Thanks. You can stay connected connecteh the stormwatch7 team anytime at wjla. Com or through the stormwatch7 or twitter feeds. You can download the stormwatch7 app for your phone or tablet. You will get texted anytime there is a watch or warning that is issued. Alison a big story in the district today. He is has been the face of d. C. Police department for the last ten years. But today, chief cathy lanier announced she is calling it a career in favor of protecting football fans and players. We have Team Coverage of her bage nouncement tonight starting with Stephen Tschida her big announcement tonight starting with Stephen Tschida outside police headquarters. Stephen chief laniers announcement stubbed a lot of people. Keep in mind, her stunned a lot of peak. Keep in mind her contract was up in january. If you look at other chiefs he is had been on the job for a decade. That is a long time for a police chief in a major city. 26 years at m. P. D. Nearly ten at the head of the dep for the nfl. You got a good one here. Stephen lanier steady ascended through the ranks arriving at the top spot in 2007. She quickly won the respect and the admiration of the people. Ranking among the most popular city leaders in polls. I owe my life to the city. To the residents. And the department. Thats why i say every day that i came to work, it didnt feel like work to me. Stephen Violent Crime dropped by a quarter in her tenure, controversy also marked her time as chief. A judge ruled checkpoints in a spike in gun violence in 2009 unconstitutional. The city also witnessed a dramatic spike in homicide last year. But as she bids farewell, she reflected on what she accomplished. When she came to the department she had only a high school diploma. In early 1990, 26 years ago there werent a lot of people that would have given me a break. This city and this department did. Because of that, i am where i am today. Become Senior Vice President of security at the nfl, a job she believes has grown in importance in the recent past. Security is paramount. Anything we hold dear needs good security. The nfl is no exception. Stephen her last day of chief is september season. She will leave for new york. The name will appoint an interim chief and commence the search for a permanent replacement. Stephen tschida, abc7 news. Jonathan thanks. She has been the chief for ten years. She has been with the department for 26. In the tenure as the top cop, cathy lanier became known as the peoples chief. Horace holmes picks up the Team Coverage with reaction to her departure. Horace what made her the peoples chief . If someone was shot, she would go to the scene and hug people, grieve with them. That was a great empathy thing. Always doing i just think she is out of tears. Horace ten ars of fighting crime and reassuring residents of her safety comes to an end of lanier of chief of police of the nations most powerful city. She walks away as a cops cop in the district. Not everyone sad to see her go. Im glad she is gone. Maybe we will get somebody who can do the job better. Horace even we spoke with of northeast to southwest was shocked to hear the news she was retiring. And offered their respect and even admiration. Best wishes to her. I am going to so miss her. When i was working with the office of the laityna affairs she was always available for the community and available to answer questions. Its going to be a big loss for the city. Horace accomplishments for cathy lanier, the crime rate over the ten years as she was head of the department did go down but she will best be remembered for her personal touch. Neve the community to be close to the people she served. Reporting live in southwest, horace holmes, abc7 news. Alison some of the bigger cases under her watch were disappearance of relisha rudd, the mansion murders in northwest d. C. And the deadly shootings at the Washington Navy yard. What advice does she have for the next chief . Chief lanier you cant always tell the public everything because there are some things that confidential when you are furthering an investigation. But there is never a time you cant tell the public anything. There is always something you can say. I would say be yourself, be honest and give as much information as you can. Alison if you would like to read the letter that chief lanier wrote to d. C. Residents about her decision its on the website wjla. Com. Jonathan we are following a developing story this afternoon out of montgomery. Prince georges, fairfax and Arlington County all of them, that is where the sprint customers may not be able to get through if they are calling 911. The company says the customers are getting a busy signal. Reach 911 if you use a land line or cell phone with another provider. Again, this is sprint customers. In the last hour and a half sprint told us the problem stems from the transformer fire overnight in d. C. Well have the latest on the repairs coming up at 5 30. Alison police say had more than 40 victims. Today three people were indicted in Prince Georges County for a Human Trafficking ring that stretched from maryland into virginia. Our Maryland Bureau chief brad bell is live in laurel with the details on this. Brad . Brad well, alison, this is a harsh word. Pitches. Thats what it is pitches. That pimps. This is 16 payments long and it lists 100 times they put the ads on backpage. Com to advertise services of young women. Again and again we saw a number of hotels. This one here the night inn in laurel we saw many times. Like this. Undercover Police Officers using the website backpage. Com to arrange dates with prostitutes. In darkened hotel rooms the women are slapped in handcuffs but the real targets are the pimps. This time Authorities Say they have indicted three of the worst they have seen. Rashid mosby, terra perry and joshua jones. The defendants threatened the women, beat them, refused to let them return home. Brad Maryland Attorney general brian frosh describing how the three alleged pimps calling themselves pink pleasure entertainment placed these ads looking for woman claiming to be a modeling Escort Agency and forcing more than 40 victims over several years in brutal sex for cash industry. Putting them in rooms, in chief hotel, in college park and laurel. This is deliberate, structured cruelty. Brad it was in one of the hotel rooms in a police sting two years ago we met a victimized woman shaking, crying, wrapped in a sheet. How old are you . 