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5 Injured in Amtrak Collision; Hostage Situation at Clinton Campaign Office; 3 Detained in NFL Player's Death
Aired November 30, 2007 - 14:00 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. I'm Don Lemon, live at the CNN world headquarters in Atlanta.
KYRA PHILLIPS, CNN ANCHOR: And I'm Kyra Phillips.
Breaking news this hour, a train derailment in Chicago.
LEMON: As a matter of fact, you're in the CNN NEWSROOM, but first we're going to get to Dianne Hunter, who is the public information officer from Mt. Sinai Hospital in Chicago.
I understand you have four passengers on their way to the hospital now, or have they arrived?
DIANE HUNTER, SPOKESWOMAN, MT. SINAI HOSPITAL: I don't believe that they have arrived, but we did get a report that we would be receiving them.
LEMON: What are you -- now I understand in the Chicago area when something like this happens, hospitals will go on a certain status.
HUNTER: Yes, we do.
LEMON: There is an emergency status or on a heightened alert status. Where are you now?
HUNTER: Well, we already evoked our emergency procedures. We have staff waiting in the emergency room ready to receive patients.
LEMON: OK. Explain the process, Dianne, when these folks come in. I would imagine that folks who are more seriously injured get to the hospital first, and the police who are less, or they believed to be less seriously injured are looked at, at the scene.
What happens when they come into your hospital?
HUNTER: Well, they will be treated as their conditions mandate.
LEMON: OK.
HUNTER: They will be triaged and they will be treated as their conditions mandate.
LEMON: Comparing this -- were you at Mt. Sinai back in '06 when the metro train derailed in the tunnel?
HUNTER: No, I'm sorry, I was not.
LEMON: OK. So, again, you're expecting four passengers. Do you know the status of those passengers that you're awaiting?
HUNTER: No, and actually we could have any number of patients come in. We just have to see how that is sorted out at the scene.
LEMON: OK.
Dianne Hunter, who's a public information officer for Mt. Sinai Hospital.
Dianne, we may be checking back with you throughout the afternoon here on CNN. We wish you well today with treating the folks there in Chicago.
PHILLIPS: And if you're just tuning in to the breaking news here on CNN, an Amtrak train collided with a freight train on Chicago's south side, leaving five Amtrak employees who were in the train's engine with critical to serious injuries. None of the approximately 100 to 150 passengers though appear to have suffered serious injuries, but we did get eyewitness accounts from passengers.
Our Keith Oppenheim is on the scene, and he was saying that a number of passengers, he could see them bleeding in the face. They had broken noses, they had cut chins.
He was able to catch up with a few of them on his cell phone and we heard from them just moments ago.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: It just was kind of like a big crash, and people really remained -- for the most part remained calm. And my husband who was sitting next to me, he got -- he has maybe a broken nose, we're not sure yet. But everybody did remain fairly calm, and there didn't seem to be really any serious injuries.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Ten, 15 miles an hour, and then all of a sudden we came to a sudden stop, and there was no intercom system of, hey, you know, we're going to hit. And then we just stopped suddenly and everybody went flying forward, and a bunch of busted lips and broken noses and a couple of sprains. And other than that, you know, everyone is shooken (ph) up and we assessed the problem and seen what happened.
He slammed into a park train, and we were running 35 minutes late because of the snowfall in Grand Rapids so -- Michigan, so that probably had something to do with the whole situation.
KEITH OPPENHEIM, CNN CORRESPONDENT: So you started off in bad weather, and it looks -- but I guess the question is why this would have happened, and I suppose that you don't have any idea.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: No, of course not, no. I don't have any idea how it happened, but my assessment would be the 35 minutes running late, you know, and that's why that train was stopped there, because he felt probably this train already went through.
OPPENHEIM: So your guess is that this was a schedule issue.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes, yes, definitely, it had to have been. Plus the engineer's fault also, because we weren't going that fast. And if he had seen the train parked in front of us, I'm pretty sure he would have stopped.
OPPENHEIM: Yes. Even if you're going slowly, an impact at a slow speed when you're talking about a moving train with a stationary train, it must be pretty intense.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes, yes, it was definitely intense. I mean, you know, the first thing you're thinking is oh, no, what happened? And, you know, how many people are going to be injured and hurt and everything else? But for a train wreck, like I said before, it went pretty well. I mean, it could have been a lot, lot worse.
OPPENHEIM: And are you doing OK? How are you feeling?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Oh, I'm fine. I'm fine. My shins are a little busted up. Other than that, you know, it's just another day. As long as you've got your health, keep on going.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
PHILLIPS: And just want to make the point as we listen to that passenger there, it is still unclear what caused that accident. Don't know where the fault lies at this point. That's just a passenger making an assumption of what he thinks could have been the problem, so we just want you to know that we don't know what caused that accident.
All we know, that two trains were on the same track. They collided. You're seeing firefighters right here earlier on working on the engine part of the train. That's where the five Amtrak employees were critically injured.
They have been taken to the hospital. We are following that, of course, in addition to the 100 to 150 passengers that have been able to either be taken out by rescue workers here on stretchers, or they have been able to walk out with bumps and bruises.
We're following -- number 371 was the name of the train out of Grand Rapids, Michigan, heading to Chicago, until it collided with a freight train.
LEMON: That is breaking news we're following from Chicago, but this one -- this breaking news has a political edge to it and the possible safety of a presidential contender.
Let's get straight to the newsroom now. Our Betty Nguyen working the details of a developing story.
Is this a hostage situation, Betty?
BETTY NGUYEN, CNN ANCHOR: That's what we understand, a hostage situation at a Hillary Clinton campaign office in Rochester, New Hampshire. Here's what we know so far, Don.
