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O.J. Simpson Suspected in Las Vegas Robbery; President Bush Announces Limited Withdrawal of U.S. Troops From Iraq

Aired September 14, 2007 - 15:00   ET

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

DON LEMON, CNN ANCHOR: Hello, everyone. Top of the hour.
Sorry. Go ahead.

KYRA PHILLIPS, CNN ANCHOR: That's all right.

(LAUGHTER)

PHILLIPS: Don Lemon, Kyra Phillips here. We are watching a news conference, or it's about to happen, we're told, out of Las Vegas, Nevada.

If you haven't heard about this yet, O.J. Simpson once again in trouble with the law. He says that he did not break into a casino hotel room there in Las Vegas. Police think he might have been involved with a break-in for some sports memorabilia.

O.J. Simpson actually talked to the Associated Press once we started talking about this story. He said that he did take memorabilia that belonged to him from this Las Vegas casino hotel, the Palace, but he didn't break into the room. He also went on to tell the Associated Press that he was conducting a -- quote, unquote -- "sting operation" to collect his belongings when he was escorted into that room at the Palace Station Casino.

Police said that he was a suspect in that break-in at the hotel.

LEMON: And a little bit more background, take you a little bit more inside the story.

He also told the Associated Press that an auction house, Kyra, called him several weeks ago to say that some collectors have a lot of your stuff -- that's a quote -- and don't want anyone to know that they are selling it.

And then he said -- Simpson, who was in Las Vegas for a friend's wedding, said he arranged to meet the auction house owner. And then he said he was conducting, as Kyra said, a sting operation to collect his belongings, when he was escorted into the room at the Palace Station Hotel.

Also, when they talked to him, Simpson made the comment that he believed the memorabilia was his. And so they said -- the police are saying that they are getting conflicting information from both sides on this. He has been asked to stay obviously in Las Vegas. And police say they don't believe he is going anywhere. But the very interesting thing is, as this gets under way, you know, the civil suit that was filed against O.J. Simpson in this case entitles the Goldman family to some of his belongings. So, whether this actually belonged to O.J. Simpson or belonged to the Goldmans, that's going to be the next part of the story that folks are going to have to figure out if he does, indeed, get this merchandise back.

How much of it is -- does it really belong to him and who gets the money or the rights to own this memorabilia, the same thing as in the book that we have been talking about.

PHILLIPS: We have been talking about that controversial book that apparently was supposed to come out today. Wondering if this news event has any way to tie into the promotion of that book.

But a lot is happening.

Also, Denise Brown, she will be on "LARRY KING LIVE" tonight, 9:00 Eastern time.

If you're just tuning in, we are waiting to hear from members of the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department. They have stepped into the room, trying to get the mikes organized there. We're going to take this live when it happens.

Apparently, O.J. Simpson had another brush with the law there in Las Vegas at the Palace Casino Hotel. Las Vegas police questioned him about this break-in that occurred at the casino. Apparently there was an alleged theft here at the Palace Station last night that involved sports memorabilia that we just mentioned.

Police didn't arrest Simpson, but their investigation isn't finished. Apparently that's what the Las Vegas police are coming forward and saying. They say they don't think that Simpson will be leaving town anytime soon. Prosecutors still trying to figure out if they are going to file charges or not. As soon as that news conference happens -- it should be any minute now -- we will take it live.

LEMON: And we have another big story happening here today, Kyra. Four people are in custody this afternoon in connection with a massive manhunt for a Miami cop killer.

Our very own Susan Candiotti joins us now from Miami. She has been following this story for us since it happened. And she joins us now with new information.

Susan, you there? Can you hear us?

Apparently having a little bit of problem with Susan Candiotti. But as we know from yesterday -- Susan is ready now?

You there, Susan?

SUSAN CANDIOTTI, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: I am, Don. I'm here. LEMON: OK. Yes, I saw you in the preview monitor here, and I was getting -- preparing here.

We have been talking about those -- the people who have been placed into custody. And then those four officers who were shot yesterday, one of them died. Update us on this case, because there was a press conference that was just held shortly.

CANDIOTTI: In fact, it's still going on.

But what I have gathered so far is what we reported to you about a half-hour or so ago. And that is that police have now arrested four people in connection with that police shooting. The four people include the girlfriend of suspected cop killer Shawn Labeet -- her name is Renee Dangelo -- as well as three other people, Alba Bello, a man identified as Bello's boyfriend, Lazaro Guardiola, as well as another person, Alain Gonzalez.

