you would, of course, looks like getting the hang of it. they eventually ran off into the woods. welcome to "world news tonight." breaking news the deadly brawl. at least nine dead. what set it off. escaping the storms. a tornado outbreak across the plains. twisters tearing apart homes and towns. and evacuations under way as rivers run wild. the life saving rescues. even a drone put into action. sky hacking? the in-flight scare. a hacker claiming to penetrate a plane's computers, while seated in the cabin. now the fbi has taken his computers away. person of interest. the mansion fire. four people dead inside. and now, police looking for this mystery man, caught on surveillance camera. tonight, the new clues.

disability showdown. this man, suing more than 100 small business owners for alleged violations of the disabilities act. but is he getting rich off being disabled? tonight, the business owners fighting back. good evening. thanks for joining us on this sunday. i'm tom llamas. we begin with breaking news from texas, a deadly brawl between rival gangs, escalating to a fierce gun battle. at least nine people of dead. it ended in this parking lot. you can see the motorcycles still parked there. you can see the police tape criss-crossing the area. aditi roy has the late-breaking details. >> reporter: tonight, gunfire erupts in broad daylight at a waco, texas, restaurant, killing nine people and injuring several others. 15 others. >> i just got a call from a

passer bye, they were going to twin peaks they shot they heard a gunshot. >> reporter: police say the shots rang out shortly after noon. when rival motorcycle gangs got into an argument inside the restaurant that quickly spilled into the parking lot and escalated into a gun fight. witnesses tell kxxv they hid in a restaurant freezer during the shooting. the parking lot swarming with law enforcement officials, shutting down the shopping center and warning people to stay out of the area as local hospitals tweet the wounded. tonight they made several arrests from the gun fight. aditi roy, abc news. more than two dozen tornadoes reported this weekend. more than two dozen tornados reported. take a look at this one.

a monster tornado blowing across the highway in oklahoma. this home and garage destroyed. two classic cars below the rubble as well. look at this town in missouri evacuated tonight. rob marciano with the late-breaking details. >> reporter: a night of violent storms bringing torrential rain and rescues. >> what you're watching live right now is this man and this woman are in this home surrounded by water. >> reporter: including this one in johnson county, texas unfolding, on live tv. first responders using a drone to send a rescue line to a stranded couple. then paddling toward them in a rescue raft. homeowner bill kastel, that's him you see standing right there, talking to dallas station wfaa. >> trying to figure out how to get the boat over here. >> reporter: the sound of rushing water and debris waking them up. >> my wife got out of bed, looked out the window, said, "oh my god. the water's under our house!" >> reporter: that current, too swift. a national guard helicopter called in lifting them to safety. flooding causing problems all the way to missouri.

residents urged to evacuate outside of kansas city. this after a tornado outbreak overnight. 30 reported from texas to minnesota. our team tracking the storm to oklahoma. >> you can hear the sirens going off here in chickasha. you can see over those trees a rain wrapped tornado. trite there, heading northeast. in kansas, the storm blowing this 34-car freight train off the tracks. >> oh jesus! >> reporter: back in oklahoma, softball-sized hail destroying this windshield. the system leafing a trail of damage in its wake. today, residents east of tulsa facing the cleanup ahead. >> and as soon as we hit the floor, in the hallway, the whole house started shaking. >> reporter: megan wilson describing huddling in this house, as a tornado tore through. destroying their garage. she and her mother grateful to be alive. >> we lived. we lived through it. >> reporter: the rain has

stopped in texas at least for now. behind me you see the red river, which looks very read in part because it's got so much water in there. the flood stage continuing to rise cresting on monday. >> and this is the second tornado outbreak in as many weeks. is this unusual? >> it's a busy time of year, but we had a very quiet start for this year. we're kind of making up for last start. all in all, we're about where we should be year to date for tornadoes. and there is a possibility see some tonight although the risk is somewhat diminished. minnesota, parts of the western great lakes, you're under the gun for severe weather. as far as rain go, flash flood watches for parts of arkansas. the bulk of it showers. thunderstorms, and heavier rain across east texas and much of the southeast. >> rob, thank you so much. now to philadelphia, where amtrak service is set to return tomorrow, nearly a week after the accident that took eight

