mary mcguire joins us live, and to all of this mary? >> ever. >> reporter: out sides of alonso high school, one parent tells me the fights between students have gotten so bad she wants to pull her daughter out and start home schooling her. >> to bring your child to school and see cop after cop, my daughter is fear walking in and out of her class rooms. >> reporter: in an attempt to quell those fear, multiple hillsborough county sheriffs deputies showed up with the school buses this morning. >> i think there's been like four fights this week. >> reporter: one fight friday sent one student to the intensative care unit at a tampa bay hospital. a -- intensive care unit at a tampa bay hospital. a viewer sent in a photo of the student being wheeled into an ambulance, and another student different story. >> there was the fight on friday between two students, but in talking with the principal they said it's actually been very quiet at alonso this year. >> reporter: now alonso high school students tell me they're no longer allowed to hang out in

mary mcguire joins us live with more on what boaters, hunters and outdoor enthusiasts can enjoy out there. hi there, mary. outdoor expo where there are a ton of folks checking out what the expo has to offer. it is not just a great place to shop, but a great place to learn something. >> all kinds of boats. >> reporter: boats, fishing rods and even kayaks of every shape and size, just in time for spring. news channel 8 outdoor's expo and boat show has everything you need to take on the great outdoors. >> for those of you that want to get in the water, maybe do a little scuba diving, we have a little scuba diving pool for you. >> reporter: dozens of seminars were held on fresh and salt water fishing, fly fishes, boating, hunting and more from experts across the state. those seminars weren't just for adults, though. kids could learn thousand tie knots and catch with renowned 16-year-old angler jason whitfield. he went over there. i swear he was like ear to ear smiling. i liked seeing the reaction. it was amazing. >> reporter: the expo bringing a bit of the outdoors indoors for folks of all ag

mary mcguire has been covering this story all weekend long and it's emotional story. >> it has been a sad time. tonight, the memorial stone bare bares a new name. we're hearing from a 911 caller who says the deputy's last actions saved her life. >> i was flashing my lights crazily at him like a strobe light, like, click, click because i couldn't think of anyway to say stop driving at me. please don't hit me >> sarah was returning home from work when she saw a wrong way driving barreling towards her driving eastbound in the eastbound lanes of the selmon express way. that hadn't occurred when the officer rushed around me and one or two seconds after he passed me, he ended up hitting the car instead of me. >> making the ultimate sacrifice, she is sure that deputy john kotfila intentionally crashed into that car saving her life. >> this man put himself in front of us as a human shield. absolutely. he definitely -- he definitely saw what was going on when i take a step back and look at the way everything occurred, he absolutely was a human shield for us. >> garren will always remember depu

mary mcguire pulled up to the scene about an hour ago and, mary, what is the latest and how bad is the damage? >> hey, good morning, candace. as you see hine me the damage to this law office has been pretty devastating. i can see one big corner of the law office has been just absolutely smashed by that car that hit it and we have some video from earlier this morning that i want to show you of that vehicle while it was still here. it was towed away a half hour ago. one driver was headed south on 301, hit a brick wall at a carport at the law office located at 9905 alahambra avenue off of 301. we know the driver was transported to tampa general non-life-threatening injuries. i notice the car that was towed away had an ohio license plate. we don't know if the driver was local to the tampa bay area or if perhaps they were still visiting here. hillsborough county code enforcement just arrived on the scene here and want to make sure the building is safe for this law office to practice in. inside we're told there are several employees that work out of this building. so this could potentially b