Now, all of these people have been charged with being accessories after the fact, to sum it up, helping in effect, in one way or another, helping Shawn Labeet to hide from police. Now, authorities aren't giving very many specifics at this time, other than to say, in part, for example, three of these people helped provide a change of clothes for him, and his girlfriend, as they reported yesterday, according to police, lied to them about the true identity of Shawn Labeet, instead giving police the name of an alias that he had been using.

Now, they also helped him hide in other ways. But authorities say because they are still putting the case together, they are declining to give more details at this time. So, you have got four more people under arrest, as we are starting to get more of a picture about what happened.

And authorities went into a few more details. They said, when this first started -- remember, these four police officers were part of a routine burglary detail -- that they were going down the street, noticed this car driving erratically, attempted to make a traffic stop when this one car drove, instead drove away from them, and drove to a home, parked the car.

And this is where Labeet, according to the authorities, ran across a fence and into a field. They gave chase after him, but I believe the authorities said that, in fact, there were some dogs in there, and so the police came back out. In the meantime, Labeet's girlfriend, according to authorities, she coincidentally drove back up to her home at that same time. Eventually, Labeet got away.

And, as we all know, 12 hours later this massive manhunt ended when they cornered him in a parking lot of a condo complex about 30 miles away. And they say he was wearing body armor, was armed and was involved in a gun battle. Police say they shot him dead.

LEMON: Hey, Susan, yesterday, the police said, the quote was, "We were misled." You have got these four people who were arrested. Any one of these people, are they accused of misleading? Because there was, remember, the wrong suspect name, wrong suspect picture.

They thought it was possibly identity theft or someone just giving them the wrong identity. Any of these folks that they have in custody arrested involved in this misleading of police of information?

CANDIOTTI: Yes. Yes, Don. As we said for one thing for sure Renee Dangelo the young woman identified as the girlfriend of Shawn Labeet, the one that authorities said lied to them about his true identity, and that slowed them down for several hours, until they figured out who the right guy was.

(CROSSTALK)

LEMON: Yes, because there was a bit of confusion yesterday. And the person who they said initially was the person turned himself into a Jacksonville police department and said, hey, I am not the guy you're looking for.

CANDIOTTI: That's right. It involved a stolen identity.

LEMON: Yes.

CANDIOTTI: It was a stolen identity and so this was an alias that Shawn Labeet has been using.

LEMON: All right.

(CROSSTALK)

LEMON: Susan Candiotti on top of this story for us, we will continue to check back. Thank you, Susan.

PHILLIPS: Live pictures from the Department of Justice. After a stormy tenure, it's coming to a close. And we're talking about Attorney General Alberto Gonzales. He leaves office officially this weekend. But right here, this afternoon, at the Department of Justice, he's expected to speak at a farewell ceremony being held in his honor, right there at the Justice Department.

Critics, of course, have been after Gonzales almost since day one that he took office. We have talked about the criticism over his role in the domestic surveillance program, the firings of U.S. attorneys and then, of course, the accuracy of his testimony before Congress.

The president of the United States has always backed the attorney general and supported him and seen all of that criticism as a way to victimize the attorney general. Anyway, we're following this farewell ceremony. We will take it live and diplomat in once he steps up to the mike.

(WEATHER UPDATE)

LEMON: And here's one of Humberto's high-voltage calling cards out of Huntington, Texas.

CNN I-Reporter Christine Nerren was in her car waiting for her son to get out of school on Thursday when she caught this bolt of lightning with her camera. Wow. It's a worthy frame, certainly is. There was a casualty in this strike, the school's P.A. system. The bolt knocked it out.

Glad that was the only casualty.

And, if you see severe weather happening in your area, send us an I-Report. Go to CNN.com/ireport, or CNN.com and click on I-Report or type ireport@CNN.com right into your cell phone and share your photos and your videos with us.

PHILLIPS: And we're still waiting for that news conference out of Las Vegas, Nevada, about two hours late now. We're hoping they step up to the mike, so we can get some information.

Apparently, O.J. Simpson has been questioned about a break-in at a casino hotel room. He says he was on a sting operation, just trying to get some of his sports memorabilia back. Police say they are not so sure they believe that story.

We will take it live as soon as step up to the mikes.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

LEMON: Fourteen past the hour, three of the stories we're working on for you here in the CNN NEWSROOM.

We're awaiting a news conference out of Las Vegas. Police there questioned, but didn't arrest O.J. Simpson about a break-in at a hotel casino. Apparently someone tried to sell sports memorabilia from a hotel room. Lots of questions about this story. Hopefully, the news conference will provide some answers for us.

