The Bank of America building in downtown Fort Lauderdale was evacuated Thursday after a fire broke out in a restaurant located inside the building.

"We looked out the side window here, and it was just covered in smoke," Britny Alexander, who was inside the building at the time, said.

Sky 10 was above the scene at 401 E. Las Olas Blvd. as a large group of people stood outside of the building as firefighters arrived.

A Fort Lauderdale Fire Rescue representative said the grease fire began on the first floor of the building inside the grill at Grille 401. He said firefighters could see black smoke coming from the restaurant upon arrival.

"When crews arrived, they found heavy black smoke coming from the upper part of the parking garage," Fort Lauderdale Fire Rescue Capt. Greg May said. "The sprinkler heads activated like they were supposed to, but the fire got in the duct system and traveled the length of the building which is several hundred feet."

All 23 floors of the building were evacuated for several hours.

No injuries were reported.

Firefighters said Grille 401 would be closed for the remainder of the day.

The cause of the fire is under investigation.

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The Palm Springs Police Department is searching for two thieves who kidnapped a Dania Beach man and robbed him of about $40,000.

The incident was reported about 9 p.m. Aug. 7 at an Extra Storage Space located at 3599 S. Congress Ave. in Palm Springs.

Police said the victim was carjacked and abducted by two people in Deerfield Beach, who drove him to the business and forced him at gunpoint to remove about $40,000 in cash from his storage unit.

The victim was later dropped off at an unknown location in Broward County.

Police believe the thieves may reside in either Miami-Dade or Broward County.

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The families of two 14-year-old boys who have been lost at sea since July 24 said they do not consider two life jackets found along the Georgia coast by a search dog to be positively connected to their loved ones, WPTV reported.

In a joint statement released Thursday, the families said, “The canine field evaluation was made by a single dog and its handler. We do not consider the results to be conclusive. The canine team provided preliminary indications that informed the search effort. None of the article recovered on the Georgia coastline, in the sounds south of Savannah, had identifiable markings, e.g. stenciling, tags, etc. to confirm a linkage to the boat used by Austin Stephanos and Perry Cohen. The canine team was used to evaluate the recovered articles for any linkage to the boys. As previously stated, we did not then, nor do we now, consider the results to be conclusive. After an exhaustive search of the area where those articles were recovered, the lack of new information made it impractical to continue the search using contracted services.”

Dr. Robert Bowie with DEEMI Search and Rescue told WPTV that the information was preliminary and further testing must be done to confirm whether the life jackets were connected to the boys.

The boys were last seen July 24 after heading out on a fishing trip in the Jupiter Inlet.

The Coast Guard ended its search a week after the boys were reported missing. The families ended their private search Aug. 8 at sunset.  

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A Miami man accused of prying open a casket and removing remains of the deceased person was arrested Wednesday after fingerprints examined at the scene matched his, police said.

Pedro Rene Gonzalez, 39, was arrested on charges of burglary, disturbing contents of a tomb/grave and destroying or disfiguring a tomb/monument.

According to an arrest report, employees at the Charlotte Jane Memorial Park Cemetery in Coconut Grove called police June 25 after they discovered that the casket had been tampered with.

Police said a funeral home owner told detectives that he had replaced the vault after the victim's grave was vandalized last Dec. 14. The owner said the tomb was replaced and the casket was placed in a new vault.

The owner of the funeral home and the groundskeeper at the cemetery both said they did not know Gonzalez, police said.

According to the report, detectives notified the next of kin of the deceased, who also said that she did not know Gonzalez.

A motive for the crime is unclear.

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A teenager was killed and five others were hurt when their boat crashed into a bridge in Fort Lauderdale late Wednesday night.

The 13-foot Boston Whaler hit a low-clearance bridge in the south fork of the Middle River near Northeast 18th Court and North Dixie Highway shortly before midnight, Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission Officer Amanda Phillips said.

"I think they were just, you know, looking around, maybe not looking ahead," Phillips said. 

Local 10 News has learned the teenager who died was John Baker, a 17-year-old rising senior at St. Thomas Aquinas High School. Baker played football for the Raiders.

The injured teens -- all believed to be Baker's classmates -- were taken to Broward Health Medical Center, where three were listed in critical condition Thursday morning. The remaining two were treated for minor injuries.

