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California Landslide; Swastika, KKK Attack; Philadelphia Armoire Car Shooting; Gerri's Top Tips; Leg Buyer vs. Supplier

Aired October 04, 2007 - 10:00   ET

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

HEIDI COLLINS, CNN ANCHOR: Good morning, everyone. I'm Heidi Collins.
TONY HARRIS, CNN ANCHOR: And I'm Tony Harris. Stay informed all day in the CNN NEWSROOM. Here's what's on the rundown.

Dozens of families waking up as evacuees this morning. A massive landslide gobbles up homes. A moment ago, well, we learned some people can actually go home.

COLLINS: This developing story now. Armored car holdup in Philadelphia. Two guards are dead. A massive manhunt is now underway.

HARRIS: You see the doctor, but you don't see a check from your insurance company. Options for denied health claims. This Thursday, October 4th. You are in the CNN NEWSROOM.

And let's get you started this hour with a lot of breaking news.

Let's first take you to Philadelphia now for an update. Three armored car guards were shot, two of them fatally, in a robbery attempt. This outside of northeast Philadelphia.

Two men, two women were trying to rob the vehicle outside of a Wachovia bank branch. This, again, in northeast Philadelphia. It happened about 8:00 a.m. or so Eastern Time. Two guards were killed and the third guard suffered a graze wound.

One male suspect fled on foot. The other fled in a car. It is not known at this point how the two female suspects escaped. You can see that ATM machine ripped wide open. We will continue to follow developments in this story and bring you the latest news, latest pictures as we get them here in the CNN NEWSROOM.

COLLINS: Also following this story for you out of the Democratic Republic of Congo. There has been a plane crash where at least 30 people have been killed that we know of at this point. The plane was taking off from the capital of the Democratic Republic of Congo, which is Kinshasa.

It was in a plane that was carrying 22 people. That's 16 passengers, six crew members. They were killed as well as the eight people on the ground.

Unfortunately, they were taking off from that area, which is a very heavily populated area. A very poor area of the Democratic Republic of Congo. You see this video now coming in of the scene there. Just a mangled mess.

We are continuing to follow this. It was in a neighborhood, so obviously the most unfortunate part of it all is that loss of life. Again, we'll follow that for you, bring any more details to you just as soon as we get them.

HARRIS: And another story we're following this morning, forced out by a landslide, some residents of a California neighborhood get to return home today. Other homes still too unsound. Kara Finnstrom live from La Jolla, California. That is just outside of San Diego.

Kara, good to see you. We heard just a couple moments ago from the mayor of San Diego, Jerry Sanders.

KARA FINNSTROM, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yes. Good morning, Tony.

We just stepped away from a press conference that Mayor Sanders is still holding. He did start off with some very good news for this community. Now initially we shared with you yesterday that there were 111 people who were evacuated from their homes after this large sinkhole opened up and this big landslide followed. Well, as of about 8:00 this morning, he says 75 of the families in those homes will be allowed to go back.

Now, there still remains nine homes that have been red tagged. That means at this point the geologists that work here feel it is not safe for the families to go back into those homes. And 27 homes here remain yellow tagged. These are areas that the city engineers want to take a closer look at.

He also told us that they will be bringing in two geological firms to really try and figure out what happened here. And here are some of the questions he says those firms hope to answer.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MAYOR JERRY SANDERS, SAN DIEGO, CALIFORNIA: Today what we'll be doing is actually taking a look at what happened. We will be hiring a forensic geology firm. One that will look back to track and trace what happened probably from the '60s until the present day and create a timeline, give us a definitive answer on why all of this occurred.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

FINNSTROM: Now one of the other questions asked a little bit after that was, can this area rebuild? The head city engineer said that at this point there are no plans to rebuild that immediate area where those homes, nine of them, have been red tagged and at least four of them, we have learned, have been destroyed. At least that's what city engineers believe at this point.

He says they've really got to take a closer look at the geological conditions that exist out here. The building practices that were used 45 years ago, when they homes were built, are at least considered partly to blame. They wouldn't be approved today. They wouldn't be using those same practices. But he also says this is a very active geological area and really some answers need to be found.

