Hartford police are searching for an 18-year-old accused of sexually assaulting an underage girl.

Police have obtained an arrest warrant for Michael Squirewell, charging him with first-degree sexual assault, second-degree sexual assault and two counts of risk of injury to a minor.

Squirewell, who goes by “Mike Live,” is associated with addresses in New Britain, Manchester and Hartford, police said.

He is 5-feet-8, weighs around 160 pounds, has black hair and brown eyes.

His bond was set at $500,000.

Anyone with information on where he is should call the Hartford Police Department at 860-757-4000. Information can be given anonymously via the Crime Stoppers tipline 860-722-8477.

A University of Central Florida student was shot by officers with a Taser after going on a shirtless rant during an apparently bad LSD trip, an incident caught on police body cameras.

John Cain, 21, had pulled the fire alarm at UCF's library Sunday and ran outside yelling for help when fellow students tried to calm him, WESH reported.

"Sit down and stay calm dude," one student said, in cell phone video taken by one student. "Sit down in the grass and calm down, bro."

"Where am I," Cain responds, before becoming violent with the other students.

As the students waited for campus police to arrive, witnesses were heard on the video saying Cain told them he took LSD and needed help. He also kept removing his clothing.

When officers arrived, body cameras showed them confront a shirtless Cain, who put up a brief fight before he was shot with the Taser and taken into custody.

He was taken to a nearby hospital, and it was unknown if he'll face any charges.

Police officials said Cain told them he took LSD. They said there were no serious injuries.

"The mission of the UCF Police Department is to provide and maintain a safe environment,” said Deputy Chief Brett Meade. "In this case, officers recognized a student in distress and used their training to professionally diffuse the situation with his well-being and the safety of other students in mind."

A California woman whose cellphone was snatched and kicked by a deputy U.S. Marshal while she was recording law enforcement officers detaining several people plans to file a civil rights lawsuit against the officers and the city, her attorney said Monday.

Beatriz Paez said she feared for her life when an armed marshal threw her cellphone and stomped on it and kicked it Sunday while she was out for a walk in South Gate.

She said she saw several officers from various law enforcement agencies pointing their weapons at the heads of several people lying on their stomachs on a lawn with their hands behind their backs.

She said that when the marshal approached her she only had a few seconds to react.

"I thought he was going to beat me up," Paez said. "He yanked it and then he threw it on the ground. He stomped on my phone with his boots several times until he destroyed it."

She managed to salvage the phone's subscriber identification module and is trying to recover the video. The confrontation was caught on a 53-second video taken by someone from across the street and posted on YouTube.

The woman who filmed the confrontation, who did not want to be identified, said the experience was so terrifying she decided to stop filming.

"It was despicable. It was uncalled for. As soon as... when he snatched the phone away from her it actually startled me I got scared, I had to stop recording because... it was just too scary," She said. "

Paez's attorney, Colleen Flynn, said she plans to file a federal civil rights lawsuit.

"There was some police activity going on," Flynn said. "My client was in no way interfering with that police activity. As long as you're not interfering, you absolutely have a right to film police in public."

Officials from the U.S. Marshals Service and the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department are reviewing the video.

The incident took place as officers from multiple agencies responded to a report of a biker gang meeting at a bar in South Gate, sources confirmed to NBC News Investigations.

Mekahlo Medina and Gadi Schwartz contributed to this report.

WARNING: This YouTube video contains profanity.

Moonshine is going to the moon. Well, almost.

A Connecticut distillery plans to launch a 750-milliliter bottle of moonshine 22 miles into space next month. It will be the first time a full-sized bottle of liquor leaves the earth’s atmosphere.

“Onyx Moonshine is all about attempting things that haven’t been done before, which is the true essence of the American spirit,” Onyx Spirits Company co-founder Adam von Gootkin said in a statement Tuesday. “It’s amazing to think that 150 years ago our ancestors were arrested for illegally selling moonshine and here we are, legally sending a bottle into space. This is just one small adventure of many more to come.”

