scott mcfarland joins us now. we noticed baltimore transit authority if that's the right word car, bus, whatever it might have been on fire. how are they responded to this? >> maryland transit authority and seven city police officers. at least one maryland transit authority lieutenant injured, as well. it was an attack on that officer. at the penn north metro station in baltimore. they have just extended all the shifts for maryland transit administration police officers to 12-hour shifts and deployed 150 officers to help reinforce baltimore city police and baltimore city police not responding alone. they have reinforcements from howard county maryland state police with 40 troopers earlier today. come 7:30 tonight, they'll send 42 more and a group effort and to be clear not just seven officers injured but eight with the lieutenant attacked today from maryland transit administration police. >> here's what we have not seen. two different armored cars that drove through the area while rocks and bottles hurled at it. w

scott mcfarland news 4. >> it is a disturbing video that has now gone viral. >> a man slapping a child. how police are taking action and why the child is still in the home. >> the protest following claims of sexual abuse. how church members are using a saturday event to get your attention. >> you are making perfect timing at the cherry blossom festival. it's getting ready to step off. we will take you live to the parade route. what chuck says you thank you, cable for taking longer to upload our family movies. for the slower internet upload speeds. for taking longer to upload my files to the cloud. for making me wait longer to share my photo albums. and for never upgrading to 100% fiber optics thank you cable... thank you cable, because if we never had you... ...we wouldn't know the incredible difference verizon fios makes. in customer satisfaction studies, fios is rated #1 in internet speed and reliability - 8 years running. plus, fios has the fastest wi-fi available from any provider, and the most on demand titles to your tv. so join the millions who experience the difference fios mak

as scott mcfarland reports all of them are facing the same deadly risk. >> reporter: like so many of us the guy was typing on his phone waiting for a train at the pentagon metro station. >> he fell off in front of us. >> as the train approached. >> the lights started flashing when he fell off. >> jennifer buchanan and her dad pulled him. >> i had to reach over and grabbed him. >> reporter: they too, were almost pulled down on the tracks in the process of saving the man who had falling. news 4 iteam found many are deliberately ending up on the tracks. >> this is a dare or stunt they want to put on social media. >> reporter: a dare or risk. check this out, nearly a dozen metro passengers intentionally trespassing on the tracks just since late last year. including this platform at the west falls church. watch as she takes off her coat and scarf. she begins to strike yoga poses while he snaps pictures. she nearly slips twice close to the high-voltage third rail. she does hand styles close to the electric third rail. a metro employee intervenes and they would hop on the next train. that's

now an investigation by news 4 i team scott mcfarland raises questions about whether one of the hero helicopters should be grounded. >> it seemed like it was forever. >> reporter: channing blackwell was certain his dad william was about to die. >> in his mind he was gone. >> reporter: stranded on thin ice for an hour in prince william county once you go under and it's so call you're done under the ice. >> only a helicopter rescue could save him. >> i keep repeating, it's coming it's coming. >> reporter: eagle two did arrive and save william blackwell. >> my father would not be here if it were not for the helicopter. >> eagle one has been involved in so many major news events rescuers survivors of the navy yard shooting spree and surveying damage hurricane sandy and providing surveillance ahead of a presidential motorcade. the u.s. park police have three helicopters in d.c. and news 4 i team cameras rolled as they trained for rescues repelling from the sky to the ground. they looked so flawless in their execution we didn't expect to hear what one of the officers said next. one of the

scott mcfarland uncovered the story. bobby harris is his name. he pleaded guilty to a federal theft charge. we went to his house in woodbridge but he drove away. he was accused of spending more than $3500 on a government fuel card. >>> a celebration of wisdom and long lives today in the district. the guests of honor, all 100 years or older. the office of ageing held its annual centenarian luncheon. 40 residents met the age requirement. alice dixon spent years working at the pentagon. frank baxton just turned 100. he's happy to talk about the things he's seen over the years. >> what's the best part about being your age? >> just looking back and seeing the change. >> this is the 29th year of celebrating d.c.'s oldest residents. >>> next at 11:00, a local college coed killed on campus. >> she clearly made everyone smile. >> tonight, we've got new clues from inside the home where she was found dead. >>> new light and new beginnings for a building that was the scene of an unforgettable tragedy. >>> that's a new outbreak of bird flu. we'll tell you whe