Tony.

HARRIS: OK. Kara Finnstrom for us in La Jolla, California.

Kara, thank you.

COLLINS: Bound and held against his will. Swastikas and KKK scrawled on an African-American student's body. Now a hate crime investigation in the nation's capital. Details from Doug Buchanan of affiliate WUSA.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

DOUG BUCHANAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT, (voice over): Just before midnight on Saturday, there were two groups of students from the Model Secondary School for the Deaf playing or horsing around together near a dormitory on campus.

CHIEF CATHY LANIER, DC METRO POLICE: During the course of that, they started to get angry with each other, and that's when they separated, the groups separated. But initially it was horseplay.

BUCHANAN: But what started out as just fun and games turned serious and even potentially criminal about an hour later. That's when a group of six white students, accompanied by a black student, tracked down and kidnapped or abducted another black student.

STEPHEN WEINER, GALLAUDET PROVOST, (through translator): We do not tolerate any kind of action, any kind of behavior of this type.

BUCHANAN: According to sources close to this investigation, the abducted teenager was forced into a room at a nearby dormitory. That's where he was held against his will for about 45 minutes. His hands and feet were tied up with shoestrings.

LANIER: This investigation may lead to charges that could have enhanced penalties for a hate crime.

WEINER: This incident is intolerable. That's why the Metropolitan Police Department is involved. That's how serious we are about this incident.

BUCHANAN: The victims' attackers, his seven classmates, hurled racial epithets at him before the suspects left with what may be a lasting, emotional mark on the black high school student.

LANIER: During the course of that time they had him held in this room, they used some sort of marker to write "KKK" and draw swastikas on that student.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

COLLINS: The young man who was attacked is now home with his family and the seven students accused in that attack have also been sent home.

Also know that the president of Gallaudet University, Robert Davila, will join Kyra Phillips. That will be happening live in the NEWSROOM, 1:00 p.m. Eastern. So make sure you stay turned for that.

HARRIS: Race relations at the U.S. Coast Guard Academy under scrutiny this morning in New London, Connecticut. Two nooses, one found by a black cadet another by a diversity training officer. Commandant Admiral Thad Allen is at the academy today to address cadets about the service's anti-discrimination policy. The head of the academy says, if caught, those responsible for planting the nooses would face disciplinary action.

Democratic Congressman Elijah Cummings, a guest last hour here in the NEWSROOM, is calling for a full investigation. And we have an exclusive interview today with Admiral Thad Allen. He will talk about whether there is racism in the Coast Guard, live in the NEWSROOM at 2:00 p.m. Eastern.

COLLINS: Severe interrogations, some of the harshest techniques ever used by the CIA, endorsed by the Justice Department. That is according to a report out today. "The New York Times" is citing secret documents. They show a shift in opinion at Justice soon after Attorney General Alberto Gonzales arrived in February of 2005. The approved techniques included head slapping, simulated drownings and exposure to frigid temperature. The paper says the Justice Department declared none of the interrogation tactics violated standards set by Congress outlawing "cruel, inhumane and degrading treatment. According to "The New York Times," the secret opinion was issued after the department had publicly declared torture abhorrent.

HARRIS: Investigators this morning trying to figure out what caused that deadly fire at a hydroelectric plant in Colorado. The bodies of five workers pulled now from an empty water tunnel. Authorities believe the men were likely killed by smoke and fumes from the fire. They were trapped about 1,500 feet under ground in a pipeline when the blaze erupted.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNDERSHERIFF STU NAY, CLEAR CREEK CO., COLORADO: None of the bodies had any burn marks on them. And that is what I do know. There was no sign of trauma. There was no sign of any burning. So, you know, I'm sure it had to do with a noxious substance of some kind.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HARRIS: Four workers managed to escape. Among other things, authorities are looking into conditions inside the pipeline and what type of training the workers had.

