stephen tschida has more on where it stands tonight. steves outrage across prince william county, fairfax county. a lot of people demanding an investigation. to determine where they originated and who sent the phone calls, the robo calls and text. >> the election is over. controversy about the live and the robo calls and the texts steering voters to the wrong polling places continues. >> this is part of a partisan game where one party is seeking to lock out voters from another party. >> voting rights activist are trying to determine how many people in northern virginia, prince william and fairfax county receive these bogus calls and texts. and why. >> that is of course. >> the intention is keep them getting out to exercise the franchise and vote. >> now is time for the law enforcement to investigate, to trace the source of the calls. to figure out where they are coming from. who funded them. how many people were targeted. >> they are looking into this but in some cases tracking down bogus robo call or a text message tracking down the or

new at 6:00, stephen tschida spoke to an eyewitness. what did they tell you about the chaotic scene? stephen: it's frightening is what they are saying. this is on 14th street sunday night. the army of the a.t.v.'s came tearing through. tonight the police are looking for the suspect. and video of that incident has become a social media sensation. taunts from a.t .v. operators amid futile police efforts to stop them. when an officer tries to get ahold of one of the drivers, he falls to the ground. then a burst of laughter from the person with the camera. >> it's a serious problem and i think it will get worse unless appropriate agency is taken. >> he works on 14th street. he describes what he saw sunday night. >> complete madness. loud. disruptive and alarming to everybody. >> the million got millions of views on facebook and instagram. some who witnessed the herds of a.t.v.'s rampaging through the city question the interest in acts that pose serious dangers. >> i don't know how they stop them but something has to be done. it's not right.

stephen tschida picks up the story from there. stephen: this corner between two crowded apartment buildings. the place where a man approached a woman loading packages into her car and grabbed her. >> horrific. it's really shocking. >> that is really scary. not comfortable to know at all. >> the suspect raped the woman. and then took off on foot. running down 31st street. >> it's troubling and disturbing that would happen in this close-knit community. scary to think about. somebody would be so bold to do something like that in an area where there are lots of people. >> the intersection is busy. just around the corner from the vibrant shirlington commercial center filled with restaurants, bars and shops. >> you are here and people are walking up and down the street. ok >> within moments of calling for help, witnesses say that as many as 12 to 15 squad cars descended on the neighborhood. they spread out trying to track down the suspect. k9 units and a helicopter overhead. they came up with nothing. stephen tschida, abc7 news. jonathan

as stephen tschida reports, this afternoon chef andreas was in the district sharing what he learned after the crisis in the caribbean. stephen: the devastation the hurricane inflicted on puerto rico. the chef says suffering compelled him to action immediately. >> this is really bad. >> before a packed group he spoke about the difficulties he encountered the puerto rico. but also about the team of chefs he assembled work tirelessly and productively. >> we do 2,000 meals. by sunday we are doing 20,000 meals a day. by sunday we were close to reaching 100,000. at one point we reached 175,000 meals a day. >> he says the efforts to feed the hungry continues. he believes food nourishment and the motivation for the positive change. >> i saw the true power of food beyond what you can do in the restaurant. >> he acknowledged he loves to feed people. both those looking for delicacy and those desperately hungry. >> stephen tschida, abc7 news. >> houston leaders are coming to d.c. next week to lobby congress for help recovering from hurricane harvey. houston's mayor says the city is being financially

stephen tschida joining us live from gallery place in northwest d.c. with what he has learned. this is a tall order. stephen: incredibly tall. when it comes to soft targets, d.c. is full of them. according to terrorism analysts, anyplace, even like this, gallery place. all these people potential targets. a very strong police presence with the halloween referrallers in georgetown. this -- revelers in georgetown. this is out of an abundance of caution since crowded streets are a prime target for terrorists. >> there is no stopping it. stephen: the capital is full of soft targets. any area where people gather and are exposed is vulnerable. >> anything can be made a soft target. >> the local police departments coordinate the efforts and remain vigilant. they can do. >> some in the city say despite the efforts they believe it is impossible to prevent the type of attack which hit new york yesterday. >> you just got to stay vigilant. you have to protect yourself. >> representatives of the various law enforcement agencies will not talk about any specific steps they are taking to protect