Today's the last day on the job for Attorney General Alberto Gonzales. He leaves with a speech to Justice Department employees. Gonzales resigned August 27. Solicitor General Paul Clement takes over Monday until a new attorney general is confirmed.

And we're just a few minutes away from a live news conference at the Pentagon. Defense Secretary Robert Gates set to weigh in on troop withdrawals from Iraq and talk about where the plan goes from here.

Last night, President Bush announced a plan to bring more than 21,000 combat troops home.

PHILLIPS: Well, let's break down that new troop plan for Iraq, one combat brigade out by December, 15,000 more troops out by next summer. Plenty of decisions to be made between now and then. Who stays, who goes, and then what?

For some insight, let's go once again to our senior Pentagon correspondent, Jamie McIntyre.

Hey, Jamie.

JAMIE MCINTYRE, CNN SENIOR PENTAGON CORRESPONDENT: Hello, Kyra. One of the big questions, aside from which particular troops will be coming out first, is how many troops will actually be left behind. A lot of people are assuming that, because 30,000 troops went in as part of the surge, when the surge ends, 30,000 troops will come out. But that might not necessarily be the case, because some of the support troops that went in with the 21,000 or so combat surge troops may be required to stay.

The Army does have a policy of the troops that are in Iraq the longest should be the ones to come out. But that also has to be weighed against the military necessity of the missions that those troops are performing.

We're hoping to get a little more insight on the thinking of Defense Secretary Robert Gates, where he came down on the troop withdrawal timetable, and also perhaps from the Joint Chiefs chairman, General Peter Pace, a little more of the specifics of the redeployment plan, all of that in the Pentagon news conference coming up in just about 10 minutes or so from now.

Here, you see a live picture of the Pentagon briefing room. Secretary Gates likes to sit down at those briefings, so they rearrange the briefing room to suit his style when he's giving a briefing, which he is late on this Friday afternoon -- Kyra.

PHILLIPS: All right, Jamie McIntyre, I know you will be watching. We will be watching, too.

If you're tuning into just now, we want to remind you once again, 3:30 Eastern time, the subject, Iraq, the troops, the numbers and the timelines with the two biggest guys, top Pentagon brass, Defense Secretary Robert Gates and Joint Chiefs Chair General Peter Pace. We're all over it once it starts.

LEMON: Nearly 6,000 U.S. troops will be out of Iraq by Christmas. That's according to the president. And more than triple that number are to be out by next summer.

Nearly everyone who saw the president's speech has a take on it, especially men and women with combat experience, those who have been there.

Last night, Larry King spoke with two Iraq veterans with very different views on the war.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP, "LARRY KING LIVE")

LARRY KING, HOST, "LARRY KING LIVE": When Senator Warner asked General Petraeus if continuing with the strategy he laid out would make America safer, he said he didn't know. Did that surprise you?

PETE HEGSETH, EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR, VETS FOR FREEDOM: Well, also Senator Bayh asked him the same question, and he stepped back from that and said, you know what, Iraq certainly is the central front in the larger fight against al Qaeda. They're looking at the battlefield there and what is going to happen. And we need to ensure we do everything we can to have a successful outcome in Iraq.

KING: Adam, what would success mean to you?

ADAM KOKESH, IRAQ VETERANS AGAINST THE WAR: To me? Success would be giving the Iraqi people the right to self-determination and the resources that they need to create rule of law and stability in their country. And the best thing we can do to do that is pay repatriations and remove the American troop presence that is impeding that progress.

KING: Why do you choose to speak out, Adam?

KOKESH: I feel I have a moral obligation with my voice as a veteran. We have a certain power in speaking out and a relevancy in this most pressing debate before America. And with that power comes a responsibility. And I don't think I could live with myself if I wasn't doing everything I could to bring our brothers and sisters home alive, safe as soon as possible.

KING: Pete, was it hard to fight in a war that was not supported in the main?

HEGSETH: Larry, military members are professionals and they are going to go do their job no matter what. But it is difficult when there's a segment of the population here that seems invested in defeat, when you have got some soldiers coming back and saying, you know, we're against this war, and talking about all the things that have happened in the past, when what we need to be looking at now is we have got the right strategy, it's working, let's get behind General Petraeus so we can bring our troops home with a successful outcome.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

PHILLIPS: All right.

The other story that we're following right now, and we're just getting word it may start soon, this news conference out of Las Vegas, Nevada.

O.J. Simpson, another brush with the law. Did he break into the casino hotel room or not? That's what we're waiting to hear from the police, once they get started.

Ted Rowlands, based out of your California bureau, is on his way, I believe, to that news conference. He joins us by phone.

Ted, another interesting day involving O.J. Simpson.

