A man was in grave condition Saturday night after being shot in San Bernardino, authorities said.

Officers responded about 5:55 p.m. to a call reporting shots heard in the 1600 block of East Gould Street (map), said Sgt. David Carlson of the San Bernardino Police Department. The location is in a residential area, less than half a mile north of the 10 Freeway.

The officers found the man suffering from a gunshot wound. He was then transported to a hospital.

Homicide detectives were called to the scene.

No other information was immediately available.

An hourslong standoff ended Sunday night when a San Bernardino house erupted in flames and police took into custody a man who had allegedly shot at an ice cream truck and officers, officials said.

A SWAT team responded and a standoff ensued after a gunman shot at an ice cream truck in San Bernardino on Saturday, Sept. 14, 2014, authorities said. (Credit: Newspro News)

Officers responded about 3 p.m. Sunday to the 700 block of West 19th Street (map) after multiple callers reported shots fired, authorities said.

Several children had been in line at the ice cream truck when the man, described as a military veteran in his 50s or 60s, exited his home and opened fire, hitting the vehicle three times, witnesses said.

No injuries were reported in the shooting, said Lt. Richard Lawhead of the San Bernardino Police Department.

The man then barricaded himself inside the house, Lawhead said.

Residents were evacuated from the immediate area surrounding the location, near San Bernardino High School, and the Police Department’s SWAT team was called to the scene.

Authorities believed they knew who the man was and attempted to make contact with him throughout the afternoon and into the evening, Lawhead said.

The San Bernardino Police Department responded after a man allegedly opened fire and barricaded himself inside a home. (Credit: Nerissa Knight/KTLA)

About 8:30 p.m., the man allegedly stepped out of the home and opened fire on officers. No one was injured. The department’s armored vehicle was struck several times.

Police then requested assistance from the San Bernardino County Sheriff’s Department, which also deployed an armored vehicle to the scene. Authorities were equipping the vehicle to gain entry into the house.

The fire broke out at the home shortly after 11 p.m. San Bernardino Fire Department personnel were at the scene.

About 11:30 p.m., a San Bernardino County Sheriff’s Department official confirmed that the man had been taken into custody.

No other information was immediately available.

An employee at a San Bernardino high school who was arrested over the weekend on suspicion of having sex with two teenage boys may have more possible victims, authorities said on Monday.

Amy Corinne Bramlett, 46, of Highland, was accused of having sex with two teenage boys. (Credit: San Bernardino County Sheriff’s Department)

Amy Corinne Bramlett, 46, of Highland, was arrested on Sunday at a home in the 3400 block of Parkside Drive (map) in San Bernardino, following an investigation into reports that a program manager at Indian Springs High School was having an inappropriate relationship with a 17-year-old boy, according to a news release from the San Bernardino County Sheriff’s Department.

Bramlett was accused of having sex with the teen, a former student, between January and June of this year at a home in the 7200 block of Sunrise Court (map) in Highland, the Sheriff’s Department stated.

During their investigation, detectives discovered Bramlett may also have sexually victimized a 16-year-old boy, according to the news release.

Bramlett has been accused of oral copulation of a child under 18, penetration of a foreign object and unlawful sex with a minor, according to the Sheriff’s Department.

Bramlett was being held on $1 million bail. Her next court appearance was scheduled for Sept. 16.

The San Bernardino City Unified School District stated in a news release on Monday that they were cooperating with a Sheriff’s Department’s investigation into an Indian Springs High School employee’s possible inappropriate relationship with two minors.

The district stated that the employee, who they did not identify, had been placed on paid administrative leave after the district was informed of the impending arrest on Friday.

Investigators have released Bramlett’s booking photo because they believe there may be more possible victims.

Anyone with information was asked to contact Detective Lisa Guerra at 909-387-3615.
Those who wish to remain anonymous may call the We-Tip hotline at 1-800-78-27463 (1-800-78-CRIME).

Authorities have released the name of a San Bernardino man who died two days after being shot Saturday in that city.

Alex Salas, 21, was found about 5:55 p.m. by officers responding to a call reporting shots heard in the 1600 block of East Gould Street (map), police said Wednesday in a news release.

Salas was unconscious and suffering from gunshot wounds in the driver’s seat of a car that had collided with two other cars, the release said. He was transported via ambulance to Loma Linda University Medical Center in grave condition.