lives. and tonight a new clue from the ntsb. here's phillip mena. >> reporter: tonight, the mystery surrounding the derailment of amtrak 188 is deepening. the ntsb's lead investigator telling abc's george stephanopoulos on "this week" that there is no emergency transmission evidence that the engineer brandon bastion alerted dispatch about any projectiles. >> we heard no communications at all from the amtrak engineer to the dispatch center to say that something had struck his train. >> reporter: sumwalt's remarks coming just two days after he said that three separate trains, including amtrak 188, appeared to have been struck by projectiles. all in the same area in philadelphia. and all within minutes of tuesday's derailment that killed eight people and injured hundreds. there is a radio call from a local commuter train about its windshield being shattered. >> transit 1, let those personnel know that that train was shot at, so use caution. >> reporter: the engineer for that train, also of interest to

federal investigators. the lead investigator also stressing the need for the safety technology known as positive train control, which they say would have prevented the crash. positive train control automatically stops a speeding train, and despite the vast rail system, has only been fully implemented for passenger trains in a handful of places, though it's mandated nationwide by the end of this year. >> we have seen countless accidents over the years that could have been prevented had positive train control been implemented. >> reporter: and tonight, that investigator also calling for cameras inside the cab. because had those camera been on board, tom, we'd have a much better idea about what happened that night. >> many people want those cameras inside airplane cockpits at well. thank you very much. speaking of planes. scare scares usually involve dangerous landings, but tonight, a computer security expert says he hacked into a plane and briefly made it fly sideways.

the fbi is now investigating and we asked, our passenger planes now at risk? here's kendis gibson. >> reporter: tonight, the fbi investigating a frightening possibility. a hacker attack on more than a dozen flights across the country. the troubling claims outlined in a newly released fbi affidavit, claiming denver computer security experts chris roberts told investigators he not only infiltrated in-flight entertainment system on planes 15 to 20 times but at one point he caused one of the airplane engines to climb, resulting in a lateral orside sideways movement of the plane. airplane engines causing it to climb. resulting in a lateral or sideways movement of the plane. the affidavit saying roberts told investigators as a passenger, he broke into the plane's inflight entertainment systems through boxes under seats. >> it's something that's a possibility. it's something the government

has said is a problem. >> reporter: in february and last month, roberts, traveling on united from denver, tweeting about the airplanes system that caused the fbi to be alarmed. after landing in syracuse, fbi agents immediately meeting him at the airport. seizing more than a dozen electronic items. the affidavit saying agents later found the seat electronic box on that plane showed signs of tampering in the location where roberts had been seated. roberts declined to speak with abc news today, but spoke to fox after last month about hacking into plane's wifi. >> it is definitely difficult. it takes a lot of work. it takes a lot of research and you have to be on quite a number of flights. >> reporter: federal sources tell abc they believe it is extremely unlikely that someone could hack a plane's control system while in the air. tonight, roberts tweeting, "over the last five years, my only interest has been to improve airport security." now, the fbi is hoping to scrub through all of his electronics to see how close he really got. >> if he can, there are plenty of other people that would have reason to damage or bring down an airplane. >> reporter: tonight united airlines telling us roberts' claims ununfounded.

>> ken dis, thank you. s s. and a plane killing a family of four. you can see the tail. it then burst into flames. workers rushed to the rescue. all passengers died on impact just a few miles from their home s. and one day after a successful raid that took down a leader of terror group's oil and gas leader is a major setback in iraq. iraqi troops desserting the city. the people left behind victims of torture and execution many pleading for their lives. and to washington, d.c., a new clue in the mystery of a burning mansion in which four people died. police releasing this video of a person of interest running behind the building, wearing a hoody.

