east bay. the white house clarifies its position on releasing photos. new hurdles facing fire crews this season. >> complete bay area news coverage starts right now. this is bay area news at 7:00. >> good evening. it is tuesday, may 3. i am gasia mikaelian, and this is bay area news at 7:00. we begin with breaking news in pittsburgh where we are learning that a manhunt is under way after a gunman fired at a police officer. newschopper two is overhead. a car appears to have run into a retaining wall near the intersection.

a police car has bullet holes. we have called pittsburg police and we are awaiting a call back from them and we also have a crew on the way to the scene. we will update you as soon as we get more information. a warrant is out tonight for a suspected car thief. oakland police officers were chasing a suspect about 3:45 p.m. when the man crashed into another car. the man driving the second car was hospitalized with nonlife- threatening injuries. we are learning new information about the commando raid that eliminated osama bin laden. the white house says the terrorist leader was unarmed. however, cia director leon panetta says that bin laden

made threatening moves. they made a split-second decision. for more, let's go to ground zero in new york where there's a debate on whether or not to release photos of the corpse. >> reporter: hi, gasia. a lot of folks are growing a little bit skeptical. it certainly would give them confidence that he truly is dead if the photos are released. people are not yet convinced that osama bin laden is yet dead may soon get the proof they need. leon panetta says he thinks the photograph will be released eventually. adding in a cbs interview that the white house will have the final say. >> it could in fact be used to

try to develop the revengeful nature of what al qaeda is all about. >> reporter: meanwhile we are learning more about the 30 minute wait on the pakistani compound. bin laden may have lived undetected for as long as six years. they bounce bin laden on the second floor unarmed. >> bin laden's wife rushed to u. s. assaulter and was shot in the leg but not killed. >> reporter: they practiced extensively on a replica of the compound and came to know every aspect of the exterior. the team is not immediately told that its target was osama bin laden. vice president joe biden praised the mission. >> there was no one else i believe other than the american group, the military lawyers who

could do it -- warriors who could do it. >> reporter: reporting from ground zero, gasia back to you. dianne feinstein are among those questioning about what pakistanis knew. bin laden compound is just 35 miles from the capital of islamabad. senator feinstein, who chairs the intelligence committee, was among a small circle of lawmakers briefed ahead of time. >> i think we have to know whether they knew, the pakistanis knew. if they did not know, why didn't they know? why didn't they pay more

attention to it? was this just benign indifference? or was it a difference with motive? >> today in the washington post, the pakistan president denied that his country knew about bin laden's hideouts. feinstein and other lawmaker says the u.n. should take a hard look at the millions of dollars that the u.s. sense to pakistan. president obamas approval rating has gone up. his rating is at 56 right now compared to 47% last month. continuing coverage in our next segment as we look at the blackhawk helicopters. we will learn about the hardware inside a factor in admissions success. the california highway patrol california highway patrol said seatbelt saved five

people from serious injuries. the accident happened at 12:30. the chp says a toyota crossed into oncoming traffic and sideswiped a mercedes. and all at least four cars were involved in one person had several broken bones and punctured a lung. the crash blocked all southbound lanes and all but one northbound lane for an hour. a warning from state and local fire officials. high temperatures predicted in the bay area will increase fire danger. jana katsuyama is live in dublin. >> reporter: you hear it every year. clear 100 feet around your house. this homeowners association did that today. very important. firefighters are working with fewer resources.

>> i do worry about fire. >> reporter: they live on a hill in dublin with great views but it's also a perfect spot for fire. their homeowners association is preparing by clearing areas between homes today. >> are hill is pretty sparse because the fire department does not want any fuel for the fire. they limited the number of trees. >> reporter: tomorrow temperatures could creep into the 90s. >> you will start to see all of these southern exposures turn brown. >> reporter: this year could be tough. heavy rains have left thick layers of fuel on the ground. the firefighters plan to leave all stations open. >> the stacking on our fire engines will be three

firefighters instead of four. >> reporter: local departments are also being hit. >> we are seeing 20-25% potential decrease in available government resources. >> reporter: fire chiefs urged people to take fire prevention measures and have an evacuation plan. they say only 30-40% of households are prepared for fire season. jana katsuyama, ktvu channel 2 news. san jose's latest budget proposal calls for eliminating 64 firefighters. mayor chuck reed says he plans to ask for a ballot measure so voters can put an end to the pension tax. it also calls for limiting 100 police officers and reducing library hours. a vigil is underway to remember a young shooting

victim. family and friends up the 17- year-old -- of the 17-year-old gathered tonight. some are wearing t-shirts with sammy's picture. >> it makes me feel like he is they are. it makes it almost as if he is still with us. >> he had more charisma than anybody i ever knew. i always wonder what his future was going to be. >> he said that a gunman had gotten into an argument with sammy's a friend and shot into a car. a council was called a fraud and liar today. maggie gomez pleaded no contest to charges that she filed false workers conversation clues in

2005 -- claims in 2005. investigators say they tracked her working out at the gym dozens of times. gomez was ordered to begin a six-month jail term may 21st. taxidrivers circle of san francisco city hall today in protest. the horns started blaring just after noon to express anger over credit card surcharges for drivers. >> they go to the weakest people and take money from them. >> drivers also say they do not want tvs running ads in the back of every cab like a new york that are in favor of higher cap fares. is david siskel mta

approved a fine -- the san francisco and she approved a fine for parking. smartmeters will repay those who were overcharged on their electric bills. the law cost 1600 meters to run too fast in extreme heat. the utility says it will give customers a refund plus a $25 credit for the inconvenience and replace the faulty smartmeters. it is the first time that pg&e has acknowledged any problems with the smartmeters. the san francisco zoo is getting ready for its first siberian tiger since the christmas day attack. the zoo says it had now plans to take any more siberians but a spokeswoman says the henley

dorley zoo in omaha is downsizing. an instrument for thousands of dollars was stolen but one clue could help catch a thief. the instant hits for one bay area company. at our doors, a modest warm up. we will take a look at how warm your neighborhood is expected to get, coming up.

