. >>> i'm darcy spencer. a power outage shuts down a local mall. why some worker sas i they felt unsafe at 11:00. >>> a convicted killer featured on a popular local podcast will have another chance to make his case. the decision that could bring him one step closer to freedom. we'll have that story including a story out of atlanta where five people were killed and police are now talking about the shooting. >>> developing right off the top at 11:00, things got chaotic in pentagon city after a power outage cleared out the mall. shoppers evacuated. traffic tied up. and as darcy spencer shows us from arlington, it could be a while before the lights come back on right? >> reporter: that's exactly right. i just checked in with dominion power. they are saying that the problem is an equipment malfunction underground. they have got half a dozen workers here working throughout the night to get this problem >> the cell phone video shows the chaos as shoppers tried to get out of the garage parking lot seemingly all at once. the shopping center evacuated when t

mroo we continue our team coverage with darcy spencer. caught in standstill traffic. darcy, we understand there were a lot of other drivers right there with you. >> reporter: myself and thousands of others. it was slow going and dangerous. at one point i just said that's it pulled over the car, and here we are in gaithersburg. there were a lot of people crashing. they were spinning out, getting in accidents. it's just not worth it if you can get off the roads. this is shady grove road here in the gaithersburg area. this road has been plowed but you can see how slushy it is but fortunately right now not a lot of traffic here. that's a good idea. let's go to some video we shot earlier this afternoon. on the beltway, you can see tires spinning out. the car basically stuck on the side of 495. that was the situation all afternoon for people trying to get out and go where they needed to go. the road crews were saying they were having a difficult time getting the roads cleared, but there was so much traffic out there. i-270 -- if you encountered even a small hill it was very

darcy spencer is live in herndon to explain. darcy? >> reporter: well chris, it ended in a church parking lot right here behind me off the reston parkway but it started earlier today about 3:15 in the morning inside a home in loudoun county. police say the suspect went to his estranged wife's home in the middle of the night near middleburg and that's when he apparently pulled a gun and shot and wounded his estranged wife. at that point she was able to wrestle the gun away from him and pyred ed fired off a shot. we don't know if she was able to shoot him and wound him but that's when he took off and when this all started. about 10:00 police near fairfax county found the suspect. found in the parking lots of the southview community church on reston parkway right next to a fire station. police say it appears he took his own life. so far police have not identified that suspect. the victim again, his estranged wife was taken to the hospital. police say she is expected to be okay. we're reporting live from reston darcy spencer, news 4. >> th

darcy spencer was live with new details. darcy. >> well chris, i spoke to a neighbor a time ago. she said the victim was a nice woman. she stayed to herself. as a matter of fact she would clean people's houseses for some extra cash. let's go to some video. investigators returned to the scene today. >> 54-year-old ruth radioed ofl was -- they were neighbors. police say they got into some kind of argument yesterday. it escalated. he allegedly murdered her at the condo building. she was found about 11:30 yesterday morning dedz from trauma to her body. >> it's very sad that she had to leave here like that. very sad. it feels like something like that should not have happened. it's been a pleasant place to live for so long. now i'm kind of frightened to be here but she's with god now, she's in. >> she was offering again, to come over and clean her house. she said there was no sign in her voice that there was any trouble. from adelphi, darcy spencer, new york. zoon investigation is underway into how a midshipman died at the naval academy. investigators say midshipman second class alondo

darcy spencer is live with how the team is rallying around him. darcy? >> reporter: chris, as you said this amazing little boy is just 6 years old but he's already a huge fan of the washington capitals. in fact he loves to come here to the verizon center to watch them in action and tonight the capitals are joining in on this movement pray for b-man. he's one of the caps biggest fans and he is in desperate need of prayers. 6-year-old benston in critical condition after a sledding accident in the neighborhood last wednesday. family members waiting at the hospital decided to start a call for prayers through social media with #pray for bman and it's taken off. this young hockey fan got the attention of the capitals team owner and said please send a minute with prayers and well wishes to the family. we are praying for his speedy recovery. the caps announcer posted this youtube video. >> hey, benston, we are thinking about you here with the washington capitals and we want you to get better soon and to unleash the feeling. get better pal. >> reporter: his story