you can see him there. we're learning new details about the last night of the family that lived in the home. here's gloria riviera. >> reporter: tonight, investigators are asking for the public's help in solving a chilling crime that ended in this massive d.c. house fire on thursday. inside, the bodies of wealthy businessman savvas savopoulous, his wife amy and it's also believed their youngest child and a longtime housekeeper. >> injuries discovered, appeared to be blunt force. or sharp or sharp object injuries. >> reporter: overnight police releasing this surveillance video. authorities want to know if that person has any connection to the family's 2008 porsche found torched and abandoned in maryland. residents in this upscale neighborhood reported nothing out of the ordinary recently. but in a voicemail given to police and obtained by abc news, mr. savopoulos describes wednesday night. >> amy is in bed sick tonight. >> reporter: the housekeeper, he says on the message, will help

overnight but her phone died. >> she doesn't have her charger and i don't have a charger that fits her phone. >> reporter: he asks for help letting the housekeeper's family know she won't be coming home that night. on thursday morning, a woman who says she also worked for the family tells abc amy sent her an unusual text to stay home. police say they are investigating this as a homicide, not a murder/suicide. also they say that fire intentionally set and no sign of forced entry. tom? >> gloria, thank you. and next, to an eye-popping bus accident. take a look at this. a ka seen know bus dangling from a binge after an accident at dawn sunday morning. only the driver was on board thankfully. the fire department managed to get i him out without sending that bus tumbling over. still not clear exactly how the accident happened. on this weekend filled with graduations, one high school student and his extraordinary choice. he was accepted to every ivy

league college and five other top schools. but he chose the university of alabama and some say that's how smart he really is. bazi kanani has the story. >> reporter: ronald nelson is senior class president. near perfect standardized test scores. and, oh yeah that's him conducting his high school band. so it's not surprising that his college acceptance letters are piled high. >> what is surprising? >> i decided to go to school at the university of alabama. >> reporter: the 17-year-old from germantown, tennessee, rejecting all eight ivy league schools. instead, accepting a full ride to join the crimson tide. >> i really wanted to make the right decision that would benefit both me and my family. >> reporter: nelson says the ivies did offer some financial assistance but he and his parents still would have been stretched to pay the rest. with plans to go to graduate school nelson decided that brand-name degree really isn't worth it, yet. >> i think i'll get just as good

of an experience. >> reporter: while some have questioned his decision, nelson's parents, teachers, and advisors are all in support. after all, he has made some pretty good choices in his life so far. bazi kanani, abc news, washington. and we did the math tonight. he may have saved his parents up to $250,000. still ahead, this man is making hundreds of thousands of dollars suing businesses. over what he claims disability violations. tonight we'll tell you why some of them are fighting back and what undercover cameras showed him doing and later, the raging fire people trapped inside. what they had to do to survive? we'll show you the video, next. you total your brand new car. nobody's hurt,but there will still be pain. it comes when your insurance company says they'll only pay three-quarters of what it takes to replace it. what are you supposed to do, drive three-quarters of a car? now if you had liberty mutual new car replacement, you'd get your whole car back. i guess

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lawsuits. over business owners many paid out. others fighting back. here's mara schiavocampo. reporter: though seen at a dog show jogging, kneeling, and twirling with a huge dog, veteran carl barnum iii says he's disabled and has sued more than a hundred small business owners for allegedly violating the americans with disabilities act. people like commercial landlord zack hovav, hit with a $21,000 suit for alleged violations at one of his buildings. >> i would fight so he doesn't get a penny from me. >> reporter: but, barnum does get plenty of change from others, settling most cases. our los angeles station kabc estimating that has brought him roughly $360,000. critics calling him a professional plaintiff. kabc reporter marc brown catching up with him at his southern california. >> reporter: do you make your living suing people? >> i would suggest you talk to my attorney. >> reporter: so what is barnum's disability? according to the veteran's administration, he is 40% disabled, 10% due to a knee

injury. the rest? ringing in the ears, sinusitis, and athlete's foot. the lawsuit lists additional disabilities. still, most businesses settle. until now. several owners, including hovav, fighting back and winning. one judge finding barnum "did not meet his burden of proof on the issue of disability." barnum's lawyer says that dog show left him in pain for weeks, and tonight telling us barnum is simply an "enforcer" working for the good of the disabled community. mara schiavocampo, abc news, new york. >> thank you. we thank mara and mark brown for his report. coming up, on a mission this weekend where beyonce turned up, and heads were turning. our "instant index" is next.

