with 16 floors above, american rochelle stimey knows nothing about the blazing inferno below. no alarm, no phone call, no notice at all. her husband is in china away on business and she's in her hotel room with her 7-year-old daughter sona when something catches sona's eye outside their window. >> i noticed some smoke. then i noticed it was coming from straight down below the window. and then i heard people screaming. >> rochelle panicked, rushes to the door, only to discover the hallway is filled with smoke. >> my daughter yelled -- we are going to die. there were no emergency lights in the hallway, so it was pitch black and i wasn't confident that in smoky conditions with my daughter and my self upset that i could make it. >> so rochelle makes a tough decision. staying in the room is their best hope. >> i said, you know what, sona, the fire department is here. let's wait. they will put out the fire and we'll walk down the stairs. >> turns out, it's the right choice. for many at the hotel, there would be no way out. the hotel has no sprinklers, no smoke detectors, and no work

i'm rochelle ritchie.l tell you how baltimore schools faired in this. >>> i'm ron matz at m&t bank stadium. international soccer is returning to baltimore. the story coming up here on wjz. ,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,, >>> it it is it is just before 5:30. 85 degrees and partly cloudy. beautiful out there. good evening, everybody. thank you for staying with eyewitness news. here are some of the stories people are talking about tonight. new numbers show a slight improvement in the education of baltimore city students. but there is still a long way to go. wjz is live at city school headquarters. rochelle ritchie has a look at the maryland state saassessment -- assessment results. rochelle? >> reporter: well, mary, the results are mixed and reveal the challenges ahead. >> reporter: dr. andres alonzo reveal the results for the 2012msa assessment assessment test. the results not bad, but not good. >> the numbers matter. and they matter tremendously. >> reporter: baltimore city school's numbers remain fairly dormant to last y

tim joseph, frank rochelle, bill blazinzki. call to arms nearly a half century ago from different backgrounds, about to share an experience that would change each of their lives at edson arsenal military base. >> several doctors came and gave a presentation. >> they presented it as not everyone would be chosen. >> there would be a guaranteed three-day pass every weekend. >> three-day passes are the rule. >> no guard duty, no kitchen police. >> this is what we filled out. they asked you about your criminal background, if you drank, asked you about your parents and brothers and sisters, silly questions, did you like your mother better than you did your father? >> i took the test and got chosen and you got a couple days off at home and reported to edgewood for two months. >> when you got chosen, were you excited? >> yes. i was glad to go. it was like a plum assignment. you would get all the weekends off. the idea was they would test new army field jackets, clothing, weapons things of that nature. no mention of any drugs or chemica

i'm rochelle hitch -- rochelle ritchie in howard county.re i'll tell you how they're dealing with,,,,,,,, [ snoring ] ♪ [ snoring ] [ male announcer ] introducing zzzquil sleep-aid. [ snoring ] [ snoring ] [ male announcer ] it's not for colds, it's not for pain, it's just for sleep. [ snoring ] [ male announcer ] because sleep is a beautiful thing. [ birds chirping ] introducing zzzquil, the non-habit forming sleep-aid from the makers of nyquil. ♪ >>> coming up right now on wjz eyewitness news at 6:00. >> after the storm. i'm mike hellgren. a terrible tangled mess of power lines and limbs makes detting back to life difficult. i'll have the latest on restoration efforts. >>> i'm derek valcourt at the baltimore city health department, where officials are hoping that phone calls can help save lives. i'll explain coming up on eyewitness news. >>> getting ready for big crowds on the fourth of july. i'm adam may. how baltimore police are changing their strategy to keep those crowds safe downtown. that's coming up. >>> check in for these stories

rochelle ritchie has new information about the young victims. rochelle? >> reporter: kai, two of the victims were cousins. the third was a close friend. now, all three of their families are in mourning and trying to figure out how to pay for funeral costs. >> reporter: yasmine has won a triumphant gain and tragic loss. >> he always kissed me. >> reporter: just four dayless after giverring birth to her son-- giving birth to her son, she now prepares to bury her youngest sibling. >> when i found out he was dead. i felt like i was dead. >> on saturday, he would lose the fight of his life. >> and i finally said, when i drive, i will take you to karate school. >> reporter: as temperatures soared above 100 degrees on saturday, maryland natural resource believe believe dona, christopher gabe rel and jotacan would attempt to cool off in the creek. the water's depth perception, deceitful, according to the boys' pastor. >> the water is calm. it's misleading. there's a big dropoff as soon as you go into the river. >> none of the boys knew how to swism. all -- swim.