mary mcguire joins us live from sarasota where rubio rallied supporters at dolphin aviation and it was a packed house. >> reporter: yeah it certainly was. good evening to you jenn. more than 150 delegates are up for grabs today in states like mississippi, michigan, idaho, and hawaii. but marco rubio decided to focus his efforts here in his home state of florida and the 99 delegates up for grabs next tuesday. speaking with supporters here in sarasota, he said he was the only candidate that had a chance of beating donald trump in florida. if rubio does take the 99 delegates here, it could completely turn the tide and give rubio some serious momentum in this race. if not, it could effectively he knows it's an uphill battle and how important the florida primary is to his campaign. >> florida awards the delegates all at once to the state. we think this is the best use of our resources. the winner of the florida nominee. >> reporter: now coming into today, trump was leading the pack with 384 delegates followed by ted cruz with 300 and marco rubio with 159. i'm mary mcguire, newschannel8. >>>

mary mcguire is live at the scene in tampa heights. has the homeowner been arrested or charge at all in this situation? >> reporter: no, tampa police tell me that the man that pulled that trigger, 40-year- old christopher solomon will this case. but rather, the facts and the figures will be sent to the state attorney's office and they will make the ultimate call. . crime sustain tape lined this tampa heigights neighborhood after police say 40-year-old christopher solomon shot a would be burglar dead this afternoon. he told police he heard some strange noises coming from his kitchen. arming himself, he went downstairs and discovered the male intruder preparing to rob his home. fearing for his life, he shot the burglar several times. in an ironic twist, this tampa heights neighborhood just had a community watch meeting where authorities gaveve them advice on how to keep their homes safe. >> keep watch, keep an eye on each other. and ... just really, most of the time, these crimes happen in the day when they think people are not home. >>

mary mcguire is live. hello. >> reporter: good afternoon to you jenn. i'm standing right in front of the house where this all went down earlier this afternoon. and neighbors here i spoke with say that they are not surprised that this was thwarted as quickly as it was was because a lot of people work fromom home. tampa police say this happened just after 1:00 this afternoon. 40-year-old christopher solomon heard strange sounds in the kitchen. he armed himself and came downstairs to find an intruder in the kitchen. fearing for his life, he shot the intruder several times.s. authorities gave homeowners here advice on how to avoid this. >> keep watch. keep an eye on each other. most of the time these crimes happen in the day when they think people are not home. >> reporter: now, the name of the intruder has not yet been jenn? >> what about solomon? will he will charged in this case? >> reporter: police tell me he has not been arrested or charged in this case. but as is typical, the fact will be sent to the state attorney's office e and they will make that d

mary mcguire is live where the accident happened. wrong way driving has been a big problem again and again in our area. >>reporter: we've reported on it dozens of times temporary feels like in the past years and over the past eight years, there have been 57 wrong way crashes on bay area roads and the latest one claimed the life of a deputy. deputy john kotfila was just returning from investigating another crash at tampa general hospital around three saturday morning when authorities say that 31-year-old erik mcbeth of hudson began driving the wrong way from the selman exit. eagle eight hd captured video of this scene where the two cars collided. investigators aren't concluding this crash was alcohol related, but a majority of wrong way crashes have been. >> i think it is highlighting a bigger issue between distracted driving and dui. at this time of night, you know there, are a lot of people that have been consuming alcoholic beverages out on the road, but we need to pay attention to what we're doing on the road. >>reporter: we're to

mary mcguire joins us live with more on on the great seminars that are happening there today. what have you learned, mary? >>hey, good morning to you candace, it's not just about all of the really fun toys that are here and there certainly talking big boats, fishing rods, everything that the outdoorsman in your life would love to have. there's a lot of seminars going on over the weekend, more than 50, to really keep you on top of your game. there are going to be things about flyfishing, tarpon fishing, turkey hunting and snook fishing. and indicates quarter, kids can learn to tie knots and cast that's. you can even try scuba diving in a heated pool here called the be the diver pull. it's a great way to try out the latest scuba gear. -- the event runs from 10:00 a.m. to 7:00 today and 10:00 to 5:00 tomorrow. it's free for kids ages 12 and under, $8.00 for adults. i have been in the fishing section here and i want to show you some of the cool things that i have found. i am not a big fisher by any means. i did -- i used to play the click on some fun toy, but i found this doomsday

