news 4's darcie spencer has our story. >> edwin xavier rivas, charged in two sex aamounts and more charges be filed. he's accused of raping a woman on buchanan street in the queens town apartments january 28th. the victim told police she was walking here around 2:30 in the morning when a man grabbed her from behind and dragged her into some bushes. that's where he sexually assaulted her at knife point. the attack has had the community on edge for months. >> this is a high crime area. this is nothing that's new or uncommon here in this area. we just all try to take the necessary steps to make sure that our family and friends and everyone will be okay. >> rivas is charged with another sex assault in hyattsville. police tell news 4 he's being investigated as a possible suspect in a series of sex assaults that happened near the west hyattsville metro. some of them were at knife point. >> this is potentially a serial rapist. >> we know for two for sure he's responsible for. there's a possibility he's a serial rapist. we don't know at this point. >> police have mounted a safety campaign posting

darcy spencer is live in herndon tonight with more. , darcy. >> reporter: yeah, chris, the cuttings happened in this bathroom behind me. it's called the kidwell barn. we're told four animals were cut between yesterday afternoon and this morning. police say this case is very close to and also very similar in nature to a recent case where three horses were slashed. this calf known affectionately as henry was sliced across the top of his head. this goat called scandal was also cut. they are among the four animals slashed by an unknown attacker at the kidwell barn located at frying pan park in herndon. >> awful, horrible, senseless. no, that's just awful, unspeakable. >> reporter: police say another goat and chicken were also cut sometime between 5:00 p.m. saturday and 7:00 a.m. sunday. police say the crimes could be connected to similar injuries n inflicted on three horses on adjacent property in april. >> i think that's absolutely horrible. they're completely innocent animals and there's no reason for that at all. it's just cruel. >> repo

reporting live from the capitol, darcy spencer, news4. >> sounds good. thank you, darcy. ♪ and the rockets red glare the bombs bursting in air ♪ >> the pickering, ohio central jazz band did the honors of singing our national anthem to begin ceremonies at the u.s. navy memorial today. the u.s.s. north hampton association participated in the wreath-laying ceremony. the north hampton was assigned as a so-called doom's day ship during the cold war. >> the ship that we were on was the president's ship, the floating white house during the cold war administration. so we're having a special commemorative ceremony here today to have our ship's model displayed in the president's room. >> very patriotic, makes you feel proud to be an american. and we've still got a heartbeat left in us yet. >> earlier today, rolling thunder also participated in a wreath-laying at the navy memorial. >>> neighbors and friends pounded the pavement today in bowie, maryland. dozens turned out for the memorial day weekend parade. the procession began at bowie high school. people say they

darcie spencer is live tonight from the west lawn of the capital with a me view of tomorrow's big show>> reporter: the show is never a disappointment. it certainly wasn't tonight. beautiful evening, wonderful entertainment. it's all about honoring those who served and sacrificed. ♪ >> jessica sanchez, runner up in the american idol competition sang the naggal anthem. a kickoff to the memorial day concert dress rehearsal at the capitol. ♪ >> reporter: dawtry performed "home." dozens of soldiers will line the stage sunday night. >> right at the top of the show for us. to just truly say thank you, and we're a grateful nation for your service and sacrifice. >> country music singer trace atkins performed "if the sun comes up. ". >> selma blair shed tears when she spoke of a mother who was lost leaving her children behind. >> reporter: a sneak peak of the memorial day concert which will air live on pbs on sunday. >> these are priceless, to get to sit in front of the capital and hear this music and listen to this wonderful show about the soldiers. the kids every year take away so much from th

we have storm coverage on the severe weather starting with darcy spencer live on capitol hill. darcy? >> well, chris, if you take a look behind me, this is the stage for the concert. it's been covered over in plastic to protect the equipment. there were thousands out here on the west lawn of the capitol enjoying this concert this evening when cit came to a suddn stop. ♪ if the sun comes up without me tomorrow ♪ >> reporter: thousands of people watching the national memorial day concert on the west lawn of the capitol were forced to leave because bad weather was on the way. >> ladies and gentlemen, you heard the capitol police. we have a severe weather warning and we ask that everybody leave in an orderly fashion. >> then five minutes later, the concert itself ended. >> we regret that due to circumstances beyond our control, we are unable to continue this year's national memorial day concert. >> well, we were sitting there enjoying the concert and along with the other -- several hundred thousand people and then the capitol police spokesman came on and said there was a severe stor

