this new police chief and i had actually heard about him from bill bratton, who was the police chief of los angelese beck. bill called me up and says there is this guy george gascon, he is considering to be the chief of san francisco police department. he is a really great guy, would you talk to him? and i did. and then he was appointed as police chief. i have to tell you, he would come down to the office at least on a weekly basis and we had many conversations over the course of a couple of years. and his perspective, the perspective of george gascon has always been the perspective of a leader in law enforcement who has, as a first priority public safety, but always with a mind toward how we can do the work better, how we can think about reform and how we can always aspire to that goal that we often call the smart on crime approach to criminal justice policy. and so when he decided to run after being appointed by then mayor newsom, when he decided to run as district attorney, i was very excited to support him. and what i knew then was what we saw during the course of the last several months, which

joins the army, makes his way as a young man to the los angeles police department and works his way upraordinarily. in the wake of rampart, works his way up as assistant police chief in one of the largest police departments in our nation, distinguishes himself there so much so that he is recruited to facea, arizona, and then makes front-page news across this country because he has the courage, the same courage he learned as a young man to stand up and express his point of view when he stood up against the maricopa county sheriff and some of his outrageous views on immigration. [applause] >> and that's what got our attention out here where he may have taken the biggest risk of all, and that is by assuming a role of leadership here as our police chief, an outsider, something that all of you know, doesn't always work so well here in san francisco. and he distinguished his short time as police chief by really being the architect of some of the celebratory news that mayor lee and others have been pointing to today around three years of historic declines in homicides and the reduction of vio

both the los angeles police department and the los angeles county fire department saturated the city from los angeles to west hollywood with officers and who assigning detectives to the case throughout the weekend. their efforts cannot be understated. the vigilance of the l.a. sheriff's reserved deputy this morning on sunset boulevard and fairfax avenue lead to a traffic stop which allowed law enforcement to take the suspect into custody. i would like to announce the coordination of the bureau of alcohol, fire, and explosives, which sent a team of agents to assist with the investigation. all of these agencies continue to work around the clock to investigate a 52 arson fires we have experienced since friday morning. it costs to -- it caused about $3 million in damage. by no means is this investigation complete. based on the saturday evening news conference held by the arson task force and video images and distributed to the media, the task force revealed tips from the state department and the u.s. marshals service, which aided law enforcement in identifying the suspect. around 3:00 a.

he became a los angeles police officer back in 1978. before he left he was promoted to police chief and director of operations. and then police chief in arizona :to san francisco in august 2009 and appointed as san francisco district attorney last january. >>> police are investigating a bank robbery at a wells fargo bank. two men armed with guns held up the bank at 10:30 this morning. a at 10:00 this morning. a elderly couple escaped unharmed but their home was destroyed. firefighter had the contained in 20 minutes. it started in a bedroom. >>> tonight "occupy oakland" protesters are demanding the release of a dozen : protesters who were arrested overnight. >> the group tried to push their way into city hall but officers locked the doors. three occupy protestors were finally let inside. >> release of the prisoners and an end to is live where the warning is going out to people to see the big waves. robert? >> reporter: that rush has already started. we joined a lot of people who came out to watch the big waves. it has been an enjoyable sh

. >>> los angeles police are turning to the public for help in solving an arson spree. last night investigators released this surveillance video that shows the man who they say is a person of interest in more than 40 fighters since thursday. most of the fire started in parked cars, then spread to nearby carports and apartments. >>> police in washington state are looking for the gunman who could be hiding in mount rainier national park. investigators say benjamin cold and barnes shot and killed park ranger margaret anderson during a traffic stop yesterday. he is an iraq war veteran and could be linked to a quadruple shooting and a house party that happens saturday. >>> montgomery county police have not identified two young people killed in a violent crash yesterday morning. >> they are still trying to figure out what exactly caused the driver to lose control. five people were in the car when it hit a tree in the 4400 block of jones bridge road. jummy olabanji joins us with details. good morning. >> good morning. we are hoping later this morning we will get more summation

