Good evening. A small gyrocopter piloted by a florida postman caused quite a scare when it flew apparently unchallenged into highly respected airspace in the center of washington, d. C. And landed on the lawn of the u. S. Capitol. The capitol went into immediate lockdown as police searched the aircraft for explosives. And now once again questions are being raised about how well the nations capitol is secured against aerial threats. Tonight the pilot is in custody, and we now know his bizarre landing wasnt exactly a surprise. Peter alexander explains. Reporter they say things never move fast on capitol hill. Today was an exception. This is not good, people. Reporter coming in for a landing of the lawn of the u. S. Capitol, doug hughes on board whats called a gyrocopter. Everyone was shouting, move, get down, move reporter the 61yearold mailman from ruskin, florida, was looking to deliver a message to washington, demanding an end to big money and politics and government corruption. Carrying 535 letters, one for each member of congress. It was a daring act of civil disobedience that also happened to be a federal crime. Hughes made no secret of his plan, alerting the Tampa Bay Times last year. Im going violate the nofly zone, nonviolently, i intend for nobody to get hurt. Reporter he acknowledged the risk to his safety. I dont believe that the authorities are going to shoot down a 60yearold mailman in a flying bicycle. Reporter and insisted he was not a terrorist. Terrorists dont broadcast their flight path. Terrorists dont invite an escort to go along with them. Reporter hughes told the paper he took off from gettysburg, pennsylvania, an hour away, rounding the washington monument. Giving him a clear view of the white house before landing at the capitol. I had no idea he would make it this far. I thought for sure hed be brought down or forced down somewhere before this. Reporter its the latest in a string of Security Breaches including a drone that landed at the white house earlier this year. After arresting hughes, authorities found nothing hazardous on board. The Capitol Police are going to have to regroup, and the airspace in the district, everybody whos in charge of that has to regroup. Police helicopters should have been forcing this guy down before he ever reached the capitol. Reporter right now you see Capitol Police are ready to haul away the gyrocopter, but not until after the Capitol Grounds were locked down and the area was evacuated. After blogging about his plans a year ago, the secret Service Reportedly interviewed hughes in florida. Today he live streamed his flight, but its not clear whether Law Enforcement of aware of it before he got here. Doug hughes is expected to make his First Court Appearance here in washington tomorrow. And late tonight, police are converging on the airport in gettysburg, pennsylvania, where its believed that hughes took off on this unprecedented stunt. Lester . All right, peter alexander, thank you. We turn to an emotional day in a massachusetts courtroom. Former new England Patriots player Aaron Hernandez learned his fate. Convicted of a 2013 murder and sentenced to life in prison without parole. A stunning fall for someone who was once a superstar on the football field. Nbcs ron mott takes us inside the courtroom. What say you, madam foreperson . Reporter after a twomonth trial and seven days of deliberations, a dramatic end to the future of one of the nfls most promising stars, Aaron Hernandez. Guilty of murder in the first degree. Reporter audible gasps, hernandez appearing to say wrong while staring at the jury. So say all members of the jury . Yes. Reporter his mother and fiancee wiped away tears, as did the family of the man he murdered. 27yearold odin lloyd, a friend and semi pro Football Player found shot six times in a field a half mile from hernandezs million massachusetts home. I forgive the hands of the people who had a hand in my sons murder. Either before or after. And i pray and hope that someday everyone out there will forgive them also. Reporter the case against him was largely circumstantial. The murder weapon never recovered, a clear motive never established by the state. Prosecutors had Surveillance Video that appeared to show hernandez holding a gun the night lloyd was killed, as well as dna and physical evidence putting him at the scene. The jury found he was just a man who committed a brutal murder. The fact that he was a professional athlete meant nothing in the end. Reporter jurors heard from more than 130 witnesses. We followed the courts orders, assumed the man sitting in that seat is innocent until the prosecution proves hes guilty. Thats what happened today. Reporter on the field, hernandezs career was looking up when he was arrested. A 40 Million Contract in hand, a super bowl touchdown on his resume. But off the field, troubles. A lived a very secret double life. He was a very good Football Player. When he went home for the day, he lived a very secret, duplicitous life. Reporter hernandez was immediately transported to his new home a maximum security prison a mile and a half from the stadium where he was once