. >> our team coverage continues now, news 4's darcy spencer joins us live in chinatown with some disappointeds fans. darcy? >> reporter: well, chris, disappointed, they're sad. as a matter of fact, i was tweeting and telling folks here at the station there was one gentleman i tried to interview had a caps jersey on and simply would not talk to me. perhaps he couldn't talk to me because he was so upset and angry. that just goes to show the level of emotion that people have in this game. now, we were right here at the red line bar on g street in the chinatown area of northwest washington in the final few minutes of the game this evening. obviously a big disappointment for the caps fans, big crowd had gathered out here and hoping they would be able to pull it off. i was able to get a couple people to talk to me, even though they were disappointed they say the caps had a good run this season. >> i thought they played hard. they had a lot of missed opportunities. could have scored a couple more goals but the rangers' goalie played good. can't complain. seven games, the defending stanley cup champi

darcy spencer reports from glover park. >> it was absolutely the worst thing i've ever experienced in my entire life. >> reporter: she says her four-pound chihuahua named frk freckles was attacked and killed by another dog. she was on her porch. freckles was here on the stone fence in their yard when the large dog being walked on a leash snatched her. >> i went from messing around on my computer with my dog sitting right beside me to literally one minute later, my dog was dead. >> reporter: it took up to 20 seconds to pry freckles from the dog's mouth and she was already dead. >> it was just awful. >> reporter: the neighbor liz creason saw the dog and its owner leave amidst the screaming and bloodshed. >> at the time i saw him, the attack had just ended and the dog was pretty calm but just -- and the owner looked rather calm. but just kind of walked off down the street. >> reporter: she's posted information and a civic group has posted flyers in the neighborhood. the dog attack has residents in this community on alert. there are a lot of dogs in this neighborhood. some are keeping the

darcy spencer joins us now live from what neighbors are calling a dangerous stretch of roadway. darcy? >> reporter: neighbors are saying it's not only dangerous. it's very dark out here for people trying to cross. we're going to turn off our light to show just how dark it is for people trying to cross this very busy roadway. we'll turn that light back on now. police are still investigating this. they are looking for the driver of a silver suv who hit this victim and kept going. 28-year-old samuel diaz came to the united states from el salvador in search of a better life. but he lost his life here on university boulevard in a hit and run crash saturday night. >> got hit by a car, runway. that's all we know. >> reporter: diaz was run over while crossing the street around 9:00 p.m. the driver of the striking vehicle, a silver suv, didn't stop. >> somebody saw something, come out and speak and tell what happened. >> reporter: according to friends and witnesses, the victim had worked earlier in the day. then he'd come out here to the king kong chinese restaurant. they say he was walki

tonight, darcy spencer spoke with a woman that lived on lorraine street.aw it happen. >> the neighbor whose house burned down was knocking on my door and said, help, help. >> reporter: monique noble says her neighbor ran to her home for help. the woman's husband was threatening her with a gun. >> i saw the gentleman come out with a gun. i was walking towards the family. he put the gun in his pants and was still headed toward them. the neighbor got the woman and her kids in a car and drove them aaway to safety. the husband then set a vehicle on fire in the driveway. >> the husband threw something in the car and blew it up. noble says he ran inside his home, she heard two shots and the house went up in flames. >> this was a domestic argument between a husband and a wife. the husband asaulsaulted the wi and went into his house and took his own life. she and the family moved on to lorraine drive the same day two years ago. she knew there were troubles but nothing like this. >> it hurts because it is family. 12 years. she was like a big sister to me. >> reporte

