San Diego's top stories for Friday, May 29 | 6PM

Added: 2026-05-30

[00:00:10]Two people died after a wrong-way crash on the 5 this morning. I have the latest on the investigation from CHP.

[00:00:16]>> Just because it's over-the-counter, it doesn't [music] make it safe.

[00:00:19]>> A new warning from San Diego doctors about a social media trend that's led to emergency room visits.

[00:00:25]>> And you don't always associate letter carriers with [music] having a dangerous job, but in San Diego, it especially is.

[00:00:31]We just made the top 10 list for dog bites.

[00:00:34]>> From the World Cup buzz to soccer on the sand, why thousands are flocking to Oceanside this weekend for the beach soccer championships.

[00:00:47]>> We begin tonight with an investigation into an early morning wrong-way crash on Interstate 5 that left two people dead.

[00:00:54]Good evening, and thank you for joining us. I'm Carlo Chechetto.

[00:00:56]>> I'm Marcella Lee. The crash happened in the southbound lanes near downtown and the airport, and may have impacted your morning commute. News 8's Alex Cheney joins us live now with more on the investigation after speaking with Highway Patrol. Alex?

[00:01:10]>> Yeah, Marcella, CHP tells me that the investigation continues into whether drugs or alcohol were a factor in this morning crash.

[00:01:20]The deadly crash was reported around 3:00 a.m. when a Dodge Durango, driven by a 56-year-old man from El Cajon, was driving on the 5 southbound south of Laurel Street when it crashed with a white Honda CRV driven by a 62-year-old man from Bonita, according to CHP. Both vehicles burst into flames after the impact. The driver of the Dodge was pronounced dead at the scene. The driver of the Honda was taken to a local hospital where he later was pronounced dead. The crash forced lanes to be closed on the 5 south through 7:00 a.m.

[00:01:49]backing up traffic during the morning commute. Salvador Castro of the CHP told CBS 8 that they are still investigating to determine which vehicle was driving the wrong way.

[00:02:01]>> CHP also says this serves as a good reminder to slow down and be safe this weekend. Reporting live from Alex Cheney, back over to you.

[00:02:09]>> Such a tragedy. Thank you so much, Alex.

[00:02:11]>> Tonight we are learning a former San Diego County Sheriff's Deputy was sentenced to 12 years in federal prison for shooting an unarmed man outside the downtown jail.

[00:02:20]>> That shooting happened in 2020. Aaron Russell shot Nicholas Bills four times in the back while Bills was running away after slipping out of handcuffs.

[00:02:30]Russell claimed he thought Bills was holding a gun, but prosecutors say he never mentioned seeing one in the hours after the shooting. The victim's mother said in a statement, "No one should be shot and killed simply for running away."

[00:02:44]>> The manhunt continues for a man accused of killing his girlfriend and then fleeing with their 5-year-old daughter.

[00:02:49]The District Attorney for Los Angeles County has announced that 40-year-old Ruben Forgoso is facing charges of murder and child abuse. Authorities say they believe Forgoso fled into Mexico with his daughter after leaving his SUV behind in a parking garage near the San Ysidro border. So far it appears that an official request for assistance from Mexico has not been made. Authorities say Forgoso could face 25 years to life in prison if he is ultimately caught and convicted.

[00:03:17]>> Thousands of San Diegans could soon lose CalFresh benefits as new work requirements take effect Monday, raising concerns about growing food insecurity across the county. At Father Joe's Villages, staff says demand is already reaching record levels with hundreds of cars lining up for weekly food distributions. Demand is so high, they say, that they actually ran out of food recently.

[00:03:41]>> Um last week we started rationing. Um so we're putting less food in the boxes for the families. Um so we need at least give everybody something. Um because the people coming here and leaving with nothing is unacceptable.

[00:03:54]>> Officials estimate up to 90,000 San Diegans could eventually be affected by those changes.

[00:04:01]A dangerous social media trend is landing kids in the emergency room.