We originally told you, according to our affiliate WCV and WMUR, an armed man took people hostage at that campaign office, but now we're being told that police are unclear as to how many people are involved here. Again, we don't know how many people have been taken hostage either, but police are on the scene.
I want you to listen to something that New Hampshire State Police are saying about the situation. Let's take a listen to Major Michael Hambrook.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
MAJ. MICHAEL HAMBROOK, NEW HAMPSHIRE STATE POLICE: The city of Rochester Police Department is investigating a subject that has walked into the campaign headquarters of Hillary Clinton and has alleged to have an explosive device on his person. Our understanding from Rochester is that the subject released a couple of people, but that there may be other people inside the building. Rochester Police Department is handling the incident, and we're assisting by sending the explosive ordnance disposal unit down to the area.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
NGUYEN: All right. So you have units on the scene. You have a hostage situation inside that building right there, the Hillary Clinton campaign office there in Rochester, New Hampshire.
Nearby businesses have been evacuated. In fact, a school in the area, the St. Elizabeth Seton School, is under a lockdown. And two new developments now, Don.
We understand that Hillary Clinton, who is not in New Hampshire, she was attending a national Democratic committee meeting in Virginia. Well, she has cancelled that appearance due to this hostage situation.
We have also learned that -- this according to our affiliates -- Barack Obama, who also has an office in Rochester, that office has been evacuated. And there were no reports of any injuries there.
But again, a hostage situation under way right now at this hour at the Hillary Clinton presidential campaign office in New Hampshire. Of course, we're going to be following this very, very closely and bring you the latest on that.
LEMON: Absolutely. And we're just following some of the developing news on that, looking at the information coming off the wires. And Betty Nguyen on top of it.
Betty, thank you very much for that. NGUYEN: Sure.
PHILLIPS: Another developing story today out of Florida. Police detained at least three suspects in the Fort Myers area, we're told, of Florida, questioning them with regard to the death of Washington Redskins football star Sean Taylor.
Rad Berkey with our Miami affiliate WPLG is working the new details for us.
Rad, bring us up to date.
RAD BERKEY, REPORTER, WPLG: You've pretty much summed it up. There are three people who were detained early this morning following a raid in the Fort Myers area by police. Miami-Dade homicide detectives went over there last night, were joined by FDLE -- those are state agents from the Florida Department of Law Enforcement.
The three people being detained and being questioned right now, we are told there was evidence found in Sean Taylor's house that could place these three people in that house. That's part of it.
What investigators are trying to do now is see if they can take it to the next step and actually have the evidence to charge any of these three people with actually being the trigger man, the person who fired the two shots, one that hit the wall and the other one that hit Sean Taylor. Specifically, what they are trying to do right now in questioning is get a written confession.
We are told this is the normal process for any homicide. No matter how good the evidence is, you want to try to get a confession. That takes a while. That's what we're waiting for.
PHILLIPS: So Rad, do they believe that these suspects were tied to the November 18th burglary of Sean Taylor's home as well?
BERKEY: If they do, Kyra, at this point they are not saying. They are not saying anything other than Miami-Dade police homicide detectives are there and that they are questioning these three men.
You will remember that Richard Sharpstein, the attorney who represented Sean Taylor's family, he says he believes the two were obviously linked, someone breaking in, leaving a kitchen knife on one of the beds in that house, and seemingly taking nothing. Sharpstein believes they're linked, we'll find out later on when Miami-Dade police do give us more information later this afternoon.
PHILLIPS: Rad Berkey with our affiliate WPLG.
Rad, appreciate it.
LEMON: All right. We have more breaking news to report besides that Sean Taylor incident.
We have breaking news out of Chicago. We started this newscast in our 1:00 Eastern hour with this developing news. It happened moments before then.
You can see there, there is an Amtrak train, the engine on top of a freight train. It's believed that they collided sometime just around noon Eastern Time today.
That's happening on the south side of Chicago, 47th and Shields (ph), between the areas of 47th and 52nd and Shields (ph). This happening just off, if you look there on the Google to the right, the Dan Ryan Expressway (ph), and then there right in the center of your screen, that is a switching yard with a myriad, a myriad of train tracks there that have to be switched. All kinds of trains run through here, passenger trains, commuter lines, and what have you in and out of the Chicago area.
This train, train number 371, coming from Grand Rapids, Michigan, this morning. We heard from one of the passengers there delayed about 35 minutes because of snow on the ground. Not sure if that had anything to do with the accident, the timing of this.
At least five people injured, and those who are believed to be more seriously injured were Amtrak employees, Amtrak workers who were in that engine car.
And we want to get the update on conditions here. I'm not sure if they were taken to Cook County Hospital, but we're going to go to Cook County Hospital now and Sean Howard, who is the director of public information or public affairs there.
Sean, do you have any folks from this train derailment, train accident at your hospital?
SEAN HOWARD, SPOKESMAN, COOK COUNTY HOSPITAL: Now, we're now just getting in up to 10 individuals who have been rushed here to our trauma unit, one -- possibly one child, and that's all we have thus far, but we have been put on alert. Our hospital is in a stage three mode, which is a high alert. We are in our command centered internally, and we have more than enough doctors and nurses on hand ready to receive these individuals.
LEMON: OK. You said you have one child there and you have 10 people. Do you know the extent of the injuries?
HOWARD: Right now we don't know the extent. We know there are five critically injured railroad workers that are amongst this 10. So, once again, we're on alert. We're here on the scene ready for those individuals to arrive.
LEMON: OK. You said five critically injured railroad workers, and those were the railroad workers that Larry Lankford (ph) told us about here in the CNN -- on the NEWSROOM earlier.