in bowie, darcy spencer, news4. >>> new at 6:00 serging for the truth.that an american hostage was killed today in syria. what it means for the u.s. strategy against isis. >>> another metro tunnel filled with smoke today. no injuries this time. but there are more questions about how d.c. firefighters are train ed trained to respond to something like that. >> and d.c.'s police chief on the witness stand forced to ask questions about police escorts and claims of retaliation. >>> awful news out of syria tonight if it's true. it could be another sick and twisted propaganda ploy from isis. good evening. i'm doreen gentzler. >> i'm jim vance. the claim by isis that american hostage kayla mueller was killed today in an air strike has not been confirmed. but u.s. intelligence community is working hard to learn more about this. nbc's jennifer johnson with more on this from capitol hill. jennifer? >> reporter: jim and doreen, that's right. the white house, the pentagon, the fbi all cannot confirm what isis is claiming. still, there is great concern that this may b

that's where we find darcy spencer. darcy, what's going on out there? >> reporter: chris, i can tell you i just confirmed with police that this chase reached speeds in excess of 100 miles per hour. i'm standing on water street right across the street this way is the prince george's county courthouse to give you an idea. right here is the on ramp to pennsylvania avenue north. that car had crashed in the woods. the manhunt continues this hour. police tell news4 the driver of this stolen car crashed into the woods during a pursuit, and the suspected car thief bailed out. police searched for the suspect in freezing cold temperatures. the car crashed off the ramp for northbound pennsylvania avenue in upper marlboro right across from the equestrian center. started in calvert county just before 8:30 at night. the suspected thief jumped into the 2012 dodge charger. the owner had left it warming on mint court in prince frederick. after the car went out, a sheriff's deputy tried to pull over the driver but the driver took off. that initiated a roughly 20-mile cha

news 4's darcy spencer is live in bladensburg. what are folks out there telling you, darcy? >> reporter: well chris, a lot of people said that they were not aware of these attacks. and the latest attack happened just two nights ago right here behind this church but we start our report tonight at the church meks door. ♪ prayers at the tower of praise church international in bladensburg for three women sexually assaulted in the area over the last few months. >> we like the police though to really step up security of this neighborhood. >> reporter: the pastor says the church has also been repeatedly targeted by criminals. he put up surveillance cameras, but when they didn't capture a clearer image of the burglars he turned them off. >> we had our piano stolen sometimes our musical instruments. >> reporter: police believe the same man that sexually assaulted three women since september, the latest attack happened wednesday night behind the church next door. the victim is in her late teens. this composite sketch was developed after the first attack and the attacker was captured o

this is where darcy spencer was live on the scene as investigators are trying to piece together what went wrong. darcy. >> well you can imagine it was a frightening situation for anybody who was out here this morning. there was a bus shelter right here as of 9:30 this morning until that car came crashing through here. there were two people who were apparently sitting on a bunch inside the bus shelter when the car came through. you can see there is still car parts all throughout the area here. fortunately, no one was killed but like you said an 18-year-old had both of her legs broken and police are telling us tonight that it appears this driver had some kind of medical problem. >> i heard like a loud -- like a loud loud boom. >> javier ruiz was working at a nearby gas station when he heard the crash. police tell us the man driving this toyota was having a medical emergency when he slammed into a bus stop on connecticut avenue when kensington. he hit two people who were sitting here on a bench waiting for a bus. that includes an 18-year-old woman who now has two broken legs. >> i saw th

darcy spencer is live in foggy bottom. darcy, what are the riders telling you? >> reporter: well i was able to speak to a woman who was down inside the tunnel here at foggy bottom tonight. when she said she saw and smelled smoke, she described it as a white smoke. she said it kind of looked like a haze. fortunately, she was able to get out. she said she was definitely concerned. it's all quiet here at the metro station tonight. but this of the second time the fire department had to respond here just this weekend. >> it was really smoky. you could smell it and see it. >> reporter: gale rankin got off at the foggy bottom metro station to catch a kennedy center shuttle and found herself in the middle of a smoke investigation. >> it the people getting off, we all noticed, everybody said, yeah it's smokey in here. with the last incidents that happened it was a concern. >> reporter: there was a report of smoke in the tunnel between foggy bottom and rosalyn. fire departments responded to both stations but it turned out to be some sort of maintenance problem. >> all tra

police are at the scene where the car was found at first street and wane place darcy spencer is there live. >> reporter: that's where we are right now not far from mississippi avenue. this child is okay. we're told 5 years old. take a look behind me where you see the d.c. police cruiser. the stolen suv we believe to be a denali is right here behind this apartment complex. police are still processing this vehicle and the two suspects are still on the loose. police say that two suspects stole the suv from a man. it happened in the 3700 block of second street about 9:30 tonight right here in southeast. now, the victim apparently had just gotten out of his denali. that's when two people knocked him to the ground and took off in that suv. now, apparently the suspects did not realize that this was a child in the suv, again a 5-year-old. they basically bailed out of the car right here behind this apartment complex. i'm told that the vehicle was unaccounted for. that's what d.c. police were saying for roughly 15 minutes. but the good news here is that the child is okay. i've not been able to