jessica, back to you. >> rochelle thank you.meteorologist bernadette woods has more on this unusual and powerful storms, bern. >> reporter: this is definitely one for the record books. we want to show you, we continue to track the progress behind us. the guys just went down the street. if you can see, take the wire it goes down, back up through those trees and the more you look at it the more damage you see. that's what adam and i have been seeing this entire afternoon. this is repeated as we keep saying block after block, county after county. so this is what produced all of that damage. let's show you the radar right now. it was an incredibly strong band of storms. it came from chicago, strengthening the -- as it made its way. it was an entire line of storms causing massive winds at 100 winds. a - - at 100 miles per hour. straight line winds not twisting winds like we see in tornado damage. it is sustained by a long period of time. we're talking about this line that made it across several states and the winds must exceed the wi

rochelle ritchie is there and explains how that bus went down. rochelle? >> reporter: well, kai, state police say that the driver was driving from new jersey back home to north carolina and had thousands of dollars in cash and drugs. >> reporter: maryland state police say the suspect, 37-year- old alturric boyd from north carolina planned to distribute heroin. >> he was charged with a number of crimes, including importing heroin into the state. >> reporter: the suspect was driving his gray suv south on i- 95. when a trooper noticed he was tailgating another car. >> observing a situation in the car. circumstances. he became suspicious that criminal activity may be under way. >> reporter: tipped the unit off. and they were called in. while kilo is camera shy, he is not shy when it comes to catching criminals. the k-9 sniffed out more than $100,000 in harn. >> reporter: this holds nearly $180,000 in cash and drugs. >> this is a significant arrest and interdiction in that 5,000 street sales of heroin won't occur because that trooper was observant. >> reporter:

i'm rochelle ritchie.he disturbing details into the killing of a former principal coming up. >>> after a recent thunderstorm knocks out power to thousands of people. city leaders tackle the tough questions. what they say needs to happen before another hit. >>> another pleasant summer evening. could changes be coming? >> check in for these stories and all the day's breaking news. >> wjz eyewitness news at 6:00 starts now. >>> stepping down. amid a cloud of controversy. >> why anne arundel county's top cop walked away and the link to top executive john leopold. >> i'm denise koch. >> and i'm vic carter. here's what people are talking

reporting live, i'm rochelle ritchie, wjz eyewitness news. >> rochelle, you were given a magnificent tour by that little boy. he knew exactly what happened. >> he certainly did, vic. >> good story. >> thank you. >>> we want to update you on the latest outage numbers just into the wjz newsroom. there are now fewer than 80,000 bge customers without power. the majority of the outages are in baltimore county, with 35,000. there are also 19,000 in baltimore city. 12,000 in anne arundel county. and more than 4,000 in howard county. >>> well, with much of the state under a heat advisory today, not having power could be even more dangerous. first warning weather coverage continues with bob turk with more on the heat and the possibility of more storms tonight. bob? >> they've had a couple of storms in the last few hours that have dissipated. but there's more to the north and northwest. and that's my biggest concern. right now, a few things popped up there. but there's one or two, just developing around the frederick area. and in harpers ferry that are still there. still viable. and moving off

rochelle? >> reporter: well, denise, at last check, tens of thousands of people were without power here in howard county and around. this is what you'll see across scattered neighborhoods. a lot of trees and limbs, scattered across the residents' lawns. and many of them now are trying to pick up the pieces. >> reporter: tonight, howard county residents, like tyrone gidons are spending their time on the phone. >> yeahs the tree came down and broke the deck. >> reporter: talking to insurance agents, in hopes of getting their homes repaired in friday night's storm. >> branches are rolling across the roof. and after that, i just heard this big whoosh sound, like something dropped. >> reporter: tyrone said friday night, he could hear the trees and branches, cracking in the wind. this pine tree is more than 100 feet long. it barely missed his home. >> the height of the tree, to me is like twice the length of the house. >> reporter: across howard county, dozens of lawns are littered with trees, yanked

kai, back to you. >> rochelle, thank you. wjz is always on. check in for first warning weather coverage. for instant updates on the forecast, log onto wjz.com. >>> keeping kids safe in the water. emergency legislation is signed into law today in anne arundel county to increase safety at public pools this summer. and it is all because a local family took action after a tragedy. >> conner's law is named after conner freed, who drowned in a crofton pool in 2006. a lifeguard frantically called 911, but it wasn't allowed to use a defibrillator because she wasn't trained. >> you're not allowed to use it? >> he threw up. he was just kind of laying there. nobody knew what to do. >> reporter: today on what would have been conner's 12th birthday, county executive john leopold signed the bill into law that requires defiberators at all public pools and training for all lifeguards to use them. >> there are 250 clubs that will be impacted by this legislation. there is no more important public responsibility than saving lives. >> reporter: it's been such a p

i'm rochelle ritchie.police shot him, coming up. ,,,,,,,,,, [ male announcer ] now at your neighborhood subway: the new santa fe steak melts. get extra grande flavor with the santa fe steak & bacon melt or add egg for a santa fe steak, bacon & egg melt, perfect for breakfast or any time of day. subway. eat fresh. >>> coming up new on eyewitness news at 6:00. deadly confrontation. police kill a man after he comes at them with a sword. how it ties into baltimore county. >>> freedom of speech. baltimore a fire department is cracking down on what firefighters can and can't say on twitter. is it a response to harsh criticism of the department? >>> i'm alex demetrick. coming up, a new law and a new crackdown for people who text while driving. >>> extreme heat returning. and what about some much-needed rain. stick around for the updated first warning forecast. >>> check in for these stories and all the day's breaking news. >> wjz eyewitness news at 6:00 starts now. >>> arrest gone wrong. police kill a man inside

