ktvu's rob roth is live at san quentin state prison. rob? >> reporter: there are 748 inmates on california's death row here at san quentin state prison. it appears none of them will be executed for some time, if ever. >> this ruling is huge. >> an organization aimed at doing away with capital punishment wasn't surprised with the judge's ruling. >> the system is dysfunctional. it is expensive and there is no prospects of anyone who has been sentenced to death actually being executed. >> reporter: he waited 20 years for the killer of his daughter to be executed. >> another slap in the face to the victims of the state of california. >> california voters favored the death penalty, and he hopes the ruling will serve as a wake up call to fix the broken system. >> it is not about anything more than somebody being punished for having committed the worse possible crime. >> the last execution was 2006. another judge ruled the legal injection procedure is cruel and unusual punishment. it led to a unfair system. he says it is a blow against victims. >> r

>> reporter: one can only imagine the reaction here at death row at san quentin state prison but for many famililes of victims it is a -- families of victims it is a blow. >> it is a slap in the face to victims of the state of california. >> reporter: he showed us photographs of his daughter. she was kidnapped and strangled to death in 1993 and her killer is still on san quentin state prison's death row 20 years later. >> he was sentenced to death. he has been on death row for all of these years and the will of the jury, the law of the land needs to be carried out. >> this ruling is carriage. >> the director of death penalty focus. a organization aimed at abolishing capital punishment. >> the first time any federal court ruled the death penalty system unconstitutional. >>> there are 748 inmates on death row. no one has been executed since 2006 when a different judge declared the legal injection cruel and unusual punishment. the ruling is a separate case. the judge found that delays in executions led to a unfair system. >> even supporters recognize it is broken. even if you believe in

. >> but we found a very different case of inmate creature bonding inside california's san quentin state prison. >> i'm mike miller. my real name. and the staff here call me the bird man of san quentin. the first day i got here at san quentin, birds seem to have flocked to me for some reason. i don't know, they probably think i'm the bird man of alcatraz. maybe they're mistaken because he had a shaved head, too. >> miller was serving an eight-year sentence for burglary when he proudly showed us his cell. a virtual shrine to his winged friends. >> ever since i've been here, the birds just come up to me like they know me. you know, i've got them landing on my shoulders and my hands. you know, different kinds of birds. not just pigeons but different kinds of blackbirds like finch and the red wing landing on me. i think the birds is a good way of releasing a lot of tension and anger. before i got arrested, my girlfriend used to chase the birds away. she didn't want me around them. and so now i'm in here, i have a chance to mingle with the birds. basically, that's about the only friends i've got is

. >> reporter: here in the west gate of san quentin state prison a number of large construction vehicles went through. if you go over here to the left you will see a large flatbed truck and that truck is here for one reason, and that is to pick up part of this truck, the tractor or one of the tanks or both of them. we will find that out shortly. debora villalon will be here for the 10:00 p.m. news. this is tom vacar,. >> reporter: tom vacar ktvu channel 2 news. >>> the scene is on interstate 80 near the travis boulevard exit. a tanker drove off on to the shoulder, tipped over and caught fire about 3:20 p.m. the driver was unharmed. there is no word of other injuries. initially all lanes were shut down. currently the right lanes on eastbound 80 are still blocked. >>> and it could be a few more days before four water damaged stores at san francisco's union square will reopen. crews pumped out water and tried to make repairs. they are among 7 where basements were flooded after a water main was broke. authorities are still trying to total up the cost of all the damage. >>> frightening scene

. >> reporter: the spill caused the evacuation of several residents in homes outside san quentin state prison grounds. >> currently, the prison is on lockdown. >> reporter: traffic could only crawl with very little movement on the bridge, and on westbound 580. how long were you waiting on the bridge? >> probably took us about 30 minutes, 45 so far. >> i almost ran out of gas. >> crazy. >> we probably went 500 feet in the last, like, 20 minutes. >> so that was mark matthews reporting for us. we want to let you know the latest we're hearing, it may be some time later tonight before they have the road completely cleaned up and opened for traffic to start flowing. >>> we're learning more tonight at the man behind the wheel of a deadly crash that shut down a major artery in the south bay. you may remember this from last thursday when north 17 was closed for ten hours after a truck overturned. chp says the driver is a 23 year old of union city. he told officers that his brakes failed. the truck crashed into ten other cars, killing a santa cruz man. the chp investigation is still under way. as of no

