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this is wjz tv, baltimore. >> from the city, to the county, to your neighborhood, now, it's complete coverage. it's wjz, maryland's news station. bgf takedown. police raid a dozen homes rounding up suspected gang members. >> wjz gets an upclose look at the aggressive campaign to dismantle the black gorilla family gang. hello, everyone, i'm vic carter . >> and i'm denise. >> police raid a number of homes suspecting targeted links to a notorious gang. >> reporter: it's 4:00 a.m. and wjz is there as dozens of baltimore city police officers and the baltimore county swat

team gear up and load up to break down the doors of unsuspecting bgf gang members and those allegedly working for them. >> police, search warrant. >> reporter: all of these search warrants are being carried out at the same time. the suspects are all convicted felons. of the 11, two of them are wanted for murder. wjz rides along as search warrants are carried out on 11 homes just after 5:00 this morning. >> this is part of our continued effort to dismantle the black gorilla family using drug conspiracy and related charges. >> reporter: undercover officers quietly approach the home. we are there, cameras rolling, as police go into action. [shouting] . >> reporter: residents living on rutland avenue wake up to the commotion. one of the intended targets is found inside the home. he is quickly handcuffed and taken to jail. the numerous raids all across

the story are in response to the numerous blood baths police say are at the hands of the gang members. they will arrest and prosecute the black gorilla family until they are all behind bars, they say. . >> in today's raid, a number of suspected gang members were arrested, but what happens when they are convicted and sent to prison? stay tuned, in just a few minutes, a wjz exclusive, how gangs took over the detention center. it's a story of sex, smuggling and power, straight ahead. a blast of winter hits ahead of schedule. and in western maryland, snow is already covering the ground. these pictures from wisp resort in garrett county show a solid coating. in central maryland, a beautiful sun set despite the cold and windy air, and tonight, temperatures are dropping to bone-chilling lows. bob turk is in the weather center with details, bob.

>> we started out at 52. take a look at the temperatures now. we're just finally getting below freezing. 31 here. still 36 in dc. 21 in oakland. but temperatures right now are running, look at this, 21 degrees colder than they were yesterday at this hour, 22 degrees colder in hagerstown, and about 18 in the dc area. as far as wind chill, because we don't have much wind right now, luckily, the wind chill is only a couple of degrees lower than the actual temperature. it feels like 28 on your skin here, but only nine above zero in oakland. is this cold here to stay? we'll look at the rest of the week coming up in the first warning full forecast. eleven million survivors are living among debris and bodies in the philippines, but the trucks can't reach the hardest hit areas. kai jackson has more on the far- reaching impact of this

disaster, kai. >> reporter: vic, the world is united and rushing to get aid in the devastated areas, yet those suffering can't get that help soon enough. the powerful typhoon that struck the philippines damaged or destroyed an estimated 23,000 homes, leaving some 600,000 people with no place to live, and many of those who died remain unburied. this woman says rescuers have not come back in days and ask why haven't they returned to recover to bodies. the president of the philippines offered a glimmer of hope that the death toll has been lower than much thought. >> the figure i have right now is about 2,000 but it might get higher. >> reporter: severe food and water shortages are adding to the crisis. aid organizations like the red cross and team rubicon are beginning to arrive. that help is desperately needed. doctors say they're running low on medicine. >> we're going to go as fast as we can to get help to more

people in need. >> reporter: more us aid is coming. the george washington strike group is on its way from hong kong. help is arriving from around the world, including a fundraising effort in baltimore county. >> you feel helpless. you cannot control what's happening. you can only control what you can do. >> reporter: expert sas one of the best ways to help is through donations. but again, in the past, they've warned only donate through approved charitable organizations like the red cross. back to you. >> thank you. and, of course, you can help the victims of typhoon haiyan. call 877-help crs or log on at www.crs.org. it has happened again, another victim targeted for their cell phone. it is part of a nationwide epidemic of smart phone thefts. wjz is live tonight, and meghan mccorkell has more on why thieves could be after your phone. >> reporter: denise, according to the fcc, one out of three

robberies here in the united states now involves cell phones and the thieves are getting more and more violent. a tousen university student viciously stabbed multiple times last week, and police say the thieves are after his cell phone. >> it's a value of a human life is worth a cell phone to them. it frightens me. >> reporter: the grab and go robberies are on the rise. >> it's like a diamond ring or a wallet. there's something with some inherent value there. >> reporter: the latest incident happened this afternoon at a 7-eleven when three suspects asked to see a woman's cell phone and took off with it. it's a growing problem across the region. cell phone thefts have been reported in baltimore city, howard county, and montgomery counties. >> people always have a phone in their hands, whether it's