the i-team scott mcfarland goes undercover on the tobacco trail right here in crowded stores you've probablyed. >> big box stores offer it all. from diapers to detergent. to dinners and desserts. but ever spot this at the checkout line? shoppers buying huge loads of cigarettes. we're talking tens of thousands of dollars worth at one time. >> it's very easy for them to buy products. >> paul kerry says this is where he's now seeing the tobacco smuggling trail begin. he's the enforcement coordinator with the cigarette tax board. >> they buy anywhere from five to like $50,000 worth of cigarettes. some go as high as that in any one time. >> reporter: they're able to do it by logging on to this website. >> they need to create a fictitious account. >> reporter: they sign up and print out a special certificate that allows small businesses to buy lots of product tax-free. >> they apply for a sales certificate. >> reporter: with the agreement that they'll pay back the sales tax to the state once the product in this case cigarettes is resold. >> most of the box stores sam's club bj's supply cigarettes

scott mcfarland reports. all of them facing the same deadly risk. >> like so many of us the the guy was on the phone waiting for his train at metro pentagon station. >> he fell off in front of us. >> as the train started to approach. >> lights flashing when he fell off. >> jennifer but cannon and her dad pulled him off. >> they said they too, were almost pulled down trying to save the man who had fallen. some people deliberate oy on the tracks. >> a dare, social media. >> including americans who pull them out at risk. check out surveillance camera videos show nearly a dozen metro passengers intentionally trespassing on the tracks including this couple at the west falls church metro station. watch as she takes off her coat and scarf and they both jump on the tracks. she strikes yoga poses while he snaps pictures. she nearly sleps twice close to the high-voltage third rail. a metro employee intervenes and they would hop on the next train. that's not all the iteam found. in march a man lowered himself onto the t

. >>> i'm scott mcfarland at the live desk. new revelations from and about chelsea manning the former u.s. army soldier known as bradley manning. manning in prison for leaking u.s. government secrets has been interviewed for "cosmopolitan" magazine. the transgender woman reveals in the interview it was her lifelong desire to be a woman, that she spent her life feeling disconnected, one of the reasons she joined the army. and she acknowledges secretly dressing as a girl as a young child. manning is serving a 35-year prison sentence for leaking thousands of classified military records to the wikileaks operation. according to the just-posted article, the army has agreed to permit manning some hormone treatments. they allow her to wear makeup in the military prison. but not long hair. at the live desk i'm scott macfar land. >>> a man saved from a burning office in l.a. is now speaking up about his dramatic rescue. dickey molina and his wife were trapped on the 11th floor of this high-rise. take a look. flames and heavy smoke blocke

scott mcfarland news 4, i team. >> check out the photo after a bus went up in flames on the side of theate. police say charter bus carrying 50 students from university of connecticut up to boston. luckily everyone was okay but the driver saw the engine begin to smoke and pulled over. as you can see the bus is completely charred but all the students were evacuated. >> a fight at a circus. look at it right there. you can see tension escalating as animal rights activists start to walk towards circus employees. happened in california. according to reports, people scratched, punched and jumped on each other there. >> somebody put me in a choke hold at a point where i couldn't even breathe. >> wow. well you may have seen the story on facebook because a lot of you are sharing it. more than 150 shares in fact on our page alone. circus employees say activists instigated the fight by trying to force their way inside the circus tent. >> today you can celebrate shakespeare's birthday in d.c. shakespeare library holdingist annual celebration for celebrated playwright and poet 12:00 to 4:00 on capita

he wouldn't comment to scott mcfarland today. this is the vehicle this question. court records show he bought at least $5,000 in gas with a card for his own personal use. all the while he worked at arlington national cemetery. court records say the feds caught him in the act reviewing gas station surveillance video. the cemetery says he is off the job while they review his case. >>> seven disabled veterans are suing the department of veterans affairs. they say they have waited as long as two years for medical records needed to obtain disability benefits. lawsuit was filed in federal court here in d.c. today and at least one of those that's suing is from virginia. the veterans are asking the court to order the v.a. to send the medical records in the next 20 days. >>> a home coming of sorts today for the first time since the shooting rampage that left 12 co-workers dead. employees of the naval c-systems command are back in one building and that building officially has a new name. news 4's derek ward was at today's dedication. >> reporter: despite the importance of w