darcy spencer talked to the woman who called 911. >>> this right here. >> reporter: erica bolock called you may have saved her life. >> i'm happy, too, you know. this -- that could have been anybody. >> reporter: neighbors had knocked on her door for the last two days to check on her because c.o. detectors had been going off in the building here fre franklin park apartments -- at the franklin park apartments in greenbelt. there was no answer. firefighters had to force their way into the apartment. once inside she was unresponsive. fortunately, medics were able to revive her and get her breathing on her own. firefighters found nearly triple the normal level of c.o. the source of the leak of a dislodge ventilation pipe. it carries the toxic gas from the basement water heater to the outside. >> they pulled my neighbor out. it was heartbreaking to see her like that. >> reporter: neighbors tell news4 that c.o. detectors in the building started going off thursday. maintenance responded but some were told to change the batteries. >> when the maintenance man came we said -- he told us no it's n

. >> reporter: i'm darcy spencer in frederick. how deputies are using these kilts to save lives. (vo) after 50 years of designing cars for crash survival, subaru has developed our most revolutionary feature yet. a car that can see trouble... ...and stop itself to avoid it. when the insurance institute for highway safety tested front crash prevention nobody beat subaru models with eyesight. not honda. not ford or any other brand. subaru eyesight. an extra set of eyes, every time you drive. >>> an officer says he was not targeting a civil rights organization. thaddeus murphy admitted to making and setting off a pipe bomb in colorado springs last month. but court documents say murphy was targeting his accountant who has alson office in that building. he said the accountant would not return his tax records. nobody was hurt in the explosion, but it did do damage to a barbershop. >>> the u.s. government is fining japanese air bag maker takata $14,000 a day. the national highway transporta safety administ says the company is not fully cooperating with its investigation into faulty air b

it happened in maryland and news 4's darcy spencer talked with the neighbors. prayers at the tower of praise church international for three women sexually assaulted in the area over the last few months. >> we like the police though to really step security in this neighborhood. >> the pastor said the church has been targeted by criminals. he put up surveillance and when they didn't capture a clear image, he turned them off. >> we were hiding the piano and sometimes the musical ment. >> police believe the same man sexually assaulted three women since september and it happened wednesday night behind the church next door. this composite sketch was developed after the first attack and captured on surveillance video. christian garcia's mom owns a hair salon across the street. >> it's a concern happening across the street. i do feel better that police have been in the area a little more patrolling more. >> prince george's county police detectives went door-to-door handing out flyers. many didn't know there had been three sexual assaults less than a mile apart. >> we a

more than normally. >> darcy spencer, news 4 today. >> they'll gather to remember the young man killed in the district. a memorial service is today in phoenix, maryland. he died earlier this week when police say a man fleeing a crash screen flipped his car and crushed him. he was walking to a night class when this happened. the prince george's county school board wants more moan than first expected. they are taking home $2 billion, 7% more than what kevin maxwell's original budget asked for. it included programs that were supposed to get cut and competitive pay for teachers. they are dealing with funding and furloughs. they head to the county executive for approval. >> the can happen in massachusetts. they ruled the trial can stay in bost origin. the defense attorney for them requested a change in venue. three people died and 260 others were hurt when two bombs explode near the finish line of the marathon. the trial is set to begin on wednesday. >> a state of vandalism attacks at a d.c. mosque. it was vandalized on tuesday night. on wednesday another ins kent. they ripped down wall han

news 4's darcy spencer has our report. >> reporter: this cell phone video shows the chaos as shoppers tried to get out of the parking garage at pentagon city mall seemingly all at once. the shopping center evacuated when the power went out. >> we were in macy's and trying to go to apple to get my iphone fixed. when we walked in basically the whole mall was closed and it was really dark. >> it kind of frightened everyone. >> reporter: janay stackhouse was working in the mall when the outage happened. she said no one knew there was a real emergency. >> all we saw were police officers were going on. the mall security people never told us anything. i had to go find an officer. >> reporter: the lights went out about 6:45. you can see from these photos posted on social media, the emergency lighting picked on. shoppers with bags in hand finding their way out. >> some people kind of went crazy initially. >> reporter: what does that mean they went crazy? >> what's going on they started screaming. >> r county fire went in to make sure no one was stuck in the elevators. some store employees had