stephen tschida is there tonight. part of the debate involves of all things oddly enough the cartoon character shrek? >> yeah, that is right. shrek cards providing instructions. the provisional votes counted and the absentee vote thrown out and the republican in the house of delegate race in stafford declared the victor. >> the naacp tried for and failed to get an injunction to delay tally of the provisional ballots. shrek cards given to the provisional voters provided instructions on how to invalidate the ballot. >> is there any discussion? >> yes, there is. >> the electoral board decided not to count 55 absentee ballots since they arrived after the polls closed. possibly because they were picked up late. this vote after heated debate. >> i have to vote to exclude the it breaks my heart. >> 55 absentee and 50 ballots are crucial in this race. the state house a couple of seats going democratic. >> 28 delegates, joshua cole. >> cole picked up provisional votes but not enough to overcome his republican rival. the board

reporting live, stephen tschida, abc7 news. jonathan: thanks. abc7 has continuing coverage at the bottom of the hour. how other major school systems handled the controversy like this and the legal implications. baltimore city schools under scrutiny as well. you can see abc7's original reporting online and through the wjla abc7 news app. nancy: if you have information about what is happening in the classroom in dcps, absentee absenteeism, grade inflation, we want to hear from you. e-mail us or call the confidential hotline. 703-340-3170. president trump is underfire following the decision to retweet anti-muslim videos. it's from organization opposing what it calls the islamization of britain. prime minister theresa may saying the president was wrong to retweet them. opposition leaders are calling on the government to revoke the invitation for trump to visit next year. former k.k.k. leader david duke praised the tweets. jonathan: big break in the tampa serial murders and it happened at a mcdonald's. the alleged gunman's mistake up next. michelle:

stephen tschida has the crime alert. stephen: a group of teenagers suspected of mugging a woman after 8:00 p.m. last weekend in the heart of dupont circle. they made off with the laptop, camera and cash. muggings tend to increase and become more brazen as we approach the holidays. >> a definite uptick in muggings, purse snatchings, personal property crimes. >> michelle stewart works in downtown d.c. and she herself has been the victim of a holiday season crime. >> canceled the credit card and by the time i got to macy's, five or ten minutes later he had spent $800. >> the suspects robbed the woman on church street, held a knife to her. she wasn't hurt. this is the suspect who robbed a woman yesterday morning 9:30. he made off with the cell phe. the surroundings and do what they can to not be a target. >> to why there is a spike in muggings around christmas. analysts say the victims in the cases very often have let their guard down. more likely to have cash and valuables on them. stephen tschida, abc7 news. michelle: in t

jonathan: stephen tschida has more. stephen: sunday night a pack of a.t.v. tore up 14 street. 14th street corner one of the busiest with the vehicular and the pedestrian traffic. tonight the inability of the police on the scene to bring this group to a halt has made this video somewhat of a social media sensation. the view from inside a pack of a.t.v. storming down 14th street sunday night. it has gotten million of views on facebook and instagram. >> it's awful. it's so dangerous and disruptive. stephen: you see a police officer on a bike try to stop one of the op his fall prompts up laughter. the raging a.t.v. disrupting traffic and sending pedestrians rushing to get out of the way is a persistent problem. some who have witnessed the troops of a.t.v.'s believe something has to be done to stop them. >> unfortunately the police are not able to respond in a fashion to make an impact on the problem. stephen: d.c. police are launching an investigation. they are reviewing the videotape and they are hopeful it will lead them to the suspect and bring the suspects t

nancy: stephen tschida is live with the story of those who ran to help. stephen? stephen: the two occupants a son and his elderly mother in critical condition. two firefighters rushed to the burn unit. they suffered burns to the ears, their fire so intense. the clean-up underway. this house gutted by the flames and the smoke. the neighbors trying desperately to save the occupants. the fire, too intense. the call came in at 12:30. a house engulfed in flames. a passerby saw the man t outside the home. >> he came to the side door and called for her. "come mom, we have to go." stephen: after neither appeared the neighbors tried to get in the house to rescue them but the flames and the smoke drove them back. eventually firefighters were able to pull them from the house. >> we care about them, we love them. this is an unfortunate event. the neighbors are devastated by what has happened to the neighbors. the son was a primary care-giver up until this time. they are in critical condition. the cause is under investigation. stephen tschida, abc7 news. nancy: developing now