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At least one teen was released from the hospital about 5 a.m.

"The St. Thomas Aquinas High School family has sadly become aware of a boating accident involving a number of our students," the school said in an email sent to parents. "The faculty, staff and student body offer deepest sympathy and support for the students involved and their parents."

Friends who came to the hospital told Local 10's Jenise Fernandez that Baker "was always a nice guy" and spent a lot of time on his boat. They identified the other victims as Emily Giusti, Sean Mahoney, Kevin Hurst, Chris Gernet and George Marshall.

Prince Hassan said he was supposed to be on the boat, but he decided not to go.

"It could have happened to me," Hassan said.

FWC officers suspect that two of the teens were standing during impact, causing serious head and back injuries.

"If they were standing up they were in trouble, because right now its mid-tide and there's maybe 4 feet (of water) under there," Chris Liptak, a family friend of one of the victims, told Local 10's Ben Kennedy.

Hugo Meyjonade, a sophomore at St. Thomas Aquinas High School, said Mahoney fractured his spine and needed a hip replacement, and he said Giusti should be walking by Friday. Meyjonade said Hurst and Gernet were fine.

FWC spokeswoman Liz Barraco said the operator of the boat had the required boater safety identification card. She said investigators will be inspecting the damaged boat to try to determine what happened.

A prayer service at St. Thomas Aquinas High School was scheduled for Thursday at 6 p.m.

Follow Jenise Fernandez on Twitter @JeniseFernandez

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Walter Clark said he just cant believe that his friend would shoot at law enforcement. He also wouldn't mention the Islamic State during a tense situation, he said.

His friend Earl Jackson, 59, was not that kind of guy, he said. The married father -- who retired from Miami-Dade Corrections, after serving for 26 years -- just would not do that, he said.

Alachua County Sheriff's spokesman Art Forgey said it all began when a Florida Highway Patrol Trooper stopped to render aid to Jackson who seemed to be stranded. Jackson fired several rounds and fled into the woods, Forgey said.

"Just knowing Earl, it just does not make any sense," Clark said.

In search for clues, Clark said he filed a public records requests for the related dash-cam and body-cam video. Amid a lack of information, there are fears that Jackson's race may have played a role.

The story that Alachua County Sheriff's Office  told in a press release said deputies were concerned that Jackson was linked to a terrorist organization. There were helicopters, SWAT vehicles, police dogs and several agencies looking for him. And for a man like Jackson, that's just excessive, Clark said.

"After they say ISIS, everything else is green light," he said.

Jackson's car broke down on the side of northbound Interstate 75 near the town of Micanopy in Alachua County, Florida Highway Patrol Sgt. Tracy Hisler-Pace said. Jackson was outside of the car on the ground and shot at him about three times before running away, he said.

The deputy who killed Jackson has not been identified. Marion County Sheriff's Office, one of the agencies involved, was testing out different body cameras, WCJB-TV reported in February. There may be video.

Miami-Dade Corrections Department Director Marydell Guevara said that since the deputies alleged Jackson shot at them, they are unable to provide honor guard services. Jackson retired in 2008.

"We are proud of him and will always support the family as best we can," Guevara said.

The Florida Department of Law Enforcement continued to investigate Thursday if the deputy or deputies who killed Jackson used excessive force. Their findings will be turned over to Alachua County state attorney Michele Lieberman.

Follow Local 10 News Glenna Milberg on Twitter @GlennaOn10

Follow Local10.com reporter Andrea Torres on Twitter @MiamiCrime

Authorities in Florida said a mother with a history of driving under the influence left her kids in the car while she drank at a bar. April King, 35, faces child neglect charges after police arrested her outside a Froggers restaurant in Apopka, Florida, police said.

A Froggers employee and four others told officers that King was drinking at the bar, while her children, ages 4 and 2, sat inside her vehicle with the engine running. King was trying to start her car which was equipped with a Breathalyzer device, when officers arrived. According to a police report, officers saw her 4-year-old son blowing into the device.

Police say King was also slurring her speech and at first denied she had been in the bar.

King has two previous driving while under the influence convictions.

A South Florida woman got to throw the first pitch in a Miami Marlins game this week, just days before she celebrated her 100th birthday.