He died of his injuries Monday, officials said.

The motive for the shooting remained unknown.

Anyone with information is asked to call Detective Brian Lewis or Sgt. Gary Robertson of the San Bernardino Police Department at 909-841-5361.

A young boy and his father were shot and wounded Monday in a car-to-car shooting in Highland, the San Bernardino County Sheriff’s Department said.

The incident occurred about 5:36 p.m. in the 7600 block of Bonnie Street (map), according to a news release. Deputies were dispatched to the location and found the two victims suffering from gunshot wounds.

A preliminary investigation indicated the 28-year-old man and his son were in a vehicle when another vehicle pulled up alongside. The shooter or shooters opened fire and then fled the scene, the Sheriff’s Department said.

Officials said the boy was 3 years old; family members said he was 4.

The victims, who sustained wounds that were not life-threatening, were transported to a hospital, authorities said.

Sheriff’s detectives are investigating the shooting.

Anyone with information is asked to call the Highland Police Department at 909-387-8313. Those who wish to remain anonymous can call 800-78-CRIME.

Investigators said Tuesday they had suspended the search for two men suspected of tying up a woman who had called 911 while trapped inside the trunk of a vehicle in Pomona.

The woman wasn’t seriously injured and was able to call dispatchers Monday and direct responders to the abandoned vehicle on the North Dudley Street off-ramp of the 10 Freeway, California Highway Patrol Officer Peter Bishop said.

The victim said she had been tied up by two men who said they wanted to take her to Colorado.

The men were described as two Hispanic men with shaved heads who fled on foot from the car.

No further information was immediately available.

One day after being shot and wounded outside of a Highland home, a man and his 4-year-old son were in hiding due to fear that the assailants might return, family members said.

A 3-year-old boy and his father were wounded in a shooting in Highland on Monday, Sept. 22, 2014, authorities said. (Credit: Newspro News)

The car-to-car shooting occurred about 5:36 p.m. Monday in the 7600 block of Bonnie Street (map), according to the San Bernardino County Sheriff’s Department. Deputies were sent to the location and found the 28-year-old man and child suffering from gunshot wounds.

An investigation indicated the two victims were in a vehicle when another vehicle pulled alongside. The shooter or shooters opened fire and then fled the scene, the Sheriff’s Department said.

The father and son were treated at a hospital and released.

“Their life could’ve ended. There were so many shots fired,” said the man’s cousin, who asked not to be identified. She said he grabbed the boy after the shooting, which took place outside her house, and ran for help.

The bullet shattered a bone in the child’s left leg, the woman said, adding that he “was so strong to where he didn’t cry or anything. He was just like, ‘It hurt, it hurt, it hurt.'”

The father was shot twice in the arm, relatives said.

Adriana Gonzalez, who lives near the scene, said a round struck her bedroom wall.

“They were literally close to each other,” she said of the two vehicles. “We didn’t get to see faces. If we did, just [as] a reaction of how nervous we were, we all blanked out.”

There was no known motive for the shooting, and no vehicle description was available, according to sheriff’s investigators.

Relatives of the victims said the incident was not related to gangs or drugs.

Anyone with information is asked to call the Highland Police Department at 909-387-8313. Those who wish to remain anonymous can call 800-78-CRIME.

A man was shot and killed by police Friday morning after grabbing an officer’s Taser at a motel in San Bernardino, officials said.

Officers responded about 2 a.m. to reports of a man attempting to force entry into a motel room in the 600 block of West 6th Street (map), said Lt. Rich Lawhead of the San Bernardino Police Department.

The officers arrived and contacted the man, who became “combative” and, in an ensuing struggle, took a Taser from one of them, Lawhead said.

The officers feared for their safety, and the man was then shot at least one, the Police Department said. It was unclear how many officers opened fire.

The man was declared dead at the scene. No officers were injured.

Three facilities in Southern California will be among Amazon’s centers nationwide hiring 80,000 seasonal workers, the company announced Thursday.

Employee Lamar Roby prepares shipping orders at Amazon’s San Bernardino Fulfillment Center October 29, 2013. (Credit: Kevork Djansezian/Getty Images)

The Seattle-based online retail giant has more than 50 fulfillment centers in the country, with three in the Inland Empire: in San Bernardino, Redlands and Moreno Valley.