stephen tschida? stephen: it's cold but you can still see people on the national mall. the park service wants to close this to the recreational activity. the greening of the grounds around the national monument is almost done. much of the area is closed for the turf project. now they want to keep the grass off-limits for recreational use permanently. >> they should do it there. people should be able to do what they want if they ross spect the grounds -- respect the grounds. stephen: it will include the park service 28 playing field. the national park service wants to make them pay more to play. they can pay for a few bucks for an entire season but the park service wants to charge them $70 for two hours. >> you can make extra money on something, i don't think you should do it. they will open this up to the public comment next week. reporting live, stephen tschida, abc7 news. larry: the allegation of the sexual misconduct transforming the senate break. roy moore seeks to distance himself from assaulting a girl 40 years ago but many member of the republican party distancin

stephen tschida explains why. stephen: if you want to play organized sport on the national mall you have to pay a lot more than you used to. it's park service gets its way. >> that is ridiculous to raise the fee just because they have an opportunity to raise the fee. >> the national park service currently charges the administrative fees for using the land for organized sport. so it could cost as little as $7 per season. but now it's proposing $70 for two hours. >> i think it's too much. >> the park service announced it wants the grounds around the monument, closed for work on the turf to rem off-limits for recreational use. >> being able to use for strayingsal activity. that is interesting. the national park service has playing fields like this one. starting next week, it will start to take public comment on the proposed changes. stephen tschida, abc7 news. >> coming up for us here, the 8-year-old with the catch of a lifetimement how he wrangled a big gator. jonathan: plus a saving mission and the shocking amount o

stephen tschida has the developments now. stephen: a beloved, beautiful woman lost to a beautiful crime. friends of tricia mccauley were in court to watch the sentencing of duane johnson. >> miss mccauley was a special of anything she had contact with. stephen: fighting back friends her friends described how the tragedy changed her lives. the horrifying crime altered how she acts, interacts with people. and is constantly on high alert. and in fear. >> it shattered the confidence we have. feeling comfortable. >> duane johnson has mental health problems and lengthy rap sheet. he abducted her as she headed to christmas dinner. they found her missing car, her body stashed in the backseat. >> 30-year sentence. stephen: her friends said johnson should have had a g.p.s. monitor at the time slipped through the cracks of the criminal she and others called on the judge to work harder to make the streets here safer. reporting live, stephen tschida, abc7 news. nancy: thank you. breaking news, skytrak7 over a shop just raided by the federa

stephen tschida was in the courtroom. what did they say? stephen: this is what it comes down to. this was a planned, a tightly sea of people in black, faces with bandanas and they tore through the center. several would brack away and return -- would break away and return to the group to blend in. defense attorneys say you can't convict the many based on the actions of a few. hundreds of masked protesters tore through d.c. not to protest but to riot. the purpose planned, the goal violence and destruction. >> the prosecution is trying to paint this as a riot. it's cleared. the defense pushing back saying they had the right to express themselves. >> the attorneys stated it is impossible to convict many for the actions of some bent on destruction. de the police overreacted making a mass arrest and netting those who simply came to protest the election of trump. >> the police react vie rently to protest regardless if there is property destruction. stephen: the trial is expected to last at least two weeks. reporting live, stephen tschida, abc7 news. jonathan: thank you. we have complete

stephen tschida with an update. this may have been more widespread than we previously thought. >> we learned that the phone calls and the texts were sent out across prince william county and in fairfax county. as well. and right now voting rights activists are calling for a criminal investigation to find out who made these calls, why they were made. and who was targeted. big wins for democrats in virginia, despite what many believe was to keep specific voters away from thecas. >> robo calls are an old and familiar tactic. used to discourage minority voters. stephen: 50 c prince william county naacp alone about bogussal calls, robo calls and texts directing voters to the wrong polling place. >> voters don't declare a party when they register in virginia. voting rights advocates say there are ways to determine how an individual is likely to vote. >> i have seen data bases that have the information. for the most part they are very accurate. >> the virginia board of elections is aware and there are calls for a criminal