Florida-based company Alumni Research has filed for bankruptcy following and Attorney General complaint and Call Christina investigation.

Florida Attorney General Pam Bondi is working to freeze the assets of the company one Local 10 News viewer claimed had scammed her.

The viewer did get a refund for the alumni directory book she purchased from Alumni Research but never received, but thousands of other consumers across the country are still waiting.

READ: Local 10 News viewer gets refundfrom Alumni Research after Call Christina investigation

Since the Local 10 News story aired, the Attorney General's Office confirms the company and its owner have filed for bankruptcy.

The AG's Office filed a complaint against Alumni Research and owner Robert Laping.

The Call Christina team went to the company's Holiday, Florida office to speak with Laping after our investigation uncovered several schools and alumni associations across the country claimed Alumni Research never delivered purchased alumni directory books or issued refunds.

On camera, Laping promised to send Local 10 News a written statement but that never happened.

Last week the company and its owner filed for bankruptcy delaying this week's scheduled hearing in the AG's lawsuit against Alumni Research and Laping.

When Local 10 News investigator Christina Vazquez was at their business address last month the company appeared open for business. There were workers on site, despite the mounting complaints from thousands of people nationwide who are out tens of thousands of dollars.

The Attorney General is asking the court permission to proceed in this case despite the bankruptcy filing.

They are seeking a temporary injunction to prohibit Alumni Research from soliciting new customers and to freeze the company's assets so that consumers may obtain refunds for orders they placed for alumni directories that have not been filled.

A majority of the victims known to the Attorney General are senior citizens who each paid approximately $70 to preorder a directory for their high school or college. "Many of these seniors just wanted to reconnect with their high school classmates and they put their trust and their money in the hands of the telemarketers soliciting them," Attorney General Pam Bondi said. "Unfortunately, in most cases, the directories were never printed, and these seniors lost their money, but we are asking the court to make the company do the right thing and reimburse these consumers."

Follow Christina Vazquez on Twitter @CallChristinaTV

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Police are searching for at least one gunman after a woman was killed in a drive-by shooting in northwest Miami-Dade County overnight.

The shooting was reported about midnight Friday outside the victim's home on Northwest 84th Street and 24th Avenue.

Precious Jackson, 24, was pronounced dead at the scene.

"It wasn't fair to her that she had to endure that pain like that. She didn't even have a chance to make it to the hospital," Jackson's mother Tehsia Green said. 

According to Green, Jackson was talking with friends outside her home when a car drove by. She said multiple shots were fired from the car, leaving bullets holes through parts of her home.

Surveillance video showed two people running before a flash of gunfire. Jackson is then seen falling to the ground.

Green said she doesn't believe that her daughter was the intended target.

"She should be able to come outside her house and talk to who she wants," Green said. "(They shot) her dead like she's a dog."

Green said her son found his sister lying on the ground. She described her daughter as a hard-working woman who would do anything for her family.

"They need to do the right thing and step forward," Green said. "Wrong for you to kill my baby like that."  

Follow Jenise Fernandez on Twitter @JeniseFernandez

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Three men have been arrested in connection with the death of a 17-year-old boy whose body was found in a wooded area near his home in southwest Miami-Dade County last month.

Kaheem Arbelo, 20, Christian Colon, 19, and Jonathan Lucas, 19, were arrested by the Miami-Dade Police Department. Their charges have not been released as the arrest warrant remains sealed at this time.

The victim, Jose Santos Amaya Guardado, 17, was reported missing by his family June 28.

Police said the teen's family searched for him in nearby areas.

On July 1, Guardado's brother discovered what appeared to be a partially buried body in a wooded area and called 911.

Police confirmed that a human body was found. The body was taken to the medical examiner's office for further investigation.

The medical examiner determined the cause of death to be trauma and ruled the death a homicide.

Police said more arrests are expected to be made in the case.

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One person was killed in a shooting Friday morning at the Flamingo South Beach luxury apartment building.

The shooting was reported about 9 a.m. at 1500 Bay Road.

Miami Beach Police spokesman Ernesto Rodriguez said a man was shot in the third floor skyway.

He was pronounced dead at the scene.

"We went down by the pool this morning (and) we saw cops that were outside the front of the building," Sarah Tankiewicz, who is in town visiting her cousin, said.