Company officials will fasten the bottle of liquor to an aeronautical weather balloon, along with a rock glass and silver platter, and launch it into space May 2.

The apparatus – two years in the making – is equipped with GoPro cameras, GPS technology, a radar deflector, parachute and foam covering to protect the bottle when it lands on Long Island Sound.

Rain dates are slated for May 3, 9 and 10 in case weather gets in the way. The exact time and location of the launch is still to be determined, but the East Hartford distillery said it will take place somewhere in western Connecticut.

Onyx Moonshine, which got its start in 2011, announced the launch in observance of Earth Day and the company’s “commitment to sustainable business practices.” The distillery produces the country’s first ultra-premium moonshine and New England’s first aged whiskey.

Officials in Hartford have collected hundreds of items for more than 30 families who lost everything in a fire last week and held an agency fair to provide them with much-needed services.

Multiple agencies – including Housing and Urban Development, the Department of Children and Families, Department of Motor Vehicles, Capitol Region Education Council and American Red Cross – convened in the Phillips Metropolitan Office Complex on Tuesday evening.

Members of each agency were available to answer fire victims' questions, address concerns and help the families put together plans to get back up on their feet.

The families, who are currently staying in a hotel, also received warm meals and took home donated clothing, food and toiletries.

The fair was held just feet away from the scene of last week's three-alarm fire on Main Street, which left some 70 adults and children with nothing but the clothes on their backs.

Since then, the city has provided housing and meals for the displaced residents and the community has stepped up and given whatever they could to help.

"Today is special because you see the community in action working together to provide resources to the families," said State Rep. Brandon McGee. "If it were any of our families, I think we would want someone to be in our corner to provide resources needed to get back a regular life."

City officials hope to find the families permanent housing by next week. McGee said there's still a demand for toiletries and monetary donations.

Bridgeport police have tracked down the car they believe struck a 72-year-old man who was crossing the street and left him in critical condition Monday night.

Police said a tip from the community led them to the red two-door vehicle wanted in connection with the crash. The car had been abandoned on Eagle Street and has been towed as evidence. Police are still looking for the driver.

The victim, Cyrel Lennon, was struck at Stratford and Hollister avenues while trying to cross the street around 8:22 p.m. on Monday and brought to Bridgeport Hospital, police said.

The car, initially described as a red late-1990s Pontiac Grand Am or Grand Prix with tinted windows, stopped briefly after hitting Lennon, then sped away, according to police. It was last seen driving eastbound on Stratford Avenue, then fleeing the scene on Hewitt Street.

Police are still investigating the collision.

Anyone with information about this vehicle is asked to contact Officer Vivo can be contacted at 203-576-7639.

The city of New Haven has come up with a tentative plan to move a controversial outdoor firing range amid backlash from neighbors who say they can't stand the noise.

Some eight organizations train at the firing range, which is located at the New Haven Police Academy on Sherman Parkway in Newhallville.

Neighbors say they hear gunshots multiple days a week from the early morning until until late at night.

"We would never wish this on any residential neighborhood," said Firing Range Committee chairperson Francine Caplan, who lives near the range.

While the range has bothered neighbors for two decades, residents say the noise has recently intensified.

"They have very loud firings now, practices, where some of them are not just guns but they are bangs of ammunition and they rattle the houses. And we get nervous, the children get nervous, the animals get scared. It’s really horrible," said Caplan.

Earlier this year, the city received $1 million from the state to build a new indoor range at a former National Guard site on Wintergreen Avenue.

City officials previously estimated it could cost up to $6 million to move the academy and the range. Despite the discrepancy between the two figures, city officials began working to see what they could do with what they were given.

The city is now proposing a scaled-back indoor range in the basement of the former guard building, which could be accomplished with the $1 million grant.

"We feel rather comfortable, or hopeful, I should say, that we will be able to have the firing range moved from outdoor to indoor at the Wintergreen site with the million dollars that was allocated," said Joe Rodriguez, a legislative liaison for the New Haven mayor’s office.