[00:04:05]>> Rady Children's Hospital says five children overdosed on Benadryl in just one week. Doctors tell us all of them were brought in after attempting the so-called Benadryl challenge that they saw on TikTok. The goal of it, hallucinations. But doctors warn that's where the danger lies.

[00:04:23]>> But the dose required to induce hallucinations is also the same dose that can cause cardiac arrest and respiratory arrest.

[00:04:31]>> Warning signs include bizarre behavior, unsteadiness, flushing, or overheating.

[00:04:37]If you think your child has taken too much Benadryl, you should call poison control immediately. You can do so anytime day or night at 1-800-222-1-222.

[00:04:49]>> San Diego County is teaming up with UC San Diego to study the health impacts of pollution from the Tijuana River Valley.

[00:04:55]The study will measure harmful chemicals in the air impacting South Bay communities where residents have long complained of a rotten egg smell from hydrogen sulfide emissions. Officials say the goal is to replace guesswork with hard science and to give families living in the area real answers about the air they are breathing. Results are expected within a year.

[00:05:15]>> With anticipation already building for the World Cup, soccer fever is definitely in the air. And this weekend, the game is getting a Southern California twist.

[00:05:24]>> USA Today's Brian White reports from Oceanside, which is hosting one of the largest beach soccer festivals on the West Coast.

[00:05:31]>> Yeah, the energy is already building out here at Harbor Beach with a giant soccer stadium right here in the sand with pro, amateur, and youth teams competing all weekend long.

[00:05:43]The beach soccer championships have taken over Harbor Beach drawing pro men's and women's teams, youth clubs, and fans from across the country.

[00:05:52]Organizers say what started back in 2007 has grown into one of the biggest beach soccer events on the West Coast.

[00:05:58]>> In a nutshell, beach soccer's the funnest way to play the game that you've never seen if you haven't seen it.

[00:06:04]>> And the game looks different than traditional soccer. The ball rarely touches the sand, which means players are constantly juggling and attempting acrobatic shots.

[00:06:13]>> Lots of bicycle kicks and half volleys and headers and chesting that all keeps the ball in the air.

[00:06:20]>> The tournament features eight men's pro teams and five women's pro teams with players coming from around the world.

[00:06:26]For US men's national beach soccer player Antonio Chavez, he's been playing here since he was 8 years old.

[00:06:32]>> The sun, sand, the bicycle kicks, it's just it's everything that is great about soccer.

[00:06:39]>> And with World Cup fever already starting to build, fans say this is the perfect way to get hyped for what's ahead.

[00:06:45]>> It's building momentum, looking at soccer in all of its different forms, and beach soccer's just one of them.

[00:06:50]>> Oh, heck yeah. Yeah, we're already in the zone, already prepared for it. Yeah, we got our bets placed and everything.

[00:06:56]We're excited.

[00:06:57]>> Games run all weekend long from morning until sunset with 13 youth fields surrounding the main pro stadium, and organizers say whether you're a die-hard soccer fan or just looking for a fun day at the beach, everyone's welcome.

[00:07:09]>> Come down. It's all free. There's a beer garden. There's lots of food vendors.

[00:07:14]Beach Soccer Championships is really fun.

[00:07:16]>> And the championship matches wrap up on Sunday with the men's and women's finals in the afternoon.

[00:07:22]In Oceanside, I'm Brian White, News 8.

[00:07:25]>> It'll toughen up the top of your foot fast.

[00:07:27]>> Yeah, right?

[00:07:28]>> [music] >> Uh there is a new way to get to downtown San Diego from the South Bay.

[00:07:33]>> It's pretty neat. We'll show you still ahead. Plus [music] fierce debate among state lawmakers as they consider several immigration bills.

[00:07:41]>> And what we're learning about plans looking to bring a public ice skating facility to Escondido.

[00:07:47]>> We're seeing lot [music] less of that cloud cover that we had earlier this morning as area of low pressure is exiting out towards the east. High pressure right behind it and a weekend warm up. All the details are coming up.