stephen tschida? stephen: we saw enormous police presence in georgetown because of so many people there for halloween. a very large soft target. check this out. gallery place. look around. sidewalks crowded with people. and according to terrorism analyst, these, this is the potential soft target as well. when it comes to the potential threats the nation's targets. >> any city is vulnerable. especially this one and new york, highly populated. stephen: jogging paths and a bus lane downtown. >> you can't live in fear. stephen: busy metro system. law enforcement agencies across the metro area say they are coordinating their efforts and remaining vigilant as to any potential threats. meanwhile, they call on residents and visitors to stay alert. >> anything like that isn't 100% preventable but we can be aware of what is going on. stephen: the threat of terrorism is always in the back of their minds, according to people we talked to, but they said the intense efforts by law enforcement to keep them safe is co

stephen tschida, abc7 news. alison: a judge ordered paul manafort and a business associate to remain under house arrest. the judge warned lawyers not to talk about the chase. admonishing manafort's attorney for talking to the press after monday's hearing. manafort and rick gates 12-count indictment in connection to special counsel russia probe. the judge is expected to set a trial date for april. larry: the president's nominee to be agriculture department chief scientist withdrawn the nomination because of the russia probe. clovis dropped out after being linked to george papadopoulos who pleaded guilty to lying to the f.b.i. agents. new at 5:00, environmental groups filed lawsuit challenging the administration's attempt to shrink national monuments. he plans to reduce the size of two monuments in utah and others in nevada, oregon and monuments in the pacific. white house has not commented on the lawsuits. alison: take a live look outside. it's gorgeous. it does not feel like november today. >> this is a special

stephen tschida with the manhunt and a warning stephen: we got word of more carjackings. we worked all day and an hour ago we got confirmation. four carjackings in the past ten days. three this last weekend. the d.c. police will not say conclusively that all four are related but they acknowledge striking similarities. saturday morning at north east d.c. this crime went down on kenilworth avenue. the suspect approaches the driver, gun in hand. this carjacking, a couple hours after a similar one took place across town. >> i don't know what is going on. stephen: the earlier incident in northwest also at a b.p. gas station. this time the victim got out to put air in the tires when two suspects approached. as in the later incident, one of the suspects pulled a gun. in both cases, they made off with mercedes. some here think there is a simple explanation. >> it's cold. they don't want to walk. stephen: not necessarily the most likely education. the two carjackings we talk about took place saturday morning. there is another one in northeast d.c. one 11 days ago or ten days ago w

stephen tschida, abc 7 news. nancy: a home it in accoek of a grill on the deck, the flames quickly spreading to the home. nobody was hurt and the red cross is helping the family. michelle: a hot for a killer after a murder in forest heights. a man's body was found inside of a car at sunrise near route 21 0 and the beltway. so far no word of a suspect or motive. nancy: the commander-in-chief thanking america's troops. >> very, very special people, like it does not get more special. nancy: he told service members the military is "really winning" since he took office. the president had videoconferences and served members to -- served meals to members of the coast guard near his marrow votto resort. michelle: we are rooting for the burgundy and gold. the redskins are marking a milestone with the first thanksgiving day game at fedex field. erin hawksworth joins us with how the fans are passing the time until kickoff. erin? erin: that is right, the gates opened at noon today, which means 8 1/2 hours of tailgating. i ju

stephen tschida will show how to keep it from happening to you. >> the crime on camera. >> two very large furniture size packages. >> package theft increases. no one is there to receive an item they often drop it off. that is when they strike. have your package delivered to an office or have someone take it in for you. tent the packages for the neighbors and doing a brisk business. >> if you inform the delivery company or the manufacturer you will often get item replaced. >> it can be a hassle. >> now i have to find the package. >> despite the package theft and the warnings we saw the delivery people across d.c. dropping the packages off on the doorsteps like this. for some people when they got home the packages were gone. >> if you want to see more porch pirate video and the "7 on your side" reporting on keeping the thieves at bay, you can download the abc7 app for the smart phone or tablet. >> bobcat in a precarious situation. >> an amazing surprise. jonathan: yeah. the royal family celebrating prince harry's engagement and the serious talk he had with the new fiancÉe. >> a beautiful ni