rochelle ritchie has more. rochelle? >> reporter: kai, the crash happened at davis airport in montgomery county and is under investigation by the f.a.a. it went down monday night. >> there were two adult males. one adult male was pronounced dead at the scene and one was flown to shock trauma in baltimore. >> reporter: an experienced pilot did repeat landings to test out the new aircraft when witnesses say something went terribly wrong. >> 150 to 200 feet, the engine abruptly lost power. >> reporter: it ultimately rolled and disappeared behind the tree. >> didn't hear noise or anything, but i knew at that point that it crashed. >> the flight instructor died and went to the hospital. >> they actually removed the top of the aircraft to gain access to the patients. >> reporter: a lot of people were at home. >> it's a blessing that it was far away from the homes. >> reporter: they'll look at all possible contributing factors in the crash. >> we look at, in this case, the man, the machine and the environment. >> reporter: and

and our coverage continues with rochelle. >> reporter: behind me is an example of what you will find all throughout anne arundel county. a tree snapped in two. the top half of the tree now lying on the side of the roadblocking homeowners and drivers. the quiet street of anne arundel county are now interrupted by the sounds of generators and blocked by debris. >> i live in the middle of where we can't go. >> reporter: mary andrews home sits on old county road just one of 23 roads blocked in the county by downed wires and a massive 200-foot tree. >> i don't expect power by wednesday, i wouldn't be surprised if it's friday. >> reporter: anne arundel county executives say that crews are working around the clock to clear roads and trees like this one. >> i spoke to the president of baltimore gas and electric that informed me that external crews arrived to help expedite the clearing of roads. >> reporter: thousands of people remained without power forcing them out of their home. >> we've been staying at a hotel for the last three days because we've a 3 -month-old baby and we're trying to k

rochelle ritchie is live downtown. good evening, rochelle. >> reporter: good evening, kai. sky 13 caught the end of what turned into a dangerous situation. showing little regard for the lives around him through the streets. daryl watson is the man is the white tank top in police custody after crashing into a car with anne arundel county police on the trail. >> he was located hiding inside of an abandoned home. >> reporter: in baltimore city, officers tried to stop watson after he sideswiped a car and kept going. police followed him and on 97 south toward anne arundel county. baltimore police called their their pursuit and called anne arundel county. he drove every ratically on the interstate and you can see he came close to hitting several cars on the road. >> it's a dangerous situation, not just in our county but other areas with the way he was driving. >> reporter: speeding through residential neighborhood and hopes to make a left turn but smashes into a sedan, the driver left stunned. >> justice prevailed, you know? >> reporter: charged for drug possession after 11 viola

rochele richie talks to devastated family members in fredricksburg. >> reporter: tonight all three of their families are in mourning and trying to figure out how to pay for funeral costs. just four days after giving birth to her son she prepares to bury her youngest sibling. >> when i found out he was dead i felt like i was dead. >> reporter: young yamou had dreams of doing karate but on saturday he would lose the fight of his life. >> i said i promise you when i drive i will take you to karate school. >> reporter: maryland natural resource police believe dona, 12-year-old christopher gabriel and 12-year-old vladimir would try to cool off in the pool. >> the water is calm when it's high tide it's really misleading. there's a big drop off as soon as you go into the river. >> reporter: none of the boys knew how to swim. all three drowned. pastor smith says swim lessons near by are nonexistent. >> we live in a community where there's not a lot of resources to take the boys to a community where there's a big pool. >> reporter: the boys were found dead near each other. feelings of guilt ov

twenty years when you say it was a political case what exactly do you mean by american pressures rochelle what you know the reason lot of hollywood is in the in the story of mr bush i mean. i don't mean only that famous movie a lot of the war you know which we fortunately also became a factor in the which must not happen in the in the last year but but you know he was sentenced for as it was for intentions you know for inventions to commit something illegal in the use of in the eyes of the american system of justice you know what we've seen is of course lack of. objective and impartial. legalistic approach one more issue we keep pushing the american authorities. to ensure. you mean conditions for our citizens in prison it is not good. russian citizens in american prisons being deprived of medical assistance for us and unfortunately we had to raise this issue more than once with americans both mr bush and mr africa. and you know the book is still in the one of the federal prisons and he is in a special cell for. the most. dangerous criminals he definitely does not in his present condition.

