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CNN Live Today

Crooks Arrested for Outstanding Warrants

Aired July 12, 2002 - 10:01   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
DARYN KAGAN, CNN ANCHOR: First, let's get on to the story that considers the sequel to the caught-on-tape drama. This one just gets stranger and stranger. The man who shot that now infamous video of the teenager -- the teenager being roughed up by Inglewood Police has had his own run in with the law. Police say that Mitchell Crooks was arrested for outstanding warrants for previous unrelated convictions and that his voice. You hear him screaming for help from inside of that vehicle.

Crooks was taken into custody. It turns out just outside the Hollywood building that houses our LA Bureau for CNN.

For more details on the arrest and bizarre twist that followed we turn now to our Charles Feldman -- first of all, good morning to you Charles.

CHARLES FELDMAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Daryn. You know from a whale of a story to a bizarre story, right, I mean tell me that.

KAGAN: Absolutely. How did this guy end up outside of CNN in the first place in LA?

FELDMAN: Well, he came here the other day. There are some other networks in this building and he did an interview with one of them and then he hooked up with one of the executives there who sort of hid him out overnight, and then he came back to the building yesterday. You're looking at the surveillance tape shot by CNN's cameras downstairs.

And then, when he went downstairs for a smoke, he was apprehended by detectives from the Los Angeles county DA's office on outstanding warrants for his arrest from northern California, where he is wanted on charges ranging from hit-and-run to driving under the influence. And then, he was hauled off first to jail. Then he said he had injuries stemming from this arrest and he was taken to the hospital and he has now been released from the hospital, and he is back in jail.

In the meantime, there is this whole issue about the oddity of the situation that the man who recorded the beating of the African- American youth by an Inglewood City police officer finds himself now in jail and the oddity of that was noted this morning on "AMERICAN MORNING" by the man's attorney. (BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DEAN MASSERMAN, CROOKS' ATTORNEY: I don't understand why the District Attorney's Office would then turn on their best witness and the person who videotaped this crime committed by Officer Morris instead of focusing their attention on Officer Morse. It is horrible that Mr. Crooks is in custody and Mr. Morse is not.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

FELDMAN: Now, the latest we know, Daryn, is that in between all this mess, Mitchell Crooks did go before a grand jury, according to his attorney, which was how this whole thing began, to authenticate the videotape that he made, which is going to be a crucial piece of evidence in the case against that police officer, that we mentioned before, from the City of Inglewood, California. And next up for Mitchell Crooks is going to be any time in the next few days, his transportation back to northern California, Placer County, where he will be arraigned on his outstanding warrant -- Daryn.

KAGAN: And let's be clear. That's why he was taken into custody. It's just a coincidence that it also had something to do with having taped this videotape. He had come out, he was on a radio station, I think, the day before yesterday saying he feared for being hurt and he was scared of law enforcement, but little did we know that he had his own legal past.

FELDMAN: Yes, and you know, in fact, the DA's official commented on this, is that they only found out that he had the arrest warrants yesterday morning and they were bound by law to arrest him, and it had nothing to do, they claim, with the fact that the day before he refused to go before the Grand Jury.

KAGAN: Charles Feldman in Los Angeles, thank you, tracking the story. It goes on.

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