mary mcguire just pulled up to the scene. mary, what can you tell us? >> hey, good morning to you, candace. we're waiting on county enforcement to come to check out the law office to make sure it is still safe for people to go inside. we're waiting for the tow truck that is just pulling up. let us look at this video from this all happened after 4:00 a.m. when a driver was headed south on 301. he then veered off of 301 and hit a brick wall of the carport alambra. the driver was transported to the hospital with non-life-threatening injuries. me. they're taking the car away. the plates on the car were ohio driver's plates. we don't know if the person was here maybe visiting or if they lived here. certainly a lot of questions to be answered but i think that the own -- but i know the owner of this law office arrived on the scene and they said it is devastating for their business money to repair the building. >> good information. live in brandon. >>> you can log on to our website wfla.com or download our free news channel 8 app. >>> it was a big day for senat

it's been a spring tradition for many and mary mcguire joins us live from the florida state fairgrounds on -- with more on what enthusiasts can enjoy. what have you found? >> reporter: hey, good morning to you, can this. there are of course lots of boats here. there's also a lot of fishing gear, a lot of goodies that i am seeing around. the expo doesn't start until 10 am so it is pretty quiet around here but there are going to be a lot of lectures comments you can stay on top of your game while you are out and about fishing and hunting. with nearly 50 seminars today on fresh and saltwater fishing, boating, kayaking and more from outdoor experts. some of the lectures today include smoke and more snuck, turkey hunting on the beach, and not tying in the corner for it runs from 10 am to 7 pm tomorrow. admission is eight dollars tomorrow -- $8.00 for adults and $5.00 for kids. you can even try her hand at being a scuba diver, they have a pool here in the area and i don't know if you saw -- they actually today live shot while he was scuba diving yesterday. that maybe something that i try but

news channel 8's mary mcguire was the first reporter on the scene this morning. mary, how is the driver of the car doing right now? >> good morning, we're learning the driver of the car was a young man and he was transported to tampa general hospital after the crash with injuries to his legs. deputies said this happened after 4:00 a.m. this morning, when that car was driving southbound on 301 in brandon. deputies say the car veered off parwani law office located off of 301 in alambra. officers with the county deemed this office unsafe for people to go in. devastating for the owner of this law office. >> i just feel awful. sounds like he is very hurt and i hope he is okay. it is a pretty devastating scene, you know, for our office. you know, i'm a single mom and a lawyer and for me to have to fix this on top of everything else, and try to figure it out and run my business, and take care of my kids, this is heart-breaking. >> now workers with teco were also here because the car crashed so close to a pole, officials are still investigating whether or not alcohol was

reporting in hillsboro county, aim mary mcguire, news channel 8. >> all right, mary. wrong-way crashes are a major problem plaguing bay area roadways. we've talked about this time and time again. this is a map of the wrong-way crashes on our today. if you add these up, right now. concentrations on our interstates. the deadly problem was studied and tried to figure out a way to stop it. 280 wrong-way crashes happened in florida from 2008 to 2015. 75 people were killed. 8 on your side is going to keep asking questions about the next step to try to put a stop this this problem. >>> the impact of this tragedy is -- sympathy are posted over the internet. lindsey mastis is showing us how the community is showing their support. >>reporter: condolences is pouring all over facebook and twitter. he announced he's ordered all flags be thrown at half staff in honor of the deputy. a lot of people are sharing this condolences. departments. sheriff in pinellas saying our thoughts and prayer was the hillsboro sheriff's department. this is from jackson county and this says, here, sher

mary mcguire has been covering this story all weekend long and it's emotional story. >> it has been a sad time. tonight, the memorial stone bare bares a new name. we're hearing from a 911 caller who says the deputy's last actions saved her life. >> i was flashing my lights crazily at him like a strobe light, like, click, click because i couldn't think of anyway to say stop driving at me. please don't hit me >> sarah was returning home from work when she saw a wrong way driving barreling towards her driving eastbound in the eastbound lanes of the selmon express way.