rochelle ritchie has more on the efforts to find the suspect. rochelle? >> reporter: aberdeen police say they have received a few tips, but no solid leads. they're hoping that showing the suspect's picture repeatedly will help them find him. >> take a look at this picture. have you seen this man? aberdeen police, the fbi, and maryland state troopers say he's armed, he's dangerous. and suspected of kidnapping vi ripken, mother of cal rip 10, -- ripken, jr. >> the last picture you'll see in the photograph. he was wearing a long white shirt, blue jeans had a hat on. >> reporter: investigators say on tuesday, ripken was held at gunpoint and kidnapped from her garage, behind her home of 46 years. >> reporter: 74-year-old ripken was tied up and forced into the back seat of her car. the suspect never asked for a ransom and never mentioned her famous last name. instead, he drove her around for a terrifying 24 hours. >> i couldn't believe it. >> i can't imagine what his purpose was. >> we had no reason to believe it's not an abduction. >> reporter: talk of the kid

rochelle ritchie has the troubling details on the crime and the suspect? custody. rochelle? >> reporter: well, denise, the body was found in a south florida canal, just west of fort lauderdale. the motives behind murder, money. >> reporter: in the shallow waters of a florida canal, the bodies of a former anne arundel county principal was pulled out monday. two people are charged with his murder. 19-year-old david winetrap. and 19-year-old an dress. >> i hope they pay dearly. they took away a really nice person. >> reporter: rosemary bender became a close friend to him after selling him a home. >> he was the first principal here at chesapeake high school in the early 70s. and he worked for ann arundle until 1989. >> reporter: yearbook photos show a lot of memory the. >> he had a big heart. he gave a lot of himself. >> reporter: police found his body with a plastic bag taped over his head. the upons is confessed to gagging him, tying him up and beating him before throwing him into the water. he represented a home to one of the suspects. >> it was vacant. but then he said, i le

thank you, rochelle. on average, there are two to three water main breaks every day in the city. >>> we have an update on the breaking news. ann arundle county gets a new police chief in the midst of controversy. larry tolliver has been appointed to that position. he previously served as maryland state police superintendent. he takes over for james tear, who recently stepped down. tear was facing questions about misconduct against county executive john leopold. >>> new video tonight of a teen mob, robbing a downtown convenience store. the suspects targeted a 7- eleven earlier this summer. wjz is live. derek valcourt shows us the video and the growing problem of flash mob crimes in maryland. >> as you're about to see, this is crime by volume. so many teenagers taking part that store owners and employees can do little to stop it. >>> this 7-eleven on light street. surveillance camera records as groups of teens walk to the back of the store for free slurpee giveaways. when store employees at the registers re

i'm rochelle ritchie. the latest details on the shooting death of a former basketball star. >>> get ready for more extreme heat. don't miss the updated first warning forecast with bob. ♪ ♪ ♪ [ male announcer ] virtual wallet can help you be that person who's good with money. see what's free to spend. move money with a slide. save with a shake. feel good about your decisions. as part of a heart healthy diet. that's true. ...but you still have to go to the gym. ♪ the one and only, cheerios >>> it's sunny. 85 degrees in central maryland right now. the complete first warning weather forecast is coming up. >>> charging too much for life saving drugs. representative elijah cummings wants to make sure that doesn't happen. and today, he spoke about it on capitol hill. as andrea fujii explains, the university of maryland women's basketball coach brenda frese alerted him to the problem. >> reporter: 4-year-old tyler frees is alive today, thanks to chemotherapy drugs. he's the son of maryland women's basketball coach

wjz is live, rochelle ritchie has more on the efforts to find the suspect. rochelle? >> reporter: that's right, vic. the investigation is continuing at this hour. police are hoping that by showing the suspect's picture repeatedly, it will lead to an arrest. >> reporter: take a look at this picture. have you seen this man? aberdeen police, the fbi, and maryland state troopers say he's armed, he's dangerous. and suspected of kidnapping vi ripken, mother of cal cal ripken, jr. >> of the last -- the last picture you'll see of him in the photograph, he was wearing a long white shirt, blue jeans, had a hat on. >> reporter: investigators say on tuesday, ripken was held at gunpoint and kidnapped from her garage, behind her home of 46 years. >> reporter: 74-year-old ripken was tied up and forced into the back seat of her car. the suspect never asked for a ransom and never mentioned her famous last name. instead, he drove her around for a terrifying 24 hours. >> i couldn't believe it. >> i can't imagine what his purpose was. >> we have no reason to believe it's not an abduction

rochelle ritchie is at city school headquarters in east baltimore with the results. rochelle? >> reporter: well, denise, the results are mixed and show the challenges ahead. >> reporter: superintendent dr. andres alonzo reveals the results for the 2012 assessment test. the results not wad but -- not bad but not good. >> reporter: the numbers matter. and they matter tremendously. >> reporter: baltimore city school's numbers remain fairly dorm ant to last year. math scores in grades 3 through 8 are up two percentage points in 2011, where 62% of students scored a proficient or advanced. this year, an increase of just 63%. >> summer school last year was all about math. because we knew that math was the subject that we needed to make the progress. >> reporter: focusing solely on math. the scores for reading was decreased nearly 2% from 69% to just under 68%. >> for new entrants into the system, what we're seeing is a far worse performance in terms of reading than we're seeing in math. >> reporter: across the state, nearly 90% of elementary students passed the reading and math test.