tonight the naacp says someone is trying to suppress the vote in no stephen tschida is live in prince william county to explain how. stephen: we have been working the story all day. 15 minutes ago i spoke with the president of the prince william county naacp. he said he noticed 50 incidents where the individuals received repeated phone calls in some cases. either live or robo calls or text messages. essentially telling them not to go to the regular polling place but to an alternate polling place where they would not be registered to vote. why this is happening is a blatant example of the voter suppression. we spoke to the voters here in the woodbridge to get their take on what is going on. take a listen. >> it's terrible. that is terrible. it's trying to set people up and not vote to trick people. i don't think it is a good idea. it's horrible. horrible. yeah. to influence voters and get a form of voter suppression is the best way to put it. stephen: we learned there were complaints about the same type of behavior or incident in fairfax county. the majority of the people he received c

stephen tschida has reaction and what the judge told brown. that was surprisi had to say. stephen: she, actually. she expressed her frustration. looking at brown prior to the sentencing and saying, "you just don't get it." now brown will get 120 days behind bars. this for going to the rear of the bus, urinating in a cup and throwing that urine on a bus driver. prosecutors played surveillance video of opal brown slinging her own urine into the metrobus driver's face. the defense blamed drugs and mental health issues. >> she does not need to be incarcerated. she needs to be under doctor care. stephen: prosecutors called it repulsive attack and maintained the 38-year-old justified throwing urine because she said the driver could have been more courteous. today metro drivers packed the courtroom for brown's sentencing. but not the driver hit with brown's urine. she couldn't >> it's a very traumatic situation. >> prosecutors say brown showed no remorse and said the attention made her feel like a celebrity. when brown spoke, she said she is the one who suffered, not the driver. >

stephen tschida has the developing story stephen? stephen: alison, we have been working this story since this morning when we first heard of the complaints. 25 minutes ago, i spoke with a rep of the fairfax county board of elections who confirmed for me that also in fairfax county today, they received complaints about the bogus phone calls. now here in prince william county, rep of the board of elections told me they started to get complaints yesterday from the voters. they informed the virginia board of elections. it is investigating. this is what some voters in woodbridge had to say about the calls. >> i don't think it's fair. they shouldn't do that. >> it's a shame. i don't know who they are trying to influence, which voters. i'm sorry to hear about it. stephen: we spoke to the local head of the naacp as well a few times who said that the originating in gloucester, virginia, and in georgia. the state of georgia. he also speculated that they are indeed an attempt at voter suppression. we will stay on top of this throughout the day.

i'm stephen tschida.ard: ritchie marlboro road with breaking -- this is richard reeve with breaking news where police are investigating a shooting involving a teenager. i'll pan out of the way so you can see. can you see, mike? can you see? mike our photographer is going to shoot down the street here. this happened about 3:45. this teenager we believe was talking down the street when he was shot. we see mayor bowser is beginning to approach. we'll walk over here to talk to mayor bowser. producer, is that all right? we have mayor bowser here. she is about to brief us on what they know at this point. again, this young person shot, transported to the hospital unconscious but breathing. the mayor is here with an update. she has just spoken to the police. mayor? >> good evening, everybody. i am here to brief you out on a very unfortunate incident. high school student was shot here very close to where we are standing. he is 17 years old. he was transported to the hospital where he is being treated. i am here wi

alison: stephen tschida has lifetime for this parent. stephen? stephen: yeah, frantic moments there for the parent of that little boy. this is where it all ended here on w street, near new york avenue in northeast. a little after 11:00. this is where the police found the stolen nissan maxima. inside that little boy. he was okay. it happened 10:30 this morning on monroe street northeast d.c. an adult left the car with the engine on. apparently to run a quick errand. >> someone stole a car with a baby in it. >> a suspect possible a teenager took off. frantic search commented. a short while later, about a mile away the police found the stolen nissan maxima. inside, little boy. he is okay. >> i hope the people who did this crime got caught. stephen: yeah, right now the search for that suspect described male. that search continues. again the little boy reunited with his family, with his mother we believe at this time as well and doing okay. reporting live, stephen tschida, abc7 news. alison: thank you very much. well, tom hanks has a new book and he s