HOWARD: Exactly.
LEMON: Let me ask you this real quick, Sean. What about the child? Do you know the extent of the child's injuries and if it's a young lady or young man? HOWARD: Right now we don't know. We're awaiting -- of course that child will receive top notch attention here. We don't know as of yet. Within the next five minutes we'll probably have those details, but we have been informed that child is part of the 10 that may be coming.
LEMON: Hey, Sean, keep me honest real quick -- Cook County, where do you rank? Are you the trauma unit?
HOWARD: We are the number one trauma unit in the nation. There is a known fact that if you come into our trauma unit with a heartbeat, you have a 99 percent chance of going home alive. So we pride ourselves on that. And we're ready. We're prepared.
LEMON: Number one trauma unit in the nation. They couldn't be in better hands.
Sean Howard from Cook County Hospital, former known as Stroger Hospital -- or at least it is now -- in Chicago. Ten people rushed there.
Sean, thank you very much.
One child, 10 people rushed there. Five critically injured workers, Kyra, who Larry Lankford (ph) told us taken to Cook County Hospital.
PHILLIPS: And another developing story. This one happening out of New Hampshire. We've been following this.
Apparently, a hostage situation reported at Hillary Clinton's campaign office in New Hampshire. An armed man apparently took a few hostages, has let a few go, but has an explosive device we're told on him now. S.W.A.T. team out there on the scene.
We want to listen to WMUR, our affiliate out of New Hampshire, their live newscast following this breaking news story. Let's listen in.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Well, this is the area in between essentially...
JOSH DAVIS, REPORTER, WMUR: There's the Christmas tree that they set up in the island of the downtown area on one end. At the opposite end of where it's blocked off is Rochester District Court.
In between there I can see a dance studio. You've got several little sandwich shops. I believe someone described a hardware store before.
There's also the Obama campaign office -- appears to be if not right next door to the Clinton campaign office, two doors down. So it's definitely within that same area. And it's quite possible that there might be other campaigns headquartered in this same stretch here.
Approximately, Scott, I would there's 20 to 30 businesses on the stretch that is closed off.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Josh Davis, thank you very much. I'll cut you loose so that you can perhaps get more information, or at the very least, just stay safe and out of harm's way.
That actually reminded me -- I got a phone call just before we broke into our broadcast this afternoon from one of the other campaign offices. Word has spread very quickly not just because of our broadcast, but word spread very quickly in the moments after this hostage situation began at the Hillary Clinton headquarters between all of the different campaigns.
Josh just mentioned that the Barack Obama offices are virtually right next door here in downtown Rochester. Phone calls were flying through the different campaigns. When it comes down to it, they may be competing for your votes for January, but it's a fraternity of campaign volunteers and staffers who began calling each other and warning about what was going on.
It's my understanding from a little while ago that a number of phone calls were made to a variety of campaigns throughout the state just to give them a heads up of what was going on just in case it was anything more than this one person. Now, as we're seeing with this standoff situation in Rochester, everything that we've been told to this point leads us to believe that it is one man, one suspect, described by eyewitnesses as a man in his 40s with salt and pepper hair who made everyone get down on the floor, as soon as he walked into the north main street location of the Hillary Clinton campaign office in downtown Rochester.
There was a woman with a young child inside at the time this man arrived. He let them go. That woman went right next door to a medical supply company and urged the employees to call 911.
Police were on the scene within moments. They had locked down the entire area, as Josh Davis just described.
You're talking 20 to 30 businesses affected in this shutdown of the entire area of North Main Street. It's block from Union to Wakefield Street. It's a couple of blocks.
There is a school in that area. It is called St. Elizabeth Seton School. Several surrounding businesses, they have all been placed into lockdown.
We have no reason to believe that anyone else is in harm's way, but we have been able to confirm through state police and through the Clinton campaign that this man, this unidentified armed man who claims that he has a bomb strapped to him, is holding two people hostage inside the Clinton offices right now.
We do not know if he has a device that is a dangerous one. We don't know if it's a hoax. At this point we have no idea what this man's motivations are, but we can tell you that police have confirmed that it is an armed suspect. The state police bomb squad, thanks to Major Mike Hambrook, who... PHILLIPS: You're listening to our affiliate WMUR out of New Hampshire following that hostage situation at Hillary Clinton's campaign office in New Hampshire. Apparently, he's strapped on an explosive device. He has let some hostages go.
There are still some within the campaign building right now. Sort of a bizarre situation that started about 1:00 p.m. in that building there on Main Street in Rochester.
It's unclear still how many people are being held inside that facility. Clinton, who is not in New Hampshire, was attending a National Democratic Committee meeting in Virginia, has now cancelled that to respond to this situation to find out more information.
Live pictures -- actually, no, taped pictures out of WHDH as now the S.W.A.T. team and also the bomb squad is responding to this area in New Hampshire.
Betty Nguyen also working details for us on this developing story.
What do we know, Betty?
NGUYEN: Yes, pretty much essentially what you said there, Kyra. We're getting information that's trickling in to CNN, but what we do know is that officers are on the ground. The S.W.A.T. team is there.
This happened, like you said, about 1:00, so it's been going for about an hour now. And according to the local affiliate that we've been listening to, again, we haven't been told exactly how many are still being held hostage, but they say some two people, according to their counts.
Again, though, an armed man believed to be carrying a bomb walked into the presidential campaign office of Senator Hillary Clinton and took hostages a little bit earlier today, and that hostage situation is ongoing at this hour. You're looking at a picture right now of that campaign office there in New Hampshire.
Now, the Barack Obama campaign office is nearby, in fact just a few doors down, and that's why that particular office has also been evacuated. They have evacuated people out of Barack Obama's office there in Rochester, but there are no reports of any injuries. But it's not only campaign offices. That's not the only place that's being evacuated.