. >>> i'm darcy spencer at the national zoo where the panda pregnancy watch is on.ld be arrested for crimes against potted plant-kind. [ clang ] my house is where plants came to die. ♪ but, it turns out all i was missing was miracle-gro potting mix. it's got what a plant needs. even plant food that feeds them for up to 6 months. you get bigger, more beautiful plants. guaranteed. who's got two green thumbs thanks to miracle-gro? uh, this gal. boom! everyone grows with miracle-gro. boom! ok. [ cellphone rings ] hey. you haven't left yet. no. i'm boarding now... what's up? um...would you mind doing it again? last time. [ engine turns over ] oooohhhh...sweet. [ male announcer ] the chevy cruze with the mychevrolet app. the remote control car is finally here. well now she's just, playing with us. oh. [ horn honks ] >>> pit bulls are no longer innocent until proven dangerous under maryland law. >> there's a new rules that makes it easier for anyone attacked by a pit bull or pit bull mix to take legal action against the dog's owner. chris gordon explains. >> oh, boy. >> re

darcy spencer has the story. >> how nasty was it? >> it was pretty nasty.he smoke was heavy. >> reporter: the scene was chaotic. a bus on fire inside the 3rd street tunnel during the monday morning commute. these two u.s. capitol police officers were near the tunnel when the call went out for it an explosion. they raced into help. >> i remember look at a d.c. fire truck finally getting through and pulling up to the scene and all of a sudden it disappeared and the smoke, you couldn't see the flashing lights of the fire truck, it was before before the smoke was so thick. >> did you have any protect it difference gear? >> no, nothing. >> reporter: initially motorists were being turned around in the tunnel so they could drive out. >> some drivers 20rds the back of the tunnel actually abandoned their vehicles and took their keys with them and so we couldn't get anymore cars out past them. >> reporter: that's when they decided to evacuate. >> going vehicle to vehicle getting people out, bringing them to the side of the tunnel, putting their hand on the wall and t

reporting live from the newsroom, darcy spencer, news 4. >>> let's fast forward. several roads still closed tonight because of high standing water. parts of the county saw more than three you weres overnight in just a few hours. some residents near lake jackson dam have been told to vak rate. >>> another run in with the what you for giordano. he was arrested last friday after police it if annapolis allegedly found him having sex in the back of an suv. giordano was detained in aruba last august for the presumed death of 35-year-old robyn gardner. >>> a former campaign aid to vincent gray pled guilty today to felony destruction of evidence and other charges. thomas gore admitted to using gray campaign funds to make donations to another candidate. first public admission of wrongdoing in connection with the 2010 campaign 3 p. >>> when we come back, still ahead, unscripted drama. >>> and million dollar listing for a parking space. we'll tell you where it's goin >>> the author of the exorcist wants to sue george town university. >> he says it should no longer call itsel

darcy spencer is live with the new details in this high profile case. >> reporter: in our opening state, the assistant state attorney did not say why prosecutors believe the driver left the scene of this fatal incident. the defense attorney told the jury, she thought she hit an animal and he called this a tragic accident. how are you feeling today? >> basically, i've been for justice and it is almost anti-climactic that it is finally here. >> reporter: it was september 19, 2010 when natasha was struck and kill while riding her bike on route 202 in largo in the early morning hours tell 30-year-old college student was training for a triathlon. the driver, 43-year-old christy littleford who left the scene is now on trial charged with felony hit and run. >> i'm suffering mixed emotions. it will be the first time i have seen the defendant, and as much as i've tried to move forward with my life, it is near impossible to move forward with my life until there's some closure. >> reporter: littleford's attorney that she did stop twice. but believing she hit a deer, drove home. once home her husba