news channel 8's mary mcguire takes us behind the scenes of the show. >> reporter: the drama of the job is very real for the hundreds of firefighters, police officers and paramedics who serve the tampa bay area every day and every night. >> when that call comes in, you never know what it's going to be, a hazardous material, a gas line being breached or something more tragic, whether they're responding to a car accident. >> reporter: now, the heart pounding situations, bay area first responders see will be series night watch, a show that profiles emergency personnel during challenging calls and situations in the dead of the night. >> they actually have photographers inside the vehicles following the action. >> reporter: the show won't just be about crime and emergencies, though. >> first responders are like you and me. >> reporter: in a time when tensions between citizens and law enforcement has reached an all time high, the show will give a face and story to the men and women behind the badge. >> a lot of times what people see when it comes to fire and police is what's reported on telev

reporting in lutz, mary mcguire, news channel 8. >> no customers were stored in the showroom. >>> a jacksonville sheriff's deputy is in the hospital after being shot. it's not clear if he was on duty at the time of the shooting. the man believed to have shot the detective was also shot, but it's not clear who shot him. the sheriff's office hopes witnesses can reveal what led up to the confrontation. >>> a group of run away ponies a busy south florida highway. they gap line-upped and grazed along the side of the florida tank. state troopers and road rangers tried to corral the herd. they made their way back home after a few hours on the run. >>> the highest education funding in florida history singing the praises of the state's education budget. it's an increase of 1%. according to the florida education association, with inflation the dollars don't go nearly as far for students as they did nearly a decade ago. >> i wouldn't say this is an exceptionally good year for the budget for public education. it could have been worse, but we'll -- we just have to deal with it when it comes. >> florida's gov

reporting in hillsborough county i'm mary mcguire, news channel 8. >> results of toxicology tests won't be available for another few weeks. many people are sharing their condolences with the family of deputy kotfila and you can as well. comment on the posts on our wfla facebook page. >>> tampa bay place released joseph ragsdale in connection with a fatal hit and run accident at 30th avenue and 50th street north. police tell us ragsdale was driving a pickup truck when he struck a bicyclist. that man has not been identified. >>> a seffner woman was struck and killed by an suv in hillsborough county. cynthia mcmillan ran across parsons avenue south and right into the path of a jeep cherokee. she was wearing black clothing and the driver did not see her at the time. mcmillan was struck and died at the scene. deputies tell us alcohol is suspected in mcmillan's breath. the driver is cooperating. >>> the largo police department is asking for the public's help identifying a woman whose body was found this morning near 145th street north and star board lane. the woman is described as a white fem

mary mcguire is on vacation in london and we talked to her on skype about how the mood has shifted. >> this morning i went on a run through hyde park, the equivalent to central park in london, to new york city and there were guards, both at the front gates, getting into the park, and also walking in through the park and i had gone on a run when i first got here and that security was not there. my brother's girlfriend is visiting from milan, italy, and she flew and said she was asked just a multitude of questions she had never been asked before. >> mary tells us she is not changing travel plans and won't return early to the u.s. but she will give herself more time than usual to get through airport security on the way back. on the wake of the new isis threat specifically targeting uk >>> passengers at tampa international noticed more police while arriving, additional officers as a precaution after the attacksism more tsa agents were also on hand and several k-9 units. it is worth mentioning there are no direct flights from tampa international to belgium. a jet plane that left brussels l

reporter: that was -- adrian: that was mary mcguire reporting. deputies say it' s too early to say whether alcohol played a role in the crash. they say it will be a part of their investigation. a very tough story that they are dealing with in tampa. for most of central florida, not as tough. we have decent weather. eric: it is nice, warm, and drive. that is about to change, the drive part. -- dry part. the skycam is showing a nice effort. we have clouds overhead, 79 degrees overhead, feeling like 80. dusting off the old heat index. the good news, no rainfall right now. are looking nice and dry. this is where the dry changes, because we have got all of this moisture out here from louisiana back to mississippi, alabama, even the florida panhandle, that is your storm system, a lot of moisture associated with it. once it moves in, these rough movements, that is dry air. this will move across central florida, but we just need to get through the moisture. it will not be here tonight. 9:00, 72. 11:00. overnight lows, wow, these are mild. 65 degrees in t