There are nearby businesses that are being evacuated as well, and the St. Elizabeth Seton School is under lockdown at this hour due to the hostage situation. But obviously the big question right now is, will this person who is holding the people hostage inside let them go and let them go without incident? Obviously police are on the scene, and they are hoping for a peaceful resolution to all of this, and we'll stay on top of it for you -- Kyra.
PHILLIPS: And we're following -- just show our viewers know, we're showing a delayed picture, not a live picture, for the safety of the S.W.A.T. team there and also the bomb squad that's responding. Obviously in a hostage situation, we don't want to give away the tactics of police officers in a situation like this, specifically if that hostage taker is watching live television.
But we are following it through our affiliate, WHDH. Betty Nguyen working details for us.
A man holding at least two people hostage right now after letting a few people go in this Hillary Clinton campaign office in New Hampshire. He has strapped on some type of explosive device now, we're told. The bomb squad returning -- or heading to the scene right now.
Also, we're following that story out of Chicago, Illinois, a breaking news story of the train car that derailed after two trains collided on Chicago's south side. Five injuries to report, critical to serious.
Amtrak employees, they've been taken straight to the hospital. About 100 to 150 walking injured -- bumps, bruises, cuts -- they're being treated there on the scene.
We're following both of these stories for you.
We're going to take a quick break. We'll be right back.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
LEMON: All right. Our breaking news here in the CNN NEWSROOM today, at least one of them, a train accident in Chicago.
A train -- a passenger train, Amtrak train, colliding with a freight train. And this is what happens.
You see the passengers there being brought off the train. Obviously, they somehow knocked this wall down in order to get these passengers to safety.
This is new video coming in to the CNN NEWSROOM.
We have been hearing from folks on the ground and at the hospital that a number of children were involved in this. At least one child taken to Cook County Hospital.
This is the first ground shot we have been able to get of this provided by one of our workers there in Chicago, and you're looking at the engine, the engine which is on top of one of the freight cars. And on that engine there, or inside of that engine, was where most of the seriously injured people were housed because they were in the front of this train and they are Amtrak workers.
Five of those workers who were injured critically were taken to Cook County Hospital, and we heard from the spokesperson there, no more than five, 10 minutes ago, who said that they are the number one trauma center in the country, and anyone who comes there has more than a 90 percent chance of survival if they are brought into Cook County Hospital.
This all happening around the noon hour Eastern Time, when it's believed this train, Amtrak train number 371, which was coming from Grand Rapids, Michigan, came through the Chicago area on the same track, unfortunately, as this freight train ran into the back of it. You heard the passengers earlier, our Keith Oppenheim on the ground there talking to those passengers, saying all of a sudden they heard the brakes and then a slam, a big jolt, and everything went flying.
Lots of bumps and bruises here, fractures and bloody noses, we're told, by people who were on the train. This is a level three, plan three, according to the Chicago Office of Emergency Management, which is a pretty high emergency plan when it comes to a city that size. Of course we know Chicago, a behemoth city, third largest here in the country, so they have all their resources working on it.
These pictures on the left courtesy of our affiliate WGN. The pictures on the right courtesy of one of our workers on the ground. And then, of course, our affiliate WLS in Chicago also helping us out on all of this.
Larry Lankford (ph), who is a public information officer from the Chicago Fire Department, speaking to us at the very beginning of this. I believe we had him on right at the initial start when they found out about this, telling us about the extent of the injuries, what happened, and what was going on in the area about these train tracks, how close they are to the Dan Ryan Expressway (ph) there, how close they are to the neighborhoods, and exactly what the responsible was.
A huge response here. At least five people critically injured, 100 to 150 people on board this train all being taken off now, all being -- those who can leave are leaving and those who are the walking wounded, as they say, being treated there on the scene in a triage area.
We're on top of this.
PHILLIPS: We haven't heard from an Amtrak yet, but right after the break we are told we are going to hear from a representative from Norfolk Southern. That's the other train that was involved in this collision, the freight train.
It's that train that is underneath the engine car of the Amtrak. That's where the five critically injured were. The Amtrak employees rushed to the hospital.
A quick break. We're going to hear from them.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
PHILLIPS: Hello, everyone.
I'm Kyra Phillips, live at the CNN headquarters in Atlanta.
LEMON: And I'm Don Lemon.
You're in the CNN NEWSROOM. Developing stories.
PHILLIPS: That's right. We're working two big stories for you right now.
First, on the left, out of Chicago, Illinois, that train derailment, five critically injured, Amtrak employees. We're going to hear from Norfolk Southern in a minute. That was the freight train that collided with that Amtrak train.
Then on the right-hand side a hostage situation in New Hampshire, a man holding at least two people hostage right now. He's got an explosive device strapped to him. It's at Hillary Clinton's campaign office in New Hampshire.
We're following both of these stories as they are happening right now.
LEMON: Let's stick with that story happening now out of New Hampshire. And go straight to the newsroom now because our Betty Nguyen has some very late-breaking details on this.
Betty, he walked in with an explosive device?
BETTY NGUYEN, CNN ANCHOR, NEWSROOM: That's what we understand. He walked in about 1 o'clock Eastern, about an hour and a half ago, with what they believe is an explosive device, according to authorities.
There are several people he's holding hostage. At least two at this hour that we know of and he's holding them inside the Hillary Clinton campaign office there in Rochester, New Hampshire. We're taking a look right now from our affiliate there, WHDH.