COLLINS: A serious brain disease forces a high-profile Republican senator to call it quits. New Mexico's Pete Domenici expected to make it official today in Albuquerque. The six term lawmaker said to be afflicted with a progressive brain disorder. It could interfere with his decision-making process. Domenici plans to finish out his term and four other Republican senators already have announced plans to leave.

HARRIS: For Democrats the fight is far from finished. The president vetoes an expanded children's health care program. Now a new strategy on Capitol Hill. We will tell you all about it.

COLLINS: Also, big haul for Ron Paul. A presidential candidate behind in the polls gains ground in the money race.

HARRIS: And back to rehab for a troubled singer. A report says Britney Spears is heading to the Caribbean, but not for vacation.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

COLLINS: You are in the CNN NEWSROOM. I'm Heidi Collins.

He lost his leg in a plane crash. That was just the beginning of his bad luck.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: My life savings and my home, my family, and now I've lost my leg again.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

COLLINS: Lost it the second time to a Halloween profiteer. Now that is scary.

HARRIS: Are we going to run this story?

COLLINS: Yes, we are.

HARRIS: I need to know what . . .

COLLINS: We're waiting for the right time.

HARRIS: OK.

Good morning, again, everyone. I'm Tony Harris. Here's something to really cheer about.

Disabled girls, former cheer leading squat, living their dream while boosting school spirit.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

COLLINS: Want to quickly get you back to the story we've been telling you about this morning in northeast Philadelphia. There has been an armored car hijacking or I should say they're trying to rob the armored car. We're not sure exactly the situation other than this. Unfortunately, we have been told two guards of a Wachovia bank there have been killed. Another one was wounded. And there are still four suspects on the run. We want to get straight out to Barbara Boyer. She's with the "Philadelphia Inquirer." She's at the scene and joining us now on the telephone.

Barbara, why don't you just start, if you would, by telling us what you know at this point from there.

BARBARA BOYER, "PHILADELPHIA INQUIRER": Shortly after 8:00 a.m., the armored car was either doing a pickup or dropping off money when the driver and two people in the armored car were approached by a gunman. Shots were fired. All three of them were shot. I understand one received a graze wound. The other two critically injured and subsequently pronounced dead at the scene. An intensive man search is now underway looking for gunman and his accomplice who fled in a black vehicle.

COLLINS: Barbara, at this point, who's involved in all of this? Obviously state police we know for a fact. Has anyone else been brought in?

BOYER: Well, the Philadelphia police have been here from the beginning with their crime scene unit. The FBI is also here. There's a command center set up with all the agencies working together.

COLLINS: I know you live in the area. Obviously you have been reporting on the city of Philadelphia. Is this something that this area has suffered from before? Is this the first time something like this has happened?

BOYER: I couldn't tell you whether it's the first time that there's been an armored car robbery here. It is a relatively crime- free area in terms of homicides. It is a busy commercial area. However, Philadelphia has been having a tremendous crime problem in the past two years and this underscores the violence that the city has seen in the past two years.

COLLINS: Also, Barbara, I have a note here saying that that third guard who you mentioned, the other two unfortunately suffered fatal wounds, but the other guard with this graze wound, is he or she able to help with authorities and tell them what he saw or maybe give a description of these suspects?

BOYER: I don't know to the extent that that individual has been able to cooperate. I know that they have gotten descriptions from witnesses, which may include that guard, and there is also surveillance tape that they, at this moment, are reviewing, trying to sort out exactly who was involved and who they're looking for.

COLLINS: Sure. OK. So at least they have that surveillance tape.

And, quickly, I believe that you said this happened around 8:00 a.m. in the morning. That's a pretty busy time. I mean we're talking about rush hour. A lot of people getting ready to go into work.

BOYER: Yes. It's a commercial byway. The mall is right in the back here, Roosevelt Mall. And it would be bumper to bumper traffic during rush hour at the time that this happened.

COLLINS: Wow. So police probably talking with a lot of people who may have potentially seen something. And, most importantly, helping to get those descriptions. Barbara Boyer with the "Philadelphia Inquirer."