news 4's darcy spencer reports. >> reporter: he's one of the caps biggest fans, in desperate neat need of prayers. 6-year-old benson is in critical condition after a sledding accident. family members waiting at the hospital decided to start a call for prayers through social media. they're using the #prayforbman. this young hockey fan got the attention of capitals team owner ted leone sis. he said please take a minute to say your prayers. we are praying for his speedy recovery. some caps players have also posted pray for b man messages. the caps announcer posted this youtube video. >> benson, we're awful thinking about you here with the washington capitals. we want you to get better soon and unleash the healing! get better pal. >> benson's story was picked up by the cap's blog, russian machine never breaks. the bloggers posted photos of the little boy who built a caps player snowman with his sisters the day before the tragic accident. benston is in a medically induced coma with family at his side. these messages are being documented to show him the love and support he's received when he

for now, though out to darcy spencer live where the dangerous road conditions darcy when's the latest there? >> reporter: hi there. we're getting a little bit of that rain and freezing rain that you were just talking about out here in ghaithersburg. i can tell you that road crews made a lot of progress this evening. we are live along frederick avenue at shady grove road. one of the more heavyily traveled roadways. we are finally now seeing pavement but now here come as night fell crews once again tried to clear snow-covered roads and highways. their efforts hamped during the storm by heavy traffic. drivers got in accidents, spin-outs and got stuck. when 270, 495 and other major roadways. what do you think about the people out driving in these conditions? >> brave? stupid? i don't know necessarily which one is more the issue. >> reporter: this woman got stuck driving into a 7-eleven. two men gave her a push. >> we just saw she needed help and helped her out. >> reporter: two buses stuck in downtown rockville at the same spot. workers had to shovel them out. on 270 near germantown traff

darcy spencer, news4. >>> some travelers are dealing with -- nationwide airlines grounded but 1200 flights. we're seeing about 150 cancellations, most of them at reagan national. more flights are expected to be canceled tomor an ice storm is about to hit north texas. >>> metro had yet another problem p smoke, this time at the same station where a woman died last mont this is metro's third smoke incident in the past 24 hours. there was a similar issue saturday when they evacuated the woodley park station, and then last night firefighters responded to reports of smoke and fire on a track near foggy bottom. >>> crime scene tape is up on the national mall after a problem with manhole covers. right now jefferson street is closed between 4th and 7:00 streets. we learned an electrical malfunction caused manhole covers to launch into the air. police say it could be dangerous. pepco is on the scene trying to fix the problem. >>> d.c. mayor bouzer says street cars will open when it's safe and not a moment sooner. that's what she tweeted this after after d-dot said there was a brief flash fire on top

darcy spencer, "news 4 today." >> family members tell news 4 bensten's condition is touch a! go.ay they're grateful for all the love and support they're receiving from the community and around the world. >>> today that hands-on contest at the washington auto show comes to an end. the last person standing gets a brand new 201,500 day sonata. those taking part have to keep a body part on the car at all times. contestants are allowed a 15-minute bathroom break every three hours. today is your last chance to head over to the auto show. it's been a very fun week, maybe not so fun for that group of people hoping to win the car. that's dedication. >> a lot of dedication. >> if you're the runner up you've got to be upset. >> i guess if they're all still there when time runs out, they get their names in a hat and draw a name random. >> which is even worse. >> yeah, because you put the time in and not get it. >>> for us while we were sleeping mother nature through a deck of clouds over us. now the clouds are threatening to bring at least a small of rain or sleet or snow during the daylight

darcy spencer is outside the parking garage where it happened. >> reporter: right now the store is back open for business. if you look behind me right down that ramp is the parking garage where it happened. fortunately, no one was hurt inside the garage or any shoppers in this incident but it really was a close call. let's take another look at that video of that car that slammed into the parking garage underneath the building here of off of connecticut avenue pap driver and passenger were take on the hospital. fortunately, their injuries were described as minor. again, no one in the store was hurt no customers, basically slammed into a part of the building i'm told where there was a storage area. but it did force the shutdown of the store right as people were starting their lunch hour. many customers were turned away. what do you think about something like this happening? was that a thought or concern that something like this could happen? >> never. i can't imagine. >> reporter: let's take another look at that photo that was just sent in by a viewer who was inside the store. you can see

darcy spencer is live in northwest. >> reporter: first i want to let everyone know that the store is back open. it was closed far while earlier today because of this investigation. it happened in the underground garage. if you drive down that ramp that's where it happened. and when you look at these new photos you realize this was a close call. this viewer photo shows the air bag deployed when a car slammed into the wall of a giant food store from inside the underground garage. it left a huge hole behind the dairy section of the store not far from shoppers and workers. rescuers freed the trapped driver and passenger from the car and took them to the hospital. the store off connecticut 1/2 the van ness center in northwest d.c. was shut down as d.c. inspectors made sure the building did not sustain structural damage. shoppers greeted by a closed sign as they tried to enter the store. what do you think about something like this happening? was that afterthought or concern that something like this could happen? >> never. i can't imagine. >> reporter: the parking garage was also shut down