reporting live, stephen tschida, abc7 news. two firefighters were injured but not seriously. larry: tradition in jeopardy after fight at a high school football game. the d.c. bureau chief is live in northeast now. this could leave them without enough players for the turkey bowl. >> actually, larry, woodson will have enough players. they have more than 50 players. 18 won't play but they will go to the turkey bowl to be played a week from tomorrow. >> the warriors have been in eight of the last 10 turkey bowl champion games and won seven. >> we can't have fighting. football is a contact sport but not fighting should be involved in. >> chancellor said they had a brawl at the semi-final last week that they found 18 players fighting and they are suspended from the turkey bowl. >> this is woodson minus 18 playing the other semi-final chance. >> i capped imagine losing that many players. >> it's not that they are bad kids. they made a bad decision. >> these are consequences from if you fight in a game. >> the fight broke out. we don't know why. nine easton players were suspended and

stephen tschida was in the courtroom when duane johnson learned his 30-year stephen: a beautiful woman full of life, love and compassion killed in the crime the prosecutor called unthinkable. raped tortured and strangled on christmas day. >> it is hard to take. >> they located tricia mccauley's car and inside 30-year-old duane johnson and mccauley's both stashed in the backseat. 30 years. not the maximum sentence for this type of crime. but one prosecutors signed off on anyway. >> we believe it was the appropriate sentence in this case. what causes the family and the friends to go through a lengthy trial. >> some of mccauley's friends told the judge her murder attar inned their lives permanently. >> 30-year >> if johnson lives another 30 years and is released he will remain on the sex offender registry and the supervised release for the rest of his life. larry: the reverend jesse jackson today saying he suffered from parkinson disease. he released a statement saying, "i find it difficult to perform routine tasks and getting around is more of a challenge." he says he is dedicated to the

stephen tschida spoke to a fire captain thankful for the ca >> the fire tore through the house nine days ago. two women trapped inside. >> the daughter is in critical condition. the tragedy is painful. >> for this to come home and sit in my lap. i couldn't imagine it happening this way. it sparked the fire and the mother ran to a door on the other side of the house and got out. the gate was locked and she didn't have a key. >> my sister is in a battle. >> he and his son are filled with gratitude. >> i'm thankful >> for the street, hope alone is something to be thankful for. larry: the non-profit invisible hand have helped random people overcome hardships. they found possibly with the college degree and he is struggling to get a promotion at work because of his face tattoo. when he was 16 his twin brother was murdered and he got tattoos in honor of his brother. now he wants them removed to better his life. >> just pick one or two things that you like. car, pay the bills or a job. two things? i want to the toos removed. i want to be there for my he is in line for the promotion. they are no

stephen tschida has the latest on the investigation. stephen: this intersection very busy. a woman deciding to put something in her vehicle. she went to her car. she turned her back to the sidewalk. this corner between two crowded apartment buildings. the place where a man approached a woman putting packages in her car and graped her. >> it's shock -- grabbed her. >> it's >> the suspect raped woman and took off on foot. >> this intersection is busy and just around the corner from the vibrant shirlington commercial center filled with restaurants, bars and shops. >> people are walking up and down the street. it's pretty safe. >> back live on 31st street. that is where the suspect took off. witnesses tell us in moments of the woman calling for help, 15 squad cars descended on this intersection. everyone with kit unit -- even with the k9 units and helicopters overhead, the police were unable to track down the suspect. tschida, abc7 news. larry: thank you. d.c. public school teacher facing charges she assaulted one of her own students. 32-year-old lacey thornton teaching at clev

where stephen tschida is live now with the latest on the investigation. stephen: this ordeal ended over my shoulder here on w street. the car discovered and that little boy inside was okay. an adult got out to run an errand and left the car running with the 1-year-old toddler in it. a suspect spotted the vehicle, saw the keys were still in it. it was running. hi hopped in and took off. poneably unaware of the little boy in the backseat. stephen: shortly afterward the police started to canvass the area. it did not take long to locate the stolen nissan maxima. they found it in the 1400 of w street in northeast d.c. only a mile from where it was stolen. larry: hopefully the baby is back home and i hope the people who did the crime got caught. stephen: >> they found the littleboy and the car but no sign of the suspect. alison: thank you. an update to a story we brought you at 4:00 today. all lanes of the beltway at van dorn are now back open. look at this. this is what happened. two lanes shut down for most of the afternoon after this truck burst into flames.