TED ROWLANDS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yes, another interesting day indeed with -- any day with O.J. can be potentially interesting. I'm actually at the press conference now. We are waiting for it to start. I just walked into the hallway.

And the detectives are huddled here about ready to walk into the room. Basically, what is going on is that O.J. is an alleged suspect in an alleged burglary at the Palace Casino Hotel, Palace Station Casino Hotel here in Las Vegas.

Apparently last night, somebody alleged that Simpson and four of his friends came in and took sports memorabilia from him. And there are stories out there that it could have been at gunpoint. We're hoping to clear all of this up, and actually, we're watching now as they're starting to go to the podium.

So, it looks like this press conference is going to get under way. And we will get more information here momentarily. But O.J. Simpson back in the headlines and we will find out exactly to what degree this -- they're taking this and how seriously they're taking it. Apparently he has been questioned, but we're standing by for the press conference to start now.

PHILLIPS: All right, Ted, and I will just -- I will kind of take the cue from our producers and keep talking to you, because it looks like this may happen any second now.

I see someone stepping up to the mike.

Ange (ph), just let me know if you want to go right to it.

They are monitoring it right now for us, Ted. You're there in the room. So, you let me know, too, if they are starting.

If you're just tuning in, Ted Rowlands there on the phone with us. He's there at this news conference in Las Vegas, Nevada. The police there have been questioning O.J. Simpson about a possible casino break-in. Apparently, there was an alleged theft, as Ted was just telling you, at the Palace Station Hotel last night, that involved sports memorabilia.

Here we go.

CAPTAIN JAMES DILLON, LAS VEGAS METROPOLITAN POLICE DEPARTMENT: Some were just walking in as I was walking down the stairs. So, is everybody ready and everybody rolling?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Ready and rolling.

DILLON: We're OK? OK.

First off, good afternoon. My name is captain James Dillon, D-I- L-L-O-N. I'm with Las Vegas Metro Police. I'm the captain of the robbery-homicide bureau.

I have a prepared statement to make regarding an investigation that started last night. This is very preliminary, and we will give this statement and then we will take just a couple of questions, because we truly are in the infancy of this investigation.

Thursday, September 13, just before 8:00 p.m., Las Vegas Metro responded to a call of a person as a victim of an armed robbery at the Palace Station's Hotel and Casino at 2411 West Sahara.

The victim stated that the one of the suspects involved in the robbery was O.J. Simpson. The items that were taken were various sports-related products.

This investigation is in its infancy. We are not at any point currently to release any copies of police reports or any other related materials as to the investigation. We are continuing to conduct a thorough and complete investigation. We are well aware of the sensitivity and the and the interest by the public regarding this investigation.

We did make early contact at the beginning of the investigation with Mr. Simpson. And Mr. Simpson is cooperating with the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department during this investigation. We are hoping to interview all parties, witnesses, witnesses, suspects, and anyone else that has relevant, pertinent information in the next 24 to 72 hours.

I will be announcing later today when we will have our next news conference, which probably won't be for a couple of days, possibly Monday. However, prior to that, we will be releasing a written media release, as we identify and confirm more facts and we are confident to report and relate that information.

Lieutenant Clint Nichols is the section lieutenant for the robbery section. He has been in charge of this investigation and has responded since the call first came out last evening. We weren't going to take a couple of questions.

However, because of the delay in being able to come before you, we will take some questions and try to give some preliminary information, based on the few facts that we are aware of, or that we have determined to be at this time.

With that, I will open it to a couple of questions, please.

(CROSSTALK)

DILLON: One at a time of time.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Where did you find O.J. when you -- where was he when you (OFF-MIKE) when he started cooperating?

DILLON: O.J. Simpson was contacted and we found him at a local Las Vegas hotel. There was contact made by a patrol officer and then since then he has been in contact with robbery detectives.

(CROSSTALK)

QUESTION: Is he restricted to Las Vegas or can he leave?

DILLON: He is not restricted in any form. He can leave.

And question there?

QUESTION: (OFF-MIKE)

DILLON: He is not in custody. And he is cooperating with the investigation. And he is meeting with Las Vegas metro robbery detectives at this time.

(CROSSTALK)

QUESTION: Has the memorabilia been placed in police custody, or is it still in his custody?

DILLON: There are some evidence items and some sports-related products that are in custody at this time and have been recovered. We don't have all of the items in question recovered. We are continuing to look for those items.

We also are continuing to look for additional subjects that were with Mr. Simpson when they were involved with whatever interaction occurred with the victim.

QUESTION: Captain Dillon, were there any weapons involved?