. >> at california's san quentin state prison, we saw how sophisticated some inmate weaponry can be.his homemade pistol is known as a zip gun. >> this portion is filled with ground up matchheads. the two holes here, inmates insert a wick. the inmate takes a plunger, pokes shrapnel in the open end, pieces of metal, ground up zippers. when the target walks by the cell, officer or inmate, the inmate lights this, when it goes down, strikes the match heads, basically act like a firecracker and shoots the shrapnel out. >> the majority of inmate manufactured weapons or shanks are designed for slashing or stabbing. the ease with which lethal weapons are made is shocking. this san quentin inmate who goes by the name speedy agreed to show correctional staff and lockup cameras just how simple it can be. he starts by using a roll of toilet paper as a crude forge to melt plastic coffee cup lids. >> i'm making a weapon right now. melting this plastic down into a shape. what i'm doing is trying to get a wad of it to where i can -- i have something to work with. you know what i mean? what i'm doing

this is the receiving and release area of san quentin state prison. every inmate that enters or exits san quentin will come through this area right here. >> come on, step up. >> you cannot get into san quentin nor can you leave san quentin without coming through this area. >> move on. >> when inmates first arrive, they are strip-searched. >> spread your cheeks. move on. >> they get their hair cut. then they're photographed and fingerprinted. >> starting with your right thumb, roll your fingers. >> eating. >> in an effort to avoid violent confrontations later, every inmate is evaluated and classified according to his history of violence outside and inside the penal system. >> enemies? >> none. >> gang-banger? >> share a cell with another man, no problem? >> it's all right with me. >> okay. thank you. >> as long as you're compatible. >> i wish we could make that call for you. >> flores. >> once evaluated the newcomers are placed in one of san quentin's four cell blocks. each cell block holds up to 800 inmates in cells that are stacked on tiers five high.

. ♪ >>> california's 150-year-old san quentin state prison has been the site of much history, includinghe first ever prison performance by johnny cash. >> we actually found out that johnny cash had played at san quentin ten years prior to his more famous folsom concert. so our producer asked us to find inmate musicians, and i could hear eric phillips playing all the way down this noisy tier. >> here in san quentin phillips's guitar has grown to be his best friend. >> i really wanted to play the guitar, so i picked one up, like back in the late '80s, i bought one and just started getting my practice on and playing. you know? and just picked up from there. that became my main thing, my main passion. >> but pursuing that passion is complicated by the fact that overcrowding in san quentin has forced two men to live in cells originally designed for one. that means musicians don't always get to choose their accompaniment. but no distraction can keep phillips from his guitar. >> it provides for me a comfort in a sense that it takes me away from all this. and you know, it's like it transcends m

live look now from news chopper 2 where a stretch of sir francis drake boulevard outside of san quentin state prisonas been closed since 7:00 a.m. this morning. crews are cleaning up after a tanker truck over turned this morning. the road is a key way for thousands of drivers going back and forth between 580 and highway 101. you can see the back off off of the bridge. also to make matters worse, sir francis drake boulevard will be closed right on through the night into tomorrow. as hazmat crews work to clean up the gas that spilled from the tanker. we have ben on the story all -- been on the story all day long and we will check back with tom vacar at 6:00 p.m. >>> a horrible crash early this morning on highway 13 killed a 28-year-old driver. police found a car flipped over on southbound 13 about 1:00 a.m. this morning. police identified the victim as deandre wilson. there are reports of the car being seen speeding on westbound highway 24. about 10 minutes before the crash. >>> the man suspected in a deadly hit and run over the weekend turned himself in this afternoon. john mesker was booked on felon

. >> eventually transferred to san quentin state prison, the man who is arguably california's most violent inmate completed his sentence and was released in 2007. >> you have people locked up in this, this type of environment and then you release them to the street. what do you expect? >> back up -- ha-ha. >>> next on "lockup: raw." >> they'll come across their enemy, slice them across the neck. >> the ingenious weapons inmates use to attack. and the lengths officers will go to in combating them. ♪ booking.com booking.yeah! ♪ ♪ [ female announcer ] we love our smartphones. and now telcos using hp big data solutions are feeling the love, too. by offering things like on-the-spot data upgrades -- an idea that reduced overcharge complaints by 98%. no matter how fast your business needs to adapt if hp big data solutions can keep wireless customers smiling imagine what they can do for yours. make it matter. ♪ f provokes lust. ♪ it elicits pride... ...incites envy... ♪ ...and unleashes wrath. ♪ temptation comes in many heart-pounding forms. but only one letter. "f". the performance marque from le