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you saw someone jump right there. and they did. and a police officer that raced was there to catch them. officer danny eubanks rescued four people. he said his natural instinct kicked in. and these endangered turtles spent the winter recovering after they nearly died of hype thoughthermia on cape cod. but a human crowd turned out as they were released back into the sea. and a star sighting in haiti. beyonce meeting with people still recovering from the earthquake five years ago. start towards the island with with a u.n. agent checking the progress made in the years since the quake hit. and to las vegas, where they are getting ready to party at the billboard awards. you can watch them right here on abc at 8:00 p.m.

when we come back, on track to becoming the best. how this pole vaulter hit hers mark and clear ace bar even though she can't see. how does she do it? her story, coming up. i accept i'm not the sprinter i was back in college. i even accept that i live with a higher risk of stroke due to afib, a type of irregular heartbeat, not caused by a heart valve problem. but i won't accept giving it less than my best. so if i can go for something better than warfarin ...i will. eliquis. eliquis... reduced the risk of stroke better than warfarin plus it had less major bleeding than warfarin... eliquis had both. that really mattered to me. don't stop taking eliquis unless your doctor tells you to, as stopping increases your risk of having a stroke. eliquis can cause serious and in rare cases fatal bleeding. don't take eliquis if you have an artificial heart valve or abnormal bleeding. while taking eliquis you may bruise more easily and it may take longer than usual

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and finally tonight, it's not the easiest track and field event, but one athlete makes pole vaulting look easy, even

though she can't see. here's steve osunsami. >> reporter: this is the moment over the weekend when charlotte brown realized a life's goal. she's now the third best high school pole vaulter in the state of texas. and she's blind. >> it took me three years to get on the podium. but i finally did it. show that's exciting. >> reporter: her family and friends were there to cheer her on. she could only hear them. she can't even see her lane when she runs, plants her pole and pushes herself over the bar. she explained it to me two ago years ago. >> i really can't make out a blur even. it just -- it really just doesn't -- it really just blends in for me. >> reporter: she started losing her sight when she was just 16 weeks old, and by the time she turned 11, it was gone. her parents were rightfully concerned when she fell in love with pole vaulting. here's what she sees when she jumps. like looking down the inside of a tiny black straw, with a blurry light at its end. her coach lays artificial turf next to her lane, and that's what she uses to run straight. she can make out the difference between light and dark colors.

she has to count out her steps, and then jump. >> when a kid comes in and talks to me about what they can't do, i just point to the picture of charlotte up there and say, you tell her that. >> it's definitely been a group effort on many people's parts. it's been coaches, family, friends. it definitely helps to have all that support. >> reporter: for years, she's been she's an inspiration to blind and visually impaired children everywhere. headed to purdue university in the fall on an academic scholarship. she may not see, but she's never lost sight of her dreams. steve osunsami, abc news, atlanta. >> incredible story, and an incredible young woman. we thank steve for that story. "gma" first thing in the morning, and david muir will be back here tomorrow night. i'm tom llamas in new york. have a great evening. good night.

next at 6:00, fire torches the grass near a packed bay area interstate, an indication of the busy fire season ahead. a fun afternoon on the peninsula turns into a tragedy on the cliff. >> get out of the street, back on to the sidewalk. >> the arrest numbers are in. the wild bay-to-breakers may have been a little more tame his year. abc7 news at 6:00 starts now. good evening i'm katie marzullo. a grass fire burned 76 acres along i-580 in alameda county. started in the center divide. no structures were threatened. the fire grass along the westbound lanes. at one point flames stretched into the roadway feet from passing vehicles. traffic was slow but the lanes were not closed. it took alameda county fire and

calfair crews an hour to put it out. fire officials expect his fire season to be 2009 busiest in recent years. the first four months of 2015, we have seen a 77% increase in wildfires compared to the five-year average. the conditions out there were dry despite a cool and cloudy day. of course we haven't seen much rainfall this year anywhere in the bay area. abc7 news meteorologist drew tuma has more. >> as we enter our dry season across the bay area, that threat of wildfires will certainly increase and it's no surprise when you take a look at the season to date that we're well below our normal rainfall. san francisco 69% of normal rainfallful this doesn't account for years of drought, but moffet field we have seen showers at 99% of their normal to date. live doppler 7hd right now is