from all sorts of law enforcement, fire and first responders. they left santa cruz around 8:45 this morning. snaked their way through downtown santa cruz, continued a slow crawl up highway 17 to highway 85 to highway 87 and finally here, downtown san jose. along the route, other agencies and ordinary citizens stopped to pay tribute. tim shea made it a point to step up on the rail of the highway 17 overpass to hold up a sign honoring the only two santa cruz police officers to ever be killed in the line of duty. >> i'm just a regular guy trying to do something, you know? i do this kind of stuff because it makes me sleep better at night, regular guy, standing on the bridge, giving them a salute. >> reporter: how are the families doing? >> you know, they're doing

incredibly well given the circumstances. they're on an emotional roller coaster right now. but for us, all we can do is surround them with love, caring and support and show them that by how we honor them today in this memorial service. but then again, how we honor their legacy in how we behave and how we conduct ourselves with the community in the future. >> reporter: as you're looking down autumn street in front of the hp pavilion, you get a sense of just how many people from law enforcement are here. they're not just from santa cruz county. they're from all over the bay area and the state of california. we've seen officers from san bernardino, even, and bakersfield. if you look to your left, you can see the entrance to the hp pavilion. right now, they guesstimate they've got about 3,000 people inside. they have capacity for 14,000. they are expecting a rush

perhaps in about 20 or 30 minutes as people take time off for lunch. so if you are thinking about coming out here to attend the public memorial here at hp pavilion, it starts at noon, you might want to come over now. they are expecting a rush. looking at the programs that are honoring officer sergeant baker and officer butler, they have their pictures up front. beautiful pictures of their families on the back and a little tidbit that we found out inside the program about officer butler, it was 9/11, the experience of having seen that on tv that forced her and her partner, peter, to reassess their lives. that was the moment they decided to move to santa cruz and it was in 2003 that she joined the santa cruz police department. reporting live here outside the hp pavilion, bob redell, nbc bay area news. >> that will bring tears to your eyes. bob, thanks so much. in just about 55 minutes from now, the hp will officially play host to thousands of mourners from all over the state as bob mentioned. among those who will speak

publicly at today's memorial service are members of the officers' families and the police chiefs of santa cruz and capitola. others include leon panetta and kamala harris. 9 governor jerry brown will attend today's memorial service but he is not expected to speak. also on the agenda, "american idol" star james durbin will speak at the event. the service will also feature drummers, bagpipes and a helicopter flyover. >> as thousands of mourners continue making their way to the hp pavilion, law enforcement taking some extra steps to handle all that traffic that's flowing into the area. mike inouye joins us with a look at how today's memorial could be affecting drivers outs there. >> good morning. folks, we were following along with that caravan as it took its way up highway 17.

there were no other surprises for the freeways. but in downtown, you see all those law enforcement vehicles and we see all the other spectators in the area. the big tie-up was getting off of highway 87. as thiey queued up, that presens a logjam for about 45 minutes through the area. also local streets closed and vta buses rerouted around the scene. that's affecting most seriously lines of 522 past the hp pavilion. because of that, we did have quite a tie-up this morning. they're getting ready for that service. about 3:00 this evening, they're going to probably get out from that funeral service and start hitting the road as well. now, the same amount of people have to leave the area. but that's going to combine with the people probably leaving from work from the downtown area. but it will expectedly be very logjammed getting back onto highway 87. here's a little perspective --

>> most of the people in the public, when they take a step back and look at the sacrifices that were made, to take a little bit of extra time getting home when these two officers are never going home to their families is a small price to pay. >> so there you go. this is what we saw this morning. we expect to see a similar crawl around hp pavilion in the evening hours. anytime between 3:00 and 4:00 p.m. and of course the start of the evening commute, about 4:00 p.m. getting out of downtown. avoid downtown if you can. we hope folks tried the caltrain and the vta as well. >> we'll bring the funeral live to you on our air starting at noon right here on nbc bay area. we will also be streaming the service live on our website, nbcbayarea.com. also a quick programming note, we will be airing "days of our lives" at 3:00 friday morning, tomorrow morning. so set your dvrs. coming up in less than ten minutes, continuing coverage of today's service, including the story behind this special flag

that once flew over ground zero immediately after the 9/11 attacks and has made the journey to the south bay to honor the two fallen officers. this morning, we're also watching the weather. meteorologist christina loren joining us right now to take a look outside. you say some thundershowers probably hovering around. >> we're already seeing that on the radar at this point. and we're getting some steady rainfall right at the immediate coast. everybody is going to get wet. the storm system is now moving inland. as you can see right now, basically the peninsula, it's your turn for that steady rainfall. i want to widen out for you and show you the general nature, that big batch of moisture. you see that quick pop of color, that yellow and orange, that's an isolated thunderstorm we're expecting more of this activity as the actual core of low pressure crosses the bay area. so this is what we're expecting. between noon and 2:00, steady coastal rains, scattered showers inland. between 2:00 and 9:00, that's the active time period.