. >> at san quentin state prison, we learned that not only do gangs force most of the prison population into racial segregation, they even draw boundaries on the rec yard. >> this is the lower yard. and the inmates segregate themselves out here, the reason being that the gangs want it that way. the blacks are over here. the northern hispanics is our main gang here at san quentin. and it's because they're better organized. the white guys are over here on the parallel bars and on the picnic table. over in the corner you see where the asians are sitting. you can't just walk and sit on a table. i had to explain that. i almost got into a confrontation with that two or three times because, you know, i saw a table and i sat down, you know, it's not like that. you got to ask for permission to sit down there. >> even such a minor misstep can be taken as a sign of disrespect, and that can lead to widespread violence. though correctional staff is constantly on the lookout for weapons, it's well known that many on this yard are armed for battle. and none more so than the northern hispanics. >> they

joseph de la cruz is a gang dropout, serving nine years for attempted murder at california san quentin state prison. when we first met him, authorities had just discovered that he had been assaulted inside his protective custody cell. >> this morning, you come out of your cell, we did a sweep to find out how many people stayed behind. you were discovered with injuries. and here's the medical report. >> despite obvious injuries, de la cruz refused to give correctional staff any information about the attack. >> we're trying to find out who -- i want to tell them what happened. >> any specific individuals you know are your enemies? >> no, sir. >> how about any prison weapons offenses? >> no, sir. >> do you belong to a gang? >> no, i don't. >> aside from what you're being accused of being a victim, are you involved in any other batteries in your history? >> no. >> due to this threat, you are deemed a threat to the safety and security of the institution, to staff and inmates. >> escort! >> without good information about what prompted the attack and whether this attack could lead to others the prison dec

originally constructed to relieve overcrowding at san quentin state prison, folsom housed some of the most dangerous inmates of the time. today its history of a more violent time has not been forgotten. >> folsom, just the aura of this place hangs above us like a fog hangs over this place. >> daniel bell is a newcomer, only on the yard for four months. >> i mean you're like totally in awe of the fact that you're actually here, and so many men have died and lost their lives on this very yard right here, at the very spot we're standing, i mean, you know, men have got killed, so it's like you're terrified. >> this is my first time here. don't like it. i don't like it. >> a lot of people getting stabbed, you know. i've seen people's throats get sliced. my first night in this building behind me here, when i woke up in the morning to gunshots on the tier, you know. >> you always have a fear factor when you walk through those gates. anybody would be lying to you if they told you that they weren't scared when they were in here. >> there's not anyone who walks into folsom that looks at those g

on sir francis drake boulevard, near san quentin state prison. now.ome 11 hours later -- the tanker is still blocking the road. and the cleanup will continue well into the evening. we begin our team coverage with kron4- charles clifford. charles is live tonight in san rafael. what's the latest? >> reporter:the clean up of the diesal fuel has been going non- stop since the truck overturned this morning marin county first responders contained the gasoline, then they brought in a back up tanker to while silmultaneously stopping even more fuel from reaching the bay >> reporter: that would take some time to complete it still could be several hours to your on sir francis drake boulevard until the roadway is able to open and we will be out here of dating this evening. >>".or the bay" >> pam: the final phase of cleaning the spill will be handled by a private hazmat company.paid for by the owner of the overturned fuel tanker >> reporter: we are tracking this afternoon at it is not pretty several hot spots where the accident scene is right in this area and it i

and this is a major operation going on in front of san quentin state prison. >> this morning, there ishortcut and people are on 580. and we have terrible traffic. >> our reporter is on the scene. >> we will have a live report at 8:30. >> move along and take a look at the bridge plaza. >> this is a zero minute drive time into san francisco with no major delays. >> 80 west bounds between the coquinas bridge. and this is the average speeds and 36 miles per hour are the average speeds. >> 580 is still very slow and 880 is slow from san leandro to fremont. >> now, we will go to steve. >> very good morning. high clouds. over here, steve. >> it is increasing on most of the coast south of san francisco. there is a little bit. the marin coast. not much. couple of little patches. and the higher clouds are what i am wrestling with. >> they are inching closer. i really think they are going to make it leer. it is so close. we will start off sunny to to mostly sunny. it could be hot and if they commence around 2:00. it will cut the high temperatures off. and it will be in the 90s to 100s for many. >