DILLON: We have reported from the victim that there were weapons involved. We have not determined that at this time. And we have not recovered any weapons.

QUESTION: Have you viewed any videos or other surveillance materials that you can't release yet? And, if you have, can you characterize what you have seen, what they showed you?

DILLON: I cannot characterize on the contents of what has been seen. We do have video surveillance tapes that have been recovered from various locations along with still images that have been recovered.

We also have processed the scene with our criminalistics bureau. And we also have additional units assisting us in the investigation at this time. It is certainly too early to comment on the contents of what has been captured on the surveillance tapes and photographs.

QUESTION: Can you say what Mr. Simpson was trying to recover, what items he was trying to recover?

DILLON: I cannot discuss the details, which items in particular. It is safe to say generically that we can refer to them as sports- related products.

QUESTION: Can you tell us what you have in custody, what items?

DILLON: We can't release that at this time. We just had recovered those items in the last few hours and we are still in the process of identifying them, cataloging them, photographing them, processing them, and recovering them.

QUESTION: Have any charges been filed in relation to this incident?

DILLON: No. No charges have been filed.

QUESTION: Is anybody in custody at all?

DILLON: No one is in custody at this time.

QUESTION: Is Mr. Simpson alleging that these were his items to begin with?

DILLON: It is too early to state that. We are just now having the opportunity to interview Mr. Simpson. We will have those questions answered, and others, from him after the initial interview with Mr. Simpson, which I expect to occur some time today and possibly tomorrow.

(CROSSTALK)

QUESTION: (OFF-MIKE)

DILLON: He did not -- I'm not making any statements regarding acknowledging of him taking any items at this time.

QUESTION: Does he have a local attorney of which you're aware?

DILLON: I'm not aware of a local attorney. And we have not had no contact with any attorney on behalf of Mr. Simpson.

QUESTION: Captain, you say that O.J. Simpson is cooperating and yet you say you don't know who the men were with him. Did you not ask him who (OFF-MIKE)

DILLON: The interview hasn't been conducted yet. The interview is in coordination as we speak. That is how current and how real time that we are all dealing with this situation.

So, Mr. Simpson is cooperating. Robbery detectives are making contact to conduct an interview with Mr. Simpson. And after that interview, along with interviewing other subjects, we will have a better assessment to identify and relay information regarding the items stolen, what actually occurred during this incident, and other parties involved.

Lieutenant Nichols, anything to add?

LIEUTENANT CLINT NICHOLS, LAS VEGAS METROPOLITAN POLICE DEPARTMENT: Not unless they have some other questions.

QUESTION: Did the victim say that Mr. Simpson broke into the hotel room, or was he let in? Was this a break-in?

DILLON: We're not prepared to make comments at this time as to the dynamics of what occurred during the alleged incident of the robbery.

QUESTION: Captain, why are you so confident that O.J. Simpson will not simply depart Las Vegas?

DILLON: I'm not confident. We just know from our communications with him as recently as a few hours ago that he is willing to meet with Las Vegas Metro Police detectives and to do an interview and explain his side of the story. There was no hesitation on his part to cooperate and to immediately meet with police. And that is ongoing at this time.

QUESTION: How did you make contact in the beginning? Did he call you, or did you look for him and find him?

DILLON: Initial information by the first officers responding on the scene, patrol officers, people that were involved, gave that information to the patrol officers that were responding, and they had made initial brief contact with Mr. Simpson.

With that, I have answered more than I was hoping to, but I hope this gives you some information. We will carefully construct a written media release in the coming hours. I don't know if it will be out by this afternoon. We will try to put out a written release this afternoon.

We're very much aware of the sensitivity and the importance for both the media and for the public to have some information on this. But, please, let me remind you, just the fact that it's involving O.J. Simpson, the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department is very committed and very focused on conducting a thorough, biased and competent investigation. And we want to be very careful on the release of information as we proceed.

With that, we're concluding this brief interview. Thank you for your time and your patience.

QUESTION: Thank you, detective.

PHILLIPS: My guess is the captain meant to say unbiased investigation there.

Captain James, Dillon head of the robbery and homicide bureau there in Las Vegas. He just confirmed it, O.J. Simpson right now in questioning with one of the officials there at the department, questioning -- being questioned about possible armed robbery. It's exactly what we have been reporting.

Apparently, a call came in from an individual at the Palace Station Hotel Casino in Las Vegas last night saying that he was a victim of an armed robbery -- an armed robbery where O.J. Simpson was involved. It was involving sports memorabilia, apparently, that O.J. Simpson was trying to recover. The victim said there were weapons.