. >>> i'm scott mcfarland. arlington national cemetery worker in hot water. he was far from the only one. >>> showers and storms rolling in right now. it's a weather alert day for storm team 4 now. the chance of severe weather is moving further into our area. a tornado watch is now in effect for the entire area until 10:00 tonight. chief meteorologist doug cameron joins us with an update so you want to stay with us. >>> right now, after an amber alert an 8-year-old california boy safe and back home. he was sleeping in his father's car this morning when a suspect stole the car and drove off. the vehicle was discovered hours later and the amber alert was canceled. the boy was still sleeping in the backseat. police have not made an arrest yet. >>> chaos at a university in delaware after two shootings in less than 24 hours. one of the shootings happened at a greek event with more than 1,000 students in attendance. nbc's randy gyllenhaal tells us it all started with a fight. >> reporter: the large field day cookout on delaware sit's campus turned violent by nightf

at the white house, scott mcfarland, news 4. >>> we're just weeks away from the annual smithsonian focusestival on the mall and weeks from significant changes to that festival. the celebration this time will take up a smaller portion of the mall compared to years past. it will take place between 3rd and 4th streets now due to restrictions put into place by the national park service to help curb the damage all that foot traffic does to the mall. the organizers say the event will still deliver the same cultural experience it has for decades. >> usually people come out and there are large performance tents where we have theatre, music, dance, and that will happen in other places on the site but that large tent that usually takes place in the center panel will no longer be there. >> another change the festival will focus on one country's art and culture this time instead of multiple countries. it will be peru this year. the focus life festival runs june 24 through july 5. we're learning more details about two other big events this summer. gloria estefan will headline the annual memorial day

scott mcfarland says that the repairs are needed to prevent the stones from falling out. >>> today first lady michelle obama and many kids in the area will get their hands dirty. they'll be planting vegetables in the white house kitchen garden. this is the seventh year in a row that the first lady is hosting the event. the first lady created the garden to start a national conversation about healthful eating. >>> food news for local students in loudoun county. equipment and robotics are being returned after being stolen. this is the robotics team that won a spot in the world championships during a competition a week ago. but their robot and awards were stolen along with their vehicle a few hours later. the equipment and trophies have been found near knoxville, tennessee, and appear to be in good condition. last weekend, the team built new robotics from donated money and were able to get some more equipment when they received the original robotics. they'll decide which ones to use in the world competition which is scheduled for next wednesday. >>> don't let tax day get you down. there are

scott mcfarland. >> reporter: we knocked on the door of harry's home in woodbridge and realized why there was no answer. he was about to drive by in the white lincoln navigator. he pleaded guilty to a criminal charge. he swiped a card to buy $3,500 in fuel for his own personal use. including federal agents say for that white lincoln navigator. shortly after news 4 air proeched harris he drove off without comment. according to court records, he worked in building 123 at arlington national cemetery. investigators say not only did he use a card for personal gasoline but government card assigned to an electric car. federal investigator helped break the case. not the first of its kind. >> federal government's paying for the fuel and they're not getting it and stealing from the fuel from the federal government. >> reporter: a recent news 4 i-team investigation revealed a series of federal workers stolen at least $2.4 million in gasoline swiping the fuel cards for personal gas. and that's just since 2010. including this hampton, virginia man convicted of misusing a card. in many cases, the react

scott mcfarland goes undercover on the tobacco trail beginning here in crowded stores you've probablyisited. >> reporter: big box stores offer it all, from diapers to detergent to dinners and desserts. but ever spot this at the checkout line? shoppers buying huge loads of cigarettes talking tens of thousands of dollars worth at one time. >> easy for them to buy product. >> reporter: paul says this is where he's seeing the tobacco smuggling trail begin. he's the enforcement coordinator with the northern virginia cigarette tax board. >> buy anywhere from 5 to $5,000 worth of cigarettes some go as high as $170,000 worth of cigarettes at any one given time. >> reporter: they're able to do it first logon to the virginia government website. >> they need to create a fictitious account. >> reporter: where in minutes they sign up and print out a special certificate that allows small businesses to buy lots of product. tax-free. >> they apply for a sales and use certificate. >> reporter: with the agreement they'll pay back sales tax to the stay once the product, in this case cigarettes is resold