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CNN Live Today
Store Assault
Aired July 14, 2003 - 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: We are following a developing story out of West Virginia, where police say an 11-year-old girls with was sexually assaulted while shopping with her mother at a discount store. Police say her attacker was caught on store surveillance tape. The video shows a man following the girl and the mother, and approaching the girl after the mother left her alone.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SGT. STAN MILLER, SOUTH CHARLESTON POLICE: From the way he did this, it's pretty obvious that he's probably done it before, or at least tried it before. You know, this is somebody's brother, neighbor, cousin. He's related to somebody. We want to find him before he does it again, before he hurts someone.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
KAGAN: And the likelihood that the attacker could strike again highlights the urgency of this case. For more on the investigation, we have on the phone right now, Sergeant Robert Yeager, a detective with the South Charleston Police Department in West Virginia.
Detective, good morning. Thanks for being with us.
SGT. ROBERT YEAGER, SOUTH CHARLESTON POLICE DEPT.: Good morning.
KAGAN: How much can you tell us exactly about what you knew took place?
YEAGER: Well, right now, things are still a little bit sketchy. We do have the videotape. The victim is cooperating well. She's being real helpful. And we're just trying to follow up on the tips coming in.
KAGAN: How big of a help is that surveillance tape?
YEAGER: It's a big help. It at least gives us a face, and now the people out there can help us put a name with that face, then we'll be doing real well.
KAGAN: I guess what's extra shocking not that this was caught on camera, or the man was caught on camera, but according to the 11-year- old victim, this didn't happen once, but it happened twice. There were so many people around It's like the first attack was interrupted, he took her to a different part of the story store and did it again.
YEAGER: Yes, that's correct. KAGAN: And what kind of tips are you getting in?
YEAGER: We're getting in a lot of good stuff, just about different things, as far as, you know, description what was he might have had on and things like that. We're hoping to get more, though. Like I say, it was a crowded store at that time of night, and there were a lot of people out there, and we want to thank everybody that has called in, but we would like to get more tips. We'd like to have more people call in and let us know what they saw.
KAGAN: Does this sound like any other crimes in your area, detective?
YEAGER: No, nothing we're familiar with.
KAGAN: So the search will go on?
YEAGER: Absolutely.
KAGAN: Detective Robert Yeager, thank you for joining us.
YEAGER: Thank you.
Now let's get some legal perspective on the case. For that, we turn to CNN legal analyst Kendall Coffey.
Kendall, good morning.
First, the perpetrator, what kind of criminal charges will he be looking at if this man was caught?
KENDALL COFFEY, CNN LEGAL ANALYST: Well, they'll be profiling someone who is obviously not just a predator, but a predator who zeros in on children; 11-year-old victim, that makes it a pretty distinctive profile. And with the perpetrator's face caught on camera, this may be a case that gets resolved sooner than later in terms of locating the perpetrator.
KAGAN: What about liability in this case? Would the store be at fault?
COFFEY: I think the store is facing very big liability questions. This wasn't some single event off in the darkness of the parking lot; this was someone who stalked a child from the toy department to the garden department, where one of the assaults occurred, to the men's department, where another assault occurred.
Meanwhile, where was the store's security? Where was the store in its sense of responsibility? one of the key things that I think the store needs to recognize is they also have a very significant public and community relations issue. So not only do we have a terrible harm inflicted to an innocent, very young victim, but we've got a store that I think -- and a department chain that needs to stand up and accept responsibility here, rather than stonewall, because this child has suffered. She's going to need help. There's going to be trauma that could continue for years. And this store appears to me to be responsible.
KAGAN: But just to flip it around a little bit. As you said, these attacks allegedly took place not in broad daylight, but in broad store light. Can the store come back and say, how much -- are we supposed to have a security guard on every aisle?
COFFEY: Of course they can. And they can even if they want to get hard-nosed and tough about it, they can blame the mother, who apparently separated from the child.
KAGAN: That's my next question, what about the liability of the mother?
COFFEY: That would be appalling to try to blame a mother. When a parent and child go into a Target department store, a respected chain, they assume they can leave the kid in the toy department for a little while the mom or the dad looks at clothes or whatever it might be.
So sure, there are scorched earth tactics that are possible here, but we hope that isn't going to be the outcome. What I think the department chain ought to accept responsibility, show concern for the victim, and look at their procedures nationwide to see if there's anything else they need to do to tighten up their security.
KAGAN: We'll be waiting to see what target stores has to say in response to the attack. Kendall Coffey, thank you. Appreciate your time.
TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com
Aired July 14, 2003 - 10:01 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
DARYN KAGAN, CNN ANCHOR: We are following a developing story out of West Virginia, where police say an 11-year-old girls with was sexually assaulted while shopping with her mother at a discount store. Police say her attacker was caught on store surveillance tape. The video shows a man following the girl and the mother, and approaching the girl after the mother left her alone.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SGT. STAN MILLER, SOUTH CHARLESTON POLICE: From the way he did this, it's pretty obvious that he's probably done it before, or at least tried it before. You know, this is somebody's brother, neighbor, cousin. He's related to somebody. We want to find him before he does it again, before he hurts someone.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
KAGAN: And the likelihood that the attacker could strike again highlights the urgency of this case. For more on the investigation, we have on the phone right now, Sergeant Robert Yeager, a detective with the South Charleston Police Department in West Virginia.
Detective, good morning. Thanks for being with us.
SGT. ROBERT YEAGER, SOUTH CHARLESTON POLICE DEPT.: Good morning.
KAGAN: How much can you tell us exactly about what you knew took place?
YEAGER: Well, right now, things are still a little bit sketchy. We do have the videotape. The victim is cooperating well. She's being real helpful. And we're just trying to follow up on the tips coming in.
KAGAN: How big of a help is that surveillance tape?
YEAGER: It's a big help. It at least gives us a face, and now the people out there can help us put a name with that face, then we'll be doing real well.
KAGAN: I guess what's extra shocking not that this was caught on camera, or the man was caught on camera, but according to the 11-year- old victim, this didn't happen once, but it happened twice. There were so many people around It's like the first attack was interrupted, he took her to a different part of the story store and did it again.
YEAGER: Yes, that's correct. KAGAN: And what kind of tips are you getting in?
YEAGER: We're getting in a lot of good stuff, just about different things, as far as, you know, description what was he might have had on and things like that. We're hoping to get more, though. Like I say, it was a crowded store at that time of night, and there were a lot of people out there, and we want to thank everybody that has called in, but we would like to get more tips. We'd like to have more people call in and let us know what they saw.
KAGAN: Does this sound like any other crimes in your area, detective?
YEAGER: No, nothing we're familiar with.
KAGAN: So the search will go on?
YEAGER: Absolutely.
KAGAN: Detective Robert Yeager, thank you for joining us.
YEAGER: Thank you.
Now let's get some legal perspective on the case. For that, we turn to CNN legal analyst Kendall Coffey.
Kendall, good morning.
First, the perpetrator, what kind of criminal charges will he be looking at if this man was caught?
KENDALL COFFEY, CNN LEGAL ANALYST: Well, they'll be profiling someone who is obviously not just a predator, but a predator who zeros in on children; 11-year-old victim, that makes it a pretty distinctive profile. And with the perpetrator's face caught on camera, this may be a case that gets resolved sooner than later in terms of locating the perpetrator.
KAGAN: What about liability in this case? Would the store be at fault?
COFFEY: I think the store is facing very big liability questions. This wasn't some single event off in the darkness of the parking lot; this was someone who stalked a child from the toy department to the garden department, where one of the assaults occurred, to the men's department, where another assault occurred.
Meanwhile, where was the store's security? Where was the store in its sense of responsibility? one of the key things that I think the store needs to recognize is they also have a very significant public and community relations issue. So not only do we have a terrible harm inflicted to an innocent, very young victim, but we've got a store that I think -- and a department chain that needs to stand up and accept responsibility here, rather than stonewall, because this child has suffered. She's going to need help. There's going to be trauma that could continue for years. And this store appears to me to be responsible.
KAGAN: But just to flip it around a little bit. As you said, these attacks allegedly took place not in broad daylight, but in broad store light. Can the store come back and say, how much -- are we supposed to have a security guard on every aisle?
COFFEY: Of course they can. And they can even if they want to get hard-nosed and tough about it, they can blame the mother, who apparently separated from the child.
KAGAN: That's my next question, what about the liability of the mother?
COFFEY: That would be appalling to try to blame a mother. When a parent and child go into a Target department store, a respected chain, they assume they can leave the kid in the toy department for a little while the mom or the dad looks at clothes or whatever it might be.
So sure, there are scorched earth tactics that are possible here, but we hope that isn't going to be the outcome. What I think the department chain ought to accept responsibility, show concern for the victim, and look at their procedures nationwide to see if there's anything else they need to do to tighten up their security.
KAGAN: We'll be waiting to see what target stores has to say in response to the attack. Kendall Coffey, thank you. Appreciate your time.
TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com
