live from the cbs bay area studios this is kpix5 news. breaking news, a big fireball in the east bay, the contra costa county fire department just told us they're getting many phone calls from people who see flaring at the phillips refinery in rodeo. one firefighter said it was the tallest flame he had ever seen. here's what it looked like from one neighborhood in vallejo. we have chopper 5 and a crew on the way. big cat, big guns, this mountain lion had a bay area neighborhood on high alert for several hours. game wardens chased it house to house street to street near central park in san mateo. betty yu got up close to that cat. >> reporter: i was only about 3 feet from this cat when it was in a total trance. the department of fish and wildlife officials safely shot

a dart into this animal and they did it right behind me in someone's backyard this evening. you can call this the beginning of a mountain line hangover. the sleepy 90-pound teenage cat spent much of the day playing hide and seek with san mateo police officers. >> it's pretty crazy to see this happening 2 blocks from my house. >> i don't think i've ever seen this kind of police presence or news presence in my neighborhood. >> reporter: crime tape closed the area near ninth and palm areas as we saw police with rifles running down the block. our chopper was above as officers went door to door searching homes and garages for hours. >> he jumped from here up here. >> reporter: nicole saw the mountain lion from her apartment window as it hopped from her backyard to the neighbor's. >> it was really pretty. it was pretty big. it seemed scared. >> reporter: police eventually cornered the cat in a tree along ninth avenue this

evening. after missing the first shot, department of fish and wildlife officials successfully tranquilized the animal on the second try. it scampered into the bushes before the sedative kicked in. >> there's wildlife even in town. it's very unusual to see a lion this far downtown. we don't really have an explanation why. something smelled good to it last night. >> reporter: once the animal wakes up it will be released to the crystal springs reservoir area. >> it's a happy ending. >> reporter: during all this commotion today police say a man fired a warning shot into the ground in his backyard in an attempt to scare off this mountain lion. they want to remind people this is a very bad idea for public safety reasons. that man was briefly detained and the d.a. will investigate his case. >> every once in a while kneels cat wind up where we -- these cats wind up where we least

expect them. last fall this one climbed up on top of a car in san jose. last night feds busted a big drug ring at the oakland airport. >> the feds say these guys ran their operation for three years and at least some of them were not shy about it. on instagram one of the suspects brags about the huge wads of cash that he makes referring to it as #drugmoney. trayvon baker is one of 14 people the feds accuse of mug gripping several hundred pounds of marijuana -- smuggling several hundred pounds of marijuana across the country. they're accused of bringing duffel bags of marijuana through the employee entrance where you swipe your security badge. then the employees would hand their duffel bags to men who had made it through the tsa checkpoint. one text message conversation intercepted by the feds has the

baggage handler telling the courier to meet him in the men's restroom. i'm at the gate 30, bathroom handicapped stall. wait in the bathroom for five minutes when you come upstairs. go to the sink like you're washing your hands. once the couriers got the bags they would board flights to various parts of the country. one of the men told investigators he would make 6 to $800 a trip. 11 of the 14 people charged 11 are in custody. where is william mcadams? he's a flight instructor who took off from palo alto in a stolen plane 10 days ago. he never filed flight plan and never made contact with air traffic control. >> we haven't discovered a crash site. we don't know if the plane landed somewhere. we have no records of that, no refueling anyone notified us about. there's absolutely been nothing. >> there's been no activity on

mcadams financial, social media or cell phone accounts since he vanished. he could have flown as far as mexico. there are police checkpoints up tonight in waco, texas, because word is that bikers from across the country may be headed there to retaliate after when happened yesterday. a rivalry between two bike gangs turned into a war. here is the aftermath. >> yesterday's brawl and gunbattle left nine people dead, 18 people in the hospital and 170 people behind bars. tonight we're getting our first look at the bikers. 170 of them are being held on $1 million bail charged with organized crime linked to capital murder. police escorted bus holds of them to court today. outside the twin peaks restaurant heavily armed officers look for evidence. bullets started flying between