thank you, rochelle. let's check on the latest numbers now from bge. right now, there are more than 35,000 customers still without power in baltimore county. baltimore city, anne arundel county and howard county, are also seeing a high number of outages. in total, 79,000 bge customers still do not have electricity. >>> right now, a heat advisory is in effect, adding to the troubles, during this storm recovery. first warning weather coverage continues now, with bob turk, who is tracking would temperatures and storms. bob? >> storms certainly a possibility upon as you mentioned. we have a couple that just popped up north and west of the region. let's take a look at this stuff moving down from pennsylvania. and there's more off across the extreme northwestern portion of pennsylvania. that could affect the region. one storm south of taneytown. another in front of catoctin, south of thurmont. these are moving off to the southeast. at 20 miles per hour. there you see them, over the last hour. heading towards walkersville. these have had a history of lightnin

rochelle. >> it's been a very long time, denise. for a lot of people. bge says 97% of people do have their power back on. but it's those that do not have their power back on that will face another sweltering weekend with no ac. >> reporter: the heat is on. but the power is still off. >> i can't store food in there. i had to give the food away. because there's no power. >> reporter: for a week, lamont brooks and thousands of others have been without power, forcing them out of their homes and into hotels. >> it's rough. i mean, it's wiping out my account. >> does everybody understand their job assignment today? >> reporter: utility workers merged onto brooks' property to clear the trees and free the power lines. >> i just have to be patient. >> reporter: 4900 utility workers, 1900 of which are from out of state, are working nonstop. many feel the frustration of those trying to help. >> my power just came on a couple of days ago. people don't realize that people here in bge in the field, their power could be off as well. >> what we're seeing when the cruc

i'm rochelle ritchie, in aberdeen, wjz eyewitness news. >> rochelle, thank you. a $2,000 reward has been offered for tips leading to an arrest. >>> a maryland family is dead in what police are calling a murder-suicide. >> the calvert county sheriff's office found the bodies of a man, woman, and 2-year-old while. detectives believe the man shot his wife and child before killing himself at their home in owings. another 12-year-old child, believed to be a member of the family, is currently being treated for burns and cuts. it's not clear what sparked the attacks. police are currently looking for a motive. >> so sad, vic. thank you. >>> we are all looking to confirm the family's identity. >>> a dangerous problem but getting worse. the sinkhole is expanding in the section of east baltimore. weench is live on monument street. following the repair efforts. >> hi, kai. it's just a mess here. and it's going to require some complex and innovative and engineering solutions to get things back to normal. because this hole just keeps growing. >> from sky eye chopper 13, you ca

rochelle richie looks at the problems. >> it's a familiar sound and problem on baltimore city streets. >> they're all messed up. >> the city has had two major issues with its ageing infrastructure, tearing apart the asphalt. >> this is the nature of the ageing infrastructure situation in many large cities, baltimore is not an exception. >> a water main break less than 2 weeks ago and yesterday a 20 feet deep, 2 feet wide and 6 feet long sink hole opening. >> right now we're sending a crew in to do a walk inspection of the large storm drain under the street. >> the city says it's taking the necessary measures to find and fix the problem. so far crews have used a camera to look at the damage, scan water mains to find any other leaks and check the sewer drains to make sure they're in fact. -- in tact. >> it will give us indication of what needs to be done. >> some say that correction will be a temporary fix for a permanent problem. >> they need a better system. all this money, i don't see why it's better. >> funding such a project could take millions and years to complete. >> it could be

. >> rochelle thank you. 23millionpounds of concrete are being used to build the track. >> can't wait. it sounds like fun. >>> it's a mild, a little cloudy day to the week. a live picture, big puffy clouds. bernadette woods and bob turk are tracking the conditions. any more showers out there bob? >> a few widely scattered. nothing general. we had a few sprinkles. right now a couple of thunderstorms across southern maryland as you can see they're not moving very fast. they're very far but we have a couple that are sitting over the cambridge area. another little front to the west of us. you see some activity not too far from oakland and cumberland. that's all moving from south to north. so some folks in garrett county and western allegheny county may see some showers. a little more activity in the region. as far as temperatures go it's only 85. it's not 100 thank goodness. 87 is our normal high in this case. a little moist, a little humid will stay that way all week long. we do this almost every afternoon. how about the next couple of days, bernadette woods has a look that the. >> as bo

kai, back to you. >> rochelle thank you. 11 families were given a place to stay by the red cross. >>>arrest three men keted to a shooting in -- men connected to a shooting in a bar: detectives say they shot a man saturday during an argument at the el rancho blanco tavern. at last check the victim is in critical condition. >>> 1,000 people volunteered to find two missing girls. >> reporter: kai police say that civilians looking for the cousins will have little benefit. the two disappeared on friday afternoon after leaving their grandmother's home for a bike ride. police say that the girls bikes and a purse were found near a lake but so far all the leads have turned up empty. police say there are no indications of foul play, they have searched the lake and interviewed registered sex offenders in the area. the fbi is now helping with that search. kai back to you. >> family members are cooperating with investigators? -z -- >>> we are continuing to follow breaking news. a main break in baltimore. mike hellgren has the update for us. >> reporter: we don't nope the dimensions of the water br