Barbara, thanks so much for that.

We, of course, are going to watch this story and bring you any new information just as soon as we get it here.

HARRIS: Could we be talking about a formal end to the Korean War? South Korean President Roh voicing optimism after returning from a summit in North Korea. He and reclusive president Kim Jong-il reaching a wide ranging reconciliation deal. They're pledging to see a peace treaty that would officially end the Korean War 54 years after a cease-fire. They have also agreed to boost economic ties and help separated families exchange correspondence. It was the first summit between the divided countries in seven years.

COLLINS: Heavy rain, high water, flooding in Florida. The cleanup still to come.

GERRI WILLIS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: I'm Gerri Willis.

Was your health insurance claim denied? We'll tell you how you can fight back. That's next on "Top Tips" in the NEWSROOM.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

HARRIS: What do you say we get another check of the big board here. The New York Stock Exchange. Now, look, nothing in the Dow futures early this morning to indicate that there would be anything of any significance going on today.

COLLINS: That's all right.

HARRIS: So Dow futures flat. So where are we about an hour into the trading day, Heidi, flat.

COLLINS: At least we have a plus sign.

HARRIS: Yes, we have a plus. Up three, up two. The Nasdaq maybe down a point. We're waiting for the jobs report coming out soon. Maybe it's out already. I'm not sure. We'll see what the markets do after they get an opportunity -- traders get an opportunity to chew on those numbers.

COLLINS: Keep talking because it's still going up.

HARRIS: Yes, yes, that's good. That's good. It's great. We're checking the numbers with Susan Lisovicz throughout the morning right here in the CNN NEWSROOM.

COLLINS: Denied a health care claim? Well, it happens a lot. But you can fight back against your insurance company. And a lot of people may not know that. Our Gerri Willis is here now to tell you how.

All right, Gerri, is there anything people can really do to avoid being trapped in this situation?

WILLIS: Well, there are important steps to take, Heidi. It's more important now than ever to know what is exactly covered in your policy. That's because there are new limitations placed on how much coverage you'll get per doctor visit and per calendar year. Before you go through a medical procedure, remind your doctor what's covered and what's not. They may not know.

COLLINS: Really? Well, I mean, I guess there's a lot going on.

WILLIS: It's hard to keep track of. Yes.

COLLINS: Yes. Yes, understandable.

So if you have a claim that's denied by the insurer, what do you do first?

WILLIS: Well, call customer service to find out why your claim was rejected. Sometimes it's just an administrative error. You can also request a formal review by the insurer. Send a letter by certified mail. But do it quickly. Some plans only give you 30 to 60 days to file an appeal. And in this appeal be sure to include the description of the service, why it should be covered and any recommendations from your doctor that explains why treatment should be covered.

Heidi.

COLLINS: So what can your state government do? Is it worth contacting them as well?

WILLIS: Absolutely. Some states have an ombudsman who can help guide you through the process. And most states have set up independent medical review boards to hear appeals. To find out who to contact locally, go to the Kaiser Family Foundations website at statehealthfacts.kff.org.

COLLINS: I'm sure there are some groups that are out there, though, to help people, sort of guide them in how to do all of this, right?

WILLIS: You bet. There are advocates groups. They can help you settle your dispute. To find one in your area, go to the Patient Advocate Foundation at patientadvocate.org. You can also check out Health Care Advocates at healthcareadvocates.com. How easy is that?

COLLINS: Yes, that's pretty easy. But imagine it's possible that your credit score might be affected by all of this. Is that true?

WILLIS: Right. If you do have a dispute, your credit score should not be jeopardized at all until your dispute is resolved. If you have collection agencies coming after you, send a copy of the appeals letter to them and tell your insurer to call off the collections process. And, of course, you know, Heidi, we'll be talking about this and other topics on "Open House" this week and the latest on the mortgage meltdown. Should you turn your house green. We've got all kinds of answers to all kinds of questions, as usual. 9:30 a.m. Eastern Time right here on CNN. Join us for "Open House."