A man who claimed to have known the victim told Local 10 News reporter Liane Morejon that the victim was in his early 30s and was a former Army ranger. He said the victim had recently gotten into a rough lifestyle and had become addicted to drugs.

The man said he believes the victim may have been targeted as a result of his new lifestyle.

"He was into some things that were really bad and they got him," Angelo Gotsis said. "I'm a little shaken up."

Gotsis said the victim was shot in the head.

No other people inside the building were injured.

Rodriguez said police had "parties of interest detained" while the investigation is conducted.

Follow Liane Morejon on Twitter @LianeMorejonTV

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A thief dressed in all black and wearing a scary Halloween mask robbed a bank at gunpoint in Lauderdale Lakes.

The robbery was reported about 12:20 p.m. Friday at a Chase Bank branch at 4820 W. Oakland Park Blvd.

Lauderhill police and FBI agents were at the scene.

Agents said the robber entered the bank, pointed a handgun at an employee and demanded cash.

Customers were inside the bank at the time, but no injuries were reported.

The thief left with an undisclosed amount of cash.

Anyone with information about the robber is asked to call the FBI at 754-703-2000.

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A second vigil was held Friday morning for a 17-year-old boy who was killed in boat crash late Wednesday night.

John Baker was killed, and five other teenagers were hospitalized after the boat they were riding in hit a low-clearance bridge in the south fork of the Middle River near Northeast 18th Court and North Dixie Highway in Fort Lauderdale.

Baker's family and classmates from St. Thomas Aquinas gathered at the school's campus to sing songs and pray in honor of their friend, a standout player on the football team, and in support of the other teens recovering in the hospital.

"We are all coming together and being there for each other," student body president Maddy Weiss said. "There are not a lot of words being shared but a lot of hugs, and you can feel the energy in the room when you come in here. We all love John so much."

"Tell your friends how much you love them because you never know when you are going to see them next, and just be kind to everyone," Weiss added. "You never know how far a smile could go."

Florida Wildlife Conservation Commission officers said at least two of the teens were standing up when the 13-foot Boston Whaler hit the bridge, and an eyewitness said he believed the boat was going too fast on that stretch of the river.

"The way the water was moving, it was probably going a little too fast," Kedron Renier said.

Meanwhile, students said one of the victims who wasn't seriously injured, George Marshall, helped save the life of one of three teens still hospitalized.

Friends said Marshall pulled Emily Giusti, who was face-down and unconscious in the water, to safety.

"Just the actions that George displayed there. We can never repay him for that. He was a hero that day," Weiss said.

The FWC continues to investigate the cause of the crash.

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A woman from Miami Gardens was arrested Thursday after she pushed an elderly person inside a patient's room at Memorial Hospital in Hollywood, police said.

Sade Fowler, 25, faces a charge of aggravated battery on a person 65 years of age or older.

According to an arrest report, three people were inside a patient's room when Fowler pushed the victim, knocking them to the floor.

Police said Fowler claimed that she "gently put her hands on" the victim, in an attempt to move the victim's bag out of her personal space. 

Fowler claimed that she had gotten into an argument with the person and said the victim had tried to walk across her, but had placed the bag in her face while doing so, the report said.

Detectives said statements from witnesses contradicted Fowler's claim that she did not intentionally push the victim to the floor.

The victim suffered a broken collarbone.

Police did not release the identity or gender of the victim, citing a Florida statute on public records exemptions.

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Firefighters battled a large fire at a furniture warehouse in Pompano Beach Friday.

The fire was reported about 11:40 a.m. at 980 SW 12th Ave.

Sky 10 was above the scene as heavy smoke and flames came from the SDC Furniture warehouse. Most of the building appeared to have already collapsed as firefighters sprayed it with water.

Everyone inside the warehouse was evacuated as firefighters worked to put out the flames.

A Pompano Beach Fire Rescue representative said Andrews Avenue was shut down in the area as fire crews worked to get the flames under control.

Authorities said there were several explosions at the warehouse, which are believed to have come from 50-gallon propane tanks that were stored inside the building.