Because of the hostage situation there have been several other campaign offices that have been evacuated. One being that of Barack Obama and his office nearby, it was evacuated and there are no reports of any injuries. And we have just learned that the John Edwards office has been evacuated as well and he says all of his staff are accounted for at this hour.
Now we learned a little bit earlier from our local affiliate WMUR that according to witnesses, here's what we know about the man who walked into the campaign office with what is believed to be something trapped to him. He is described as a man in his 40s with salt and pepper hair. That's really all we know about this at this hour, except for the fact that he is holding at least two people hostage inside the Hillary Clinton presidential campaign office there in New Hampshire.
When it comes to Hillary Clinton, let me tell you where she is at this hour. She was supposed to be at a national Democratic Committee meeting in Virginia. Well, we have learned that she has cancelled her appearance there obviously because of what is happening at her campaign office there in New Hampshire. And so we have not received a statement as of yet from Hillary Clinton, but we do have a CNN producer who is on the way to the campaign office. And we will be hearing from her life very shortly, Don, and she hopefully will provide some more information.
LEMON: All right. Betty Nguyen working the details on the developing story and of course, the Democratic Party chair, I believe, Betty, Howard Dean, making that announcement just a short time ago.
NGUYEN: Yes.
LEMON: Betty Nguyen on top of the story. Betty, thank you, Betty. She has the big picture for us. Let's get more focused now and take you to the ground and WMUR reporter Josh Davis joining us now with the very latest -- Josh.
JOSH DAVIS, REPORTER, WMUR TV: We are still some ways back from the scene. We've been pushed back several times for security purposes as this situation has escalated. We've been now pushed back quite some ways where we can't see the storefront. But when we first got here we were very close.
In fact, I could look inside of the Hillary Clinton campaign window to see a partially decorated Christmas tree that they had decorated with a few strands of homemade garland paper that they had made into a chain. That was as close as we were able to get when we first got here. We saw officers across the street with their weapons, everyone staring into the window.
Since then we've been pushed back along with a growing number of the public here in Rochester, lots of people who were in nearby businesses, in apartments above that campaign office, all out watching to find out what is going to happen. So at this point people have gone scattered away from the scene, but we're still in that downtown Rochester area where the police presence here obviously very heavy.
LEMON: Josh, you were talking -- you can see right into the Clinton campaign headquarters there. Also we're being told and from the pictures that we're seeing, the Barack Obama headquarters very near there, and also John Edwards as well. Are you able -- were you able to see their headquarters because we understand they have been evacuated?
OK, apparently we lost Josh Davis. Josh we thank you very much. He's our WMUR reporter, one of our affiliates there reporting on the situation happening in New Hampshire, of course.
Very disturbing news, but we're hearing a man walked in -- from our affiliates -- walked in to the Hillary Clinton campaign headquarters wearing an explosive device and then took two hostages. And now the reporter, as you heard from Josh Davis, who said they are being pushed back. At first they were very close to this so, obviously, personnel -- emergency personnel and police on the scene understanding the severity of this pushing everyone back because we're not exactly sure if the explosive device is indeed what this individual says it is. We're going to continue to follow this, our Betty Nguyen working some of it here. And our affiliates on the ground working it as well.
PHILLIPS: We're going to stay on this story. Lorrie Cassazaugh is the owner of Starky's Sub Land (ph), which is right next to where that hostage situation is taking place.
Lorrie, were you contacted -- well, first of all, are you still inside your business and are doors locked?
LORRIE CASSAZAUGH, RESTARUANT OWNER: Actually, no, I'm outside of it. I don't see any need to lock it. The police officer said I didn't have to leave. I'm about 150, maybe 200 yards away.
PHILLIPS: So tell me what you see, Lorrie.
CASSAZAUGH: A lot of people gathering around, a SWAT team, police cars everywhere and people just keep coming over here. Nobody knows really what is happening.
PHILLIPS: Is anybody talking to you? Have police told you anything?
CASSAZAUGH: No. They just said that I -- that I just seem to be OK. I don't have to leave. But now I can't leave because they have also blocked off the other side of North Main Street.
PHILLIPS: You're about 100 feet away? Do you know anything about this situation, about this man that apparently --
CASSAZAUGH: Nothing.
PHILLIPS: Nothing at all?
CASSAZAUGH: I think he might have been a customer and I was trying to figure it out. They said he had salt and pepper hair.
PHILLIPS: They said a man in his 40s, has salt and pepper hair.
CASSAZAUGH: Yes.
PHILLIPS: Did he come into your business?
CASSAZAUGH: I don't know, I was trying to figure it out. I have a get of people and a lot of regulars. I have no idea.
PHILLIPS: OK, so tell us. This is Hillary Clinton's campaign office, right?
CASSAZAUGH: Yes.
PHILLIPS: And it's also next door to Barack Obama's campaign office?
CASSAZAUGH: Yes, it is. Yes, it is.
PHILLIPS: Does it get a lot of action? Does it get protests? I mean --
CASSAZAUGH: Nope, never seen that, nope. All I know is they've shut down all of Main Street. I just hope those people get out safe, that's all I care. PHILLIPS: Well, are there other people that are locked in businesses there next to where this is happening?
CASSAZAUGH: No. No, they've -- everybody, they evacuated everybody.
PHILLIPS: OK, so everybody is out of that area, besides --
CASSAZAUGH: As far as I know.
PHILLIPS: That are being held hostage.
CASSAZAUGH: No, there are people being held hostage, people in the surrounding businesses, they have been evacuated.
PHILLIPS: Now Lorrie, we were told that the man that is holding at least two people hostage right now, did let a mother and child go early on. Did you see anybody being released from that office?
CASSAZAUGH: No, I did not.
PHILLIPS: OK.
CASSAZAUGH: All I know is she went next door and asked them to call 911. That's all I know.