COLLINS: Yes, and this story is one that seems to be, you know, just going on and on. So glad that you are covering it once again with some new information, Gerri. Thank you.

WILLIS: Thank you, Heidi.

COLLINS: A man loses his leg twice.

HARRIS: Are you kidding?

COLLINS: Yes. I mean, no.

HARRIS: OK. And he's . . .

COLLINS: Yes, no.

HARRIS: And he's now trying to get it back from a guy. Listen to this. He wants to turn it into a Halloween display. We can't make this stuff up. Alex Reed of our affiliate WCNC has more.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

JOHN WOOD, AMPUTEE: This thing has become a freak show.

ALEX REED, CNN CORRESPONDENT, (voice over): John Wood was in a plane crash with his father three years ago.

WOOD: Since then I've lost my father and my life savings and my home, my family, and now I've lost my leg again at this public auction.

SHANNON WHISNANT, FOUND WOOD'S LEG: Why did you take it with you if it was such a personal thing?

WOOD: It was under lock and key. I assumed in a safe position.

REED: Shannon Whisnant purchased a smoker at auction which had the leg inside and he says he's not going to just give it away.

WHISNANT: Maybe if I have it in my custody for every Halloween and a month there before, we may have split custody.

REED: He wants to charge admission to a special Halloween attraction featuring the leg.

WHISNANT: There's people coming from all over the world who wants to see it.

REED: Wood says he put the leg, along with the rest of his personal belongings, into storage at the mini warehouse rentals in Maiden (ph). But after he missed several payments, the facility put his belongings up for public auction.

WOOD: Maiden (INAUDIBLE), as well as everybody in Maiden, you know, who knew me, knew that leg was in that building. This sale should never have taken place.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

COLLINS: Want to get to this story as well. Life on the edge. Dozens of homes fall victim to shifting earth. The pictures, incredible. San Diego landslide in the NEWSROOM.

HARRIS: Also, thousands of workers trapped underground. Now these gold miners see daylight again.

COLLINS: More than two dozen people dead in the mangled wreckage. A plane slams into a densely populated neighborhood.

And missing in Myanmar. Where have all the monks gone? We're going to have an update for you in just a moment.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

HARRIS: Let's see, we're coming up on the bottom of the hour. Welcome back, everyone, to the CNN NEWSROOM. I'm Tony Harris.

COLLINS: Hi there, everybody. I'm Heidi Collins.

Breaking news this hour out of Philadelphia. We want to give you the very latest that we know at this point. There has been an armored car robbery. It's outside of a Wachovia bank, northeast Philadelphia. There have been two guards that were shot dead and another one that was wounded. Apparently that injury is a bullet being grazed by a bullet.

There are four suspects on the run. Two men and two women. Again, on the loose and police are conducting an intensive manhunt.

Just a few moments ago there was a press conference that took place. Let's go ahead and listen in to just a few moments of that.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: That's when (ph) we'll give you the rest at a news conference later. OK. All right. That's all the commissioner . . .

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: (INAUDIBLE) footage from surveillance at the Wachovia?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: OK.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Where should people call if they have any information . . .

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Any information, call homicide. Absolutely. Call the homicide. 215-686-3334 or 215-686-3335.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: You're going to have a news conference up here later?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We'll have it right here later on (INAUDIBLE). All right, thanks.

QUESTION: There are initial reports of three other suspects.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We're looking for one male.

QUESTION: And a getaway car driver.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We're looking for one male.

QUESTION: He drove himself away?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We'll give you an update later. Right now that's who we're looking for.

QUESTION: The high schools are in a lockdown right now?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I'm not sure.

COLLINS: OK. So new information there that we had been reporting, that four suspects were on the run, two men and two women, but as you just heard, according to, I believe, the Philadelphia Police Department, they are looking for one male at this time. Not sure at this point whether or not the other three suspects are in custody or whether there were four suspects to begin with at all. But once again they are currently looking at surveillance tape of the area. Oftentimes outside of banks they have that of course because of the ATM facilities. So they are looking at that, and I imagine they are also trying to speak as gently as possible to the third victim in this, who was wounded, the third guard, to get as much information on that suspect.