rob mayeda will track the showers and thunderstorms for you tonight at 5:00, 6:00 and 11:00. overnight, partially clearing out. but we'll have a few lingering showers for your friday. after that, the weekend looks good. we'll jump into the upper 60s, mid-70s on that seven-day forecast. lots to talk about in your full forecast. >> we look forward to it. thank you very much. right now, we want to do a follow-up to a story we first brought you as breaking news last night. this morning, san jose police telling us a deadly stabbing in san jose's almaden valley neighborhood appears ton an isolated incident. officers found a man in his early 20s stabbed to death near the entrance of guadalupe oak grove park yesterday afternoon. last night, homicide investigators combed through the neighborhood looking for any kind of evidence and trying to track down witnesses who may have been around at the time of the event. but so far, nobody under arrest. and police have not yet released a description of any potential suspect. new details about two

separate stabbings in san francisco overnight. police say in the first stabbing, it happened about 2:20 this morning on mission street near the 16th street b.a.r.t. station. here's a map to give you some perspective. a man in his 30s was taken to san francisco general hospital with at least one stab wound. then about an hour later, a man was stabbed near the intersection of 26th and folsom streets. he's listed in serious condition, also at san francisco general. police don't think the two stabbings are related. coming up, trapped in a lion's den with no way out. what we're learning about an animal sanctuary intern killed by the very animals she loved deeply. and a new twist in the oscar pistorius murder case. why a sudden decision just announced by police could be a serious blow to the prosecution. and we have continuing coverage of the memorial and motorcade for two santa cruz police officers killed in the line of duty as we take a live look at the hp pavilion right now.

people still pouring in there for the noon memorial. just ahead, the cross-country tribute flown in especially for today's day of remembrance. we are back in two minutes. (sir can-a-lot) good day, ma' lady. i am sir can-a-lot, here to save you from another breakfast bore. wake up those eggs with glorious spam! (male announcer) break the monotony. visit spam.com.

♪ [ male announcer ] now's the time to save 5% off every day with your lowe's consumer credit card. welcome back. giving you a live look at the hp pavilion where it's hosting thousands of people gathering to pay their respects to two santa uz police officers killed in the line of duty. among the thousands are officers from law enforcement agencies throughout the country. within the last hour, this motorcade of 200 law enforcement vehicles arrived after a 33-mile trek from santa cruz county. at noon, the memorial service will begin honoring detective elizabeth butler. she's a mother of two boys, both under the age of 5. she grew up in lomita.

detective butler spent ten years with the santa cruz police department. also being remembered is sergeant loran baker, known as butch. the father of three had spent 28 years at the santa cruz police department and was nearing retirement. baker acted as a mentor to young officers throughout his entire career. he grew up in saratoga and graduated from bellarmine college prep in san jose. >> a special tribute happening during today's public memorial over at the hp pavilion. nbc bay area's christie smith is live at san jose international airport where a flag that once flew over ground zero after the 9/11 attacks was flown in. >> reporter: good morning. you could hear a pin drop inside of the airport terminal when the u.s. honor flag arrived here this morning on behalf of the two fallen police officers. it's been to more than 1,000

services and events across the country. it's been on the space shuttle, it's been at ground zero. and this morning, it's here in san jose. they stood at attention outside the gate waiting for a bittersweet moment. >> the gilroy police department is assisting the santa cruz police department. this is truly an honor for us to take this detail by delivery the national honor flag. >> reporter: it flew at ground zero after 9/11 and has become a fixture at services for fallen heroes. today for sergeant loran "butch" baker and detective elizabeth butler. as the plane arrived, travelers in san jose held up their cameras knowing this was no ordinary flight. >> my husband and i, we cry every time we hear the national anthem. this means a lot to me. >> reporter: then the captain who says he's never done this before walked slowly off the plane carrying the flag. the terminal completely silent. >> it is truly an honor for our agency to take part in this service.

it's the least we could do for santa cruz officers. >> reporter: from hand to hand, then off to hp pavilion where thousands will pay their suspects. those who knew of the tragedy but didn't know about this flag's journey say it's a fitting tribute. >> excellent. this is a wonderful deal. continue doing it, please. >> kind of emotional. yeah. pretty impressed. >> reporter: gilroy police actually volunteered for this duty. we're told that the flag will stay here in san jose until about 5:00 this evening. then put back on a plane and it will be flown back to texas where it's housed. reporting live in san jose, christie smith, nbc bay area news. >> thank you, christie. a reminder, we'll bring you the funeral for those two fallen officers live on our air starting at noon right here on nbc bay area. we will also be streaming the service live on our website, nbcbayarea.com. new at 11:00, moving to other news, the u.n. security council right now voting unanimously for tough new

sanctions to punish north korea for its latest nuclear test. the new sanctions make it more difficult for pyongyang to finance and obtain material for its nuclear and missile programs. the sanctions also include tracking illegal diplomatic activity and intensifying inspection of cargo to and from that country. for its parts, north korea vowing to launch a nuclear attack right here in the u.s. but it is not thought at this point to have the ability to actually produce a warhead small enough to put on a missile capable of reaching the united states. new details this morning about the death of venezuelan president hugo chavez from a man who says he was with him when he died. the head of venezuela's presidential guard says chavez died of a massive heart attack. general jose ornea says chavez mouthed the words "i don't want to die, please don't let me die." chavez died tuesday following a battle with cancer. his body is lying in state until friday's funeral.