18. Youre 18 years old now . You have been doing this as long as i can remember. Brad did you hear what she said . She was 18 at that moment and she said she had been doing that for as long as she can remember. Well be back at 6 00 with more on the story. Including that particular aspect of it. Many of these victims were told children. In laurel, brad bell, abc7 news. Alison all right. Thank you so much. Well, we turn now to breaking safetrack news. Metro is making changes to the safetrack work schedule. This comes after the recent recommendations from the federal transit so the schedule changes include extending the current surge 7 on the red line through the end of august 21st. There are date changes to surges later this fall as well. If you would like to see the full list and see when your metro line will be impacted go to wjla. Com. Jonathan so five days after that massive fire tore through the Flower Branch apartments in Silver Spring with the explosion, residents are still wondering what is next . What started that fire in the first place . Our amy aubert was on the scene when the officials came out to the shelter to meet with those affected. What did they have to say . Amy well, the biggest concern they said they heard today is the need for permanent housing for those affected. They plan to work with the residents on an individual basis. But still, the unknowing of how and why this happened leaving neighbors on edge. Senator ben cardin and Montgomery County executive ike leggett ar shelter tuesday morning. The officials talking with residents and answering questions. In a meeting described as spirited, open and transparent. I want them to know as the federal partners this is all about provading help. Amy he brought his family to the shelter to see help. People think that it is going to get a bump again. Amy other neighbors agree saying explaining it to their kids is difficult. Something is dismissed. Homemy, we go outside mommy, we go outside. Amy christie coming to the chapter to get the help she needs. I cant sleep. I have anxious thoughts in the back of my head. This was an incredible trauma. There are physical injuries. There are certainly mental issues that have to be dealt. There will be fear. A lot of areas that have to be attended to. Amy they got to hear firsthand the need and work i am reasonably convinced that the challenges we heard today are most immediately that of trying to find transitional housing and permanent housing for people. Well be able to do so. Amy as far as the investigation we are told Additional Information should be available in the next few days. Washington gas releasing a Statement Today saying they completedded the testing of the affected building saying the test confirmed the integrity of the Washington Gas infrastructure tested and the results have been shared with the investigators. They also did natural gas leak surveys in the nearby area and it was determined to be sound. Live in Silver Spring, amy aubert, abc7 news. Alison thank you. Well, lets get back to our chief meteorologist doug hill. There is a new severe weather. Doug we still have a Severe Thunderstorm Warning for Loudoun County and touch of northern fauquier until 5 00. The new warning is bit east. It will head across loudoun to Montgomery County. This warning in effect until 5 30 this afternoon. Lets zoom in. This is the core of the storm right now. So its still going to clip the Northeast Corner of the existing morning and move through the body of the new warning. That will take it through leesburg. Take a look at the timeline at 5 14. The center of the strongest part of the storm is leesburg. 5 30 in poolsville. Sugarland run at 5 40. Gaithersburg at 5 53. Just before 6 00 in rockville. Its moving about 30 miles per hour. Well be back to let you know if any more storms turn severe. Back to you. Alison see you then, doug. Thank you. Still to come here at abc7 news at 5 00 just shy of five years since that earthquake shook our region. Now we have an update for you on repairs to the national cathedral. When you have a storm that is unnamed, it wasnt a Tropical Storm, it wasnt a hurricane. A lot of times people underestimate the impact that it deadly. Historic flooding hits the gulf coast. Reporter a man is killed after police say he charged at his sheriff deputy with a dangerous object. Coming up, details on exactly why police say it happened and what witnesses heard. That story coming up. But how did we end up here . His mom thought he had the flu and that he was covered by the meningococcal meningitis vaccine he had received. Until 2014 there were no vaccines for meningitis b in the u. S. Now there are. While uncommon, meningitis b can lead to death within 24 hours. Trumenba is a vaccine for 10 through 25 year olds to help prevent group b meningococcal disease. Trumenba should not be given if you had a severe allergic reaction after a previous dose. Most common side effects were injectionsite pain, fatigue. Headache, muscle pain, and chills. Ask your doctor or pharmacist about all the risks and benefits of trumenba and tell them if youve received any other meningitis b vaccines. Meningitis b can be spread by typical sharing like. A