Again, one male is being pursued in an intensive manhunt. It happened at 8:00 this morning, a pretty busy time, of course, for everyone, rush hour and heading off to work. So helpfully they will get the description that they're looking for.

(NEWSBREAK)

HARRIS: The United Nations pushing a human rights investigation in Myanmar. Hundreds, perhaps thousands, of monks have seemingly vanished after an anti-government protest.

Here's CNN Matthew Chance.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

MATTHEW CHANCE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: The latest pictures smuggled out of Myanmar's biggest city raise a troubling question -- where there are the thousands of monks so visible on the streets here just days ago? CNN has spoken to pro-democracy student activists inside Myanmar, who say hundreds of monks have been detained and scores are trying to escape fearing arrest.

One reporter managed to get inside this monastery, which he was told usually has 100 monks inside, but he saw only three.

Then there was this scene of young children studying at one of the country's many monasteries. Right outside the reporter's hidden camera recorded images of soldiers standing guard.

Monks have been at the front and center of Myanmar's dramatic protests. Activists inside Myanmar tell CNN at least 40 monks alone may have been killed. Images of have emerged from the aftermath of monks and civilians, too, being beaten by soldiers. One shows an officer who seemed to be happily in charge.

But now, a dissenting face of the Myanmar military may be showing through. An army major who fled his country because of the crackdown speaking in neighboring Thailand. He says his conscience forced him to leave.

"When I heard monks had been shot dead on the streets and that others had been shot, too, I felt very upset," he says. As a Buddhist, I didn't want to see such killing.

Reports from inside Myanmar say troops are now trolling the streets, warning they are arrest anyone suspected of taking part in the anti-government protests.

"It's impossible," he says, "that under the rule of the military regime Myanmar will be prosperous and peaceful."

So far there's little sign many others in Myanmar's military rank and file feel the same.

(on camera): Amid all this tension, the United Nations special envoy to Myanmar has now left the country, having met its generals and its main opposition figure, Aun San Suchi (ph), his report is expected by the end of the week.

But now the United Nations Human Rights Commission says it also wants a fact-finding mission to Myanmar, to find out how many people were killed in the crackdown and what's happened to so many of the country's monks.

Matthew Chance, CNN, Bangkok.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

(WEATHER REPORT)

HARRIS: We want to continue to get you the latest information on this developing story out of Philadelphia, northeast Philadelphia. Mark Clark is on the line with us. He is the vice president of communications with Loomis, and Loomis is the armored car company at the center of this attempted robbery this morning.

Mark, good to talk to you. MARK CLARK, V.P. COMMUNICATION, LOOMIS: Good morning.

HARRIS: Definitely a sad day for your company. Tell us what you know about the attempted robbery this morning that has left two of your armored car guards dead.

CLARK: Probably not much more than you've already heard. I can confirm that we did have a crew of three people servicing an ATM in northern Philadelphia. Two were out of the truck servicing the machine. The third remained in the truck, according to our standard procedure. The two who were servicing the machine were attacked, shot and killed. The man in the truck did exactly what he was supposed to do. Some shots were fired at the truck. Did not penetrate the truck, but some chips of glass flew off, and he sustained some minor injuries.

HARRIS: I'm sure you don't know everything there is to know about this incident yet, but based on what you do know, were procedures followed?

CLARK: Yes. At this point there's no indication that there were any violations of our procedures.

HARRIS: OK. Any indication of how many people might have been involved in this? What are you hearing from police?

CLARK: The same thing you're hearing.

HARRIS: Yes. All right. There is one guard who we understand suffered a graze wound. Is that the extent of the injury?

CLARK: That's incorrect. I think what they're referring to is that would be the guy who remained in the truck. I don't believe he was actually grazed. I think he was hit by some glass that chipped off of the window. Bullets did not penetrate the truck, but some glass from the window did shatter a bit. I think that's what happened.