>>> and quiet night, which is a sigh of relief for los angeles, after police lock up the man suspected of torching cars across the city. >>> and winter's here. and today, you will feel it for sure. lake-effect snow, bitter cold, freezing conditions, even all the way down into florida. >>> and good tuesday, morning, everyone. i'm paula faris. >> and i'm rob nelson. it's a big day for democracy. we're hours away from the first voting in the race for the white

no word on the patient who was taken away in an ambulance. >>> some developing news out of los angeles, police have detained a man for questioning in connection with a string of arson fires. earlier there were four more fires bringing the total now to 40 since thursday alone. police are not saying the man being questioned is the same man in the surveillance video. those images show a man in his 20s, dressed in black walking with a limp. there's a $60,000 reward for any information that would lead to an arrest. >> because of the commonlity and the mode of ignition, we believe it's the same individual. >> in every case the vehicles set on fire were parked in carport allowing flames to spread quick. all of the fires have occurred in the hollywood area. so far nobody has been hurt. >>> starting today, the city of almeida have more places are smokers cannot light up. they include dining and recreation areas, service areas, like bus stops and atms and shopping centers. this ban also applies to commercial area sidewalks and 20 feet where smoking is prohibited. >>> as many 20 homes in the east area is

professors say a standardized calendar would maae it easier for personal and business planning. 3 los angeles policeny as eight fires were set within one hour this morning.... you can see crews on the scene doing their best to knock down one of the fires.dozens of fires have been set around los angeles since friday. 3---ccildren.../ are... alive.../ ááthanksáá to... good samaritanss / icy... conditions.../ forced... a family.../ off...// this.../ salt lake city... roadd.../ áátheiráá car... plunging... into thee river...///. ááthháá father... was able... to... get out-- / áábutáá his... 3--children.../ áá morganáá nd... victor carlson.../// were.../ driving by -- / áásawáá the scene.../ and... immediately.../ jumped... into the water -- // ááhelpingáá the... &pkids ...// out ...of the car windowss../ one m. carlson says: "we have to flip the car. i looked in and could his boy upside down in the water."//butt to///. carlson says: "all of in..i grabbed the knife and we cut it and i pulled the boy out" out." the carlsons... say.../ ii's... a miracle ...the kids survived --/ áááinceáá they were submerge

he spent 28 years on the los angeles police force.e at simpson's, in 1994 after the stabbing death of nicole brown simpson. the matter was -- he was 70 years old. investigators are trying to figure out what sparked an early morning fire. the fire broke out in the fourth floor unit of a six-story apartment building. three units were ruined. everybody in the building got out safely. >> my small detector did not go off. -- my smoke detector did not go off. >> 70 firefighters were called in to battle the blaze. the fire caused half a million dollars of damage. still to come, store march forecast, we will have much more on that freezing rain advisory. a unique site in fairfax county. dozens of bald eagles descend on it's a mysterious phenomenon has some fairfax county residents delighted. dozens of bald eagles descended on a neighborhood in west springfield. >> there is one building in the tree right now. >> a quick scan of the trees along the shoreline reveals bald eagles perch in the branches. >> the most we have seen as 28. >> some of t

. >>> less than two hours ago los angeles police announced they detained a man that could know about a series of suspicious car fires. police are noting if -- are not saying if the man in this picture is the one they want to talk to. at that time investigators did not call him a suspect. >> we have several attempts where because of the commonality and motive ignition we believe it's the same individual. >> overnight there were a dozen new fires bringing the total now to just about 55. officers say not all of them may have been started by the same person. so far there have not been any injuries. >>> time is 5:01. a huge fire in san francisco is under investigation this morning. it started last night on me sonic avenue on hate street. kraig debro joins us live with what firefighters are saying about the cause. >> reporter: we are a couple blocks south on waller. i talked to one of the firefighter here's. she tells me arson investigators are due back here later this morning trying to figure out the cause of the fire. they will try to figure this out. fire crews have been here overnight o

police have identified this man of the subject of interest. 24 -year-old benjamin barnes believes, is believed to have military experience. >>> tonight los los angeles police are releasing surveillance video that they say could be connected to the arson set up terrorized southern california. he was captured coming out of the parking grudge and investigators are hoping that someone can recognize him. >> we are interested in meeting with this person of interest in having the conversation with them and interviewing them and seeing if they have some information that could be helpful in bringing this investigation to the conclusion. >> investigators spent much of the day analyzing this but investigators are not sure buyers are the work of one person with the line of copycats. >> the third straight night, los los angeles neighborhoods in flames. cooper's apartment building was one of the latest hit. >> they have people celebrating and halflings shooting. >> police believe the fires were set intentionally but have yet to make an arrest. >> it makes you uneasy. you don't know where or when it will happen to you. to be relaxing and hear someone scream, fire.