live from columbia heights, darcy spencer, news 4. >> thank you. she showed us what it's like out there. crews asked to stay out roads if possible. a snow emergency plan in effect for prince george's and montgomery counties so you cannot park on snow emergency routes. vdot trucks are out clearing roads in northern virginia and crews are fixing outages. dominion has about 20,000 customers without power and pepco with 8,300. download the weather app or head over to nbcwashington.com. >>> please stay off the roads late tonight and all day tomorrow. >> the massachusetts governor warning people about another winter storm. some areas of new england could see additional two feet of snow blizzard conditions and extremely cold windchills. >>> new at 11:00, the weather is causing massive pile-ups. dealing with whiteout conditions in indiana where heavy snow and high winds caused this five-car crash and slick roads caused an even bigger pile-up in pennsylvania. even though it involved more than 100 cars and trucks police say there were only minor injuries. >>

news 4's darcy spencer was the first tv reporter on the scene and she has the latest from investigators there on the ground. >> reporter: chris, i want to tell you where we are right now. on bald eagle drive off of route 198. you can see up the road here this is maryland state police troopers blocking the road. the scene is about a mile up the road into a very heavily wooded area. i got to tell you, these two men are e alive. they're in the hospital at this hour with some serious injuries. >> plane crash at tipton airport. 7500 general aviation drive out of airfield road. >> chopper 4 shows the wreckage of a small plane that went down in the woods short takeoff in the laurel area. this anne arundel picture shows them pulling victims from the debris. two men, one in his 50s and one in his 80s were seriously hurt. >> they were conscious and talking? >> they were communicating to the rescuers on scene. >> the single engine plane had just taken off at 2:00 in the afternoon from fort meade. faa officials are investigating but it's too soon to say what caused the crash. authorities are not sa

we're reporting live from laurel tonight, darcy spencer, news 4. >>> it was really bizarre what happened inside a d.c. nightclub yesterday. a couple of guys in the club got involved in an argument when one of them pulled out a samurai sword and swung it at the other one. the man who was the victim in this case suffered cuts to his hands. all this happened at a club called the midtown on connecticut avenue yesterday. police say the guy who did the swinging with the sword is named michael mineer raymond. he was arrested and has been charged with assault with intent to kill. >>> new problems with emergency communication on metro have been fixed tonight. that according to the transit system. over the weekend montgomery county firefighters discovered that certain red line had nonexistent radio coverage in case of emergency. the problem was found to be isolated to parts of the wheaton station. metro says the issue has now been fixed and that riders don't have anything to worry about. >> a teacher in the area was attacked by a student in his classroom. it's a story you see here only on news 4.

but news4's darcy spencer spoke to someone who knew the w who shows us what the sheriff's office is now saying about the investigation. >> reporter: woman who was tasered at the fairfax county detention center after reportedly becoming combative died sunday after being taken off life support. she has been identified as natasha mckenna. she was 37 years old. the incident now classified as an in-custinmate death. the fairfax county police n notified and an investigation is underway. the county sheriff's office instead a statement that the department is fully cooperating with the investigation. fairfax county sheriff stacy kinkaid said in a statement, "we anticipate a prompt and comprehensive investigation and will continue to update our website as new informaavailable." a press release previously stated that she experienced a medical emergency after becoming combative and was subdued by the taser. questions are being raised about what caused the medical emergency. sources tell news4 mckenna has a history of mental health issues, and that was confirmed by a neighbor at her leak apartment c

news 4's darcy spencer shows us the people that tried to brave the storm. >> reporter: as night fellain tried to clear snow-covered roads and highways. their efforts hampered during the storm by heavy traffic. drivers got in accidents, had spinouts and got stuck. on 270, 495 and other major roadways. >> what do you think about the people out driving in these conditions? >> brave, stupid. not sure which one is the more issue. >> reporter: this woman got stuck driving into a 7-eleven. two men gave her a push. >> we saw she needed help so we helped her out. >> reporter: two ride-on buses got stuck in downtown rockville at the same spot. workers had to shovel them out. on 270 near germantown traffic snarled again. a truck lost its load of salt. this couple to a walk to find something to eat and found many businesses closed because of the weather. >> we were actually surprised at how much isn't open but looking at the roads we understand why. >> reporter: darcy spencer "news 4 today." >>> take a look at your screen. just a few of the schools in our area canceling activities because of the