biker gang members inside after a fight broke out in the restroom. customers dove for cover. >> this is really, really scary. we didn't know if somebody was going to come back. >> two of the five biker gangs involved are well known to federal authorities. the cosacks are based in texas said to be affiliated with hells angels. the bandidos have nearly 3,000 members in a dozen countries. >> it's about territory. it's about colors. it's about money. it's about hate. it's about violence. >> jay dobbins is a former atf agent. he spent nearly 30 years undercover infiltrating biker gangs. >> if you're familiar with how these guys think, their tools of the trade which are guns and knives and pipes and chains and their hatred for each other, there was nothing shocking about it. it just lapped to take place on a large -- happened to take place on a large scale in a

push venue. >> california has seen its share of bloody biker turf wars. one of the worst was five years ago. the hells angels and the vagos got into a fight at starbucks in santa cruz. two people died and four dozen were arrested. >> 180 behind bars tonight, that is absolutely amazing. in camden, new jersey, today president obama shot hoops with students before talking about community policing. camden can be a rough place, but police shootings and violent crime are way down. christin ayers shows us how similar approaches are shaking out here. >> reporter: when oakland's assistant police chief paul figueroa was invited to washington d.c. by the white house last month, he knew he was in for a serious conversation. >> just about every day there's some story related to policing and negative events that have taken place across the country. >> reporter: from baltimore to ferguson, but figueroa and representatives from police departments nationwide met to

talk numbers like how many people are pulled over each year? what are their ethnicities? how often are police using force? and how to track and share that information. >> it's about what is effective policing and transparency and what type of data is really informative about policing in the country to be as fair and equitable as possible and bring about safety in the community? >> reporter: oakland isn't alone. richmond police and 19 other departments around the country are sharing their data, too, in what authorities call an unprecedented show of transparency. it's a white house policy president obama was out showcasing today. >> camden is showing everybody that it can be done. >> reporter: in oakland changes are already underway. reports on staffing and police stops have gone up on the city's website. this graph showing use of force dropped dramatically in one year from 72 in january, 2014 to 45 a year later.

they may just be numbers, but figueroa says this is one positive step forward. >> can we learn as a country, share this data and learn the commonalities to be more effective agents of safety and really accept that guardianship role? >> today the president announced he told the military to stop giving surplus hardware like grenade launchers, bayonets and tanks to local law enforcement. we have more information on our breaking news story tonight, a big fireball in the east bay, live pictures from chopper 5 over the phillips refinery in rodeo. if you live in contra costa county, even across the bay, you can see this glow in the sky. the contra costa county environmental health department is telling us there was an unplanned shutdown at the refinery at 10:25 this evening. that triggers a release of hydrogen gas. it's a huge fireball.

the fire department says the flaring will continue several more hours. there is no danger to the community, but the flaring may continue at least several more hours. the city of pacifica has said enough says enough. the smell is just too bad it. is bringing out the heavy equipment to bury two rotting whale carcasses at maury point. andria borba held her nose to bring us this report. >> smells horrible. >> reporter: something sink, actually two something -- something sick, actually two something 60s , two beached whales. this used to be a base for high end perfume, trust me when i say the beach doesn't smell like chanel no. 5. ask these kids. >> you have to pinch your nose for a little bit because it

smells awful. >> it smells like a dead fish. >> reporter: driven by the wind off the pacific, the seagull picked carcass scent carries 2 miles into pacifica. >> it's a little sweet and warm strangely enough, but i don't recommend it. it doesn't smell good at all. >> reporter: bringing in heavy equipment from san francisco to put the decomposing whales to a sandy grave. >> the recommended thing is to let nature take its course. however, that takes a few months. we're approaching summertime. it will be warmer. we've had way too many citizen complaints about the odor. >> reporter: the smell turns from foul to unbearable unless you're braver and foolhardier than me like this photojournalist who stole my scarf and did his duty covering his nose marching into the hot zone to get better video. he said it's all about the art of the long shot.