However, police have not recovered any weapons to this point. But police did come forward and say video surveillance tape is in their hands, in addition to some still images. O.J. Simpson right now being questioned.

Legal analyst Jeffrey Toobin on the phone for us right now -- he just continues to get involved, every now and then, it seems, Jeffrey, in some type of trouble. Now it looks like armed robbery is swirling around him.

JEFFREY TOOBIN, CNN SENIOR LEGAL ANALYST: Kyra, one thing jumped out at me about this news conference, which was the reference to armed robbery, the possibility of a weapon being involved. If this had simply been a dispute over memorabilia that O.J. said he owned or didn't own, that's the kind of thing that probably would have been dribbled away without great -- without much ado.

But if there is the possibility that O.J. Simpson used a weapon, wielded a weapon, threatened someone with a weapon, that's something that no police department can turn away from. And I think that's going to be the central part of any investigation, is the issue of the weapon.

PHILLIPS: Now, Jeffrey, O.J. Simpson did talk to the Associated Press, as we started reporting this story. And he said that he took memorabilia that belonged to him from a Las Vegas casino hotel, but that he didn't break into the room. He went on to say that he was actually conducting a sting operation to collect his belongings when he was escorted into that room at the Palace Station Casino. Police are now saying he's a suspect at a break-in at this hotel.

TOOBIN: Right. I mean the -- I can't imagine -- I mean most Americans, on hearing that O.J. Simpson is conducting a sting operation -- would certainly roll their eyes. And, you know, it's hard to imagine someone less likely to be authorized by the police to conduct a sting operation than O.J. Simpson. Undoubtedly, it was a sting operation on behalf of himself.

You know, you can't even if you think -- even if it is your property inside a locked room, you're not allowed to break into a locked room, if that's what he did. Again, I, of course, don't know what happened here. But the fact that a weapon may be involved certainly elevates the significance of the event.

PHILLIPS: So you don't believe he went through the police academy within the last year?

TOOBIN: No. I think he's unlikely for many, many reasons, to be a police cadet.

PHILLIPS: OK.

But on a serious note, we are talking about possible armed robbery here. He's already been involved, obviously, with other instances since the infamous murder case that he was involved with concerning his wife.

What could this mean for him, Jeffrey, if, indeed, there is surveillance tape and still images, like the police say that they do have, and there he is brandishing a weapon? What's next?

TOOBIN: Well, I think they have to conduct an investigation of what he was doing and whether he had any right to be where he was. One thing that did strike me, also, as peculiar in this news conference is they said he had agreed to cooperate, but he had not been interviewed yet. Certainly the longer you wait to interview him, the more chance it is that he hires a lawyer and ceases cooperation. So it would seem to me to be the interests of the Las Vegas Police Department to talk to him as soon as possible, rather than schedule it for tomorrow, as they suggested, when, you know, any half intelligent lawyer would tell him to shut the heck up and not talk to anybody.

PHILLIPS: You make a good point, because this is someone that has been known to say a lot of things that have been pretty obscure.

TOOBIN: Right.

PHILLIPS: So he's kind of left himself hanging out there a number of times when questioned in the past.

TOOBIN: Well, and going back to the night of the murder, in 1994, of his ex-wife and Ron Goldman, he was interviewed by the police that day. And it was a very cursory and not very skillful interview by the two detectives.

But the fact that he could -- that you had the suspect there in a position to make admissions, the time to do it is now, before he lawyers up. So I don't, obviously, know the details, but it would seem to me in Las Vegas' interests to talk to him when they have the opportunity, because that opportunity is likely to go away.

PHILLIPS: And as you heard from the captain there, they are questioning him now. And apparently he does not have a lawyer that they know of there locally. Jeffrey Toobin, our legal analyst, will be following this.

If you're just tuning in, real quickly, O.J. Simpson right now being questioned by the Las Vegas police. Apparently, allegedly, involved in an armed robbery over sports memorabilia. We'll keep you posted.

LEMON: Another live event happening now. Secretary of Defense Robert Gates holding a press conference now to talk about the president's withdrawal of troops from Iraq. Also, the president said it last night, General David Petraeus has been saying on it Capitol Hill all week -- we're going to dip into that and find out exactly how this plan will be executed.

That's coming up.

You're watching CNN, the most trusted name in news.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DILLON: Thursday September 13th, just before 8:00 p.m. Las Vegas Metro responded to a call of a person as a victim of an armed robbery at the Palace Station's Hotel and Casino at 2411 West Sahara. The victim stated that the one of the suspects involved in the robbery was O.J. Simpson. The items that were taken were various sports-related products. (END VIDEO CLIP)

PHILLIPS: O.J. Simpson in trouble with the law once again, this time in Las Vegas, Nevada, you just heard right there. Apparently a call came in. They said they were a victim of an armed robbery. O.J. Simpson allegedly with a weapon. No weapons have been recovered to this point, according to police. But they say they have video, surveillance and still images.