darcy spencer reports. >> reporter: hundreds of people were out enjoying this memorial day holiday.iding the carousel, participating in a fun equestrian competition and visiting the farm animals. it is here inside the kidwell barn police are investigating a disturbing and bizarre incident. four animals were slashed by an unknown attacker over the weekend. >> shock for that to happen. especially -- how cute they are. makes you wonder. >> reporter: police say this calf, called henry, scavenger the goat, as well as a baby goat and a chicken, were cut in the attack. it happened sometime after the barn closed to the public at 5:00 p.m. saturday and when farm hands came to see the animals at 7:00 a.m. on sunday. >> disturbing. it won't stop from us coming out. hopefully they catch them and won't happen again. >> reporter: police are investigating whether the cuttings could be connected to the assault on three horses on adjacent property one month ago. those therapeutic horses used by special needs children suffered deep slashes that took them out of serve. the gentle animals are still rec

darcy spencer has more on the fight to fund domestic violence programs. >> reporter: on lorraine drive hills wednesday afternoon police say a man shot and killed himself and set his house on fire after assaulting his wife. his wife and two small children escaped without serious injuries thanks to neighbors who took them away after they begged for help. >> thank god for her neighbors who were not afraid to get involved. they would not be alive if those neighbors had not come to their rescue. >> reporter: prince george's county state's attorney angela alsobrooks says many times these incidents of domestic violence turn deadly for women and sometimes children. >> that is not always the case. we have so many citizens reluctant to get involved as witnesses to help protect and save their neighbors. we need everybody to get involved. >> reporter: the incident highlights the issue of domestic violence. statistics show one in four women will become a victim in her lifetime. advocates say it is important that the violence against women act be reauthorized in congress so the limited resources are

darcy spencer joins us live from northeast with details. darcy? >> reporter: well, i'm standing in the area where this park could be built to give you an idea of where it is. that's new hampshire avenue up that way. on this side, you have the tree line. beyond that are the metro train tracks. this looks like it could be the perfect site for a memorial park, but some neighbors say otherwise, and they're fighting back. a metro train crash in june of 2009 claimed nine lives and injured dozens more. d.c. wants to memorialize the victims of the crash by creating a memorial park here at new hampshire and south dakota avenues in northeast near the crash site. but the city is running into some unexpected and vocal opposition from residents who live near where the trains collided. >> it's honorable, but the park is not the place. we have a lot of other crime issues, that i think take precedent over putting a park here. we have prostitutes in the area, on a regular basis. we have drug addicts in the area on a regular basis. and that's our concern. >> report

darcie spencer, news four. >>> a silver spring woman is dead tonight. police say she was fatally stabbed by her estranged husband in a car outside her home. hector is accused of stabbing 47-year-old anna ayala. it happened this morning. witnesses saw the stabbing, granados later turned himself in. charges are pending. >>> turning to decision 2012 tonight. president obama officially kicked off his presidential campaign in richmond. the president spoke on the campus of virginia commonwealth university. julie carrie has our story. >> it looked and sounded a lot like 2008, this rousing rally at virginia commonwealth university. president obama officially launched his 2012 campaign in the state where he made history four years ago. the state considered a must win for re-election. >> four years ago, you and i began a journey together. >> the president says that journey will take a little longer to restore lost jobs. but credits his administration with reviving the american auto industry. and he told supporters a mitt romney presidency would mean tax policies

darcy spencer explains why. >> reporter: the national zoo's famous giant panda could be expecting. she was artificially inseminated. the pregnancy watch is on. >> it's a wonderful event. it's wonderful. we need more pandas at the zoo. >> scientists had to work quickly when they knew she was ready. >> the female has a short time to conceive between 24 and 72 hours. >> reporter: they used samples collected from 2005. it's the last time they were able to conceive producing a butter stick. he's been relocated to china. >> it would be exciting. 2005 was a long time ago. it would be nice to have a baby panda. >> reporter: the panda's are the star of the zoo. they have their own plaza, panda shop and cuddly panda souvenirs. >> they are fun to look at. the whole kung fu panda movie made the kids want to see them more. >> reporter: the zoo turned to social media to publicize the insemination. it gave the world a unique look into a process we have never seen before. >> more people coming to check things out. more money for the zoo. >> reporter: this could be the last chance for the couple to