Amazon said Thursday it was creating 80,000 seasonal positions across its fulfillment and sortation centers, with many of those positions expected to turn into regular, full-time jobs after the holidays.

Employees arrive at Amazon’s San Bernardino Fulfillment Center October 29, 2013. (Credit: Kevork Djansezian/Getty Images)

Last year, the company announced 70,000 seasonal jobs, which in turn was up from 50,000 in 2012. On Thursday, it said 10,000 seasonal employees had been converted into regular, full-time positions so far this year.

“We’re looking forward to converting thousands more across our growing network of fulfillment and sortation centers after this holiday season,” said Mike Roth, Amazon’s vice president of North America operations, in a statement.

Newly hire Amazon employees walk down the orange carpet for their first day of work at the Redlands fulfillment center in this photo provided by Amazon in October 2014.

The three facilities in San Bernardino  and Riverside counties will be among those hiring, company spokeswoman Ashley Robinson confirmed in an email Thursday.

She didn’t specify how many jobs would be available at each facility, but said “thousands” of seasonal employees will be hired by Amazon in California.

Average pay at Amazon fulfillment centers is 30 percent higher than traditional retail store jobs, according to the company.

Amazon’s San Bernardino 950,000-square-foot fulfillment center opened in 2012.

The Moreno Valley facility — at 1.2 million square feet — was announced in October 2013 with plans to hire more than 1,000 people. It has since opened.

The company announced its plans for a 700,000-square-foot Redlands facility in August.  This week, the center shipped its first customer order — a scuba mask — to a customer in Tustin, Robinson said.

New employees were greeted at the Redlands facility with high-fives and a walk down the orange carpet, Amazon photos show.

Within California, Amazon also has fulfillment centers in Tracy and Patterson.

Applicants can apply at workatamazonfulfillment.com.

An arson investigation was underway after a two-alarm fire ripped through a Taco Bell in San Bernardino Tuesday, authorities said.

Flames erupted at a Taco Bell restaurant in San Bernardino on Oct. 28, 2014. (Credit: Loudlabs)

The blaze broke out at the fast food restaurant in the 200 block of East Redlands Boulevard (map) around 1:30 a.m., according to Robb Mascis, an engineer and spokesman with the San Bernardino Fire Department.

When firefighters arrived at the scene, they discovered “a fair amount of fire” inside the kitchen extending to the ceiling and through the roof, Mascis said.

The flames were knocked down a short time later.

The fast food restaurant was closed at the time the blaze ignited, according to Mascis.

No injuries have been reported.

The extent of the damage to the Taco Bell was not immediately known.

Arson investigators were at the scene early Tuesday working to determine the cause of the blaze.

Nearly three months after a San Bernardino police officer was shot in the head and said to be “fighting for his life,” officials said Friday he had been released from the hospital and taken to a rehabilitation center.

San Bernardino police Officer Gabriel Garcia was gravely wounded on Aug. 22, 2014. His photo was provided by the Police Department.

Gabriel Garcia, who was 31 years old at the time of the Aug. 22 incident, was training a fellow officer when the two men approached a group of people and at least one person opened fire using an AK-47 and handgun.

Garcia was shot in the head and the trainee officer, who had not been identified, returned fire, killing the alleged shooter, 38-year-old Alex Alvarado.

The 6 1/2-year department veteran was hospitalized and listed in critical condition following the shooting. San Bernardino Police Department Chief Jarrod Burguan tweeted that Garcia was “fighting for his life.”

On Sept. 8 officials said he had been taken out of a medically-induced coma and was breathing on his own.

“It will take about six months to a year before we know what his recovery is, but he is recovering,” Arrowhead Regional Medical Center chief of surgery Dr. Dev Gnanadev said at the time.

Garcia left the Colton-area hospital and was taken to the Casa Colina Centers for Rehabilitation in Pomona Thursday around 11 p.m., San Bernardino Police Department spokesman Lt. Rich Lawhead said.

“He and his family would love the public’s continued support,” Lawhead said. “It’s expected to be a long road to recovery. Pray for a full recovery.”