texting or listening to music. >> reporter: security expert rob wineholt says it's an opportunity for big money. >> they can go ahead and steal a number of these devices in an evening and trade them in for cash. >> reporter: police are warning people to be more vigilant with their devices. >> i keep my cell phone in my pocket and i keep it away from anyone that can see it. >> reporter: so you don't become a victim too. and by the end of this month, all cell phones reported stolen will be tracked in a nationwide registry. live in townsend, meghan mccorkell. >> thank you, very much. each cell phone has an identification number making it easy to trace. now, federal congress wants to make it a crime to tamper with that number. the justice department announced today it is settling its lawsuit meant to block the

merger between american airlines and us airways. the settlement means passengers will see more competition on nonstop and connecting flights across the country. cut from the team, a former ravens player, ed reed, is cut by the texans halfway through the season. now, fans are wondering what's next for the super bowl champ. >> vic, ed reed has 11 seasons making him worthy of the hall of fame. by comparison, his brief time in houston, a forgettable blip on the radar. he got a three-year, $15 million contract from the texans. he was hurt from the start and when he did play, he was ineffective and was reduced to a backup. reed thanked the team and houston fans in a social media message, and he walks away with $5 million. he can be claimed by another team, though it does not seem likely that the ravens would

want him back, but reed would certainly be inducted into the ravens' ring of honor in the near future. vic. >> thank you. and ahead in sports, mark has more on the new ravens who has stepped up into ed reed's role as safety. a spectacular sight at the inner harbor, the oldest working square rig tall ship is docked at our water front. a norwegian ship built in 1914 has 22 sails and can reach speeds up to 17 knots or 20 miles per hour. at 323 feet long, it is the largest ship of the year. this is its ninth visit to the harbor and it will be here until saturday. >> there's not that many things built in 1914 that are still working. [laughing]. coming up, terrifying trick. the scary moments when a harlem

globetrotter stunt goes horribly wrong. caught on camera, a major marijuana operation goes up in flames. how it happened. >> how long will these cold temperatures stick around? i'm bob turk and will have your complete forecast coming up next. ,,,,,,

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it is clear, 31 degrees in central maryland right now. the complete first warning forecast is coming up. a frightening scene in an unlikely place. watch what happens in a harlem globetrotters game in honduras. . [cheering] >> as you see, the basket collapses, the backboard shatters on top of bull bullard. he was treated for a cut on his forehead but was able to walk off the court under his own power. the team says he is doing okay. in california, a major fire at a marijuana grow house. this video from a firefighter's helmet camera shows the thick smoke the crew encountered.

agents discovered 50 marijuana plants in the basement. investigators say the lamps used to grow the drugs started the fire. there were no injuries reported. as we reported earlier in this newscast, tonight, baltimore city police continue to hunt down gang members to get them off the streets. perhaps the most dangerous gang, the black gorilla family was so powerful, its leader was calling the shots from behind bars. tonight, in a wjz exclusive, a former prison official breaks her silence revealing the inside story of sex and smuggling at the baltimore city detention center. the baltimore city detention center, more than a century old just blocks from downtown. thousands of murderers, rapists, and other violent prisoners are locked up here, many for years. but few people know the nation's most notorious gang, the black guerrilla was running

a ring behind these walls. tayvon white, the leader. recordings heard him saying, this is my jail and my law. >> do you know what bgf is known for? >> drugs and violence. >> reporter: ms. miles, the prison's former security chief and third in command reveals light on his lockup. tayvon gets four guards pregnant inside the jail. one had his name tattooed on her neck. >> how is it possible for an inmate to have sexual relations with a staff person and no one know it? >> there was so many of them that are involved, so if you have another correctional officer looking out for you and that correctional officer is on a key post, and i have to get through that key post to actually catch you, then there's going to be a slow movement in order to get that gate open.

>> so there were private locations where no one would be around where they were able to carry out this? >> no, i'm quite sure it was probably in the cells. >> reporter: wjz asked miles to show how white could get away with having sex in his cell within feet of the guards. >> he was in the first cell on his section. >> he was in the first cell, the closest to the security officer and the closest to the entrance. >> yes. >> so he, of all these people, had the most supervision. >> reporter: white also devises a sophisticated smuggling scheme. guards bring in drugs and cell phones of the bgf cells to other inmates. white pays them off with profits from illegal enterprise. >> how is it that the contraband makes its way into the facility. >> now it's coming in through staff by the officers. >> reporter: miles says that before the indictment, she was not allowed to subject guards to the same high-tech scanning that detects it in prisoners. >> they do not and will not under the secretary allow officers or employees to

actually be scanned on this device. >> reporter: miles insists every time she tried to take control back from the bgf, her bosses stopped her because of the federal investigation. after she fails a polygraph test ordered by the state, miles is the only manager who was fired, but she is fighting back. >> all of these people are there. i come in for one year and i'm the one that takes the blame? it definitely wasn't my fault. >> the corrections division says it recently increased random searches of staff and inmates and is spending millions on new technology to stop smuggling. the state says it's making progress. what does the top man have to say about this? for the first time, corrections divisions secretary gary maynard has agreed to sit down with me for a one-on-one interview. you'll hear what he has to say later this week. a major expansion in the guidelines governing who should take statins to lower cholesterol. doctors will no longer use cholesterol as the sole determining factor.