O.J. Simpson right now being questioned in Las Vegas. We'll keep you posted.

LEMON: All right, let's go now to the Pentagon. A live briefing -- OK, we're going to listen in to -- we're listening to the Peter Pace and also the secretary of defense, Robert Gates there.

What they're going to do is talk about how they plan this withdrawal that the president has been speaking about in his speeches and also that General David Petraeus has been talking about all week long on Capitol Hill.

We're going to continue to monitor this and bring it to you in the CNN NEWSROOM just as soon as they make some news on this and tell us how they're going to do it.

But first, imagine having a nutrition program that doesn't include fruits and vegetables. That's what the nation's largest food program has been doing -- or doling out for years.

With more on that in today's Fit Nation, our chief medical correspondent, Dr. Sanjay Gupta.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

DR. SANJAY GUPTA, SENIOR MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Although her husband works, Karina Alvarez (ph) still needs help when it comes to feeding and taking care of her year-old baby.

KARINA ALVAREZ: I like for them to give me ideas. I'm a new mom.

GUPTA: So every month, Alvarez receives checks for food from WIC. Now, this is a federal grant program and it's designed to improve the health of low income women and their children by providing food and counseling on good eating and health care.

REV. DOUGLAS GREENAWAY, EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR, NATIONAL WIC ASSOCIATION: The foods that WIC provides are really the tools that reinforce that nutrition education message that's delivered in 10,000 WIC clinics around the country.

GUPTA: Since WIC was founded over 30 years ago, thoughts on nutrition have changed. You see, the problem then was malnutrition, not obesity. So most WIC vouchers are for cereal, breads, crackers, milk products. Checks for fresh fruits and vegetables don't exist.

So last August, the U.S. Department of Agriculture decided to add produce to the voucher system to give clients a more balanced diet. They're expected to be available next year.

But some say that might not happen because WIC is on the chopping block -- slated for a $145 million cut in President Bush's 2008 budget.

GREENAWAY: It really threatens the availability of fresh, frozen, canned fruits and vegetables, the culturally diverse foods, the changes that are needed to reduce the incidence of obesity and overweight that we're finding amongst WIC mothers and children.

GUPTA: Nutritionists say that's not good because the WIC produce vouchers could help control obesity.

KATHERINE TALLMADGE, AMERICAN DIETETIC ASSOCIATION: Studies have shown that women and children and infants who participate in the program have improved nutrition. Mothers give birth to fewer low birth weight babies, which saves medical costs.

GUPTA: Congress is now debating the finances for WIC. The final decision will likely come in the fall. Until then, mothers like Karina Alvarez will have to continue waiting for produce checks to become available.

Dr. Sanjay Gupta, CNN, reporting.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DILLON: Mr. Simpson is cooperating. Robbery detectives are making contact to conduct an interview with Mr. Simpson. And after that interview, along with interviewing other subjects, we will have a better assessment to identify and relay information regarding the items stolen, what actually occurred during this incident and other parties involved.

QUESTION: Is he restricted to Las Vegas or can he leave?

DILLON: He is not restricted to any form. He can leave.

And question there?

QUESTION: Is he in custody?

DILLON: He is not in custody and he is cooperating with the investigation and he is meeting with Las Vegas Metro robbery detectives at this time.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

LEMON: O.J. Simpson being questioned by Las Vegas police right now for what they called an armed robbery in a Las Vegas hotel -- a casino hotel. Now, they're saying this happened on Thursday. They got a call saying -- from someone saying that they were being robbed with someone who was carrying a gun.

Now police say that the victim said that Simpson was part of a team of people, a number of people who had robbed them. O.J. Simpson says he was merely trying to get back sport sports memorabilia that belonged to him.

Again, he is being questioned now. He's saying it was part of a sting operation. Police have asked him to cooperate and to not leave the Las Vegas area. Although they say he's free to leave, he promises them that he won't.

We're going to continue to update this developing story in the CNN NEWSROOM.

PHILLIPS: More now on that investigation into the shooting that happened in Miami, Florida yesterday. You may remember it happened during our newscast in the afternoon. We got word that four police officers had been fired upon and a suspect was on the loose.

Well, we can tell you that 37-year-old Jose Somohano lost his life after he and three other officers were pursuing Shawn Sherwin Labeet, 25 years old.

