The Hartford woman caught on cell phone video throwing her baby across the aisle of a bus says she didn't do it.

"I didn't toss my baby. I set her down," said the woman when NBC Connecticut confronted her at her Hartford home.

The startling scene was caught on tape by a concerned passenger during a bus ride on Albany Avenue Wednesday morning. It's since gone viral with internet postings on YouTube, Facebook, and elsewhere.

The two minute video shows a woman screaming obscenities at another passenger, as her baby sits on her lap at times holding her little ears.

The woman repeatedly asks other passengers to take her child so she can fight the woman. "I will thrash you. Somebody grab my baby. I'm going to beat the... of you on this bus," she's heard saying in the video.

Then, it gets worse.

Officials in West Hollywood are warning members of the public to protect themselves against  meningococcal infection, an illness caused by a bacteria or virus that can be fatal.

City Councilman John Duran held a news conference Friday afternoon alongside Chris Brown, director of health and mental health for the LA Gay and Lesbian Center, to sound an alarm.

Duran told NBC4 one of his long-time supporters -- a 33-year-old gay man -- had been diagnosed with meningitis two days ago, was hospitalized and is now in a coma. The man has been declared brain dead, Duran said, identifying the victim as Brett Shaad.

The man had attended an annual Palm Springs event known as the White Party, which took place over Easter weekend and draws thousands of gay men from across the country to the desert city, Duran said.

"If this resident was in fact in attendance at the White Party, it raises the issue, so we want to get the word out to any gay men that were at the White Party, that if they have any of these symptoms, go see their physician immediatly," Duran said at the news conference.

Duran said he didn't want to be alarmist, but wanted gay men and others to be on alert for signs of the disease, which can initially resemble the flu.

Dr. Maxine Liggins, area medical director for the Los Angeles County Department of Public Health, said people who think they may have been exposed should watch for a stiff neck, fever, headache, sometimes a rash, and generally not feeling well.

Duran suggested the West Hollywood case may be from a similar bacterial meningitis strain that circulated among gay men in New York City -- an outbreak that infected 22 people and has killed seven people since 2010.

Los Angeles County Department of Public Health officials said they have not confirmed a direct connection between the Los Angeles-area case and the New York City strain.

Officials don't want to cause panic, Duran said, but are taking an active stance to avoid the delays in response to AIDS 30 years ago.

On Friday, the Equinox fitness club on Sunset Boulevard in West Hollywood sent a notice to members that a person who used the facility April 6 had been diagnosed with bacterial meningitis. Officials at the press conference confirmed the individual was the same man being treated at Cedars Sinai.

"The Los Angeles County Department of Public Health has assured us that there is virtually no risk of exposure in a health club setting," the email stated. "We are notifying you to let you know that Equinox members and staff are safe, we have taken all necessary safety precautions and we will continue to do everything we can to guarantee our members have the best fitness experience possible."

The email included a link to a letter sent by the Department of Public Health to the club.

Meningococcal disease can have severe health impacts and can progress quickly from flu-like symptoms, rashes and a stiff neck, so health officials say early diagnosis and treatment are crucial. If treated quickly, the disease can often be cured with antibiotics.

Last month, Orange County health officials warned public schools about an outbreak of meningococcal infections in Tijuana that began in January.

A teen was being treated at UC Irvine Medical Center for Meningocococcemia and had had all of her limbs amputed, prompting her parents to advocate for awareness about a vaccine that protects against the disease.

The bacteria -- Neisseria meningitidis -- that causes the bloodstream infection afflicting 18-year-old Kaitlyn Dobrow also causes meningococcal meningitis, an inflammation of tissue around the brain and spinal cord, according to the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Infections from the bacteria can be spread from person to person through respiratory and throat secretions and are common in close quarters -- such as military barracks and college dormitories -- according to the CDC website. Person-to-person contact must be close – such as kissing, sex or sharing food – for the bacteria to spread.

Those who have been in close contact with a patient with meningococcal disease should be treated with antibiotics to prevent the illness from progressing, according to the CDC.

The Associated Press contributed to this story.

A man who served as the fencing coach at public high schools in Fairfield has been arrested, accused of sexually assaulting a female Fairfield public school student. 

John Tejada, 36, of Cheshire, was arrested at Fairfield Police Department on Thursday on a warrant charging him with sexual assault in the second degree. 