The plan and its design still need to be finalized before it can be considered a done deal.

"At this point, I’m not particularly promising you a date, because it’s dependent on how quickly we’re able to get all the finalized agreements with the state," said city engineer Giovanni Zinn.

Neighbors are hopeful their nightmare might soon be over.

"I hope immediately, to tell you the truth, for the little children. I can tolerate it much more than they can, especially when you see them put their hands on their ears. Enough is enough," said Vanessa Thigpen, who lives near the outdoor range.

Until the new range opens, neighbors want police to change how and when they train and to give neighbors a heads up so they can plan accordingly.

"We know we’re going to have this all summer, definitely," said Caplan.

Moving the academy itself would involve more work and money.

UConn football tight end and Glastonbury native Sean McQuillan is facing assault charges after fighting with his roommate Friday night, according to the Daily Campus.

Online court records show McQuillan was arrested Friday and charged with second-degree assault and disorderly conduct.

The Daily Campus reports that McQuillan got into a fight with his roommate at the Celeron Square Apartment complex and caused "significant facial injuries" to the other person.

University officials declined to elaborate on the incident Tuesday night.

"The athletic department is aware of the situation and we will wait for the judicial process to take its full course. In the meantime, Sean has a responsibility to finish out the semester academically," UConn Athletic Department spokesman Mike Enright said in a statement.

According to McQuillan's bio on the UConn football website, the 22-year-old red shirt senior started 11 games in the 2014 season. He was team captain at Glastonbury High School and studies resource economics and communications at UConn.

McQuillan was released on $500 bond ahead of his court appearance Monday. He's due back before a judge May 21.

Washington, D.C., Metro riders rushed to the rescue of a man who drove his motorized wheelchair onto the tracks at the U Street station Tuesday afternoon.

Two men jumped down after him and hoisted him back up to the platform in about 30 seconds as other riders also went to the edge of the platform to help. They also retrieved the wheelchair.

The closest train was three stations away, but the third rail was hot.

While Metro acknowledged the heroics of the good Samaritans, they reminded that it’s best to wait for the station manager to cut power to the third rail.

Emergency workers said the man was conscious and breathing with some cuts to his face.

“He’s a regular down here as well,” said an employee of the & Pizza by the 13th Street entrance. “We see him all the time. He comes to & Pizza. He’s a good guy so I’m glad they rescued him, took care of him.”

Flood warnings have been extended for Hartford and Middlesex counties along the Connecticut River after heavy rain Monday caused water levels to rise.

The National Weather Service predicts the river will rise above flood stage by Wednesday afternoon.

We could see minor flooding in low-lying areas of Hartford, Wethersfield and Glastonbury. According to the NWS, Flooding is likely along Route 17A in Portland.

It will be dry overnight, but showers and thunderstorms will likely develop again Wednesday afternoon and into the evening.

Flood warnings are expected to remain in effect through Thursday night.

Send your weather photos to shareit@nbcconnecticut.com.

The reigning Super Bowl champion New England Patriots will open their season at home against the Pittsburgh Steelers.

The full 2015 schedule was released Tuesday evening. The regular season begins on Thursday, Sept. 10.

Fans can mark the following dates on their calendars:

8:30 p.m. Thursday, Sept. 10 - Pittsburgh Steelers
1 p.m. Sunday, Sept. 20 - at Buffalo Bills
1 p.m. Sunday, Sept. 27 - Jacksonville Jaguars
BYE WEEK
4:25 p.m.* Sunday, Oct. 11 - at Dallas Cowboys
8:30 p.m.* Sunday, Oct. 18 - at Indianapolis Colts
1 p.m.* Sunday, Oct. 25 - New York Jets*
8:25 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 29 - Miami Dolphins
1 p.m.* Sunday, Nov. 8 - Washington Redskins
4:25 p.m.* Sunday, Nov. 15 - at New York Giants
8:30 p.m. Monday, Nov. 23 - Buffalo Bills
8:30 p.m.* Sunday, Nov. 29 - at Denver Broncos
4:25 p.m.* Sunday, Dec. 6 - Philadelphia Eagles
1 p.m.* Sunday, Dec. 13 - at Houston Texans
1 p.m.* Sunday, Dec. 20 - Tennessee Titans
1 p.m.* Sunday, Dec. 27 - at New York Jets
1 p.m.* Sunday, Jan. 3 - at Miami Dolphins

*Flex scheduling may result in time change

A trusted friend of a woman who was killed at a posh Indonesian resort and stuffed inside a suitcase said he hopes her killers are tried in United States court.