edward lawrence joins frus los angeles with an up-- us from los angeles with an update. >> reporter: the los angeles police chief went a step further saying he is very confident that they have their man. i'm standing in front of one of the latest fires that happened early this morning. it destroyed four cars. then spread to the apartment building above. and now there is actually a news conference going on right now, talking about this very incident. and the person that police have detained, in connection with these arsons. the only good news with all of this is that there were no injuries in any of the arsons. firefighters battle a wall of flames. shooting from cars in west hollywood. a dozen car fires broke out in the los angeles area overnight. that brings the number of suspicious fires to 55. before dawn, los angeles county sheriff's deputies took a man into custody for questioning. >> that person is being interrogated. there have been no fires since we detained this individual. >> reporter: a los angeles city councilman says the man matches the description of a person of interest in a security video re

>>shepard: los angeles police have made an arrest in connection with the dozens upon dozens of fires that have put california on edge the last few days. more than 50 fires, most in hollywood and west hollywood area. officials say they suspect an arsonist. the flames spreading from parked cars into homes and buildings. one man found his own car in flames. >> saw this fire burning on the hood. i drove it around the block trying to blow the fire out. and i was, like, well that is not going do happen so i pulled it over knowing the fire department would be here. >>shepard: the fire would get there and get it out and this is called the worst thing of fires in los angeles in almost two decades. now, early this morning in los angeles, cops took a man in for questioning. a witness says the guy had a "creepy smile." and he appears to match the person you see in this developed that police released over the weekend showing a man with a receding hair line and a ponytail leaving the scene of a fire in an underground parking garage, now, the los angeles police chief says he is confident they "have

person of interest is now in custody after twelve more suspicious fires broke out overnight in los angeles. police say they are confident a man taken into custody early this morning is responsible for setting the fires. he was stopped by sheriff's deputies while drive vang with materials possibly linking him to the fires. he was detained after the release of this video showing a man walking out of a parking structure last saturday where one of the car fires happened. fire officials are not saying if he is the man seen on the video. >> they're questioning him at this time to see what he was doing in the area, where he was going, checking to see that his stories match up, and then looking at what similarities his location was with the fires that occurred. >> there have been about 50 fires that may be connected in los angeles in the last ten days. >>> with the iowa caucuses less than 24 hours away, republican hopefuls are on their final stretch to convince voters to join their camps. the new and last des moines register poll ahead of tomorrow's caucuses show rick santorum's popularity is on the rise.

los angeles police arrest a man suspected in a terrifying string of arsons. >>> and double take. heavy snow sends an ohio bank >>> and double take. heavy snow sends an ohio bank thermometer soaring? captions paid for by nbc-universal television >>> hello. very good morning. i'm veronica de la cruz. today we begin with all eyes on iowa. republican presidential candidates are making their final big pitches in the hawkeye state ahead of the crucial caucuses that will not only kick off the election season but could have a huge effect on who wins the gop nomination. nbc's tracie potts is in des moines with more. good morning. >> reporter: veronica, good morning. at this point it's not so much what these candidates say, it's what they do. making a personal connection at the last minute before the voting begins tonight. >> ron paul! >> reporter: this late in the game for many voters is not just about issue, it's about trust. >> he's humble. i trust him. i don't trust anybody else in politics. >> you heard it here first, ron paul will carry iowa. >> reporter: it's possible, polling just

. ♪ >>> in los angeles police are looking for a suspect caught on video trying to rob an 18-year-old.ane an' 11, 110 pound woman -- relentlessly tried to fight him off the suspect punched her in the face several times knocking her to the floor and got away with her phone. jane's instinct tonight was not wise they say victims should give up property and not risk injury or death. jane says she has learned a lesson admits she shouldn't have fought and knows things could have been much worse. >>> today an audit of apple's supplier found a number of environmental violations in its china plan. the company will open to an independent auditing team. apple has temporarily postponed the sale of iphone 4s at mainland china stores it became concerned after crowds got out of control today. some angry customers threw eggs at the store. apple says the phone will still be sold online. >>> tomorrow at this time, candlestick park will be buzzing with tailgaters and 49er fans ready to see their team in first playoff game in nearly a decade. katie marzullo is live at the stick game time for officers too.