Police said Tejada coached the Fairfield Warde and Ludlowe high school fencing teams from 2010 to 2012 and the arrest stems from an incident in 2012, in which he is accused of sexually assaulting a public school student. 

Tejada was also a fencing coach at Wakeman’s Boys and Girls Club in Southport and was the primary coach at the Fairfield Fencing Academy, at 85 Mill Plain Road, according to Fairfield police. 

Tejada was put on administrative leave from the Fairfield Board of Education on Feb. 23, 2012 and resigned shortly after that, according to police. 

He was released on a $150,000 bond and is due in court on April 25.

Police said there might be additional victims.

 

After a second search of his Kaufman home on Friday, former Kaufman County Justice of the Peace Eric Williams was arrested overnight Friday and booked into the Kaufman County Jail.

A 63-year-old man is in critical condition Friday night after he and his car were doused with a liquid and set on fire outside a Long Beach convenience store hours earlier.

"This is an unsettling crime, a horrific act," said Sgt. Aaron Eaton, with Long Beach Police Department.

The attacker approached the victim, tossed a flammable liquid into a green sport utility vehicle and sparked the blaze, Eaton said. Investigators do not believe the victim and attacker know each other.

After running from the 7-11 near Pacific Coast Highway, a 39-year-old man known by many in the area to be homeless was arrested in connection with the attack.

Witnesses used fire extinguishers and water bottles to help extinguish the flames, which consumed the victim as he stumbled from the SUV.

A white sedan was parked next to the SUV. The driver of that car was inside the 7-11 getting a cup of coffee when his car also caught fire.

Steve Cox said he gave spare change to the alleged attacker minutes before the fire.

"He didn’t seem like he was going to harm anybody. He wasn’t very aggressive or anything. I mean, asking for change, he seemed like a nice guy," Cox said. "I’m really surprised about what happened. It’s outrageous."

Neither the victim nor the alleged attacker were identified as of late Friday.

Suffield and State Police are investigating after discovering a women that had been beaten and sexually assaulted in her home in Suffield.

Police received a 911 call around midnight and immediately responded to a home on Thrall Ave. When they arrived they were unable to get a response from inside the home.

Police forced their way inside after seeing a woman lying on the floor through a window. The woman was visibly wounded and terrified when police located her.

The victim told police that she had been sexually assaulted by an unknown intruder. The victim was transported to a local hospital. She was alert and talking with detectives.

The victim described the suspect as a white male aged 25 to 40, tall with a muscular build. He was wearing a gray hoodie covered by a red flannel shirt, jeans, work boots, ski mask and black gloves.

The suspect also had a gun.

A couple from San Francisco was arrested Thursday for vandalizing a Miami veterinary office after they found out their dog died during minor knee surgery.

Reyez, an America Bulldog, was at Banfield Pet Hospital, inside a PetSmart for the procedure. When they found out he died, Alejandra Zavaleta, 31, and Edman Vargas, 34, were outraged.

Pictures show medical supplies littering the floor and window blinds torn apart.

According to Vargas' sister, Cindy Vargas, what sparked the incident was the doctor's lack of information about the dog's death.

"The doctor was standing up against the counter with his arms crossed and saying 'I don't know what happened,'" Cindy Vargas said. "When we had specific questions he left the building."

Zoo Miami Holding Nonnative Pets Amnesty Day

According to one PetSmart employee, the doctor left the building because he feared for his safety.

The hospital released a statement Friday explaining the dog's condition.

"Reyes [sic] appeared to be recovering normally after anesthesia when he unexpectedly went into respiratory and cardiac arrest—the hospital administered CPR but was unsuccessful in reviving Reyes," said the statement. "Anytime a pet undergoes anesthesia there is a rare risk of an unforeseen adverse event."

The statement goes on to say: "We understand how hard it is to lose a pet—our hearts go to the Vargas family for the loss of Reyes.”

Edman Vargas and Zavaleta are being held on a $13,000 bond each.

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A three-alarm fire in New York City Saturday morning left 37 people injured, including one child and four adults who were in critical condition, fire department officials said.

The fire broke out in an apartment on the fifth floor of a building in Melrose section of the Bronx at around 7:45 a.m. ET. Authorities said smoke from the fire quickly spread throughout the 27-story high-rise.

"When we opened the door to put the fire out, it just fills the building up -- the hallways, the stairs -- up with smoke," said FDNY Deputy Assistant Chief Jack Mooney.