cheered. This is not the last courtroom Aaron Hernandez will see. Later this year, its expected he will stand trial for double murder up in boston. This stems from a driveby shooting there in the summer of 2012. He has pleaded not guilty in that case. Hes also being sued in civil court by a man who says Aaron Hernandez shot him in the face. Lester . Ron, thank you. We turn to arizona now. On the heels of several recent incidents raising alarm about the use of police force, shocking video has surfaced of an officer taking down an armed suspect by hitting him with his car. But theres a lot more to the story which is why the Police Department says its something that had to be done. Nbc National Correspondent Miguel Almaguer has the story. I got a male reporter as police pursued the armed suspect, dash camera captured the violent collision. Oh [ bleep ] [ bleep ] man down. Reporter this is a graphic view from officer michael rapiejkos car as he slams into the suspect at 40 miles an hour. Its outside the box, and its unusual. But if he doesnt take that action, i believe well probably answer questions to a much more horrific tragedy. Reporter mario valencia was hospitalized but survived the crash. Booked for holding up a convenience store, trying to burn down this church, robbing a home hijacking a car, then driving to a walmart where police say he stole a rifle. Marana Police Officer dan rowan spots the suspect holding the rifle to his chin. The gun to his neck. [ gunshot ] reporter a single shot is fired into the air by valencia. One round just went out. A unit stand off, stand off the gun is loaded reporter moments later, officer rapiejko rams the suspect. Oh reporter valencias attorney outraged by the use of force. I do believe the intent was to kill my client. Its a miracle that hes not dead. Reporter with officer rapiejko cleared of all criminal charges, tonight theres public debate whether the action saved lives or displayed excessive force. While the officer behind the wheel has been cleared of any criminal charges, he does face an internal conduct probe here at Police Headquarters. The police chief telling us he stands by his officers side. As for the suspect, hes been released from the hospital. He faces 11 felony charges and has not yet entered a plea. Lester . Miguel, thank you. We turn to politics tonight. And some provocative comments by new Jersey Governor Chris Christie who hasnt said if hes planning to run for president but says if he does he will beat hillary clinton. At a town hall meeting in new hampshire, christie defended his new proposals to cut Social Security for upper income seniors, to raise the retirement age to 69, and to increase premiums for medicare. In an exclusive interview this afternoon, matt lauer sat down with christie and asked him about cutting entitlements. What some are calling good policy but bad politics. This country needs more good policy and less good politics. And the fact is that if you want to start a national conversation, you should talk about the thing that consumes 71 of the federal budget. And if you dont, then you have no right to talk about the other 29 because you wont have any money to pay for it. So for me, if you want to start a national conversation, i start it with entitlements intentionally because it is the singlemost important issue when it consumes 71 of all the money we spend in the federal government even if it doesnt make you a whole lot of friends . Listen, you know, i hope if it doesnt bring me friends, it brings people who respect me. There was a time when people talked about 2016 all of the buzz on the republican side was about you. Yeah. Is it possible that while you were dealing and i dont want to call them distractions because that makes them sound trivial with these serious issues of bridgegate back in new jersey, that your moment passed . I dont know. And neither do you. Well see. Ill tell you this much ive been the frontrunner before. Its a place where the bulls eyes on your back and everybodys shooting at you. Thats okay. Im fine with exactly where i am now because i havent changed. And when we start to talk if we run about really serious issues that face this country, i have an opportunity to be able to convince people the same way i would have had to convince them otherwise, matt. All that other stuff is artificial until the game really begins. The game hasnt come close to beginning. You can watch more of the interview with governor christie tomorrow morning on today. Another issue thats already making its way to the president ial campaign higher wages for hourly employees. Around the country today, workers took to the streets demanding better pay as the income gap is growing. Our report on this tonight from nbcs stephanie gosk. What do we want . Reporter on street corners around the country today, an organized cry for more money. I work two jobs to make ends meet. I would rather buy my daughters diapers than buy food for ourselves. Reporter labor unions and workers are demanding 15 an hour more than double the federal minimum wage. The Movement Comes as americans face the biggest wealth gap recorded in 30 