Support, including people the lighting up his parents Yucaipa neighborhood with blue lights after the shooting, was appreciated, Lawhead said.

San Bernardino police officer Gabriel Garcia was shot in the head while on-duty on Aug. 22, 2014. (Credit: Loudlabs)

“He and his family have been very grateful for everything the public has done and for all their support,” he said.

Five people were detained following the Aug. 22 incident, and three men were later charged.

San Bernardino residents Jonathan Contreras, 20, Orlando Cruz, 24, and Gonzalo Medina, 22 were each charged with two counts of attempted murder of a peace officer and one count of possession of an assault weapon, an AK-47, the San Bernardino County District Attorney’s Office stated Aug. 26. None of the men were believed to have fired a weapon.

“They were all together in a location, in a vehicle, a and they all had knowledge of these weapons,” District Attorney Michael A. Ramos said at the time. “We have no doubt that all these individuals are guilty.”

The reason alleged shooter Alvarado opened fire may never be known, Lawhead said following the announcement of charges.

Almost a year to the day after an off-road motorcyclist found the remains of a California family who had vanished from their home in 2010, authorities announced Friday they had arrested the man they believe is responsible for the deaths.

The San Bernardino County Sheriff’s Department released this photo of Charles Ray Merritt, suspected in the deaths of the McStay family, during a news conference on Nov. 7, 2014.

Charles “Chase” Ray Merritt is charged with four counts of murder in the deaths of Joseph and Summer McStay and their two small boys, Gianni and Joseph Jr., San Bernardino County, California, District Attorney Michael Ramos told reporters at a news conference.

Merritt, 57, was arrested Wednesday without incident in Chatsworth, California, Detective Chris Fisher said.

He appeared in a Victorville courtroom Friday afternoon, when his arraignment was postponed till Nov. 12.  No bail was set.

Police say they believe the family died of “blunt force trauma” inside their home north of San Diego, but they declined to discuss specifics of the deaths or a motive.

In an earlier interview with CNN, Merritt said he received a phone call from Joseph McStay the night they disappeared, but didn’t answer it because he was busy and tired.

“There are hundreds of scenarios,” he told CNN at the time. “I have gone over all of them in my head. Of course I regret not picking up the phone.”

On Friday, McStay’s brother, Michael McStay, choked back tears in thanking investigators for their work on the case.

“You have no idea what this means,” he said.

Police who searched their home days after the family disappeared found eggs on the kitchen counter and bowls of popcorn in the living room, along with the family’s two dogs. There were no signs of a struggle.

Despite finding the family’s SUV in San Ysidro, California — where it had been towed from the Mexican border — and video surveillance that showed a family matching the description of the McStays crossing the border, authorities had no clue what happened to them until the discovery of their bodies on November 11, 2013.

A motorcyclist passing through the area found the remains in two shallow graves not far from Interstate 15 in San Bernardino County, more than 100 miles from the family’s home north of San Diego.

Authorities identified the remains using dental records. At the time, San Bernardino County Sheriff John McMahon said the killings appeared to be “extremely orchestrated” and carried out by more than one person.

But after reviewing 4,500 pages of investigative records, executing 60 search warrants and conducting 200 interviews, investigators zeroed in on Merritt, concluding he had acted alone in killing the family in their own home, San Bernardino authorities said.

He declined to say what specifically led them to that conclusion.

Fisher did, however, say there was no evidence the family had traveled to Mexico after their disappearance, calling the border video “unrelated” to the case.

“We don’t think it’s them,” he said.

Ramos said he has not yet decided whether he will seek the death penalty in what he called a “cold and callous murder of an entire family.”

Joseph McStay’s mother credited investigators for their strength and determination to solve the case.

“I need justice from the law and the courts and to get to talk to the judge,” she said. “And most of all, justice upstairs for my lovely family.”

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Earlier this year, CNN asked a good friend and business associate of Joseph McStay what he thought happened to the California salesman and his family.

The San Bernardino County Sheriff’s Department released this photo of Charles Ray Merritt, suspected in the deaths of the McStay family, during a news conference on Nov. 7, 2014.

How did Charles “Chase” Merritt think they were killed?

“I have absolutely no clue,” Merritt told CNN in an exclusive television interview in January.