Residents said the heavy smoke darkened their hallways and made breathing extremely difficult. At least 12 people had to be carried down by firefighters, authorities said.

"Smoke was so thick on 22 and the fire started on five," said building resident, Dolores Carter, an asthma sufferer who had to be helped down by firefighters and needed to use a ventilator afterwards. "It was a trying time."

Officials said most of the injuries were minor, but four adults and a child were being treated for smoke inhalation in hyperbaric chambers at Jacobi Medical Center.

Red Cross workers were on the scene assisting evacuated residents.

There is no word yet on what caused the fire.

The fire broke out on the fifth floor of a building in the Melrose section of the Bronx at around 7:45 a.m.

Residents said heavy smoke filled up hallways causing widespread panic throughout the 27-story building. At least 12 people had to be carried down by firefighters, authorities said.

"Smoke was so thick on 22 and the fire started on five," said building resident, Dolores Carter, who had to be helped down by firefighters and needed to use a ventilator. "The smoke was coming out of my window."

Red Cross workers were on the scene assisting evacuated residents.

There is no word yet on what caused the fire.

The San Francisco Zoo is going to be a bit more crowded this weekend now that the zoo's newest and cutest attraction is out and about.

The zoo's 8-week-old Sumatran tiger cub went on exhibit Friday. You can see raw video at the top of this article.

The still unnamed 14-pound  tiger is growing fast.

Zoo doctors said the cub is now big and strong enough to venture into the outdoor enclosure.

They gave the plan a trial run Wednesday. The zoo debut was Friday, with more outdoor jaunts planned every weekend. The zoo said tiger cub will be on view outside Saturday (April 13) from 2-4 p.m., and Sunday (April 14) from 1-4 p.m.

"Leanne was so happy to be outside with her baby, she frolicked just like a cub too," a zoo statement said.

“Providing the cub the opportunity to explore the outside world is a significant step in her development,” zoo curator Corinne MacDonald said. “The cub will build up her strength and confidence watching her mother, Leanne, and she’ll learn from her while navigating her new environment. We are thrilled to finally be able to show our tiger cub off outside to all of her fans.”

The Sumatran tiger is critically endangered, with a wild population estimated at less than 400. There are 74 Sumatran tigers in captivity in North America at accredited zoos and aquariums.

She was born Feb. 10 and is expected to grow to be between 170 and 240 pounds.

Visitors have been able to catch a glimpse of the cub the past couple weeks in the lion house, but this weekend will be the first time the mom and cub will be able to be in the outdoor exhibit.

The cub's naming rights will be part of the zoo's annual fundraiser, ZooFest, which takes place on May 11.

A Delaware teen was arrested after his own mother turned him in for owning an illegal gun.

Police say 18-year-old Michael Colon was arguing with his mother Saturday morning at their home in Wilmington. Police say the mother was upset that Colon was coming home late and had been hanging out in dangerous areas in town.

As they were arguing, police say the woman searched her son’s backpack and found a .22 caliber revolver inside. Investigators say Colon is a convicted felon and not allowed to carry a firearm.

The woman called police who responded to the home around 11:15 a.m. When they arrived, they say they found the gun and arrested Colon.

Colon was charged with possession of a firearm by a person prohibited. He was arraigned and released after posting a $10,000 secured bond.

Police also arrested another Wilmington teen on gun charges earlier on Saturday. Investigators say two officers were on patrol on the 500 block of N. Clayton Street shortly before 3 a.m. when they spotted the teen trying to hide a loaded 9mm handgun inside some bushes.

The officers took the teen into custody and recovered the weapon. The teen was arraigned and committed to the New Castle County Detention Center in lieu of $10,001 cash bail.
 

State police made a large synthetic drug bust after a routine traffic stop on Friday in Killingly.

Around 6:45 p.m. on April 12, troopers from the Troop D Quality of Life Task Force stopped a 1999 Volkswagen Passat for a motor vehicle violation and found approximately 1,163 bags of synthetic marijuana in the car, police said.

The synthetic marijuana weighed approximately 16 pounds and has a street value of approximately $17,500.

The driver, Wael Abunsar, 42 of Niantic, was arrested and charged with possession of narcotics and possession of narcotics with the intent to sell.

Abunsar was held on $75,000 bond and is scheduled to appear in Danielson Superior Court on April 30.