. >>> a man was arrested in connection with a wave of arson in los angeles. police arrested german immigrant harry burkhart yesterday. they believe he let more than 50 fires, causing more than $3 million of damage. they have not released in would have but they say he was angry about his mother's upcoming deportation. >>> this was a flight that turned into a huge headache for passengers in ohio. an airplane that arrived from florida skidded off the runway and ran into grass. passengers had to be bused to the terminal. passengers waiting to board the airplane for the next trip were stranded overnight. authorities say the allegiant airplane may have taken a turn that was too wide. >>> and new year's snowstorm created a massive mess in kentucky. not pretty. police say eight people were hurt following a 41-people pilot. it shut down interstate 754 hours. the vehicles collided, sprawled across several lanes as snow fell on the state. all the victims are expected to survive but the cause of the crash are still under investigation today. >>> it is cold year but not nearly a

los angeles police released this security video. you can see him dressed in black. police say he came up -- up the stairs from an underground parking garage where a fire had been set. they also say the man was spotted at the scene of another fire. >> fires, as soon as they get going, they burn really hot, really fast. they have a lot of fuels. they have a lot of plastics. and they essentially give off their own combustible gases. >> nearly 40 fires have been set in and around los angeles over the past few days. police say the arsonist is targeting vehicles that are near buildings. so far no one has been injured. >>> a howard county family managed to save their horses just before their barn was destroyed by a fire. the two alarm fire sparked around 1:00 yesterday along jennings chapel road in woodbine. it took firefighters from three counties to fight the flames. no one was hurt. the cause of the fire is under investigation. >>> this morning police are looking for a man who shot and killed a u.s. park ranger in washington state. overnight police started escorting mor

. >>> in los angeles police are looking for a suspect caught on video trying to rob an 18-year-old.ane an' 11, 110 pound woman -- relentlessly tried to fight him off the suspect punched her in the face several times knocking her to the floor and got away with her phone. jane's instinct tonight was not wise they say victims should give up property and not risk injury or death. jane says she has learned a lesson admits she shouldn't have fought and knows things could have been much worse. >>> today an audit of apple's supplier found a number of environmental violations in its china plan. the company will open to an independent auditing team. apple has temporarily postponed the sale of iphone 4s at mainland china stores it became concerned after crowds got out of control today. some angry customers threw eggs at the store. apple says the phone will still be sold online. >>> tomorrow at this time, candlestick park will be buzzing with tailgaters and 49er fans ready to see their team in first playoff game in nearly a decade. katie marzullo is live at the stick game time for officers too.

who los angeles police are now questioning. traffic ad libs . >> a dozen new fires and serious arsonist strikes again early this morning. who l.a. police are now questioning. >> two new accidents has popped up. >>> after some record temperature this weekend, those numbers starting to cool down. lot of clouds our way. we'll talk about that coming up. >>> good morning everyone, it is monday january 2nd. if it's your holiday, good for you. i'm frank mallicoat. >> i'm grace lee. police is demanding questions. this is new video that's come into the newsroom. a man was detained and it happened just a couple hours ago. overnight there were 12 more fires in carport and garages bringing that total to 55 fires. police are not saying the man being questioned is the same man as this. there is a $60,000 reward. >>> new this morning, at least one person was hurt when two cars collided. this was around 1:00 a.m. in berkeley. damage to the building is said to be very minor. no word on the person taken away in an ambulance or on the cause of tha