"We didn't know what was exploding. There were serious explosions going on inside that warehouse that added fuel to the fire and in fact, caused quite an inferno," Pompano Beach Fire Rescue spokeswoman Sandra King said. "At that point, firefighters could not get inside the building so what they did was do a defensive attack and kept the fire contained so it didn't spread to other buildings."

The firefighters were hampered by poor visibility, intense heat and hazardous conditions.

Authorities said no one was seriously injured in the fire, but three firefighters were treated for heat exhaustion. One firefighter was taken to a hospital.

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Miami Police Officer John Hinson is suspended with pay as the department investigates a video that apparently shows him punching a handcuffed man who is in the backseat of a police cruiser.

The dawn of a new era in relations between the United States and Cuba came Friday, as U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry and a team of U.S. delegates arrived in Havana for a flag-raising ceremony for the newly rechristened U.S. embassy.

Obama video

It is the first time a U.S. secretary of state has visited the nearby nation since 1945.

Kerry said the diplomatic opening will be good for both the people of Cuba and the U.S.

"There is nothing to fear," he said.

Jeffrey DeLaurentis, the U.S.'s chief diplomat in Havana, said the day marks "the beginning of a new chapter" on the path toward normalizing diplomatic relations between Havana and Washington.

TIMELINE: Key dates in U.S. relations with Cuba

He said it is "a long, complex road to travel, but it is the right road."

During his speech, Kerry said communist-run Cuba would best be served by the democratic process.

"The time has come for us to move in a more promising direction," Kerry said. "In the United States, that means recognizing that U.S. policy is not the anvil in which Cuba's future will be forged. Decades of good intentions aside, the policies of the past have not led to democratic transition in Cuba. It would be equally unrealistic to expect normalizing relations to have, in a short term, a transformational impact. After all, Cuba's future is for Cubans to shape."

SURVEY: Latin Americans show strong support for change

After the embassy ceremony, Kerry and Cuban Foreign Minister Bruno Rodriguez Parrilla met with reporters at Hotel Nacional de Cuba. Only four questions were allowed.

"We currently have no plans whatsoever to alter the current migration policy, including the Cuban Adjustment Act, and we have no plans to change the 'wet foot, dry foot' policy at the same time," Kerry said.

Three marines who lowered the flag at the U.S. embassy in Havana when the U.S. and Cuba broke off diplomatic relations in 1961 were back to see the flag raised once again.

About 200 Cubans gathered near the embassy along Havana's seafront Malecon Boulevard ahead of the official ceremony to raise the U.S. flag over the building for the first time in 54 years.

PHOTOS: View new NASA, NOAA aerial photos of Cuba

Marcos Rodriguez, 28, said he came "because I wouldn't want to miss it." He voices the hopes of many on the island, expressing "hope for social and economic benefits for all Cubans."

Giant Cuban flags hung from the balconies of nearby apartment buildings, and people gathered at their windows with a view of the embassy.

But it wasn't all rosy in Havana.

Cuban dissidents who oppose President Raul Castro and his brother, former leader Fidel Castro, weren't invited to Friday's ceremony. Instead, Kerry met with them in private.

"He did not even have the courage, he did not have the strength, to insult the Castro regime by inviting the very people who were arrested just Sunday," U.S. Rep. Ileana Ros-Lehtinen, R-Miami, said.

She said the U.S. has "extended a hand of friendship to the Castro regime."

Republican presidential candidate Sen. Marco Rubio, R-Fla., slammed President Barak Obama's outreach to Iran and Cuba, calling his diplomacy evidence of "every flawed strategic, moral and economic notion" that has driven his foreign policy.

Rubio delivered a blistering speech to the conservative-leaning Foreign Policy Initiative during an appearance in New York on Friday.

CUBAN BLOGGER: Read Yoani Sanchez's historic updates

In the speech, Rubio said that Obama has made no efforts "to stand on the side of freedom."

A member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, the Cuban-American lawmaker has made foreign policy a centerpiece of his presidential campaign.

He's pledging to "roll back" what he calls Obama's concessions to Cuba and the recently completed nuclear deal with Iran.

Shouting fighting floods Little Havana on day U S embassy opens in Cuba

Meanwhile, closer to Cuba in Miami's Little Havana neighborhood, anti-Castro protesters ripped apart a symbol of the Castro revolution -- a cardboard cutout of the July 26 flag, representing the day that Castro overthrew the Fulgencio Batista government in 1959.