PHILLIPS: Who went next door and called 911?
CASSAZAUGH: I think she went into the county drug store and called 911 and said somebody needs to call 911.
PHILLIPS: OK, so she saw that something was going on?
CASSAZAUGH: Yes.
PHILLIPS: Is that woman still around by chance?
CASSAZAUGH: Is she what?
PHILLIPS: Is she around?
CASSAZAUGH: I have no idea.
PHILLIPS: OK.
I'll tell you what, if you come into contact with her, the woman who called 911, did you say she was inside Hillary Clinton's campaign office?
CASSAZAUGH: From what I understand she was -- the man that's holding the bomb had told her to go call 911 and let her go.
PHILLIPS: Oh.
CASSAZAUGH: She ran into County -- this is what I heard, I don't know. She went into the County store and called 911. PHILLIPS: So, it's possible that this woman -- that he released, this woman that he was holding hostage, the one that he released, it's possible that he after strapping that bomb on to himself told her to go call 911, that's a possibility?
CASSAZAUGH: A possibility.
PHILLIPS: All right. You're hearing that at the scene. I'll tell you what, Lorrie, if you see her or if she's still around, will you help connect us with her so that we can get her story?
CASSAZAUGH: Sure, why not.
PHILLIPS: There we go. You're an I-Reporter today. Lorrie Cassazaugh, owner of Starky's Sub Land (ph), which is about 100 feet from the situation, right there. Lorrie, thank you so much. I sure appreciate it.
You're watching actually tape of what's happening right now live on the ground there in New Hampshire because we don't want to give away any of the police tactics. The SWAT team has actually surrounded this office here, Hillary Clinton's campaign office, in New Hampshire, because there's a hostage situation that's going on right now.
We're told that police have completely evacuated this entire area. You just heard from one of the business owners there, Lorrie Cassazaugh, who owns a business right there on Main Street in downtown Rochester. Apparently he is inside and has strapped some type of bomb to him, possibly holding two people hostage. Apparently he let a woman and child go. That woman possibly might have been the one that called 911 and police responded to the scene here.
They are obviously trying to negotiate with this man, not quite sure who he is. We're told he's a man in his 40s, salt and pepper hair. That's all we know at this time right now. Police on the scene. We're monitoring it. We'll bring you updates as we get new information, but right now they are trying to negotiate with this man, with the bomb strapped to him, inside of Hillary Clinton's campaign office in Rochester, New Hampshire, downtown on Main Street. Don't know of any injuries to this point. Apparently, possibly two hostages being held inside this office.
LEMON: Speaking of new information, we have new information coming in from Chicago regarding that train accident there and this is new video that we just got in from the ground. Can you see the passengers being taken off of this train. And, of course, we know a number of them injured, someone between 150 and 200 passengers. It's believed 187 and maybe six crew members taken off this Amtrak train.
Again, if you're in the area we want to tell you, Kyra mentioned what's happened in New Hampshire, the I-Reports, if you have it there please send it to us. If you have I-Reports from Chicago. If you have some video, some information, go to the cnn.com/I-Reports. Or just go to the CNN Web site and click on the I-Report logo.
Here's also some new information coming directly from passengers who were aboard this train when it slammed into the back of a freight train.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It just all of a sudden stopped. It just stopped and everybody flew forward, and hit the next seat in front of them.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: That's what they were saying. It was a pretty violent collision?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yeah.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Yeah, all the seats came off.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Most of the seats came loose and everything.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Really? Describe what happened, Ma'am?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: We were just coming through the yard or whatever it is, and all of a sudden, it was just like wham! We all flew forward. And she hurt her elbow. And people are cut and broken bones, but that's -- they say that's about the extent of it.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Pretty scary?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We were just sitting there and the train cars like on both sides of us and all of a sudden like I looked forward and everyone just goes out of their seats and coffee, goes flying all over us and everything. I don't know. I just grabbed her right away.
How scary was it?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We were just like sitting there, and like there was like train cars on both sides of us. And all of a sudden, like, I looked forward. And everyone just goes out of their seats. And coffee just goes flying all over us. I don't know -- everyone -- I just grabbed her right away.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: How scary was it?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Um, in the heat of the moment I didn't even know what to think. I was just -- I didn't even know what happened or anything, but after like I got -- like my senses and everything, I was like a little shooken up.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
LEMON: New video in to CNN just moments ago. Again, passengers being unloaded from this will Amtrak train, which slammed into the back of a freight train. Cnn.com/I-Reports, we'll take your photos and your video on this. There is a method to all of this madness. You saw just a little bit earlier those colored tarps on the ground when they were talking about the triage area, Larry Lankford, there, head of the fire department, at least the public information officer at the fire department. According to our sources here and to the information that we have, a method to all of this. There's a green tarp, a red tarp, a yellow tarp that indicates the severity of the injuries, and depending on which tarp they take you to it depends on how seriously you're injured. And we're told that the yellow tarp is for patients who may develop life-threatening injuries within several hours, red tarps, patients with immediate life-threatening injuries, and, of course, the green tarps would be for people who don't have life-threatening injuries, or as they say the walking wounded, in all of this.
That's the scene now in Chicago. Joining us now, by telephone, one person who was on that train; got on the train, I believe, in Holland, Michigan. And he is a resident of Holland, Michigan. Coert Zanderhill, he joins us now.
Mr. Zanderhill, how are you doing?
COERT ZANDERHILL, AMTRAK PASSENGER: Great.
LEMON: You're doing great. Were you injured in all of this?