reporting live from springfield, darcy spencer, news4. >>> a police officer is facing dui charges after he crashed his cruiser in bladenburg. that happened at tang elwood drive. 31-year-old daniel lewis was off duty at the time. they did a breath test and said he had a 1.3. >> he was operating a marked vehicle, so there should not be a tolerance of any alcohol in your system. >> he was charged and released. prince georges county police and the state attorney's office are investigating. >>> a developing story in montgomery county. a married couple was found dead inside their apartment this morning on colgate way. that's in the bridge cheney area of silver spring. police say it was a murder-suicide. news4 erica gonzalez is there tonight. erica? >> reporter: police were originally called to these apartments on a report of a missing person and wound up making a gruesome discovery. it was about 10:30 this morning when the montgomery county police department arrived at 13633 colgate way in bridge cheney. a family member opened the door for the police and they found a couple dead. investigator

darcy spencer is near the scene now with the latest. >> reporter: jim, you can see here behind me that traffic is moving just fine but earlier today there were some tense and frightening moments for people who were driving through the tunnel when this incident happened. they heard an explosion. they saw the smoke and many left, leaving their cars behind. >> the smoke is coming fast. >> reporter: it was chaos in the third street tunnel this morning as seen and heard on this youtube video taken by someone inside as the tunnel filled with smoke. >> it was an explosion. you could feel the acoustics against the window. >> reporter: this photo provided exclusively to news 4 shows the charred bus inside the tunnel. this school bus, which was being towed, caught fire in the tunnel around 10:30. dozens of drivers were stranded in their cars. many had to walk out of the tunnel to escape the spreading smoke. >> headed to a meeting and it was near the front of the tunnel where the explosion went off. so it was a little scary. the tunnel started filling up with smoke. >> reporter: drivers stood out

in annapolis, darcy spencer, news 4. >>> the at&t store at bowie town center is closed after this car barreled through a light pole hitting the store front. it happened around 2:00 this afternoon. employees and customers were evacuated from the store so a building inspector could assess the damage. the driver was taken to the hospital. no word yet on what caused the crash or when the store might reopen. >>> four new cities will be getting nonstop service to and from reagan national airport. portland, oregon, austin, texas, san francisco, san juan, puerto rico each will get one daily, nonstop, round trip out of national. the service will begin in late summer. the flights were added thanks to a new faa reform act creating room for new exemptions at national. any flight longer than 1250 miles needs special permission to take off and land at the airport. >>> when we come right back on news 4 at 5:00 tonight the guardian angels pound the pavement after a d.c. man was beaten so badly his jaw had to be wired shut. >>> they're found in countless household, items posing a real risk for young c

darcy spencer reports. >> reporter: a metro train crash in june of 2009 claimed nine lives and injuredens more. d.c. wants to memorialize the victims of the crash by creating a memorial park here at new hampshire and south dakota avenues in northeast near the crash site. but the city is running into some unexpected and vocal opposition from residents, who live near where the trains collided. >> i grieve for them. i'm sorry for that. but, unfortunately, we still have to live on this block. and so, i'd like to at least allow the neighbors the opportunity to have, you know, a part of the conversation. >> reporter: the plot of national park service land is called ft. circle park. the proposal is for a $1 million park with artwork, benches, lighting, a memorial wall and a play area. residents are concerned the memorial would make crime already taking place in this wooded area even worse. >> and trust me, my heart bled for each and every person that came out of there, because i knew it could have been my sister, it could have been my brother-in-law or any of the coworkers that worked for met