thank you, rochelle. if you have information, you are asked to call baltimore police. >>> we are tracking a story now. a senior member of the house of delegates leadership says that tonight, governor martin o'malley is likely to call a special session to deal with the issue of expanding gambling over the next several days. o'malley wants to add a sixth casino and also add table games statewide. >>> a just-release the video is reigniting a debate over safety at san diego. the disturbing 15-minute tape shows a whale attacking its trainer. mary bubala has more on the fallout. >> reporter: when whale trainer ken peters dove into the water, he was ready for the finale of this 2006 sea world show in san diego. instead of the planned spectacle, where the trainer is launched into the air, capsacka, a 5,000-pound female whale, grabbed him by the ankles, thrashed him around, and pulled him to the bottom of the pool. >> it goes on and on and on. it must have been terrifying. >> reporter: david kirby wrote death at s

i'm rochelle richie, the amazing photos coming up. ,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,, >>> it is clear and 93 degrees.the first warning weather forecast will be coming up. dozens of people lose their homes and all their possessions as fire rips through a baltimore county apartment building. but witnesses say it could be a lot worse. rochelle richie has more on the fire. >> reporter: hi vic, fire investigators say they aren't sure just yet what caused this fire and it could be weeks before residents know what sent their home up in flames. it's just before midnight on sunday when this you tube video is shot showing flames billowing from the top of two apartment buildings in randalls town. the fire causing a glow when the dark skies as they roll through garden view apartments. the smell of burning furniture and appliances sinking into apartments. >> everybody over there, everything was lost. so it's just sad. >> reporter: her husband says residents could only stand and watch helplessly as their apartments burned. >> it could have been my apartment. >> reporter: the fire started on a third floor apartment

i'm rochelle ritchie, in ashdean, wjz eyewitness news. -- aberdeen, wjz eyewitness news. >> a $2,000 reward has been offered for tips leading to an arrest. >>> making history. michael phelps is now the most decorated athlete in olympic history. wjz's jessica kartalija is live at meadowbrooks and mark has more on the unprecedented accomplishments. >> reporter: good evening, everyone. the pool emptied out here at meadowbrooks. as michael phelps juveniled into the pool, all eyes were on him in london. [ cheering ] >> reporter: far from london, meadowbrook aquatic club has olympic fever. [ cheering ] >> we love you, michael, we love you allison. >> reporter: all eyes glowed -- glued to a live feed, as phelps becomes the most decorated olympian ever, with 19 career medals. >> it's just extreme excitement. it's just such a thrill. it's so hard to describe. it's like christmas, thanksgiving, and a birthday, all wrapped up into one. >> the mental game is the biggest part of it. i think he's showing people he has the will power to compete. >> reporter: allison schmidt taking the gold in the 2

denise, back to you. >> thank you, rochelle. watson is expected to face charges in baltimore city as well. >>> for the fourth straight month, the unemployment rate in maryland climbs. the state lost 11,000 jobs in june. the job loss for june is the third largest in the country, but over the unemployment rate of 6.9%, below the national average of 8.2%. >>> rain or shine, it's always a hit in baltimore. the 31st annual artscape is under way right now. wjz is live in mount royal with what's going on this year. >> reporter: at artscape, there is something for everyone. food, music, and its namesake, art. >> i really like art, because it shows how you express yourself. >> look at all the art! i like to draw. >> reporter: one of the most popular exhibits is an interactive piece. >> i like when i was controlling the eyes, it opened and the eyes moved. >> maybe one of them will realize that they could be an artist or it will turn something on in them. >> reporter: thousands are expected to attend artscape, which circles several city bl

flames were first reported at the building in the 1900 block of rochelle avenue.his is just before #:00 last night. it took multiple crews about an hour to put it out. fortunately, no one was seriously hurt. cause of fire is still under investigation. >>> an apparent murder-suicide has left two young children orphaned. husband and wife were found dead inside their home at park shirlington on 31st street south yesterday afternoon. a woman would also lives at the homemade the gruesome discovery. police believe the man murdered his wife and then killed himself. the couple in their 30s was apparently from bolivia. this is the first homicide in arlington county in more than two years. o years. . >>> family and friends are preparing to say their final good-byes to their loved ones killed in the colorado movie theater massacre. funeral arrangements are under way for all of the victims. three of them will be laid to rest this week. meantime, many of the shooting victims who survived remain in the hospital. some of them still fighting to survive. one of those victims is ca

. >>> rochelle ritchie has the latest from police headquarters. >> reporter: the officer who fired those fatal shots is a 17- year veteran with the baltimore county police. he's now on paid administrative leave. >> reporter: baltimore county police say just before midnight, they tried to serve a search warrant at this home on the 400 block of high meadow home. >> they made their way to the second floor. >> reporter: it was on the second floor, corporal kathleen baton says an unknown man, later identified as 48-year-old ronald melvin cox jr., began singing -- swinging a sword as officers entered the bedroom. >> it was a very large sword, somewhere in the vicinity of three feet long. >> the officer opened fire to stop the attack. >> the suspect died at the scene. police are not say figure he is connected to the attempted murder case. >> the officer is with the tactical unit here. his name is not being released. i'm rochelle ritchie, wjz eyewitness news. >> coming up at 5:00 and 6:00, find out how this case is connected to the shooting of a 15-year-old until howard county. >>> a carroll cou