>> until you do that story you have no idea what she's talking about. the excavation and burial is set to begin at 7 a.m. tomorrow. for the third time this month a metallic balloon caused a big power outage. 9,000 pg&e customers lost power several hours in san francisco this afternoon. a balloon drifted into lines near fisherman's wharf. many shops and restaurants had to shut down early today. a car thief called 911 while being chased by chp and said he's not going back to jail. this is how the chase ended. the stolen honda accord crashed into an suv in berkeley overnight and caused the suv to flip onto its roof. before this the suspect drove the wrong way on highway 4 and 80. the chp chased him from concord to berkeley before he crashed into the suv. tonight he is still on the loose. you ever speed, go over the speed limit, step on it?

watch out. tonight cate cauguiran shows us the new way one bay area city is going to catch you. >> reporter: you're running late. you put the pedal to the metal and snap, you're on speed camera and the ticket is in the mail. we've all done it, drove just a little over the speed limit and now alongside red light cameras a speed camera could be coming to a street near you. the sfnca is drafting a proposal that would allow the agency to install cameras near schools and other areas where pedestrian safety is an issue. the plan would call for a flat fee of $100 per violation. while cop-issued speeding tickets can be up to four times that amount. speeding drivers are the no. up with cause of traffic injuries -- no. 1 cause of traffic injuries in the city and responsible for 10 time the pedestrian injuries than drunk drivers are. san francisco police want the

cameras. officers say they can do way more than catch speeds are. >> it will help us as an investigative tool if someone is committing a crime somewhere nearby and happen to drive across the speed light camera. it will record the vehicle, the license plate and take a photo of the person. >> reporter: supervisor eric marr also in favor of installing these cameras but knows it might not be an easy sell. >> whenever you change a culture of speeding and tickets are always a thorny issue for many people. >> reporter: an issue drivers say is like playing chase with a computer. >> you lieu of time. technology wins. -- you lose every time. technology wins. >> reporter: some drivers see these cameras as another cash cow for the bay area. new york edema news reported speed cameras there raked in over $9 million for the city each year. these cameras can save lives. >> a car is like a weapon. >> reporter: a weapon that ill

canned this 7-year-old -- killed this 7-year-old as she was walking in front of her school. >> my little girl, she had dreams. and because someone was not paying attention, she's not here to accomplish her dreams. >> reporter: cate cauguiran, kpix5. >> the proposal will be presented to the san francisco county transportation authority later this week. the agency says the citations would not be moving violations per se and therefore not reportable to the dmv. an airline passenger told the fbi he hacked into the plane's cockpit system while sitting in his seat. computer expert chris roberts tweeted his only interest is to improve aircraft security. roberts told the fbi he identified vulnerabilities through the plane's entertainment system and on one

flight he successfully commanded the system to cause one of the airplane's engines to climb resulting in a lateral or sideways movement of the plane. the feds were not amused. he faces prosecution. how would you like to be locked inside a room for fun? believe it or not, some of the bay area's biggest tech companies, google, cisco and hp have, used it as a team building exercise. tonight betty yu takes us inside the panic room. >> all letters, no numbers. >> reporter: at panic room in san francisco you have to think outside the box. >> do you know now to do it? >> reporter: you have to solve puzzles, crack codes, figure out clues to reveal more clues. >> they have to be used for something. >> reporter: open a chest, a door or another mystery within

another mystery. >> are you sure? >> reporter: all while the clock is ticking. >> it's a very psychological game. it's very immerse -- immersing. >> reporter: in a few short months it's earned top ratings on trip advisor and yelp. >> we've had everything from companies to families to bachelor parties. >> reporter: first choose your own adventure. break out of a sicko's apartment, hack your way out of a startup complete with office props or escape from prison. all through logic, teamwork and maybe even a little luck. >> my player is a misand i was -- hair is a mess and i was all sweaty. >> crazy and frustrated. >> reporter: panic room says live action games first popped

up in budapest in 2011. it's become an insanely popular phenomenon in europe and asia and only recently made its way to the west coast. on a friday evening i joined a group of techies to break outs of jail. we've been locked inside this cell about 20 minutes. we're having a hard time putting together this puzzle and making sense of that crossword puzzle over there and we haven't figured out how to up lock these thing. looking at the cell next-door, they seem to be running into trouble, too. >> there is no google in prison. >> reporter: after lots of confusion -- >> what's down there? >> reporter: and dead ends we escaped with a few minutes to spare. >> this supper passed any expectations i had. >> had a couple twists and turns, good challenge. >> reporter: in san francisco

betty yu, kpix5. >> there's also a panic room in hollywood and the company is expanding to san diego, boston and ft. lauderdale. we are down to our last three nights of letterman. for tonight's look at dave's legacy we put a call out to a bay area high school that's become a late show fixture. [ hog squealing ] >> piedmont high school. >> the story is jay leno kind of wanted to do his own thing and get out from under the shadow of johnny carson. >> your father was in the competition and appeared on the tonight show with johnny carson in 1982. i believe we have a photograph of that event. >> what are they doing now? they're old enough to have kids who are on the show again. >> that's your dad.