darcy spencer is live from the -- with the dramatic scene. >> reporter: wendy, that's right. some folks were heading to work this morning. they were heading to appointments. they were running errands when traffic came to a sudden stop in the third street tunnel. some motorists tell me they heard an explosion. some folks say they saw the tunnel filling up with smoke. they ditched their cars and ran out. it was chaos in the third street tunnel this morning as seen and heard on this youtube video take bin someo n by someone inside as the tunnel filled with smoke. >> the smoke is coming fast. >> reporter: this school bus being towed caught fire in the tunnel around 10:30. dozens of drivers were stranded in their cars and many had to walk out of the tunnel to escape the spreading smoke. >> i was headed to a meeting and was near the front of the tunnel where the explosion went off so it was a little scary. the tunnel started filling up with smoke. >> reporter: what was it like as people were exiting? >> it was panic. i mean, not knowing. the first thing that comes to mind is terror

in annapolis, darcy spencer, news 4. >> doug is here with more about our weather.of a rainy, gray start to our week. >> yeah. in the first part of the week maybe but at least the weekend was great. >> the weekend was spectacular. >> we saw a lot of sunshine during the weekend, temperatures near 80 degrees. not bad at all. today, however, the clouds moved in. the fog moved in. the rain moved in. what else? that's about it. out there right now there you go. we're taking a look at the clouds and the fog and a little of the rain continuing across the region. we'll continue to see more rain through the evening hours and into the overnight, too. storm 4 radar showing you where the rain is right now. right along the i-95 corridor from baltimore all the way down toward fredericksburg a pretty good line of rain there. most of the rain is on the light to moderate side. every once in a while you do see a couple heavier showers. we'll zoom in to one of those right now around vienna and around the tysons corner area. you can see 495, the beltway and 123 where some the heavier r

darcy spencer joins us from the zoo to tell us why. >> reporter: hi, doreen. talk about pressure.e pandas don't reproduce this time around, there's a possibility they could be swapped out for other pandas in china. as you know, the pandas are a big draw here to the national zoo. some folks come here just to see them and walk away with lots of furry souvenirs. mei xiang, the national zoo's famous giant panda could be expecting. she was artificially inseminated sunday and monday. the panda pregnancy watch is on once again. >> that's a wonderful event, then. that is wonderful. we need more pandas up here at the zoo. >> reporter: scientists had to work quickly once they knew she was ready. >> the female has a really short opportunity to conceive. and it's between 24 and 72 hours. >> reporter: scientists used samples from mei xiang's partner, tian, tian, that were collected in 2005. that was the last time the couple were able to conceive producing this panda called a butterstick when he was born. he's since been relocated to china. >> it would certainly be exciting. 2005 is a long time

. >> reporter: darcy spencer, news 4. >> we're still a week away from the unofficial start to summer. don't tell that to all the people driving back from the maryland beaches. backups stretched for 20 miles on u.s. 50 this evening. there were a couple of broken down cars along the way coupled with incredible volume out there. >>> the weather this weekend has been just beautiful. no wonder so many people were at the shore. there's rain to our south, though, and a tropical storm off the carolinas. is the party over, doug? >> the party is over. the doors close in about the next ten minutes. here's what's happening. the rain making its way in from the west. we've got a coastal area of low pressure that's now making its way in from the atlantic and the rain is moving in, too. starting to see that rain around the district and the metro area. very light here. back toward delmarva you can see some of that heavier rain. as this storm moves back toward the west, we will see the potential for heavier rain into the overnight hours and into tomorrow morning. then take a look down to the south. thi

here is news4's darcy spencer. >> reporter: police say more charges could be filed. he is accused of raping a woman on buchanan street in the queenstown apartments on january 28th. the victim told police she was walking here around 2:30 in the morning when a man grabbed her from behind and dragged her into bushes and that's where he sexually assaulted her at knifepoint. the attack had the community on edge for months. >> this is a high-crime area, and this is nothing new or uncommon in this area and we try to take the necessary steps to make sure that our family and friends and everybody will be okay. >> he is charged with another sex assault in hyattsville, and he is being investigated as a possible suspect in a series of sex assaults that happen near the metro in northwest branch hiker biker trail, and some were at knifepoint. >> is this potentially a serial rapist? >> we know two for sure that he is responsible for. this is a possibility he could be a serial rapist but we don't know that at this point. >> reporter: police mounted a safety campaign posting flyers a

