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Bomb Suspect Leaves Hospital; Suspects' Parents Stay in Russia; MIT Asks for Information on Officer Shooting; Carjacking Victim Recounts Horrific Night; Suspect Now at Prison Hospital; Legs Lost, Boston Victim Speaks; Hero Vendor: NYC Plot Gives Me "Chill"; Congress Moves to End Flight Delays

Aired April 26, 2013 - 14:00   ET

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

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BROOKE BALDWIN, CNN ANCHOR: Hi, everyone. I'm Brooke Baldwin live in Boston on this beautiful Friday afternoon for special live coverage of the investigation into the Boston marathon bombings. Jake Tapper will join me here in just a moment.

But after a week spent in the same hospital as many of the victims he's accused of wounding here, Dzhokhar Tsarnaev is in a new hospital today. This time he's behind bars. So all this happened under the cloak of darkness, overnight.

He was moved 40 miles from where I am in Boston to this federal prison camp that holds detainees who need medical care, but he will not be getting a visit from his parents anytime soon.

Because we know his mother is wanted in the United States on shoplifting charges and his father, Anzor Tsarnaev who is in Russia has abandoned his plans to come to the U.S. to help with the investigation and to bury his eldest son, Tamerlan.

We have learned an ambulance was called in for him last night and his trip is now delayed indefinitely. Also today, there is a new push to piece together the final minutes of Sean Collier's life. MIT is posting this on his web site, asking for any information on last week's killing of the campus police officer.

CNN has also just learned investigators are searching another land fill, this time specifically looking for Dzhokhar Tsarnaev's laptop. That's what's happening this afternoon.

Meantime, girls and cars and using (inaudible) whether anyone still listens to CDs, this was the bizarre and eerily light hearted conversation between these two suspected Boston bombers on the run.

We're learning more from this 26-year-old Chinese national who was carjacked by the Tsarnaev brothers and CNN's Brian Todd joins me now in Boston. And what a story, read the article in "The Globe" this morning. You've talked to this professor of Criminology who was met with this carjacking victim. What did he say?

BRIAN TODD, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, this is Professor James Fox of North Eastern University. Carjacking victim will not go on camera, doesn't want to give his name, but only go by his nickname Danny.

So he's relayed everything through this Professor James Fox and they told this to the "Boston Globe." They've also told it to us. It is a harrowing story, the carjacking victim says on Thursday night, the 18th, when that big gun battle played out, well, before that, this guy was carjacked, on the streets of Brighton, just adjacent to Boston.

He's pulled over in his car to get a text, a knock on the passenger window. He rolls down the window. It is Tamerlan Tsarnaev. Tamerlan Tsarnaev reaches in, opens the door, and climbs in.

At that point, the carjacking victim notices that he's wielding a silver handgun and we have an account now from James Fox on what Tamerlan Tsarnaev's first words to the carjacking victim were. Take a listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

PROFESSOR JAMES FOX, ADVISER TO CARJACK VICTIM: Rolls down the window and then this man reaches inside, inside the door, opens the door from inside, gets in the car, and pulls out a gun.

TODD: His first words are what?

FOX: He said did you hear about the bombing, the marathon bombing? And Danny, said, I did and he said, well, that's me. I did that and I just killed a Cambridge cop. Obviously, Danny then knew this guy was serious.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

TODD: And that began a 90-minute harrowing odyssey between the carjacking victim, Tamerlan Tsarnaev, first his brother is following in another car then they stop the two cars, unload the car in the back with a bunch of heavy equipment, bunch of heavy objects that the carjacking victim thinks are pieces of luggage. And then they all three get in the car, 90 minutes, harrowing ordeal -- Brooke.

BALDWIN: So finally, he gets a break, he sees a sign. You know, he never thrilled to see a gas station when you have a credit card, but this is a gas station with cash only and that's when he made his break for it.

TODD: That's when he made his break. It was cash only. They are at the pump, Dzhokhar Tsarnaev has to go in and pay cash for the gas. At this point, he's got one guy guarding him. That one guy, Tamerlan Tsarnaev, he's noticing, fumbles around with the portable GPS.

While he's doing that, Tamerlan sets the gun into the pocket of the door. He's got literally a couple of seconds. Just undoes his seat belt, at the same time opening the door, bolts out the door, toward the back of the car.

He hears Tamerlan Tsarnaev screaming expletives. He feels something grabbing for him, his hand. He just bolts for the gas station across the street and makes it out of there. BALDWIN: Unreal, unreal. Just to try and crawl inside his head and think what in the world must have been going through for the harrowing 90 minutes. Brian Todd, thank you so much for that reporting here from the carjacking victim who is A-OK.

Meantime, as we told you, Dzhokhar Tsarnaev's new hospital room just about 40 miles from where I'm standing here in Boston. CNN's Jason Carroll is live near the Federal Medical Center Devens.

Jason, we know that Tsarnaev was shot in the head, in the neck, in the legs and hand. I understand you now have some new information about how he was processed once he got there in the middle of the night.

JASON CARROLL, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Of course, and first we should point out he was stable enough to be medically transferred from Beth Israel to where we are now. And once he arrived here, we're told sometime before 5:00 a.m., he went through the intake greeting process. It's a step by step process, Brooke.