ZANDERHILL: Just as I was listening to your news the majority of us are, you know, the walking wounded which is, you know, it could be facial cuts, you know, glasses cutting your nose, and your knees hitting the seat in front of you. But I think the majority are like me, we just impacted the seat in front of us, and with enough force that all the seats became, you know, dislodged from their bracing on the floor, but it was -- I would estimate 20 miles per hour.
LEMON: The seats came right out of the floor?
ZANDERHILL: Well, they are all -- they did not topple. They moved ahead whatever bracing they have so none is straight. They are all at an angle so those are going to be the majority of the injuries, though, as we were just without seat belts, all thrown into the seat in front of us, you know?
LEMON: Mr. Zanderhill, were you traveling alone?
ZANDERHILL: No, I was with my wife, Christie (ph).
LEMON: How's your wife?
ZANDERHILL: She's fine. We're a little concerned because she's -- were in a car accident a year ago and she broke her back. So that was my first concern that she hit the seat and went to the floor that her back was OK. She's fine.
LEMON: Was she taken to the hospital? Were you taken to the hospital?
ZANDERHILL: We made a decision that we're fine and just, you know, went to the walking wounded and just -- and just got out.
LEMON: Are you a frequent rider of this train? ZANDERHILL: We've ridden it many times. Two of our daughters live in Chicago and it's a great way to get here, and it's very popular. The (INAUDIBLE) Marquette, it was 100 percent full. So, three double deckers, and so, you know, you hope this doesn't diminish the popularity of it.
LEMON: Was there anything unusual about this time?
ZANDERHILL: Well, there was no breaking. It was a sudden accidental impact. There was no warning and so the engineers were obviously surprised, too. So you wonder what they were looking at. But there was no breaking and they just -- as you see in the photos -- or whatever, the engine is on the back side of the rear part of the freight train so I think that helped us all, too, because that took some of the impact.
LIN: Mr. Zanderhill, what's your wife's name?
ZANDERHILL: Christie (ph).
LEMON: Christie, we wish you and Christie the very best. Sorry this had to happen to you. But we thank you very much for joining us here today. Take care of yourself.
ZANDERHILL: Thank you very much.
LEMON: That's Coert Zanderhill and his wife, Christie (ph). He's 60 years old. Both of them on this train. They are residents of Holland, Michigan. And they say they take it frequently because they have children who live in the Chicago area. And, usually, they say it goes off without a hitch this time, though, we know exactly what happened. There was an accident and not exactly sure what caused this, why both these trains were on the same track. But, again, we know at least five people are critically injured here and a number of other people are injured as well. Many of which were taken to the hospital, some being treated here at the scene. As soon as we get more information on this we're on top of it. We'll continue to follow this developing story for you.
PHILLIPS: We're also going to hear from the other side of this collision we've been talking about, an Amtrak colliding with a Norfolk Southern freight train. We're going to hear from Norfolk Southern right after the break.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
PHILLIPS: Maybe you're just tuning into CNN. Two breaking news stories that we're following for you right now. Rochester, New Hampshire on one side of the screen, actually a live situation going on. But we're going to show you delayed pictures because a SWAT team has surrounded Senator Hillary Clinton's campaign office on main street in downtown, a man with a bomb strapped to him, holding at least two people hostage right now.
He did let a mother, apparently, a mother and a child go. That mother possibly being the one that called 911. We're trying to figure out who he is. We're told he's a man in his 40s, salt and pepper hair. We're not quite sure what his demands are at this time, but the SWAT team trying to negotiate with him, trying to get him not to blow himself up and those innocent hostages on the campaign office.
On the other side of the screen, you are seeing our other breaking news story. And that's the collision of an Amtrak train with a Norfolk Southern freight train. Two trains on the same track. We know that that number 371 Amtrak train leaving Grand Rapids, Michigan, was running late to Chicago. Not quite sure what happened from there but they collided in Canaryville neighborhood, right there about the 47th and Shields area.
Five individuals seriously, two critically injured; we're told those are the Amtrak employees that were actually in the engine car, the car you see right there, that collided head-on with the freight train. The train coming right underneath the Amtrak passenger car. These are taped pictures from our affiliate WGN.
On the phone right now, Rudy Husband, with Norfolk Southern, the first time we're getting to hear from a representative from one of those trains involved in that collision.
Rudy, we appreciate you calling in. Can you tell us what you know to this point, with regard to why there were two trains on this track and why this collision happened?
RUDY HUSBAND, SPOKESMAN, NORFOLK SOUTHERN: Well, at 11:30 Chicago time we are our Norfolk Southern freight train waiting for a signal to proceed in a westerly direction; and had just received the signal to proceed and at that moment was when the Amtrak train ran into the rear of our train.
PHILLIPS: So, all right. Tell me who is the individual that gives the signal to proceed. Where does that come from?
HUSBAND: The signals for that territory are handled from our train dispatching office in Dearborn, Michigan.
PHILLIPS: OK, so dispatch for your company gave the go ahead to go. Was dispatch unaware of the Amtrak train running late?
HUSBAND: Well, we're still putting all of that together. The fact that Amtrak was running late had nothing to do with the incident itself.
PHILLIPS: What was the deal with the freight train? Was it moving at all? Was it at a standstill? How fast -- go ahead.
HUSBAND: It was -- the train was stopped at a signal waiting for a signal to proceed, and it had just received that signal to proceed when the collision occurred.
PHILLIPS: So kind of give me a feel, Rudy, because I want to understand how something like this could happen. Does it get -- is it distracting listening to scanners, talking on the coms, and trying to communicate when you've got a number of trains going back and forth? And so when you finally get that signal to proceed is it possible that there was just a lot of noise going on, on the radios and so there was some confusion so that's why the go ahead was given?