This is the third largest drug seizure conducted by the Troop D Quality of Life Task Force.

Anyone with information regarding the illegal sale of narcotics and or synthetic marijuana are encouraged to call the Troop D Quality of Life Hotline at 860-779-4950.

One person is in critical condition after a double shooting on Barnum Avenue in Bridgeport around 2 a.m. on Sunday.

Police responded to Bridgeport Hospital after receiving a report that two people suffering from gunshot wounds arrived in a private car.

The driver of the vehicle was identified as Mack Green, 44, who was suffering from a gunshot wound to his upper thigh.

His passenger, Rodney Spann, 42, was suffering from gunshot wounds to the neck and chest.

Police said a male approached both victims on Barnum Avenue, walked up to the vehicle, reached in and fired multiple shots.

Green fled and drove directly to Bridgeport Hospital.

His injuries are non-life threatening, officials said, but Spann is in critical condition after having gone into cardiac arrest.

The investigation is ongoing and active, according to police. 

A retired Norwich Police Officer and bystanders jumped into action after a man set himself on fire at a gas station on West Main Street in Willimantic on Saturday night.

According to police, a man doused himself with gasoline from a gas pump at Chucky's Gas Station.

The gas attendant quickly shut off the gas pumps when witnesses alerted him.

Bystanders grabbed fire extinguishers from the gas station and extinguished the flames burning the man and those that engulfed the gas pump, police said.

Willimantic Police, firefighters and paramedics responded and the man was transported to Windham Hospital, where he succumbed to his injuries.

The Willimantic fire marshal's office and the Willimantic Police are investigating.

A gas grill exploded outside a house on Leigh Drive in East Haven on Sunday afternoon, causing damage to the  side of the house.

The fire was reported at around 1:34 p.m.,

The explosion started a small fire that spread and damaged the side of the home, East Haven Battalion Chief Eileen Parlapo said.

The deck around the grill was also charred.

There were no injuries.

A 46-year-old Stratford man who crashed into a nail salon on Friday, sending nine people to the hospital, has been charged with operating under the influence.

Police have identified the driver as Dennis Leach and said he has been released from custody after posting $50,000 bond.

Leach was driving an SUV that crashed into Pretty Nails, at 411 Barnum Avenue Cutoff, around 4 p.m. on Friday.

Emergency responders rushed nine people to the hospital, including Leach and a child who was in the passenger seat.

"When the car came in, I was just doing my job and I just heard 'pong,'" said Kai Tan, who was in the middle to doing a manicure at Pretty Nails on Friday afternoon. "I turned around and saw a car over there and I just ran out."

Stratford said one of the nine victims had a serious injury.

A woman at the hair salon next door described the noise as like glass dominoes falling down. The crash knocked some of their products off the shelf but structurally, their place is fine.

Some of the victims shoes were all that remained as some Stratford residents stopped by the scene to watch the cleanup.

"This is horrific. This is terrible," said Sonja Smallwood, who was running late to her appointment. "Yes thank God. Usually I like to come a few minutes early."

Kari Webb usually takes her 92-year-old client to get her nails done every Friday.

"We didn’t want to come out because of the weather," Webb said. "I’m glad we didn’t come out. My God, I’m shocked. So sad. You can’t take life for granted."

The Stratford Police Department is investigating. The victims were taken to St. Vincent's and Bridgeport hospitals.

Inspectors said the nail salon is structurally sound, but there is no word on when it could reopen.

Leach was charged with operation while under the influence, risk of injury to a minor, four counts of second-degree assault with a motor vehicle and five counts of third-degree assault. 

If anyone has information concerning the crash, call the Stratford Police Department at 203-385-4158/4159.

Trumbull police have arrested a 30-year-old Fairfield man accused of attacking his ex-girlfriend on Sunday morning.

The victim’s mother called Trumbull police at 9:37 a.m. to report that her daughter was being attacked by her ex-boyfriend inside her apartment at the Eaves of Trumbull. 

When police responded, the victim said Richard Rosario assaulted her, said he had a weapon and threatened to shoot any officer responding to her home, according to a news release from police.

Trumbull officers, with help from Bridgeport Police and State Police, set up a perimeter around the complex. 

The victim told the first Trumbull officers to arrive that Rosario had fled her apartment and led investigators to a vacant apartment in the building, police said.

The apartment was locked from the inside, police said, and Rosario jumped out of a second-floor back window as police were preparing to enter.