. >>> tonight, los angeles police are releasing video of a man, they say, could be connected to the arsons that terrorized southern california. he was captured by a security camera coming out of an underground parking structure on hollywood boulevard. it was the scene of one of the car fires. officers are hoping someone will recognize him. >> we are interested in meeting with this person of interest. and having a conversation with them, interviewing them and -- and see figure they have information that can be helpful to bringing this investigation to a conkhaougz. >> the detectives spent much of the -- conclusion. the detectives spent much of the day analyzing the arson. they are not sure if it is the work of one person or a line of copycats. >> reporter: for the third straight night los angeles saw neighborhoods in flames. the total of 39 cars set on fire. mark cooper's apartment building was one of the latest hit. >> the it was 8:00, new year's eve. people in a festive mood and then suddenly all of these flames shooting up two stories high. >> reporter: this parking lot is filled with as

, passing the bar, all while raising a family and rising in the administrative ranks of the los angeles police department. it is really a testament to your dedication and perseverance. an l.a. homeboy, like me. we are here to support you and to administer the oath of office. let me and the bible to fabi ola, and we would get to the zero of office. please raise your right hand, place your left hand on the bible. i want to tell you a brief story. the reason why we ask persons taking an oath of office to raise their right hand is because, in england, we needed to know if the person had committed any felonies. in those days, if you had committed a felony, one of your digits had been cut off. i do not know if you can see, but he has all of the digits intact, so far so good. [laughter] george, if you would repeat after me. i, and george gascon, do solemnly swear that i will support and defend the constitution of the united states, and the constitution of the state of california against all enemies, foreign and domestic, and i will bear true faith and allegiance to the constitution of the united stat

. >>> a break in the case from an arsonist terrifying people in los angeles. police connected him to more than 50 fires over the last week. he torched cars and homes in several different neighborhoods. he's been involved in a fight with immigration officials. the fires caused more than $2 million in damage. >>> a police find a suspected killer died. benjamin barns died in a creek. he's also a suspect in the shooting at a new year's eve party in seattle. the murdered park ranger. >>> first shooting of 2012 and the victim is just 13 years old. wjz is live in police headquarters. we have collusive details from an eyewitness. >> reporter: right now that young teenager is in the hospital recovering and tonight an eyewitness tells wjz that he saw another teenager pull the trigger. this man we're not identifying fears for his life. just after dark on new year's day, the baltimore resident tells only wjz that he witnessed a 13-year you have will old on a bike attacked by other teenagers, then shot numerous times in the upper body. >> you saw him shooting the gun? >> i saw hi

. >> this happened in los angeles. police say two guys between the ages of 17 and 20, tried to buy some beer from that clerk. >> they asked for i.d. and then the fight starts. >> me, it almost looks like the two kids wer going to take anrun. >> yeah. >> i think the clerk said hold it and that's when they like jumped the guy. >> that fourth person you see get involved is a good samaritan. tried to come to the aid of the clerk. >> feel terrible for the situation. he was getting pounded. >> the clerk is getting wailed on. the good samaritan outside has wrestled the other suspect and is keeping him out of the store. and he still has a drink in his hand when he goes outside to tackle that second suspect. >> oh, yeah he does. >> oh! >> the first suspect pushes the clerk out the door, near the end of the fight and then both suspects jump on the good samarit samaritan. >> for a 12 pack. >> police say neither the clerk nor the good samaritan were seriously hurt. you really shouldn't be involved and get involved. what you should do is

>> mitchell: tonight, another night of arson attacks in los angeles. police launch a huge manhunt as a suspected serial arsonist strikes again. lee cow an is there. caucus countdown. with just three days to go, jan crawford is in iowa as voters close in on a republican presidential choice. women and war. a conversation with a passionate advocate who has made it her life's work empowering women in times of war. >> women's voices are crucial in creating lasting peace. >> mitchell: and charlie dag tahas the improbable story of the voices behind britain's top-selling holiday hit. captioning sponsored by cbs this is the "cbs evening news" with russ mitchell. >> mitchell: good evening. we begin in los angeles where for the past two nights a wave of arson has lit up the night sky. so far there have been three dozen separate blazes and now local investigators have called in the federal government to help. national correspondent lee cowan is in los angeles ands what the latest. >> reporter: it's become a terrifying predawn pattern-- for the past two nights, more than