Police believe he does. On Wednesday, they arrested Merritt, 57. He is charged with four counts of murder in the deaths of McStay, his wife Summer and their two small boys.

The family disappeared from their home in northern San Diego County in February 2010. Their remains were found a year ago, in shallow graves in the Mojave Desert, about 100 miles north of their home.

The discovery ended the mystery of what happened to the McStays. But who killed them, and why?

“If I were to guess, like anyone else, I would think it was probably random because I honestly don’t believe that family had anything to do with it. I don’t think that any of his friends had anything to do with it. Joseph was just too well-liked,” Merritt told CNN in January.

Announcing the arrest Friday, authorities in San Bernardino County said they believe the family died of blunt force trauma inside their home, but they declined to discuss specifics of the deaths or a motive.

“I am definitely the last person he saw,” Merritt told CNN

In his interview with Kaye, Merritt said he and McStay were business associates who became friends. Merritt made custom indoor waterfalls and McStay would buy them, he said. They had met in 2007 when McStay needed some help with a water feature.

They played paintball together. They had dinner at Merritt’s place a couple times a week, he said. Merritt helped him move.

He’d also spent time with the McStays and gotten to know the family, he said.

Merritt and McStay met for a business lunch in Rancho Cucamonga the day the family disappeared.

“I am definitely the last person he saw,” Merritt said.

He told CNN they were also on the phone constantly, perhaps 12 to 13 times that day.

There was another call from McStay’s phone to Merritt the night of February 4, 2010. It came about 40 minutes after a neighbor’s security camera captured the family’s Isuzu pulling out of their cul-de-sac. Merritt didn’t answer.

Merritt told he told CNN’s Kaye in January he was watching television with his then-girlfriend and he picked up the phone, looked at it and set it back down. He was tired. He called back the next day, he said.

Was that just a regular call from his friend, or could it have been a call for help?

“There are hundreds of scenarios. I have gone over all of them in my head,” he said. “Of course I regret not picking up the phone.”

Merritt was questioned by police after the disappearance. They just asked him the “standard questions,” he said.

He also claimed to have taken a polygraph test.

What did it show?

“I don’t know,” he said. “Apparently — I mean I haven’t — after I took the polygraph test, law enforcement has not contacted me at all since. So, I kind of simply assumed: Well, apparently that resolved the issues that they may be looking at with me.”

Merritt said he didn’t recall the police directly asking him if he killed the McStays. That was because at the time it seemed they were four people who left on their own volition, he said.

Lucrative waterfall project lay ahead, Merritt told CNN

Police had never named Merritt as a suspect before Wednesday’s arrest.

He has served time in prison, according to criminal records from California, but none of the crimes involved violence.

According to the Los Angeles Times, Merritt spent most of his life working with his hands. He received a metalworking license in 1982.

At their lunch the day of the disappearance, Merritt said, he and McStay talked business — just business. They were working on a waterfall project for a Saudi couple and Merritt said there needed to be a large check written to a stainless steel company that was doing work for them.

McStay seemed happy. On the horizon was another project that would involve 500 waterfalls. Each one would sell for $17,000 or $18,000 — as much as $9 million total — but McStay still needed to sign the contract.

“It was pretty much a done deal,” Merritt said.

San Bernardino authorities said Friday that after reviewing 4,500 pages of investigative records, executing 60 search warrants and conducting 200 interviews, they believe Merritt acted alone.

He appeared in court on Friday, but his arraignment was postponed until next Wednesday. His lawyer, Robert Ponce, left court without speaking to reporters.

A Victorville woman was facing 21 felony counts of insurance and workers’ compensation fraud Monday after allegedly making a false claim against McDonald’s for burns on her hands she said she received from spilled coffee.

A large cup of McDonald’s new ‘Premium Roast’ brand coffee is displayed at a McDonald’s restaurant February 28, 2006 in Rosemont, Illinois. (Credit: Tim Boyle/Getty Images)

Selena Edwards, 38, claimed the lid on a coffee cup she was handed at a McDonald’s drive-thru was not secured and the coffee spilled on her right hand, leaving her with second-degree burns, the California Department of Insurance stated in a news release.

Edwards submitted photos of the burns along with her injury claim, but detectives discovered that some of the photos had been copied from a hospital website, according to the news release.