He ran into the woods near Route 25, police said, led police on a chase across the highway toward the parking lots at the end of Quarry Road, police said.

A Trumbull officer who was responding to the area saw Rosario behind a building, trying to climb a fence and apprehended him with help from a state trooper.

Police said Rosario did not have a weapon. He was transported to St. Vincent’s Medical Center to be treated for a minor hand injury, where he again tried to escape, police said.

Two Trumbull officers caught him inside the hospital.

The victim told police that Rosario tried to strangle her, punched her in the face several times and threatened to kill her and other family members.  She refused medical attention at the scene.

Rosario was wanted on a Trumbull warrant for violation of a protective order from a previous encounter with the victim, police said. The outstanding arrest warrant was served and bond was set at $50,000.

Rosario has also been charged with home invasion, third-degree burglary, first-degree stalking, second-degree strangulation, third-degree assault, escape from custody, second-degree threatening, possession of drug paraphernalia, interfering with an officer, disorderly conduct and unlawful restraint. 

Bond was set at $750,000. 

He is expected to be arraigned in Bridgeport on Monday.
 

An early morning house fire in Wethersfield claimed one life.

Fire officials responded to a fire at a two-story house at 93 Glenwood Drive around 1:20 a.m.

One resident was able to escape, but the other was trapped inside.

Hartford Mayor Pedro Segarra on Monday released his budget plan for the next fiscal year and it cuts spending by around $47 million while avoiding tax increases.
 
Segarra said his plan will not cut essential city services, but most departments will likely have to look for about $500,000 in cuts.
 
The mayor said he intends to ask unions to make concessions to avoid layoffs.
 
Hartford City Council President Shawn Wooden issued a statement, commending the lack of tax increases, but said he does not approve increases for spending on staffing. 
 
"I am pleased that the Mayor submitted a budget with no tax increases, and I look forward to reviewing it closely once it is transmitted to the Council,” Council President Shawn T. Wooden said in a statement. “And, while I appreciate that his proposed budget complies with the municipal code's one assistant per Councilmember staffing model, it is an increase in spending that I do not support.”
 
Wooden wants to see the number of aides cut from nine to seven.
 
The city’s largest expenses continue to be pension fund contributions and health plans, Segarra said during a news conference.

A man accused of shooting and killing his pregnant former girlfriend before shooting a Dallas police officer during a chase Monday afternoon is now in police custody.

Dallas police said Tyrone Christopher Allen is charged with capital murder and aggravated assault on a police officer.

Allen is suspected in the fatal shooting of Breshuana Jackson. Jackson, 28, a mother of six children between the ages of 2 and 10, was killed along with her unborn child Monday morning in a shooting on the 12300 block of Hoblitzelle Drive.

According to police, Jackson was shot at about 10:15 a.m. She screamed out the name of her attacker, a witness said. The witness saw the gunman drive away from the residence and was able to provide police with a description of the getaway vehicle.

After the shooting, nearby Hamilton Park Pacesetter Magnet Elementary School was locked down as a precaution.

At about 11:53 a.m., police spotted a vehicle matching the witnesses' description. Officers tried to make a stop, but Allen refused and led police up and down Central Expressway.

Allen then pulled into the same Hamilton Park neighborhood where Jackson was shot earlier in the morning. As the driver sped through the neighborhood trying to elude police, he began taking shots at police officers, striking Officer Daniel Malouf once in the lower abdomen.

Malouf, who was wearing a bulletproof vest, was transported to Medical City Dallas. He was released and was recovering at home, Police Chief David Brown said Monday night.

Malouf has been with the department for five years and served in in the Army in Kosovo, Iraq and Afghanistan, police said.

Chopper 5 captured video of Allen stopping at one home and then people outside the running for cover as if they were being fired upon. The driver then again sped off down the road.

With his getaway car showing signs of damage, Allen then crashed, got out of the car and took off on foot. He then entered a house on Galva Drive, where he remained holed up until the standoff was brought to a close shortly before 4:30 p.m.

Allen was taken into custody without incident, police said.

During the standoff, SWAT was called to the scene and nearby homes were evacuated as a precaution.

The standoff was located about a block from the elementary school.  The school, which had been on lock down since 10:45 a.m., dismissed on time Monday -- more on that can be read here.

NBC 5''s Eric King and Omar Villafranca contributed to this story.