also new this morning, the former lead detective in the murder case against oscar pistorius has resigned from the police force in south africa. the detective was removed from the pistorius case after making several procedural errors during that investigation. later it was revealed that both himself facing attempted murder charges linked to an officer-involved shooting. oscar pistorius is an olympian and double ampty. he is charged with killing his girlfriend, model vreeva steenka steenkamp. 24-year-old dianna hanson was attacked and killed by a lion at cat haven in dunlap. sheriff's deputies said they had to shoot the lion would it wouldn't let them near the victim. this morning, they're trying to determine why hanson was inside the enclosure.

hanson's father said his daughter had experience working with big cats and this was her dream job. >> she liked them so much. she just always felt that she could handle it she wasn't afraid. she wasn't the slightest bit afraid to get in the cages with those big cats. she had no problem getting in cages with them. >> the lion involved in the attack named cous cous appeared on the ellen degeneres show in 2010. cous cous was considered an ambassador for the sanctuary. he was bred in captivity but meant to be in the wild. let's get to the weather right now. christina loren has been very busy checking things out for us. expecting some showers in the coming days. >> yeah. we're going to be dealing with these showers at least through tomorrow morning. also starting to see a little bit of pop-up thunderstorm activity. watch for this quick pop of color, that yellow and orange, that's a little thunderstorm cell. that one blew over. but we'll see more of that activity as the core of low

pressure crosses the bay area. want to widen out and show you how much moisture is headed our way. 9 you can see that core of low pressure that counterclockwise flow slated to go down the california coastline. we should get enough clearing to enjoy sunshine for your friday. we stop the clock at 2:00 p.m. still getting steady rainfall along the peninsula and starting to get a little bit of activity in the east bay at that point. we continue that futurecast, stop it at 5:00 p.m., showers start to lighten up. we keep that chance of thunderstorms in the forecast all the way through about midnight. and then as we head throughout tonight, that system moves into southern california, heavy snow headed toward the grapevine. friday is just around the corner. nice-looking weekend. mid-70s next week. >> thank you, christina. much more ahead. coming up next, continuing coverage of a day of remembrance, the memorial and motorcade in honor of two fallen santa cruz officers. we're back in moments.

right now, a live look at the hp pavilion where thousands of people are there gathering to pay their respects at a memorial for two santa cruz police officers, both killed in the line of duty. nbc bay area's bob redell spoke to some of those officers who took part in that motorcade. he joins us live from the hp pavilion. nothing short of an emotional day all the way around. >> reporter: good morning to you, jon. was speaking to the deputy chief of police for the santa cruz police department. it's one thing to get through today. then he was talking about trying to get through next week when you don't have as much attention focused on the police department as you do now with this enormous memorial service. that's a challenge they're getting ready to face after this noon memorial service is going to start here at the hp pavilion. i stepped inside just a moment ago. there are lots of law enforcement and ordinary

citizens in there, numbering in the thousands. i don't have an exact number. but there are plenty of seats left. you do have 30 minutes before the service starts in honor of officer elizabeth butler and sergeant loran baker. the procession arrived here roughly about 30 to 45 -- actually, about an hour and a half ago. came from santa cruz leaving around 8:45 this morning. a two-mile-long procession with roughly 200 vehicles snaking its way through santa cruz, highway 17 and of course here into the san jose where they had greeting at the hp pavilion. now those officers are inside as is the family of both officers along with those caskets. again, the memorial service starting here at noon at the hp pavilion. reporting live here in san jose, bob redell, today in the bay. >> bob, thank you very much for the report. >> we're back with more on today's day of remembrance coming up. [ female announcer ] this is a special message from at&t.

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showers intensifying along the peninsula. and you can see that little pop-up thunderstorm. we're still going to see this activity through the next few hours. it's going to get worse before it gets better. tonight at 5:00, 6:00 and 11:00, rob mayeda will be in the house and will have the latest for you. right now, back to you, jon and marla. >> we'll bring you live coverage of the funeral on our air starting at noon right here on nbc bay area. we will also be streaming the service live on our website, nbcbayarea.com. a quick programming note, we will be airing "days of our lives" at 3:00 friday morning. that's 3:00 a.m. tomorrow morning. right now, a live look is this inside hp pavilion where thousands of officers and also ordinary citizens have gathered to pay their final respects to sergeant loran baker and officer elizabeth butler. we thank you so much for being with us. join us at noon for live coverage of the memorial.

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