a tanker crash is causing a problem in the san rafael area near san quentin state prison.hat driver. >>> quite a rough one out there. let's check the commute with mike. >> 101 is opened. it's the connector between the bridge. again, there's the tanker on its side. a lot of fuel was seen. it looked like ripples were coming out of there. i understand they have it more contained now. that's westbound 580 from richmond to san rafael. i want to show you the map. it's jammed up because people can't get off, they are distracted, have to go north and connect at 580 or the 101. it's a longer route but you can make it over to the ferry terminal. a new crash north 101 and 880. that's going to be a problem. >> thank you very much, mike. >>> check back with us. we'll have another local news update in half an hour. hope of a good monday morning. ♪ 737. 737. right there? you guessed it. how do we save on operational costs? with the world's largest fleet of boeing 737's. one of the many ways we bring you $69 airfares. limited time sale fares starting as low as $69 one-way. if it matters t

san quentin. thanks joe. >>> california brought back the death penalty in 1978. since then, the state has executed 13 inmates. 748 prisonersn debt row. the most of any state. >>> bombs will stop falling in gaza one hour for now for a short time. it is not a cease fire, but a pause that the u.n. brokerrerred. the bombard. has killed more than 200 palestinians. this pause is supposed to be enough time to get humanitarian aid into gaza. israel says a ground invasion is likely next. an american teenager beaten by israeli police is back in florida tonight. the 15-year-old said he got caught up in the rioting that followed the murder of his cousin, a palestinian. in retaliation for the murders of three israeli students. >>> tonight, a san francisco supervisor admits he had an affair with his top aide. john avalos apologized for the relationship. while it sounds bad, city rules don't ban relationships between bosses and their employees. the staffer is raquel redondiez. >>> a high priced call girl accused of killing a google exec on his yacht pleaded not guilty today. danielle nottingham on why. >> reporter: alix catherine tichelm

san francisco superior court. last month under pressure from state lawmakers the commission gave the school two more years to resolve its financial and administrative problems or risk losing its accreditation. >>> fire fighting team from san quentin prison alcohol includes ten inmates are -- which includes ten inmates are being hailed heros. 4,000 gallons of gasoline poured over a the big rig and a rush of gasoline three inches deep was heading toward the prison, employee housing complex and san francisco bay. that fire fighting team quickly dumped dirt blocking the flowing gas and keep it from reaching that residential area or the bay. the fire chief says the response of the prison fire fighting team was perfect. intellect a bay area woman who nearly lost her life four months ago has just met her rescuers for the first time. >> thank you. >> on march 18th, kathryn fell 60 feet off eagle rock. rescuers had to repel down a cliff and transport her by helicopter to save her life. news chopper s2 got these pictures of the daring air and ground operations. >> for her to be out here. we got a chance to see her stand up and smile and talk to her. she is in great spirits. and we are just thankful that she is alive and doing well. >> san jose ur

san quentin prison. it just reopened a couple of hours ago. the tanker was full with 8,000 gallons of gasoline from the richmond refinery. the clean-up and road repairs caused a long wait. >>> today the state is likely to change our water conservation efforts from voluntary to mandatory. the toughest water restrictions likely to mean no washing your car with a hose unless there's a shutoff nozzle, no spray washing sidewalks or driveways and fountains that don't use recycled water will be illegal in the state. >> we're focusing on outdoor irrigation because that's a place where people tend to even without realizing it, they overwater. >> if anyone is caught breaking the rules, it would be a $500 fine. back i january, governor brown asked californians to cut water use by 20% but it's only been 5% statewide and even less in the bay area. >>> the alameda county water district might approve a drought surcharge. people have been saving so much water bills, water bills have gone down. while the revenue is down for the district, costs are not. the proposed surcharge would mean higher rates for bigger water users. >>> crews in upstate california hope to make progress today in their battle against a