will not need the jackets much. sunday, most of the day sunday will be dry. that's why i think we could set a couple record highs. we could set a couple records out of dulles and bwi saturday. record high temperatures falling this weekend. i think that is for sure. 63 tomorrow. 65 on saturday. 72 on sunday. that would tie a record. that rain coming in late in the day sunday lasting into early

portions of monday, then just in time for christmas, we start to cool, once again, back into the low 40s. winter is not taking that long of a break. there is some good news for goodwill. the non-profit reports donations up 20% near november. it's compared to the same time one year ago. the spike comes at a good time since goodwill says they are planning new career centers in fairfax and dale city, virginia. december is usually the busiest donation month. with so many charities asking for donations, how do you decide where to give and know your money is going to the right place? liz crenshaw has help just in time for the holidays. >> organizations are not shy when it comes to asking you for your money. do your homework and make sure you know where your money is going. the better business bureau helps monitor charities. it's wise giving alliance puts

charities against the better business bureau's standards. you can check out a charities report. it includes ways a charity spends money like how much goes to the programs, versus administrative costs. when a charity appeals to you for your money, look for these red flags. be wary of charities that spring up overnight in connection with current events. watch out for similar sounding names, phony charities will use a name that sounds like a legitimate one. beware promises or guaranteed sweep stakes winnings in exchange for a contribution. you could find more on our website, www.nbcwashington.com/liz crenshaw. next at 5:00, a police officer retires at the age of 29. tonight, new questions about the circumstances that led up to that decision and why it could

here are stories trending online. "duck dynasty" man taken off the show after he called gay people sinners. he said he believes it's a sin along with adultery and bestiality. they don't reflect the views of the network or the show itself. >> this tractor railing hauling

80,000 pounds of christmas hams flipped over. tons of ham was on the highway. they were headed toward texas. he was trying to find the turn off and didn't see signs there was a curve up ahead. he's okay. crews spent hours cleaning up all those hams. auto makers and consumers got good news regarding safety. all 39 new cars tested by the insurance institute were chosen to be a top safety pick for 2014. there are too many cars to list, but the cars chosen include three models of hon do, two toyota's and fusion. to earn that spot, a vehicle has to perform well on front and side collision tests. there's a new traffic pattern starting today in a major northern virginia construction zone. the changes involve i-395 and columbia pike in arlington.

drivers heading north on 395 will have to turn left, not right, at the south quinn street signal to get on to columbia pike. there are signs pointed to the new dedicated left turn lane. drivers heading south on 395 will go straight through the light and access the ramp to columbia pike as usual. this is part of the multimillion dollar project to replace the bridge over columbia pike. a bizarre accident with a staple gun leaves a police officer to not work. he retired at the age of 29. chris from our affiliate has more on the staple gun snafu that could cost taxpayers millions. >> reporter: even this retired police officer says the decision to classify him as totally disabled looks ridiculous.

he accidentally stapled his own hand. doctors said it would impede him from firing his service weapon. guess what we found him doing? this is retired new jersey transit cop. he's been classified as totally and permanently disabled. one doctor said he could no longer pull a gun. another said an injury to his left hand would impede his ability to fire a weapon. so, how is it this self-described gun buff is still firing away in this facebook video with an austrian sniper rifle. are you concerned this looks bad? >> absolutely. it looks ridiculous. >> reporter: in an interview with the i-team, he criticized the pension rules that allow him to collect a lifetime disability pension because of a staple. >> reporter: how serious was your accident? >> i don't think serious at all. it was a staple gun. it went into the tissue of my

finger. >> reporter: the accident happened in 2006 when he was trying to staple a gun range target. he filed an accident report. after two surgeries, he won a $46,000 a year, tax-free pension for the rest of his life. do you think you deserve two-thirds of your salary tax-free for the rest of your life? >> i would say that -- i wouldn't say it's necessarily a question of deserve, it's a question of what's the law say. >> reporter: john criticized new jersey's pension law as too easy to cheat. he's a board member who voted against the disability claim. >> is he lying? i believe he is. >> reporter: after seeing this video, he's in favor of reopening the case and sending it to fraud investigators. >> there are people with amputation that is are working. you get a staple in your ring

finger and it's disability? >> reporter: he can clearly pull a trigger with his right hand, the staple gun injury injured his left hand. he wanted police to give him a new assignment, perhaps internal affairs, but the agency said no. >> could i handcuff someone? i don't think so. >> the problem with the system is it doesn't differentiate between a guy who puts a staple in his hand and an officer shot in the line of duty in a wheelchair the rest of his life. >> reporter: he investigates pension abuse. he says this could cost taxpayers more than $2 million if he lives to his life expectancy, 80. >> this has to be the most expensive staple in the history of new jersey. right now at 6:00, a horrible incident at a theater in