rochelle? >> we're here on giddings avenue. and this is pretty much what you'll see across the area. trees in the middle of the road. and utility workers from bge, trying to restore power. still, some are having to sweat it out in their homes. >> it's been brutal. >> reporter: lena gaightser is hot, frustrated and wanting answers. >> they told us tuesday it was going to come on at 8:00. >> reporter: 8:00 came and went. now it's day 6. and still no life and no ac. she uses a handheld fan to keep cool in her home. >> i bought a huge pack of batteries. and i just keep it with me. to try to make it bearable. >> reporter: but not everyone is feeling the heat. >> reporter: here on dunbar avenue is a case of the have and have nots. this side of the street got their power back on tuesday. >> reporter: but directly across the street, these neighbors are still waiting. >> reporter: the division of power is weighing heavily on frustrated bge customers. >> when i saw him at first, i thought, wait a minute. what's going on here? >> reporter

denise, back to you. >> thank you, rochelle. on average, there are 2 to 3 water main breaks per day in the city of baltimore. >> 60 days. that's how long governor martin o'malley is giving state energy advisers to figure out a plan to improve maryland's electrical system. it knocked out power to hundreds of thousands. monique griego has more on what he is asking them to look for. >> reporter: the damage caused by the recent duratio storm rivaled that of a hurricane. >> it knocks things down. >> reporter: trees crushed cars ask took out countless electrical lines. norman mills was only part of the millions of bge customers, left powerless for days. >> we're used to it. every time we get a major storm. this area goes out a lot. >> reporter: the problem of widespread outages led the governor to issue an executive order. giving state leaders 60 days to come up with an improved energy plan. >> one of the best ways we can make our grid more resilient. we can strengthen our grid. >> reporter: state energy adviser, abigail hopper is loo

it started in the 1900 block of rochelle avenue just before 8:00 last night. it took crews about an hour to put out the fire. no one was seriously hurt. the cause is still under investigation. >>> arlington county police investigating the area's first homicide in more than two years. a woman returning home found the bodies of a husband and wife inside their home at park shirlington on 31st street south yesterday afternoon. police have deemed this an apparent murder-suicide. officers believe the man murdered his wife and killed himself. couple had two small children and were from bolivia. >>> the man suspected of killing 12 people at a colorado movie theater is in solitary con finement. new details are emerging about his background. he had a federal grant from the nih to study neuroscience. >>> a survivor from the colorado shooting is welcoming a new life into the world. katie medley gave birth to a baby boy yesterday but the arrival of hugo jackson is bittersweet. indicatedy's husband, caleb, remains in critical condition in a medically induced coma after bein

i'm rochelle ritchie.olice have in custody, coming up. >>> ravens report players back in owings mills for training camp. the expectations for the new season. >>> check in with these stories and all the day's breaking news. >> wjz eyewitness news at 6:00 starts now. >>> hello, everyone. i'm vic carter. >> and i'm denise koch. here's what people are talking about tonight. >> storms roll through maryland. a live look outside right now. it is hot and humid. and a thunderstorm watch is in effect for parts of the state. wjz is live with first warning weather coverage. meteorologist bernadette woods and bob turk are tracking live doppler radar. >> we had a very, very strong thunderstorm move through baltimore county. and it's now just over the eastern shore. but it's weakened considerably. no warnings now. that's moving through phoenix, cockeysville, sparks. very heavy activity up there. right now, the only thing left of it

people are homeless after their apartment complex went up in flames t happened near the 1900 of rochelle avenue and district heights a police officer saw flames coming from the first floor of the building. he called 911 and started yelling for everyone to get out. the fire quickly spread. >> and they are looking up. i saw the smoke and fire on the other half of my building. >> it caused the third floor to collapse. investigators do not know a cause. >>> lawmakers are getting closer to a special session gambling. the house speak ser meeting with others and if that session happens lawmakers will discuss adding another casino as well as adding table games to the casinos. , you can see green in your faucet and the department of public works. they are using a die to make sure the system for the inner harbor is moving smoothly. they are looking for leaks in the pipes. you will not see the dye if you see the green water do not worry, the dye is non-toxic. >>> and five things you need to know. a trial conference is happening in the murder case. >>> and a battle over the voter id law bring brough

mary, back to you. >> rochelle, thank you. we are all getting tired of it and cranky, for sure. sky eye chopper 13 is tracking the exhausted utility crews as they try to bring the lights back on. captain jeff long has more on what is going on in baltimore county. >> reporter: good afternoon. you don't have to go very far to find crews working. but the scene has changed a little bit. earlier in the week, we were seeing a lot of tree workers, cutting limbs away from the lines. and what we're seeing today is pole climbers, doing the intricate work of cutting electricity from the lines. reporting live from sky eye chopper 13 -- imcaptain jeff long. >>> let's take a look at the updated numbers. baltimore county still has it the worst with nearly 20,000 out. baltimore city, howard county and anne arundel county are also hit hard. in total, about 44,000 bge customers are without power right now. >> well, here's more frustrating news for those in the dark. this heat is growing more intense. emergency rooms are starting to fill up with patients who are dehydrated or worse. monique griego