“By copying legitimate burn photos from the Internet, Edwards attempted to make a profit from another person’s pain and suffering and for this she will be prosecuted to the full extent of the law,” Insurance Commissioner Dave Jones said.

Edwards was scheduled to appear in court Monday for a preliminary hearing.

A Downey Police officer was shot and wounded Thursday while working an undercover narcotics operation in San Bernardino.

Several officers had followed a narcotics suspect to a home in the 1000 block of East Rialto Avenue.

Officers surrounded the home around 6 p.m. and were preparing to move in when they came under fire by someone at the residence, according to police at the scene.

Downey officers fired back, killing the gunman.

During the gun battle, an unidentified officer was wounded.

Mary Beth McDade reports for the KTLA 5 News at 10 on Thursday, Nov. 13, 2014.

A Downey police officer was recovering Friday after being shot three times while participating in an undercover narcotics investigation in San Bernardino, officials said.

Downey Police officer was wounded Thursday while working an undercover narcotics operation in San Bernardino. (Credit: KTLA)

The officer was one of several Thursday who followed a suspect to a home in 1000 block of East Rialto Avenue, said Lt. Richard Lawhead of the San Bernardino Police Department.

Authorities surrounded the location about 4:40 p.m. and were preparing to enter the residence when they came under fire by one of three men in the driveway, Lawhead said.

The Downey officer, wearing a bulletproof vest, was struck in the torso, arm and buttocks. He returned fire and fatally shot the gunman, police said.

The wounded officer was transported to a hospital and later released.

The gunman’s body remained at the scene Friday morning as an investigation continued, Lawhead said.

Fifteen homes in the area were evacuated after the shooting. Residents of three of those had not been allowed to return, as investigators collected evidence in the area.

Two young children died and their father was critically injured Thursday morning after a fire broke out at their illegally occupied San Bernardino apartment, which lacked a smoke detector, authorities said.

Candles and stuffed animals were left outside the home where two children died in a fire in San Bernardino on Nov. 20, 2014. (Credit: KTLA)

The children’s pregnant mother had gone into labor just hours before the fire and checked herself into the hospital, authorities said. She had not been told of her family’s fate.

Firefighters arrived shortly after 3:05 a.m. at the home, in the 200 block of West 14th Street (map), and heard screams coming from inside, said Capt. Rodd Mascis of the San Bernardino City Fire Department.

Entrances to the home were blocked to keep people out, causing problems for firefighters, Fire Department representatives later said.

Investigators worked at the scene where two children died in a residential fire in San Bernardino on Nov. 20, 2014. (Credit: KTLA)

The first responders rescued a man who was transported to Arrowhead Regional Medical Center in critical condition, Mascis said.

“All we can assume is that he was trying to get to his children, which he was not able to (do),” Mascis said. “We knew we had to act quickly; our firefighters did that.”

Fire personnel searched the residence and found two children, 6-year-old Candra and 2-year-old Saul, unconscious behind a couch.

“It’s a good possibility that they hid behind the couch because of the fire, because they were afraid,” Mascis said. “And ultimately it could have led to their injuries and to their death.”

A photo of 6-year-old Candra, who died along with her 2-year-old brother Saul in a Nov. 20, 2014, house fire was provided at a news conference.

The firefighters attempted to revive the children, who were then transported to Arrowhead Regional, where they were pronounced dead upon arrival, the SBCFD said.

Arlene Gonzalez, a friend of the family, said the children’s pregnant mother had been admitted to a hospital Wednesday evening after going into labor.

“We don’t know if she’s had her baby yet, but we will be going to check on that soon,” Gonzalez said.

The mother had not been told about her children’s death, police said at an afternoon news conference.

The home did not have a smoke detector, and electricity, natural gas and water were hooked up to the second-story unit illegally, according to San Bernardino Police Department representatives who spoke at the news conference.

The family that lived in the unit had repeatedly been cited and ordered to leave, police said. The owner had received more than $100,000 worth of fines, authorities said.

“We’ve exhausted all means to secure the property, however the property owners or the property occupants continued to re-enter that property,” police Lt. Richard Lawhead said

Repeated code violations have been recorded at the three-unit property since 2009, and the occupants were living in the home illegally, police and City Attorney Gary D. Saenz said.