HARRIS: Well, Mark, thanks for that. That's a bit of new information, that that third guard was not, in fact, shot. Has that guard to your knowledge been able to help authorities in identifying or giving a description of the assailants?

CLARK: Yes, I don't know. I believe he went to the hospital, but I don't know what he's been able to share at this point.

HARRIS: What's your company posture at this point? You've clearly have had an incident that you would -- that no company wants to have to deal with. What's your company policy at this point, and is there a review that goes on after an episode like this where you sort of double-check procedures?

CLARK: Sure, absolutely, yes. When this -- this doesn't happen very often obviously, but when it does, certainly we have a team there and investigate it thoroughly. And whatever there is to be learned, we learn and adapt our processes as appropriate. But again, in this point, in this incident, we're not aware that anybody did anything wrong.

HARRIS: OK. Mark Clark is the vice president of communications with Loomis, the armored car company at the center of this attempted robbery this morning in northeast Philadelphia.

Mark, appreciate your time. Thank you.

COLLINS: And Tony, just in case people are now joining us with the situation in Philadelphia that we have been talking about here, want to take a minute to go to a press conference that happened just a little while ago. This is Philadelphia police commissioner Sylvester Johnson talking about what happened, who the suspect is that's still on the loose.

Let's go ahead and listen in.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SYLVESTER JOHNSON, PHILADELPHIA POLICE COMMISSIONER: Unidentified black male comes up around the side of him on the left- hand side, far (ph) shooting the male and fatally wounding him, fatally killing him, actually. He then goes around the pole, shoots the other guard. He is also fatally wounded. He then runs away, runs into the parking lot, gets into a black car. We're not sure if it's an Acura or at this point exactly what kind of car it is.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Small four-door, has a sunroof ...

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Speak into (ph) the microphone, sir, please.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Sorry. The vehicle is a small four-door auto, it's black in color, and we're unsure of the make. It's a newer model.

JOHNSON: OK, this male had a yellow baseball cap on at this point. A little further on, when the families are notified of the deceased, then we will have another news conference as soon as they're notified. At this point, we don't want to give any names out, any more information at this point. But I'm saying, within the next hour or two hours, as soon as the families notified, we will be back here.

I just want to thank everybody who's out there that has any information about this on the car. There is footage. We're looking at that right now. We haven't really verified everything, we haven't verified all the information that has been given to us at this point. But as soon as we get all the information that is factual, we will come back here and get information to you. But at this point, there's a hold-up of an armored car, two people are dead.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

COLLINS: Obviously, everyone very shaken up in Philadelphia today.

Right now, as we just heard, Police Commissioner Sylvester Johnson say some new information to give you on all of this. Apparently, one black male is on the loose. That is the suspect that they are looking for. Apparently driving some type of newer model black vehicle. Apparently a small four-door car, maybe with a sunroof, wearing a yellow baseball hat. Obviously, that is something that can easily be taken off, but that is the description that the Philadelphia police department is putting out there right now.

So, again, new information, one black male on the loose. That is a suspect that they're looking for in the deaths of two guards of an armored car vehicle at the Wachovia Bank there, northeast Philadelphia. We will continue to watch this and bring you any new developments.

HARRIS: And on the heels of that really disturbing news this morning, the breaking news we've been following in the NEWSROOM, something to smile about this morning. Disabled girls forming a cheerleading squad, living their dream while boosting school spirit.

SUSAN LISOVICZ, CNN CORRESPONDENT: I'm Susan Lisovicz at the New York Stock Exchange where Nutra Systems are shedding a lot of weight this morning. Why the diet company shares are down more than 30 percent, next.

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COLLINS: Back quickly to the breaking news we've been telling you about in northeast Philadelphia, where there has been an armored car robbery. Two people have been killed, the guards of that car. A third person was wounded. We believe now from the sources that we've been talking to that that wound came from a possible shattered glass in all of this instead of what we originally told you, which was being grazed by the bullet.

We want to get out to someone who is on the scene right now. Tony Hanson is with KYW, it's a radio station there in Philadelphia with the very latest.