years. In 2013, the median worth of upper income families was seven times more than middleincome families. And a full 70 times more than lower income families. These protesters believe a higher minimum wage can be part of the solution. More than 20 states have already raised the minimum wage in 2014 or will do so in 2015. Private companies have announced wage increases as well, like mcdonalds, walmart, and gap. Last night we introduced you to dan price, ceo of a credit card payment company. Our cameras were there when he announced he was giving his entire staff a salary of at least 70,000. [ applause ] reporter we caught up with him at a protest in new york today. This comes a couple of days after you made your announcement. How are they connected . You know, it seems that theres a major conversation about inequality brewing. The rich are getting richer. Sometimes kind of the little guy, the normal, average worker is not really keeping up. Reporter for generations, part of the American Dream has meant your kids will do better than you do. Now that they may not well never be defeated reporter there are loud voices demanding something be done to fix it. Stephanie gosk, nbc news, new york. A moment of silence today marked the twoyear anniversary of the Boston Marathon bombing. Survivors were on hand to watch the unveiling of commemorative banners at the site of the two blasts near the finish line. Mayor marty walsh has declared this one boston day. A celebration of the resilience of the city and its people. Three people died in the terror attack, and one officer was killed during the ensuing manhunt. In florida today, a third suspect was arrested in the alleged gang rape of a woman last month on a beach in panama city. The popular spring break destination has seen a string of violent incidents, and is now considering whether to end the party for good. We get more from gabe gutierrez. Reporter its a spring break hot spot. But officials in panama city beach, florida, say the party is getting out of control after this video surfaced of what police call a gang rape. Police say an unconscious 19yearold woman was sexually assaulted on a beach in broad daylight. Whats so disgusting and repulsive and sickening about this is this is happening in broad daylight within ten feet of where this is happening, theres hundreds, hundreds of people standing there, watching, looking, seeing, hearing whats going on. Reporter today a third man was arrested in the case. Two men were charged last week. This year, police have seen a dramatic increase in criminal behavior. A gunman shot seven people at a house party last month. There have been almost 1,100 arrests, triple last years total. Reported sexual assaults have almost doubled from six to 11. Police have set up socalled spring break jails, mobile booking cages to keep control. Now the city council is considering whether to ban drinking on the beach altogether, driving many of these spring breakers and their spending power elsewhere. We will do what it takes to take the beach back and get it under control. It didnt happen overnight, and its going to take us a while it work through it. Reporter the city has tried to crack down before, beefing up i. D. Checks and forcing bars to close at 2 00 a. M. The mayor now says other options are on the table to keep this beach safe. And the city council could vote on them next month. Lester . Gabe gutierrez, thanks. A popular snack brand has been ordered to change some of its labels because the fda says theyre not as good for you as the company claims. Kind snacks must stop calling at least four variety of its bars healthy because the fda says they have too much fat in them. Kind says it will change the labels, but the recipes will stay the same. Weve listed the specific bars on our website. Still ahead tonight, the airlines reducing seat room to pack in as many passengers as possible. Uncomfortable . Yes. Dangerous . Questions about getting out quickly if theres an emergency. Also, the baseball player struck down in his prime and the team that refused to give up on him. Your next flight might be even more cramped than you remember because airlines are adding seats and cutting leg restroom squeeze in as many customers as possible on board. With the cabin even more packed, concerns are being raised about whether all those people can be easily evacuated if theres an emergency. Heres nbcs tom costello. Tower, you copy . Car 100, run way 13 is closed. Reporter march 5th in new york, everyone on board a delta commuter flight escapes a crash landing at la guardia. March 20th, nova scotia. Same story as an air canada plane crashes in halifax. [ shouting ] reporter since 1967 the faa has required aircraft manufacturers to prove everyone can get out in 90 seconds with half the exits blocked. But is todays test an accurate reflection of the restrictions . In the faa test there is 31 inches between each row of seats. Today theres often far less leg room, 30, 29, even 28 inches, all to cram more passengers on board. The nations flight attendants say its time for a full review. Were concerned that the flight attendants charged with