Elliot Jacobson told NBC Chicago he's handed over evidence to the FBI that he says shows Heather Mack and Tommy Schaefer planned to kill Mack's mother, Sheila von Wiese-Mack, while they were all still in Chicago and prior to leaving for Bali.

Mack and Schaefer on Tuesday were convicted of murder in connection with the Aug. 12, 2014 slaying. While they both faced the death penalty, the three-judge Indonesian panel was lenient because Mack is a new mother and Schaefer was well-mannered. 

Mack, 19, was sentenced to 10 years in prison. The Denpasar District Court sentenced 21-year-old Schaefer to 18 years.

"The sentence was completely unjust," Jacobson said Tuesday. "This sentence was nowhere near commensurate with the crime that was committed."

Jacobson has previously shared with NBC Chicago emails he traded with von Wiese-Mack in which she expressed concerns about her daughter and of her own safety.

He said Mack's relationship with her newborn, Stella, should be severed.

"That baby should be brought to the United States. Her identity should be completely erased, a new identity established, and a home -- a proper home -- found for her," he said. 

Baby Stella will live with Mack in prison for two years, officials said. 

The Carson City Council on Tuesday cleared the path for a proposed stadium that could become home to the NFL's San Diego Chargers and Oakland Raiders.

The 3-0 vote Tuesday by the council marks a significant step forward for plans to lure the NFL back to the Los Angeles area after a two-decade drought without a team in the nation's second-largest media market.

In the Council Chambers packed with NFL fans, a steady stream of speakers urged the council to move ahead with plans for the stadium, and not bother waiting to put a ballot measure before voters – the same fast-track Inglewood took for its proposed stadium.

Mayor Albert Robles said he hopes NFL owners meeting tomorrow get the message that Carson is ready to go.

"This project is going to be built on a landfill that that's completely remediated and safe enough for homes, and if it's safe enough for homes it's definitely safe enough for a stadium," Mayor Robles added.

The Chargers and Raiders announced in February they were  working on a joint proposal to build a 72,000-seat stadium at Del Amo Boulevard and the San Diego (405) Freeway in Carson. However, this is dependent on them being unable to strike deals for new facilities in their respective cities.

A major step was taken toward getting the NFL stadium built in Carson after a petition was delivered to city hall last month. While 8,041 signatures were needed, the group Carson2gether managed to get almost double that number.

Going through the initiative process allows the project to avoid lengthy and expensive environmental reviews.

In addition to the stadium, the latest project would also include a 350-room hotel, 850,000 square feet of commercial, entertainment and other uses, and a minimum of 10,000 parking spaces.

According to a staff report to the Carson City Council, the Chargers-Raiders stadium proposal would not require any city funds for "construction, overruns, maintenance or capital improvements." The report concluded that the stadium would give the city a "signature project."

The Inglewood City Council has already approved a plan by St. Louis Rams owner Stan Kroenke to build a stadium at the former Hollywood Park racetrack site.

Members voted unanimously on Feb. 24 to approve the 80,000-seat stadium. Despite this, the Rams have not announced any plans of moving back to the Los Angeles area.

LA has not had an NFL team since 1994. Officials in Industry and Inglewood also are considering stadium plans.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

A tornado touched down in the Southern California desert on Tuesday, meteorologists say.

The twister hit north of the small town of Desert Center in Riverside County sometime between 3:45 and 4 p.m., according to the National Weather Service in Phoenix, which overlooks that portion of the California county.