>> oh, my god. >> look at that. >> i think all of us who have gone on the show just agree he made everybody people completely at ease. >> it's the caribbean flamingo. >> he loves going on the show. you got recognized in grand central station. >> i get e-mails every year from people around the world who are curious about what we do and why and how. >> this is really crazy. >> they've just been so generous to us. >> beautiful. good luck getting in anywhere. come on, let's everybody come out here. >> that's piedmont on a regular night. tonight on letterman oakland native tom hanks and eddie vetter. paul, it's chilly outside. when is the warmth coming back? >> not any time soon.

the fire danger is down because the relative humidity is up. it is a cloudy humid night in san francisco. we're running well below average for the month. 6 degrees cooler than average in san jose, 5 in livermore, more than 3 in san francisco, more than 2 in santa rows at we'll be chilly throughout the week. we won't -- santa rosa. we'll be chilly throughout the week. we won't be seeing a change any time soon. we have lower pressure unstable air stretching from denver up to seattle, widespread mountain thunderstorms. now this pattern is locked. it was the ridge over the west coast. now it's a trough. what this means for us, rainfall will likely stay to the north. that onshore flow will persist, the flow from the chilly ocean, your chilly backyard,

temperatures staying 8 to 12 degrees cooler than average away from the water. low clouds, drizzle, fog the next several mornings, a little warming as we led toward the holiday weekend. memorial day -- head toward the holiday weekend. san jose 67 degrees, hayward 63. chilly day in concord 66, dublin 65, 58 in san francisco, petaluma 65, cloverdale 69 degrees. your extended forecast staying cool, cloudy, not hitting 70 until saturday and a little bit milder and sunnier as we

we want to update you now on the flaring going off at the phillips refinery in rodeo, live look from chopper 5. contra costa county health department tells us this is hydrogen burning off from an unplanned shutdown. you can see this flame for

miles around the bay area. it's large and very bright. there is no danger to the public. >> it does look scary. people flooded the fire department with phone calls after seeing this fireball erupt into the sky. the flaring will continue for a few more hours. the county tells us the worst is probably over. the 49ers lose another defensive star. i'm dennis o'donnell and if the a's center fielder catches ♪

♪ ♪ ♪ told ya you could do it. (dad vo) i want her to be safe. so, i taught her what i could and got her a subaru. (girl) piece of cake. ♪ (announcer) love. it's what makes a subaru a subaru.

report is next on kpix5. >> the gold rush must have gone bust because the 49ers are leaving left and right. today just tip smith hung up his cleats. the defensive lineman known as the cowboy came to san francisco in 2008. in his 14 year career he missed just three games. he said wear and tear in his left shoulder made the decision easier to call it quits. western conference final tip-off tomorrow at oracle. wasn't too long ago james harden said this. >> they ain't that good, man. >> turns out james harden was wrong. the warriors are pretty good. both teams played the same fast

pace style. klay thompson expects to run a lot when he guards harden. >> if you prepare, you'll be all right. i've been a runner since i was a kid. >> reporter: do you do cross- country or something like that? >> absolutely not. the caped crusader ran into trouble in the 2nd inning in his big league debut. eric sogard ripped a base lit. ace starter drew pomeranz was just as good but in the 8th he had a shoulder injury. the a's have the lead really. look at the catch. a's snap a four-game skid. michael franco hit his

first big league home run in philadelphia. check out the lady in the bleachers. look at the guy take the ball from the lady. you know what? joyce kyner was given

♪ ♪ ♪

a david letterman is next with tom hanks. >> our next newscast tomorrow morning at 4:30. we'll see you bright and early.

( band playing "late show" theme ) >> from simultaneously everywhere and nowhere it's the late show with david letterman tonight... plus paul shaffer and the cbs orchestra. i'm alan kalter. and now down the stretch he comes david letterman! (cheers and applause)