drink. A spoon. A kiss. It all started here. It might have been prevented with trumenba. Ask your doctor or pharmacist about trumenba. Scott im scott taylor with the 7 on your side help center. Im pleased pleased with the re. We have Senior Citizens calling us on the phone bank. They are offering how to avoid scams. The number is 7032369220. Call now. Jonathan this is the weapon that police say the man had in his hands when he lunged at a sheriff deputy outside the Inova Fairfax hospital. Sign post. Or what is left of it. They also have video of the confrontation late last night. Jeff goldberg live from the hospital with new information. Police say they are not going to be releasing the a critical piece of evidence in this ongoing investigation. Police say last night a man was killed in some kind of altercation with a sheriff deputy during what they say the man was suffering a mental episode. Police say a 29yearold hispanic male escorted to the bus stop after the security guards after being discharged. They had awen that was identified as a metal sign post and a sharp end. He struck a guard with the object. Fairfax county deputy at the hospital protecting an inmate heard the radio traffic and responded to the bus stop. The man came at the deputy followed by the deputy firing shots. He rushed the man to the hospital where he died. I heard bang, bang, bang. Just like that. Last night ramos was watching tv with the family when they heard a shot. The opinions are mixed on the response to this incident. Trayed to control him. That deputy is on administrative leave. Sign posts can be found all over campus. The no smoking signs around the bus stop. The man who was killed his identity is not made public. We have asked for answers to big quesons now. Live in falls church, jeff goldberg, abc7 news. Alison thank you. 7 on storm watch as some residents in louisiana are returning home for the First Time Since floods ravaged the area. Killing at least eight and leading 30,000 rescues. The damage has been done. Some 40,000 properties have been impacted by the flood. Some say the damage is worse than hurricane katrina. Everything i had is gone. Everything. Everything. Its the end of your life. End of your world to start over like that. We work so hard for it. Tonight the governor of louisiana is requesting to expand the state disaster declarations as the floodwaters are moving downstream. Causing rivers to overflow and jonathan i feel so bad for the folks. Its so widespread. We are talking thousands. Doug even though Hurricane Season has been easy so far. The National Hurricane center updated last week and still expect robust late august, september Hurricane Season. Keep your fingers crossed and say prayers that nothing gets in there tropical wise. You dont need a Tropical Storm hurricane to get tropical rain and flooding. Terrible. Alison we have storms here last night. Doug but nothing like that. That was a 10 and this is a two. We have a severe watch in area. In is until 11 00 tonight. This is looking live in chantilly at the udvarhazy washington dulles. Aircraft and a gad size jet look off and made a sharp left. The areas at b. W. I. And dulles and reagan national. So it has impact on the timing of if arrival and the departures. There is the storm right now. At dulles, coming in. Took off and got away from it to go away. Its calm. Safe practice. Happily the airlines use here. So this is the only game in town. The Severe Thunderstorm Warning moving through leesburg and poolsville. Probably through dickerson as well in western montgomey county. Not a lot of weather action other than that. Nothing at all like yesterday. This is a Severe Thunderstorm Warning until 5 30 for loudoun and montgomery. As we get through the evening hours it looks as though the 30 miles per hour. Almost by 6 00. Over across the river to gaithersburg. I will move through and head northeast to the Baltimore Metro area. The other weather headline, alert from the Weather Center is a heat advisory. I will run until 8 00 tonight. Cooler in frederick. 82 in leesburg with the rain. Tomorrow is the lower 90s. I dont think we have a heat advisory tomorrow. This is 107 in washington. Are you getting tired of this . I am. Some people say i get cranky when im tired of things. This is muggy and its warm. But the intense heat and the humid is coming to an end. Widespread thunderstorms. This computer model keeps this south of town until thursday morning. The sevenday forecast for you. 93 tomorrow. Then we will have the showers and the thunderstorms as a possible. We will see it down on thursday and back for dry and saturday and then typical august stuff on sunday and monday. Stay with us. Abc7 news at 5 00 continues after this. Scott im scott taylor back in the 7 on your side help center. The phone number is 7032369220. 7032369220. If you are senior give us a call. We willm control back and check on experts with if federal trade commission and the d. C. Police. Thank you. Still ahead a view from the top. We have a Progress Report on repairs at the n earthquake. Q this downtown d. C. Theyve trying to restore power to thousands of workers. Ill let you know when they expect to have the power back on and how the cell phone users are being affected after the break. Jonathan coming up later for us a call no parent ever wants to hush my darling. Dont fear my darling. The lion sleeps tonight. [snoring. ] hush my darling. [snoring. ] dont fear my darling. The lion sleeps tonight. [snoring. ] take the roar out of snore. Yet another innovation only at a sleep number store. Jonathan an Early Morning fire shut down part of l street in d. C. And left 12,000 people without power for most of the day. It is hot. This happened at 18th street around 2 00 in the morning. Q mccray joining us live at the scene. Q, is the power back