Moments later, a car pulled up and the protesters exchanged words with the man inside.

The man got out of his car and opened his trunk, leading to shouts from others who said he had a gun.

Television news cameras captured the confrontation as protesters called him a communist and a coward, among other names.

"This is the worst day in our lives," protester Laura Vianello told Local 10 News reporter Hatzel Vela. "We have been betrayed again by the United States, again. This is not the first time."

She said the U.S. has sided with Castro.

"The freedom of Cuba has been betrayed," she said.

Of course, there was one lonely demonstrator who praised the changes, holding a sign that read, among other things, "I want to see my kid."

Local 10 was there when a fight broke out between the man, who identified himself as Dennis Mata, and an anti-Castro protester who knocked down one of Mata's signs, prompting him to shove the older man to the ground.

Mata was swarmed by police, taken to the ground, handcuffed and arrested, asking them if this is real democracy.

Earlier in the day, Mata told Local 10 that he believes the changes will help the Cuban people.

Another supporter, Guillermo Diaz, came from Cuba in 1994. He told Local 10 that he believes democracy is what's best for the future of Cuba.

"Changes like that for a country that has been like that for 50 years are not going to happen in a week," Diaz said.

Ceremony in Havana

Former President Franklin Delano Roosevelt signed the Social Security program into law 80 years ago. See how things have changed and what will likely need to change with the program.

Tiger Woods is still the highest paid athlete on the planet.

Woods, who missed the cut at the PGA Championship, was the ninth-highest paid athlete of the past 12 months according to a ranking by Forbes.

He made more than $50 million. Most of that money came from endorsements. Nike has continued to back Woods even though he has been a shell of his former self.

Woods won just $600,000 in prize money from golf tournaments in the past year. He missed the cut at last month's British Open and June's U.S. Open too.

But most of the other athletes in Forbes' top ten ranking are still near the top of their game.

Boxer Floyd Mayweather was No. 1 -- thanks to the huge paycheck he got for beating Manny Pacquiao in May. Pacquiao came in second.

Sure, the fight may have not lived up to the hype. But Mayweather is an undefeated champion who is ranked first pound for pound by boxing bible The Ring. And Pacquio still ranks sixth in the world despite losing to Mayweather.

Soccer stars Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi are number 3 and 4 on the Forbes list.

LeBron James didn't win the NBA championship this year ... but his performance in the Finals proves he is still one of the top players in basketball. He ranked 6th on the Forbes list.

Two other hoops stars made the top 10 highest-paid athlete list too -- Kevin Durant and Kobe Bryant. Both of their seasons were cut short due to injuries. But they were each playing well before getting hurt.

Tennis player Roger Federer, who is thought to be past his prime, is still a contender. He just made it to the finals at Wimbledon, losing to Novak Djokovic.

But Woods now ranks 278th in the world. The only golfer making more than him? Phil Mickelson.

Lefty's best golf may be behind him too. But he has least won a major championship recently -- the British Open in 2013. He also finished in a tie for 2nd at this year's Masters.

Tiger Woods' last major win was way back in 2008 -- before a sex scandal dented his reputation and popularity and injuries crippled his golf game.

It will be interesting to see how much longer Tiger Woods remains among the highest-paid athletes if he keeps stinking up the fairways.

He's already lost several sponsorships over the past few years. Advertisers like to associate themselves with winners.

Father Time is not on his side either. Tiger Woods turns 40 in December. And there are two young stars in golf making waves: Rory McIlroy and Jordan Spieth.

McIlroy is the world's top ranked golfer and has already won four majors, including last year's PGA. He is just 26.

Spieth, a 22-year old Texan, won the Masters and U.S. Open this year and almost won the British Open as well.

Spieth has already cashed in with a multi-year sponsorship for Under Armour. Forbes estimates he made $19.8 million in the past year.

McIlroy, like Woods, endorses Nike. Forbes says he has made $48.3 million in the past year -- $32 million from endorsements and $16.3 million from actually being good at the game of golf.

Earlier this year, video game maker EA replaced Woods with McIlroy on the cover of its popular PGA Tour Golf game.

So if McIlroy keeps winning, it won't be long before he passes Woods on the wealthiest athlete list.