Apparently he was driving erratically. The police pulled him over. He started firing upon them. One officer lost his life. One officer still is in the hospital, trying to -- doctors trying to save her leg. The other two officers were released.

Now today, apparently, four people were arrested. They were accused of helping Labeet avoid police for hours before he was finally shot to death by authorities. These are the four individuals that have been arrested. They had given officers a false name of the suspect they were looking for. They had helped protect him and his whereabouts for hours as police were looking for him.

Finally, when police confronted him, he was shot to death. One officer lost his life in this manhunt yesterday. We're following more on this investigation. We'll bring you the new details as we get them.

A quick break. We'll be right back.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

LEMON: We have breaking news for you this afternoon here in the CNN NEWSROOM. Reports of an armed robbery in Las Vegas. O.J. Simpson's name is in the mix.

Now just a short time ago, we heard from Las Vegas police. They said someone reported an armed robber -- that armed robbers had taken sports memorabilia from a casino hotel room and that Simpson was one of the bandits.

Now, police say they have not confirmed the use of weapons. They say they've questioned Simpson and that he's been cooperative. Well, they have not arrested or charged him, but they stress the investigation is still in its infancy. PHILLIPS: One determined shark meets one determined teen, but neither is much worse off for the encounter. Fourteen-year-old Brandon Chapman says he was snorkeling near a fishing pier in Lauderdale-By- The-Sea when a nurse shark locked onto his abdomen and refused to let go. Rescue workers finally freed the boy by punching the shark in the nose. It made a quick escape. Brandon was treated and is doing just fine.

New England Patriots coach Bill Belichick is taking full responsibility for the spying scandal that has shaken his football team and the NFL. And he's making it clear he has nothing more to say about it. The cheating involved a Patriots' employee who was caught videotaping signals being used by New York Jets' in Sunday's game. The NFL fined Belichick half a million dollars. The team was fined $250,000 and it could lose next year's first round draft pick.

This morning, Belichick tried repeatedly to shift discussion to this weekend's game.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BILL BELICHICK, NEW ENGLAND PATRIOTS COACH: As I stated, that it's over and we're moving on to San Diego. And that's what we're moving on to.

We're moving on to San Diego, that's what I'm addressing. It doesn't matter.

It doesn't matter and we're moving on. We're moving on. We're moving on.

The whole situation is behind us and we're moving on to the San Diego Chargers. I'm moving forward. I'm moving on.

I'm moving forward. I'm moving on.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

PHILLIPS: Guess the coach is moving on.

It's not the first time that this has happened, though. The same Patriots' employee caught videotaping in Sunday's victory over the Jets was caught during a Patriots win last season against Green Bay.

LEMON: Abdul Sattar Abu Risha -- you heard that name yesterday. He was a sheikh that was believe killed. He was killed in an attack there. He is a sheikh that is credited with a dramatic improvement in security in Anbar Province and those areas had cut down on those flash points.

Well, today, an Al Qaeda front in Iraq is claiming responsibility for assassinating Abdul Sattar Abu Risha. It comes on the same day that they were holding memorial services for him. Mourners here had vowed revenge at this memorial service for the leader of the Sunni Arab revolt against Al Qaeda militants. And today we're getting confirmation that Abu Sattar, Abu Sattar Abu Risha has been killed, obviously, by Al Qaeda. They are taking responsibility for that. That is coming across on an Al Qaeda Web site. We'll continue to follow this developing story and update you. But, again, the sheikh has been killed, obviously, and al Qaeda has taken responsibility for that.

PHILLIPS: There's word today of a huge recall by Chrysler. The automaker is recalling almost 300,000 vehicles because of brake system problems that could cause a braking delay on hills. The affected models include Grand Cherokees and Commanders from the 2006 and 2007 model years. 2000 Jeep Wrangler SUVs and Dodge Nitro SUVs are also part of that recall. Owners should be on the lookout for a letter from Chrysler. The company says that anyone who has experienced braking delays should take their vehicle in to a dealer immediately.

LEMON: All right, let's get now to our Severe Weather Center hurricane headquarters right now.

Chad Myers has some breaking weather news for us -- what do you have, Chad?

(WEATHER REPORT)

LEMON: We're back in a moment.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

PHILLIPS: The closing bell is about to ring on Wall Street.

LEMON: Susan Lisovicz standing by with a TGIF report on Wall Street.

(STOCK MARKET REPORT)

PHILLIPS: All right, now "THE SITUATION ROOM."

Suzanne Malveaux today -- hi, Suzanne.

LEMON: Hi.

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