has left a number of people without a place to stay a fire started on tuesday in the 1900 block of rochelle avenue. when the crews arrived it was seen from the building and we have more from the scene. , i gas a dream i here my gosh. i jumped out. >> she woke from up a nap to a terrifying view outside of her window. >> i looked out. i see they are looking up. i see the smoke and fire on the other half of my building. >> flames were surging from a lower level unit of the apartments in maryland. they were heading for her. >> and i saw it on my back. >> by the time she grabbed something she had enough time run, she did not have time to save her dogs who were, to her, family. >> i watched my dogs burn. both of them. i don't know, those are my kids. my kids. >> reporter: officials say flames were coming from all levels. >> come on you got to go. you got go. >> and one woman fled with her cats as the fire came close to her unit. >> i'm thankful. i hope everything is okay. >> reporter: in the tend took an hour for the 100 firefighters to put out the blaze. several units were destroyed, dozens of p

rochelle rich ie is at police head quarters with the latest. good afternoon. >> reporter: good afternoon. the police police officer who fire -- the police officer who fired those fatal shots is a 17 year veteran although the baltimore county police station. he's now on paid leave. >> baltimore county police say just before midnight they tried to serve a search warrant at this home on the 400 black of high meadow road. >> as officers entered the home identifying themselves as police officers they made their way to the second floor. >> it was on the way the second floor an unknown man, later identified as ronald melvin cox, began swinging a sword as officers entered the bedroom. >> it was a large sword in the range of 3 feet long. >> the sword struck one of the officers shields. >> the officer opened fire to stop the attack. >> police are not saying if he's attempted to the murder case. >> reporter: they are not releasing his name of the officer. back to you. >> thank you . baltimore county homicide detectives are investigating this case. >>> a c

it all began last night on rochelle avenue in district heights, maryland.ia goncalves is live there with the latest g. morning to you. >> reporter: good morning, jessica. as you know there's still no cause of this fire but we do know that the fire started in a ground floor apartment in the back of the building. there's not much facing the back of the building. that's why investigators believe that fire burned unnoticed for some time. when firefighters arrived shortly before 8:00 last night, all three floors were fully engulfed in flames. it's unclear, though, just how long the fire was burning. before we're told a police officer on routine patrol in the area noticed smoke and then called 911. he didn't see any residents out here so he then quickly got out of his cruiser, banged on all the residents' doors to get everyone out safely. unfortunately one resident's dog died in the fire. >> would we have to remember is risk versus benefit. we don't want to risk much -- we will risk much to save much. so when we arrived on the scene, we found heavy fire condition

and it started about 8:00 in the 1900 block of rochelle avenue. and when the crews arrived flames were shooting from the roof causing the third floor to collapse t took the cries -- it took the crews an hour to put out the fire. those in the building stay happened so fast and a woman lost her two dogs. >> i looked out the window i see they are looking up, i see the smoke and fire on the other half of my building. >> i'm thankful i hope everyone is okay. >> now there were no injuries everyone was able to make it out of the september building. and investigators say that the fire started inside a lower level. >>> if you live in one area be aware of making trips to the atm at night a robber targeted people and they believed that the robberies are linked to two similar crimes dating back to june. the man used various cars and locations and concealing his face. by the time victims see him, it is too late. >> and the most important thing is be aware of your surroundings. use an atm after hours in a well lit area. avoid isolated areas especially during th

illinois governor pat quinn and over 400 other people attended the plant's opening ceremony in rochelle. >> investing in rail, in passenger rail, commuter rail, is a very good investment for jobs in illinois. >> the 140,000-square-meter factory cost about $53 million to build. it has the capacity to make 120 passenger railcars a year. nippon sharyo will make double-decker cars for a railway network in illinois. in the future, the company hopes to produce railcars for export. calls for job creation and the development of local manufacturing plants are increasing in the u.s. in the countdown to the presidential election this autumn. many japanese railcar makers are considering setting up production facilities in the u.s. as they face intense competition for overseas contracts. >>> officials at japan's space agency are getting ready for a special launch. the h-iib rocket is set to lift off just after 11:00 a.m. japan time on saturday. the rocket has already reached the launch pad at the space center in southern japan. it will carry an unmanned cargo vehicle. its job is to carry supplies to

the flames tore through the garden apartment on rochelle avenue tuesday night. bruce leshan tells us no one was injured thanks to some local heroes. >> reporter: i'm bruce leshan in district heights from blocks away a police lieutenant sees a column of smoke rising. he and a corporal rush into this burning building to rescue a half dozen people who have no idea they're lives are in danger. >> i think it's human instinct. >> reporter: lieutenant scott finn and ricki adey say they'll never forget what they found. >> this is where the dogs were out on the balcony. >> reporter: flames roaring across the back of the building from the first floor up through the roof. >> when i got here, i could hear screams of people. then i heard these bloodcurdling screams and yipes and yell:s and -- yelps and didn't know what it was. >> reporter: then the two officers rushed around to the other side of the burning building to get more people out. investigators know that the fire started here on the outside on the first floor, but there's still -- but they're still not sure what spa