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>> urgency crews handling a car fire in dublin got a little more than they bargained for. it sounded like ammunition was exploding in the heat. the highway patrol says that

officers never found any evidence of a weapon or bullet. an instrument a load worth more than 20 -- alone more than $20,000 for the personal connection makes a violin priceless. >> reporter: emily cox says the red french made violin is she is playing in this home video dates back to the 20th century and is valued at $23,000. >> it had a lot of meaning to me. >> reporter: is gone now and police suspect that this redhaired man stole the violin. she says she left the instrument alone for five minutes but when she came back the instrument was gone. >> it became clear that somebody had actually taken it out of the building.

>> reporter: police say a fellow student saw the man carrying the case and followed him to the train station. >> it looks like he's a music student. the smell of alcohol was emanating from his person. >> it is great that the violin was insured and everything but the fact is that this instrument is a part of me. >> reporter: she says it is identifiable by a special gold shield on the tailpiece. anyone with information should call san francisco police. oakland school officials say first grader who brought a gun to school did not realize the weapon was inside. our camera was there as officers responded. there is no word on what type

of gun it was or whether it was loaded pretty spokesman says the student will not face punishment. a ground making today in alameda heralds the conjunction of a for building 160,000 square-foot commercial development. it is the future site not far from the north loop. they say they will seek green building certification and intends to use wind and solar power. clorox says it is getting hit by the rising prices of fuel and other costs. the make or of household cleaners and plastic bags says it has been forced to raise prices even though sales on some products are down.

the markets finished mixed with the dow sensually plots. the dow lost 20. new numbers indicate that the wall street journal has a daily circulation now at just over 2 million. usa today is second at 1.8 million. the bay area's medianews ranks fifth with 577,000. the san francisco chronicle is 23rd. that may be -- they may be used blackhawk helicopters and today we talked with them. >> reporter: it looked much like this one but souped-up for

the special forces. >> you can survive a hard landing and i can attest to that. >> reporter: he is a blackhawk piloted 18 years. >> it is pretty amazing. >> reporter: he showed us a blackhawk that is designed to carry wounded from the battlefields. the similarities -- >> you have kevlar armor. >> reporter: the medevac version of the blackhawk has

night vision. it is training and experience that accomplish the result. >> i think as a soldier, there is a sense of pride. >> reporter: one of the blackhawks did crash and it was destroyed by special forces. ken pritchett, ktvu channel 2 news. a redwood t-shirt company says osama bin laden has become big business. a company spokesman says sales i social barometer and right now demand is high for shirts with patriotic teams and those supporting seal team six. we have more coverage on our websites. click the tab on our homepage at ktvu.com. we are expecting a reunion to take place tonight between a lost dog and a family who

thought they would never see him again. this 11-year-old who was found running loose in east oakland. this dog did have a lucky thing, and identification microchip. we are told that the owners are on the way to oakland to pick them up right now. one man went to great lengths for 10 years following the 9/11 attacks. coming up, but now he broke following the death of osama bin laden. temperatures tomorrow could near 90 in some places. meteorologist rosemary orozco will tell us how hot it might get in your neighborhood.

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>> san francisco is number want on a list of tourist favorites. they ranked the city as the best spot for a domestic trip and summer travel. tourism is san francisco's biggest industry bringing in an estimated $8.1 billion. >> it is going to be gorgeous out there although some of us may see the first 90-degree reading for the season.

take it easy out there. right now blue skies and feeling pretty good. 72 in redwood city. 60s and low 70s in and around santa rosa. our winds are generally lights but a little bit breezy in some area. the winds are variable at this time. that onshore wind is really going to help keep us up as this ridge of high pressure continues migrating east. that system that cooled us down yesterday is now out of the picture appeared behind me is the ridge that will continue to climb into our area. here it will shift a little bit. northwest winds expected to

warm our temperatures 10-15 degrees. a north easterly breeze. 70s and for the inland areas widespread 80s and low 90s. 52 expected for tonight. mid-50s as we wake up tomorrow morning. you are afternoon highs, take a look at these numbers. widespread 80s. 91 in antioch. upper 70s in san francisco. tomorrow is going to be the warmest day. we will see the sea breeze on thursday. the inland areas are still quite toasty. mother's day, sunday, still looking to be the coolest day of the week. gasia? >> a middle school teacher in washington state made a vow saying he would not shame and

tell osama bin laden was captured or killed. gary weddle is now clean- shaven. here's what he looks like before. he took a pair of scissors and started hacking away. that is our report for tonight. i am gasia mikaelian. our coverage continues online at ktvu.com and with our 10:00 news on ktvu channel 2. "tmz" is up next right here on tv36.