"From what we can figure out, it was a pretty good, strong thunderstorm that was able to produce this tornado," said Valerie Meyers, a forecaster-meteorologist with the National Weather Service.

The tornado remained within the open desert about 70 miles east of Palm Springs, Meyers said.

The NWS examined photos taken by onlookers and assessed radar images, but was still looking into the intensity of the tornado.

The amount of damage, if any, had yet to be determined.

A 14-year-old boy allegedly attacked a Metrobus driver with a Taser, according to Metro Transit Police.

About 5:15 p.m. Jan. 30 on the Fort Totten-bound E4 bus at Nicholson and 6th streets in northeast D.C., the boy used the Taser on the driver’s right arm without being provoked, police said.

The driver was taken to a hospital.

Police identified the suspect using video from the bus.

"Assaulting a bus operator is an act that puts at risk every passenger aboard the bus," Metro Transit Police Chief Ron Pavlik said in a statement. "We will continue to do whatever it takes to protect our employees and customers."

The boy is charged with assault with a dangerous weapon.

A deputy chief in the Hartford Fire Department has been placed on leave after clashing with the chief at a fire task force meeting last Thursday, according to his attorney.

Deputy Chief of Training Daniel Nolan criticized Chief Carlos Huertas, telling the task force there is a lack of communication between the two and that the chief's orders are ineffective, "especially when they're unlawful and they jeopardize the safety of our firefighters."

New Interim Asst. Chief Scott Brady confronted Nolan after the meeting and asked him to "return to training" and avoid speaking with the media. The chief and his public information officer, however, pulled Brady away, and Nolan continued to criticize his superior.

"Despite our personal differences, I mean, it doesn't take a board to figure out that the leadership needs to be changed in the fire department," Nolan told reporters following the incident.

Nolan also singled out two retired chiefs who sit on the task force, Edward Casares and Charles Teale, saying the politician promotions and hiring that occurred under their watch are to blame for a number of the fire department's current problems.

"Their credibility is lacking for the most part, in my opinion, and they shouldn't be advising anyone," he said after the meeting.

Huertas refuted Nolan's claims and said he planned to address the situation.

"I take exception to Dan Nolan's comments, but that's something that I'll have to deal internally with," Huertas said.

Nolan was placed on administrative leave after the meeting, according to his attorney. 

"D/C Dan Nolan has been placed on Administrative Leave with Pay today pending an investigation into an incident that occurred during and immediately following the Task Force meeting on Thursday, April 16, 2015," fire department spokesperson Capt. Helene Lynch said in a statement Tuesday afternoon.

Lynch said Nolan must be available during his regular hours and is not permitted to visit any fire department location unless the chief grants permission.

"I'm sure the chief and his team had to do what they thought was appropriate," said Hartford City Councilman Ken Kennedy. "The unlawfulness of the commands, obviously that's surprising, and obviously the administration and council will look into whether that is, in fact, accurate."

A Waterbury elementary school principal has been placed on paid administrative leave days after returning from a school trip to China, according to the superintendent.

Superintendent Dr. Kathleen Ouellette declined to comment on the investigation into Carrington Elementary School principal Kevin Brennan but said it relates to the trip.

Brennan accompanied 10 students in kindergarten through eighth grade and 10 adult chaperones to China over April vacation.

Ouellette broke the news to parents in a letter Friday and said supervising vice principal Karen Renna will lead the school in his absence.

"Parents and guardians should be assured that high levels of teaching and learning will continue during this period," Ouellette wrote.

School officials have not revealed any details of Brennan's suspension. The Waterbury Police Department declined to comment except to say police helped with part of the investigation.

Parents said the news comes as a surprise.

"It was pretty much of a shock to me only because I've known him for so long and he's a great principal," said parent Diane Crespo. "When it comes to being the principal of the school, he's been absolutely phenomenal. He's been very, very involved with the children, with the parents, and always made us feel very, very welcome at the school."