HUSBAND: Well, that's a lot of speculation right now. And I think that we would all be better served if we were just allowed to work with the federal and state officials on our investigation to determine exactly what happened and if corrective actions need to be taken to make sure it doesn't happen in the future?
PHILLIPS: How are you getting involved in the investigation, your company, how do you move forward from here? And are those dispatchers, will they be moved out of the Dearborn, Michigan, office for right now, since they are the ones involved with what happened here?
HUSBAND: Well, no. They are just dispatching hundreds of other trains across Michigan, Ohio and Indiana, so those dispatchers will not be moved. But we have a team of transportation experts and we'll be working with Amtrak and we'll be working with many other federal agencies such as the NTSB, if they choose to get involved. And we'll just work through all the information that we're going to collect on this.
PHILLIPS: And do you know about the injuries, specifically the critical injuries, Rudy? Have you heard just through all of you that are working this and who are involved with the two companies?
HUSBAND: I have not received any information on the injuries.
PHILLIPS: OK.
And so now, just to backtrack here for a minute. Tell me, when a signal is given, how are the trains monitored? Are you looking at a live board and seeing sort of where trains are at certain times? Is it through a lighting system, or kind of tell me how you make that decision to signal a train to go?
HUSBAND: Well, it's all done through circuitry and trains move in blocks, and when a block is occupied by one train presumably another train should not enter that block unless they have permission to do so from the train dispatcher. And the signals control the movement, or I should say the signals and the train dispatchers control the movements of trains in and out of those blocks.
PHILLIPS: Is it a computer system, Rudy?
HUSBAND: Yes.
PHILLIPS: I just want to try to understand how it works. So is it possible that there was a failure within that circuitry, through that computer system?
HUSBAND: Well, again, I'm not going to get into speculation. We just need to really thoroughly analyze exactly what happened by -- you know, with all the information that we're able to collect on this. PHILLIPS: You're the first person to come forward and actually talk to us and actually even come forward with the fact that the signal was given to go there on behalf your company. You've been straightforward with us and I appreciate you answering our questions. Rudy Husband with Norfolk Southern. I hope we can stay in touch as this investigation goes forward.
HUSBAND: Sure.
PHILLIPS: Appreciate it very much.
HUSBAND: Thank you very much.
PHILLIPS: Appreciate it, Rudy.
And if you're just tuning once again, real briefly, we've been following this for about the past two hours right now, an Amtrak train colliding with a Norfolk Southern freight train on Chicago's Southside. Five Amtrak employees rushed to the hospital, possibly in critical condition. They were in the train's engine, which is right here, you can see, collided with that freight train actually moving up on top, the engine sitting up on top of that freight train.
About 100 passengers we're told dealing with cuts and bruises. We heard firsthand from passengers actually saying it came to a massive halt, things flying everywhere, people flying throughout those passenger cars. It seems pretty miraculous that there weren't more injuries, but you can see rescue workers there on the scene treating the injured. We're following it through our affiliates right now, WLS out of Chicago and also WGN, bringing us pictures and information.
LEMON: New information just on that, real quick, if we can stay with this Amtrak telling us that there were 187 passengers and six crew members aboard this train. And as Kyra said it came to a halt, but you heard from one of the people who was on board with his wife, who said the seats came a right out of floor. And they were concerned that they may have been even more injured -- more injuries in all of this, but, again, you're looking at the pictures happening from Chicago. We'll stay on top of this.
We want to get you now to New Hampshire, Rochester, New Hampshire, Main Street in that town's center shut down, on lockdown, because of what Betty Nguyen is going to tell us about now and she's got new information -- Betty.
NGUYEN: A hostage situation is taking place right now at the Hillary Clinton campaign office there in Rochester, New Hampshire. Here is some video of the SWAT team on the ground and more video now of the campaign office. We're putting this on video and not live feed simply because we want to be aware of what the officers on the ground are trying to do and we don't want to hamper that in any way.
Let me tell you, Don, we just got information in from the Clinton campaign and in fact it's a statement. Here's what they have issued so far saying, quote, "There is an ongoing situation in our Rochester, New Hampshire office. Were in close contact with state and local authorities and are acting at their direction. We will release additional details as appropriate." So that is a statement. That's is the latest on what we have from the Hillary Clinton campaign. I want you to take a listen now to the New Hampshire state police, Major Michael Hambrook (ph), he has the latest on this person who is holding at least two people hostage.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The city of Rochester police department is investigating a subject that has walked into the campaign headquarters of Hillary Clinton, and has alleged to have an explosive device on his person. Our understanding from Rochester is that the subject released a couple of people but that there may be other people inside the building. Rochester police department is handling the incident. And we're assisting by sending the explosive ordinance disposal unit down to the area.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
NGUYEN: That, again, is New Hampshire state police Major Michael Hambrook (ph). And what we understand, according to witnesses, and our affiliate, witnesses describe this man with this alleged explosive strapped to him, as a man in his 40s with salt and pepper hair. He has at least two people hostage inside the Clinton campaign office there in New Hampshire. And because of that nearby businesses and other campaign offices have been evacuated.
The Edwards campaign office has been evacuated as well as the Barack Obama campaign office. And not to mention a local school nearby is under lockdown at this hour so a lot of developments in this hostage situation, Don. We're staying on top of it for you.
LEMON: OK, all right, Betty. Thank you very much for that.
And also we're getting responses from other Democratic candidates that I'm sure Betty will get to us in just a little bit. We're following this. Those pictures you saw, by the way, of the SWAT team, new pictures just now into the CNN NEWSROOM.
PHILLIPS: We're actually going to hear from eyewitnesses right there on the scene in New Hampshire, that have witnessed that hostage situation. They are there on the ground. We'll hear from them after a quick break.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
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