The property had been foreclosed upon and is bank owned, Saenz said. The home could be demolished if its owner is unable to get it up to code.

A representative of the bank that owns the property was at the site Thursday, a Fire Department representative said.

“There were extreme fire hazards there. Exits were blocked, doors were secured, windows were boarded — that kind of stuff that may have prevented escape from the hazard,” Lawhead said.

No one who lives at any of the three units on the property pays rent, police said. Authorities were not certain if any of the other residents were present when the fire broke out in the kitchen area of the victims’ unit.

The nephew of the father who was injured in the fire was emotional as he spoke with reporters outside the home, saying the family had paid rent and that the landlord refused to make repairs to the property.

“‘Why can’t you fix this? Why?’ This could have been prevented,” said the nephew, who gave his name only as Josh. “A selfish man like him doesn’t care.”

Police planned to shadow the Fire Department in its investigation and will determine whether requesting criminal charges would be appropriate, Lawhead said.

The cause of the fire was still unknown, according to the Fire Department.

Gonzalez, the family friend, described the deceased children as “very happy kids, fun, loving.”

“They would break your heart, they were so nice,” Gonzalez said.

She described the injured man as a “very good, loving father.”

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Officials asked for the public’s help Monday in locating a man who allegedly stole a UPS package off the porch of a Highland home, according to a San Bernardino County Sheriff’s Department news release.

San Bernardino County Sheriff’s Department officials released this photo of Marcellus Carter, 40, who allegedly stole a UPS package in November 2014.

Surveillance footage captured the Nov. 18 incident, in which a man with a shaved head and a short braided goatee could be seen following a UPS truck then grabbing the package from a home in the 2800 block of Fox Tail Way (map), the news release stated.

The man was later identified as San Bernardino resident Marcellus Carter, 40.

Although officials searched Carters residence, located in the 200 block of West 17th Street (map), he was not located.

Anyone with information regarding the incident or Carter’s whereabouts were asked to contact the Highland Sheriff’s Station at 909-425-9793 or contact the We-Tip hotline at 800-782-7463. We-TIP online tips could also be submitted at http://wetip.com/

A multi-agency operation in San Bernardino and Highland has resulted in the arrests of 33 people known gang members, on a variety of charges including murder and attempted murder, authorities announced Monday.

The arrests were made by a task force that was formed after investigators in March noticed an increase in homicides and carjackings in the two cities, according to a news release from the San Bernardino County Sheriff’s Department. The group was comprised of investigators from the sheriff’s and probation departments, FBI, California Highway Patrol and San Bernardino Police Department.

The crimes were found to be the result of a rivalry between Blood and Crip gangs, specifically the Tre Roc Mafia, California Gardens Crips and Delmann Heights Bloods, the Sheriff’s Department said.

The investigative team identified suspects over the past three months and conducted a “special operation” on Dec. 5, officials said.

The 33 arrests included three for murder, 29 counts of attempted murder, 16 counts of conspiracy or solicitation to commit murder, and two counts of accessory to murder, according to authorities.

“This effort was absolutely necessary,” Sheriff John McMahon said in the news release. “Gang violence and violent crimes don’t have jurisdictional boundaries, so law enforcement must work together to rid the streets of these gang members who are reigning terror in our neighborhoods. There were a number of victims that were not affiliated with gangs or had gang ties. A four year old boy and 2 month old baby were innocent victims of this violence.”

A 30-year-old San Bernardino man was arrested Monday after allegedly pointing a gun at another man and robbing him of $7 in Highland, authorities said.

The suspect, identified as Phillip Taylor, approached the victim in the area of Sterling Avenue and Baseline Street shortly before 9 a.m., allegedly pointed a small caliber handgun at him and demanded money, according to a joint news release from the San Bernardino Sheriff’s and Highland Police departments.

The victim handed over the $7 in cash he had at the time, and Taylor fled on a blue mountain bicycle, the release stated.

Deputies from the sheriff’s Highland Station located Taylor about 20 minutes later in the area of Sterling Avenue and Baseline Street.

They arrested him after they discovered the $7 they believed was stolen from the victim, authorities said in the release.

According to law enforcement, Taylor was on parole for a prior robbery conviction.

He was booked at the Center Detention Center on robbery and parole violation charges, and was being held without bail.