Neither Brennan nor his union could be reached for comment Tuesday.

A low-performing school in Waterbury is one step closer to turning itself around, thanks to a plan that includes extra training and classroom time for teachers.

Crosby High School is one of two schools in Waterbury that are part of the Commissioner's Network, a project designed to improve about 25 of the state's lowest-performing schools.

State Department of Education spokesperson Kelly Donnelly said the state just signed off on final tweaks to school's turnaround plan.

The plan is designed to reduce chronic absenteeism, reduce suspensions and increase reading and math achievement, according to Waterbury School Turnaround Supervisor Paul Whyte.

As part of a plan recently submitted to the state Board of Education, and now approved, the school aims to split into smaller academies starting with a ninth-grade academy next year.

Freshman can expect longer school days next year, as classroom learning time will be extended by about 30 minutes each day at that academy and all teachers at the school will undergo additional training, something the Waterbury teacher's union has signed off on.

The district is hoping state funding will cover the costs of the added teacher training and classroom time which is expected to be about $250,000 a year.

They're hoping to add additional academies and longer class days for other grades in the future if state money is available.

The Waterbury teacher's union is meeting with Crosby teachers about this plan on Wednesday.

The old Interstate 95 south exit 44 to Kimberly Avenue has closed in West Haven and drivers are reminded they'll have to use the new exit, formerly exit 45, instead.

In the past,  drivers getting off of the southbound side of I-95 in West Haven at exit 44 have probably experienced the quick change over of lanes. Drivers trying to get on the highway would be shifting lanes while drivers getting off the highway were trying to do the same.

It’s a problem the Department of Transportation plans to fix, closing the old southbound exit on April 21. They plan to tear it down to improve safety, efficiency and have less traffic congestion.

Clive Watson has done it.

“When you’re coming on the highway, it’s just a short distance before it ends for you to get on, so it’s a problem,” Said Watson.

The exit in question makes a loop and goes into Kimberly Avenue.

Mayor Ed O’Brien said the change will re-direct traffic onto Ella T. Grasso Boulevard.

“Then there will be two left turns and they’ll come down to Kimberly Avenue. And then into West Haven,” Said O’Brien.

Demolishing the exit also means there will not be a southbound exit into West Haven off of I-95.

“The exit 45, that’s currently New Haven exit… it’s going to be exchanged to exit 44,” said O’Brien, who isn’t happy with the removal of the exit because it does not take drivers directly into downtown West Haven. However, when it comes to safety, O’Brien said that’s more important.

Drivers NBC Connecticut spoke with agree.

“Yeah, it’s a good idea,” Said Watson.

City leaders say the closure is all part of a larger project: construction of a new mall.

When was the last time you ate everything off your dinner plate? For Earth Day this year, take a closer look at what you eat – and what you have left over – to help preserve the environment.

Each year, humans waste about one third of the food produced for consumption, or 1.3 billion tons, according to the United Nations Environmental Program. Americans alone throw out $48.3 billion, or 30 percent, of our food annually.

Rotting food in landfills creates methane, a greenhouse gas that contributes to climate change, according to the UNEP. When food goes uneaten, farms waste the water, energy and land that went into producing it.

There are small changes you can make to consume food consciously. Here are three recipes, adapted from Real Simple and Eating Well, to give you ideas for how to use leftovers before they end up in the garbage.

Cucumber Hummus Appetizers:

Use that half-empty container of hummus you have lying around in your fridge, plus the cucumber you bought for a salad three days ago. You can also mix things up with other kinds of spreads and veggies. If you have some Nutella and walnuts in you baking cabinet, try them on toasted bread.

Veggie Quesadillas:

If you didn’t finish last night’s side of vegetables, you can repurpose them into veggie quesadillas. Use a mix of mushrooms, onions and cheese, or just combine the produce and cheese you have on hand.

Pasta Dinner:

Get creative with last night's pasta dinner. For breakfast, mix leftover spaghetti with eggs, milk and spices to make a hearty frittata.

Enjoy!