. >> reporter: in stafford, virginia, darcy spencer, news4. >>> officials in maryland laid out the plan today on how they want to use $60 million that was received in a national mortgage case. they plan to use $14 million to stabilize neighborhoods hit hard by foreclosure. $10 million will be use to help clean up prince george's county. more than $8 million will be used for housing counseling. $6 million will be put into the maryland general fund. >>> new i.d. cards for virginia veterans are now available from the department of motor vehicles. the governor helped launch the program. he said the cards offer proof that veterans served. that will make it easier to take van of special discounts at stores and other businesses. they are a joint effort between the veterans affairs office and the department of motor vehicles. the cards do not expire and it takes about a week to get one. >>> district mayor vin serve gray turned aside questions about the campaign scandal swirling around his administration. the mayor announced for public, private and chart he schools at a school in southeast. he s

darcy spencer spoke with the worker who found him.live in stafford with the details. >> reporter: yeah, the general manager was working this drive-through window saturday afternoon when she spotted that little boy outside. he was hot. he was sweateding. he was crying. he said that he was lost. she took him inside and called police and police found out that he was with two younger boys and they wandered away after the baby sitter said they could go outside and play. >> the only thing he could keep saying was i'm going to be in so much trouble. he was a very, very precious little boy. >> reporter: she was working the drive-through window at taco bell on washon road in stafford saturday afternoon when she saw a 7-year-old boy who appeared

darcy spencer, news4. >>> a janitor at a prince william county elementary school is facing an assault charge. a 7-year-old boy told police that ross attacked him last friday at enterprise elementary in wood bridge. tend janitor pinned him against the bulletin board with a cart, pushed him and walked away. the police say the attack was unprovoked. the child was not hurt. the 59-year-old janitor has worked for the school contraddi for nearly 20 years. >>> a culpeper police officer is charged with killing a woman outside a school lot and the officer's mother is also in trouble. >> reporter: daniel harmon-wright. a 32-year-old culpeper police officer charged with murder. he was on duty at the time. the victim, 54-year-old patricia cook shot and killed as she sat in the driver's seat of her jeep in the parking lot of a catholic school in culpeper. she was unarmed. gary cook, the victim's husband, reacted to the charges last night. >> it is showing me that progress is going on. that the system does work. >> reporter: this murder case involving a culpeper cop, front page news. the talk of th

. >> reporter: in upper marlboro, darcy spencer, news4. >>> a virginia taekwondo instructor charged with inappropriately touching young girls may have a connection to penn state university. 38-year-old quyen vinh phan le is facing seven felony charges. press the springfield, virginia. police say he had sexual contact with two young girls between 2003 and 2008. according to wtop radio until today, a man matching lee's description was listed as a coach for the penn state taekwondo club. detectives are trying to find out if there are other possible victims. >>> three drivers are recovering after a crash in rose croft raceway. rose croft official say that the drivers were hurt when the lead horse took a bad step in a race and caused seven horses to collide. one driver has three fractured vertebra. another a separated collar bone. the third suffered a cracked heel and broken bone in his foot. none of the horses was seriously hurt! >>> the montgomery county council is retonight to the story about the 91 oon dispatcher who fell asleep on the job. he wants to know what is being done to make sure

as darcy spencer reports, it will likely mean higher taxes for high income residents. >> reporter: maryland senators passed an income tax increase on residents who earn at least six figures by a 27-19 vote. it happened after heated debate. >> citizens and the families of maryland are sago owe. >> this is a smart vote. >> reporter: the increase package heads to the house now where it's expected to pass wednesday, the third day of the special session. >> you think the session will be complete by tomorrow, everything getting done? >> well, yes. >> reporter: the tax hike would hit individuals making more than 100,000 d and families making $150,000. generating $260 million for the state and avoiding the so-called doomsday budget that would have resulted in $500 million in cuts. >> when you raise taxes, these same people that you're trying to help, you're hurting them. >> everybody wants to go to heaven, but nobody wants to die. everybody wants all the services, they want the number one service in the country and the education to continue and don't think it costs money. it does. >> reporter: 40%