Tony, we just heard the police commissioner talking about the suspect that they are after, which is one male at this time, and it makes me think, boy, this was a pretty bold thing to do right there, 8:00 in the morning.

VOICE OF TONY HANSON, KYW/PHILADELPHIA: Bold and it may have been well-planned, Heidi. According to police, they have surveillance video not only from the Wachovia Bank here where the robbery and murders took place, but also from the Turf Club, a betting establishment just behind it where the robber is actually seen putting on gloves, preparing for the robbery right before the armored car guards arrived early this morning. It appears that they make this delivery every Thursday morning. So, authorities believe that the suspect had scoped out this place.

COLLINS: Yes, and you know, I'm not sure how it works, but I imagine, you know, it's a bank, you have an armored car come there quite often to get the deposits, and I imagine that that's something that is not the same schedule every day so as to avoid incidents like this. I just wonder, and there's probably no way to know right now, but how closely that schedule or the activities of the bank in making their deposits was watched.

HANSON: Well, we don't know for sure yet because as you said, it's very early, but there is some indication from the scene that this pickup is made every Thursday morning. It's not a daily pickup, but it does happen every Thursday. Whether it happens at exactly the same time or not right now, we do not know.

But according to police commissioner Sylvester Johnson, it appears this suspect, this killer, lay in wait for these guards this morning. He walked up, essentially executed the first guard as he was pulling money from the machine, then turned and shot the second guard. The third guard, who was still in the truck, got out and he suffered some injuries. Again, not sure whether that's from a bullet fragment, a bullet, or from shattered glass ...

COLLINS: Yes.

HANSON: ...but he suffered minor injuries. But the other two armored car guards were killed. Their bodies are still on the scene.

COLLINS: Again, talking with Tony Hanson from Radio KYW in Philadelphia.

Tony, talk to us about what you're seeing around you now from everything that we have learned about this incident. Obviously, an intensive manhunt going on right now.

HANSON: Absolutely. Let me tell about this area. This is in northeast Philadelphia, a major section in Philadelphia. There's a mall right nearby, one of the busiest commercial and residential areas in the city of Philadelphia.

Just behind the bank, as I mentioned, is the Turf Club, a betting establishment. There's a mall behind it. There's another huge shopping center across from it. Buselton (ph) and Cotton is one of the busiest intersections in the city of Philadelphia, and yet, just after 8:00 this morning, gunfire erupted, about five to seven shots we understand. Police descended on the scene.

Right now, we have Philadelphia police by the scores on the scene. Also, the FBI is involved because the armored car, that makes this a Federal crime as well as the crime of murder. The local crime, which would be handled by the state. So, you have Philadelphia police on the scene, you have the FBI on the scene.

This mall has been shut down. The Roosevelt Mall has been shut down. Police are trying to identify everyone who's in there now to see if they either saw anything or know anything about the crime.

COLLINS: Yes, I was just going to ask about businesses, or possible schools, or apartments or anything in the area that might actually be, you know, shutdown or had people staying inside their homes or possibly even road block that is might be up at this point. HANSON: The area around the bank is closed for a couple blocks in every direction, so that's completely shut down. But in addition to that, police did put into lockdown a number of local schools as a precaution. No indication or evidence that the killer went to those locations, but as a precaution, after this happened, they locked down those schools.

COLLINS: All right, very good. Great job. Tony Hanson, thanks so much, from Radio KYW there in Philadelphia. Again, we will follow this story and bring you any new information we have on this one individual who is really being sought after by police there in Philadelphia.

HARRIS: And still to come this morning, more than two dozen dead in the mangled wreckage. A plane slams into a densely populated neighborhood.

COLLINS: Next stop for Britney spears, you'll find out in just a few minutes. The latest buzz after the big custody battle.

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COLLINS: Manhunt in Philadelphia -- two armored car guards killed this morning in an attempted robbery. We'll have the latest on this breaking story.

And life on the edge. Dozens of homes fall victim to shifting earth. San Diego landslide in the NEWSROOM.

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