the american heart association is recommending statins to four high-risk groups, and they include people with diabetes and cardiovascular disease. they say the reason is the drugs help prevent heart attacks. it's official. one world trade center in new york is the tallest building in the us. it takes the top spot from chicago's sears tower which stands at 1451 feet. one world trade will stand at 1776 feet. officials are questioning a 408- foot needle on top of the tower. today, they determined it will count as the total height. one world trade is expected to be finished early next year. >> i wonder what comes along with that, building the tallest building, something special? >> up there, it's very different weather than down the street in new york. it's amazing. around the state, some different weather from baltimore county to washington county. very wide ranges of temperatures too. 31 here, west-southwest winds

at 5. the barometer has really risen up to 30.41. the dew point's 12 degrees. very cold, dry air. 29 hagerstown. still above freezing in most places south and east of the region, but it will get cold overnight. generally around the freezing mark, a little warmer around the bay and colder north and west. the winds have died down a lot. only 5 here. even though our winds are five here, 13 in dc makes it feel colder in washington than it is here, even though the temperature there is a little bit warmer. but it's how you feel it on your skin. the front that came through this afternoon, a lot of it really washed out as far as the precip is concerned. as far as maryland is concerned, garrett county picked up pretty much all the snow. here we saw a few flurries in a couple of spots. they had a flurry activity in carolina this afternoon.

it didn't stick or anything but that is unusual for the eastern sections of north carolina. to the northwest of us, these are what we call lake effect streamers. the cold air, you can just see that flow right up the lakes, snow into pittsburgh, snow from erie into central pennsylvania, to indiana, pa and northern pennsylvania and of course new york state. these are all lake effect snows. still a little bit going on in garrett county. that will end later tonight. bismarck was in the mid-40s today. they're at 27. so there is milder air beginning to build to the west of us and we will see that by the weekend. in the meantime, a cold night, cold day tomorrow. starts to warm up a little bit more on thursday and particularly friday on the weekend, back way above normal. winds in the bay up to 20 knots and a small cap advisory tomorrow. tomorrow, around 25. the record is 22. clear skies, pretty cold in some areas. 42 tomorrow, breezy in the afternoon with sunny, partly sunny skies.

52 on thursday, so a big warm- up. 59, back up to 62, some showers, and 63 here on sunday. denise, vic. >> thank you, bob. coming up, the ravens are fairing well without ed reed. >> the new guys are taking care of business on the defe,,,,,,,,

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mark is here with our wjz 13, the fan's report. more on ed reed. >> yeah, nfl, not for long. that stands for constant turnover. the ravens allowed ed reed to walk away after the super bowl and the houston texans send him away. they cut him today. an update on the new ravens, reed and bernard pollard are gone from the super bowl team. rookie matt elham and james hedebo. the ravens won over cincinnati with his two interceptions.

he's now making his mark. >> that's what it's all about, you know, you've got to make plays. that's what people remember. don't let your good be in the way of being great. i'm a good player and that's what i aspire to be. . >> sunday at 1:00 on our special post game will follow with highlights, player interviews and analysis. a full ravens sunday ahead on wjz. baseball awards manager of the year tonight, terry francona of the cleveland indians voted winner in the american league. college basketball, tousen university looks good in its brand new arena playing host to morgan state in a cross-town showdown. the bears in blue on the attack. anthony hubbard slamz two of his 14 points on that alley- oop. they're not going to find their first win at tousen.

these tigers are tough. 21 points, 14 rebounds for beneman. they roll 95-75 to improve to 2- 0. the kentucky wildcats taking on the michigan state spartans coached by tom izo. teams ranked 1 and 2 in the nation. three-pointer by keith apling. the spartans led from there in route to a 78-74 win over number 1 kentucky. i'll be out tomorrow for the latest on the ravens as they get ready for the bears. >> thank you, mark. coming up, an anniversary they'll ,,,,,,,,,,,,

middle-earth is back at denny's with the build your own hobbit slam. twenty delicious options, like sweet potato pecan pancakes, hearty breakfast sausage and honey cake french toast. a meal to satisfy the hungriest of hobbits. see "the hobbit: the desolation of smaug."

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a teenager in texas. joshua garza received the new x box 1 two weeks before it was supposed to be released. the company says a computer glitch caused about 100 units to be sent out early. the 14-year-old will have to cool his thumbs for a while because the updated system isn't online yet. a florida couple wanted to get married today because today is 11-12-13. didn't know if you remembered that, and they decided to get elvis in on the act. >> marriage is two hearts with one love. it grows greater through the years and it's treasured above all else. >> okay. brian and darlene porter got married at the stroke of midnight at the las vegas smash burger. of course, the traditional wedding cake was replaced by a mountain of mouth-watering burgers. the restaurant chose the couple through a nation-wide contest. that's quite ,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,

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