mary mcguire is at the scene where she's speaking with officials. mary, this is a terrible tragedy for the department. >>reporter: it certainly is. good morning to you lindsey. i'm at the ramp where the deputy's believes where the wrong way driver entered the sell -- selman. the entire hood of that car ripped off from the force of that accident. they think this happened just after 3:00 a.m. and the deputy was traveling crash investigation at tampa general hospital. we spoke with colonel greg brown of the hills pure owe sheriff's -- about the hillsboro sheriff's department and he spoke about what a loss this is. >> what do you think about what a loss this is for the department? [ crying ] >> yeah. these guys are -- these men and women are -- excuse me. the men and women are out there trying to protect everybody. >> and now we're taking a live look at our traffic camera on the cross town as the deputies still investigate this crash. i'm told that this portion of the selman express way could be shut down for the next four to investigation is taking plac

i'm mary mcguire, news channel 8. >>> the reason so many drivers come to florida is because of the weather. let's check with meteorologist julie phillips. >> it's a great time in the tampa bay area. looking from clearwater beach, you can see clouds hanging around this location. darker clouds there. we're tracking a cold front moving through, but temperature s are falling back into the mid-60s and there's the front on the radar. you can see making its way through the tampa bay area. can't rule out sprinkles as this moves through, but overall, not expecting much in the way of rainfall for this afternoon and into this evening. if we take a look at the big picture, we're going to look at this you can see clearing behind it. both fronts are pretty weak as they move through the tampa bay area. currently, 71 in palm harbor and 73 in temple terrace and loots. inland spots. up to 82 in bartow and 80 in frost proof. temperatures are along the cost. temperatures tonight behind the front, this is what we'll see the cooler air move in. we'll fall back to 52 in temple terrace and 52 in plant city. land

was mary mcguire joins us live where authorities believe the wrong way driver got onto the expressway. do investigators have any idea how this hap? >> they don't and they may never know but what we do know is that all of the traffic signs and signals alerting drivers that the westbound lanes were closed to through traffic were up and in working order when this crash happened. we do know that deputy john kotfila was entering the expressway after completing a crash investigation at tampa general hospital around three saturday morning when authorities tell us that 31-year-old erik mcbeth of hudson began driving the wrong way from the brandon expressway. eagle eight hd captured video of the scene west of the i-75 exit where the two cars did collide. the sudden loss has stunned those in the sheriff's office. . >> these men and women are, excuse me, the men and women are out there trying to protect everybody and these guys are very concerned about the drivers at night. in fact, this deputy had hoped to become a traffic homicide investigator at some point in his career. >> we're told family

mary mcguire joins us live from hillsborough county sheriff's office where tributes to the deputy have grown overnight. good morning, mary. >>reporter: flags here are at half staff at the hillsborough county sheriff's office. in memoriam of the fallen deputy. deputy kotfila was returning from tampa general hospital after completing a crash authorities tell us 31-year-old aerik mcbeth of hudson began driving the wrong way on the brandon exit. eagle eight hd captured video of the scene west of the i-75 exit where the two cars collided. this has been an emotional loss for the department which deputies describe as one big family. >> i think it is highlighting a bigger issue between distracted driving and dui. at this time of the night, there is a lot of people that have been consuming colic beverages out on the road, but we need to pay attention to what we're doing on the. >> we're told all traffic control warning signs and signals were up and running, alerting drivers that the entrance was closed to westbound traffic. deputy kotfila comes from a law enforcement family. we're told his fath