. >> darcy spencer joins us live near the scene with more on what happened. >> reporter: that but wasing here right now. standing at a bus stop friday morning when he saw something that he will probably never forget in all his life. a young woman hit by a vehicle box ideay flying into the air and that driver taking off. he does want to show his face or give his name but this man says that he was a witness to a possible road rage confrontation friday morning that left a young woman dead and police looking for the driver who ran her over. >> the truck hit her. she flew maybe a good 20 pete from where her car was. >> reporter: the witness says he saw the victim pull out of the apartment complex parking lot on harrison lane, cutting off two suvs. he says she stopped, got out of her car and shown here covered by a tarp and that's when it turned deadly. you heard him rev the engine? >> yes, were. >> reporter: your sense is that this was intentional? >> yes. >> reporter: what makes you think that? >> only because they came to a complete stop and no point of him actually or her hitting the ga

darcy spencer is in our newsroom with the story. >> reporter: the woman was fortunate to escape wither life and her children but these incidents don't always end that way. advocates say there is only one shelter in the county to house victims of abuse and often times these women end up homeless. on lorraine drive in temple hills wednesday afternoon police say a man shot and killed himself and set his house on fire after assaulting his wife. his wife and two small children escaped without serious injuries thanks to neighbors who took them away after they begged for help. >> thank god for her neighbors who were not afraid to get involved. they would not be alive if the neighbors had not come to their rescue. >> reporter: prince george's county state's attorney angela alsogross says many times these incidents of domestic violence turn deadly for women and sometimes children. that. >> is not always the case. we have so many citizens reluctant to get involved as witnesses get involved to help protect and save your neighbors. we need everybody to get involved. >> reporter: the incident hig

darcy spencer has more. >> i don't know i'm going to getjcy >> yeachild, 21 years old was found deadndf14 range of road rage.k- how could somebody be c and leave a dead person on the had a stroke on monday and her daughter was headed to the hospital visit her. >> but she never made it.'li ne- gotaverdriv j= ó!nversation/emh5 >>her, just come forward. i am fair. i give you the chance to tell me what happened. >> arrington was studying criminal justice and working for a defense contractor and she's not the type of person that ñq confrontation. she needsfqle6h >> my1dher. and now somebody took that away from me. >> police still don't know exactly what happened. was it a that's what the person that ran.;v>f0 policel witnesses to thessue. her son's murder that happened four years ago. he she simply wants justice e prosecuted for killing my son. >> a $50,000 reward is available for anybody thepvkconv!jcase.nyd >>> the president had been crisscrossing the country this past few weeks, pushing his economic plan. yesterday he announced what everybody already he campaign# commonwealth universit

. >> reporter: darcy spencer, news4. >>> three horses that were mysteriously slashed in fairfax county are doing better. they are part of a therapy program that helps special needs children. one horse has fully recovered, and the two are healing from wounds that keep opening up. $1,000 reward is being offered for any information about whoever slashed the horses. >>> new this morning, emergency officials are searching for people possibly trapped after a 6.0 earthquake in the early morning hours from italy. two others died when a sir rammics place. >>> and crews are trying to get control of a fire in arizona that stretches over 13,000 acres. 900 firefighters are working to put it out. a small town north of phoenix had to evacuate their homes. >>> a busy street turned into a landing strip for a small plane in florida. it was headed to the airport when the pilot reported engine trouble. it clipped several trees on the way down but the pilot managed to clear traffic. fortunately nobody onboard was injured, but the road was closed for several hours while crews worked to remove the plane. >>>