passengers safety on board the aircraft will not be able to safely evacuate everyone on the plane. Reporter part of the Concern Airline passengers are older and bigger than they were 20 to 30 years ago. Most of them have more carryon luggage. Stuff theyre supposed to leave behind in an emergency, but many of them dont. Meanwhile, passenger Rights Groups say seating people too close together is leading to an increase in air rage cases. Fists start to fly. People throw coffee on each other children start crying, flight attendants get upset. Reporter the Airline Industry says theres no need for the government to set new seat spacing standards, telling nbc news each individual airline should continue to determine which products and Service Offerings best meet the needs of their customers. The question tonight when does too close for comfort become too close for safety. Tom costello, nbc news, washington. Were back in a moment with a story you might like. A pretty convincing argument that age 60 is the new 40. Time for good news explaining why many of us feel younger than our age. Researchers say with our Health Improving and Life Expectancy increasing, many people will hit middle age later in life. They predict by the middle of the century, middle age will start when people reach their 60s. Validation for those who already think that 60 is the new 40. A prestigious gathering in the Nations Capital today. All the women who ever served in the Supreme Court past and present together in the same place at the same time. Current justices elena kagan, ruth bader ginsburg, and Sonia Sotomayor were on hand for an event honoring retired Justice Sandra day oconnor. On this day 150 years ago, the nation endured one of its darkest moments the death of president abraham lincoln. Hundreds gathered for a vigil outside fords theater in washington, d. C. , where president lincoln was shot and outside the former boardinghouse across the street where he later died in the final days of the civil war. When we come back, team loyalty and a player that was never turned away. Finally tonight, in this era of big league, multimillion dollar deals for athletes, the San Diego Padres may have made one of the best deals in baseball. Doesnt get a lot of attention, but the value, priceless. Heres nbcs joe fryer. Lets go reporter even on grainy vhs footage, you can see what the San Diego Padres saw in pitcher Matt Lachappa. A sizzling fastball and wicked curve. He had a lot of talent. He was a great pitcher. He could have gone a long ways, in my opinion. Reporter Priscilla Oppenheimer oversaw Minor League Operations when the team signed lachappa in 1993 and remembers this request from the southpaws mom. You watch out for him, and i said, ill take good care of him. Reporter good care, even when life throws the curve. Hello. How are you . Reporter lachappas Big League Dreams were derailed in 1996 by a heart attack that caused a brain injury. How we doing . Doing okay . Reporter yet the team refused to let him go. Hows everything . We just decided that matt was going to be a padre for life. Thanks for coming out. Reporter every year, the franchise has renewed his Minor League Contract so he can maintain Quality Health insurance. The padres said that hed be a Family Member for life, and theyve stuck to that bargain. Reporter even though it can be hard to communicate, lachappas love for the team is unquestionable. Do you notice anything in him when hes watching the padres play . Yep. We have to all be quiet. Basically stay out of his way. Its so good to see you. Reporter and every now and then, he actually visits the field where hes still part of the team. Awesome. Awesome. Reporter a promise kept at the ballpark where Matt Lachappa truly found home. Im very proud of you. Reporter joe fryer, nbc news, san diego. That will do it for us on a wednesday night. Im lester holt. For all of us at nbc we have no desire to be training haywards finest. Barely sworn into the police force and already walking away from san jose. Good evening. Thanks for being with us. Im raj mathai. And im jessica aguirre. A San Jose Police cadet left for another bay area city just one after graduation. We first broke the news on twitter this weekend. Now the city is speaking up. Damian joins us live from Police Headquarters with a story youll only see on nbc bay area. Reporter i can tell you the brass upstairs is not happy. They trained a cadet who graduated on friday and by saturday hes on his way to hayward. Raise your right hand and repeat after me please. Reporter they took an oath to protect and defend on friday. 19 San Jose Police cadets. But one of the 19 apparently were focused on protecting the citizens of a different city. Hayward. We have no desire to be treating haywards finest. Reporter the mayor said he was disappointed when he heard what we first reported on saturday. And youre choosing to serve in san jose. Reporter that one of the cadets was planning to move. Chief urban confirmed the new hire to nbc bay area. Its simply not fair for our residents to be paying taxes to support the e
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