The first process of that is when U.S. Marshals brought Tsarnaev here in handcuffs, he was first strip searched, went through that. Second, he went through a medical screening, third, psychological screening to determine if he was suicidal, if he was mentally capable.

Then he went through a social intake screening and that's basically where Tsarnaev was told about the rules and conditions here at that particular facility and then he was fingerprinted. They took a DNA sample.

Also he was photographed. All of that information then turned over to the FBI for processing. So that's just a little bit more information about what exactly he went through when he arrived here at this facility in the early morning hours -- Brooke.

BALDWIN: Tell me, Jake -- Jake, listen to me. I have Jake Tapper standing next to me. Welcome to you. Jason, before I let you go. What else do we know about the facility? Who else is being detained in a place like this?

CARROLL: Well, I can tell you this facility houses approximately 1,000 inmates, but Tsarnaev is being held in a restricted section because he's a high risk offender. And that particular section of this facility, it can hold up to about 30 inmates.

And found a little bit more information about this particular type of cell that he's being held in right now. Apparently it is just your very -- a very basic cell. It has got a shower inside of it, a toilet as well as a sink.

There is a slot in the steel door, so food can be brought in there as well. In terms of visitors, he is allowed to have visitors, but we're told at this point, the only visitors on that list are his legal representatives.

If a family member such as his father, for example, wants to come in, and visit here, he's going to have to fill out the proper paperwork and that will be determined on a case by case basis -- Brooke.

BALDWIN: OK, Jason Carroll, thank you very much. We want you to join tonight Erin Burnett "OUTFRONT" at 7:00 Eastern when she takes on the question, are social media sites the next breeding ground for terrorists? That is right here on CNN -- Jake.

JAKE TAPPER, CNN ANCHOR: The bombing suspects' father has postponed his trip to the U.S. indefinitely. He says for health reasons. That's according to the suspects' mother. Earlier the father had agreed to fly to the U.S. as early as today and cooperate with investigators.

The mother also has decided not to come to the U.S. She's wanted on felony charges of shoplifting and destruction of property in Massachusetts. That's where the parents lived until last year.

Pale, bleeding, legs gone, it was this extremely graphic picture that sent shock waves across the world. The 27-year-old Jeff Bauman had been waiting for his girlfriend to cross the finish line and minutes later, he was being wheeled away from the explosion site.

His legs severed below the knee by that man in the cowboy hat. He was wheeling him, Carlos Arrendondo holding his artery as he ran alongside him to slow the bleeding. In shock, his eyes haunted by what he just experienced and what he saw, just moments before the bomb went off. He came face to face with the man who would nearly take his life.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

JEFF BAUMAN, BOSTON VICTIM (via telephone): I was with my girlfriend's roommates, and having a great time. We were watching the runners. Everyone was having a great time. And just that one guy, you know, he didn't look like he was having a good time. So he was right next to me, you know, at that point, and he had a bag and he had his glasses.

He had, like, kind of like a leather-like sweatshirt type of deal and it is warm out. He's just an odd guy, just struck me odd. And that's what I remember of him. And then next thing you know, I hear fireworks and I'm on the ground, you know?

Actually when Carlos picked me up and threw me into the wheelchair, then I was, like, all right, maybe I am going to make it, but before that, no way. I thought I was done.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: You bringing in the birthday gift for Sydney Corcoran on her 18th birthday. Tell us how that went.

BAUMAN: I had a bunch of stuff from Costco. That's where I worked and they have been great also. They brought me a bunch of electronic stuff. So I was, like, let's give her some gifts and bring some stuff down to her.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: What about when you found out the guy you saw was run over, literally, by his brother.

BAUMAN: What I thought was he's dead and I'm still here, you know.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

TAPPER: Jeff Bauman is now facing a pile of medical bills, so his friends have set up this web site to help out. If you want to donate, go to gofundme.combucksforbauman, Bucks for Bauman -- Brooke.

BALDWIN: So I'm going to walk away from our set right here, just to give you a little perspective of where we are. Walk with me. We have -- (inaudible) right by this memorial. Obviously, you know the deal now. We know the explosions happened just up that way. We just wanted to walk you inside and show you what has been set up.

And I tell you, I've been here for a couple of days now and it just continues to grow. And what I'm really stunned by are the messages. So the messages here clearly there have been multiple boards because many people have written that they have had to create new boards.

Costa Rica, never forget the helpers, the runners, the first responders, the wounded, the deceased. God bless you, Boston. We stand behind you. New York City. Sorry for your loss. Germany, be strong. Boston never leaves your heart. Be strong.

People continue to leave their messages. They are leaving flowers, teddy bears, they're leaving Red Sox jerseys. And where are my ladies? Here they are. Tell me your first names?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Betsy.

BALDWIN: Betsy and --

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: And Sara.

BALDWIN: And Sara. So you all work just down around the corner. What do you want people to know? We have been here for so many days here and we have seen sort of the resilience of Boston. You still have questions though.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I do. I just want to know why. Like how can someone be so heartless and so evil to do this and to hurt innocent people? I don't think I'll ever understand it.

BALDWIN: If you ever got an answer, if we ever heard from them, it is in fact they're the ones that are ultimately convicted of the heinous crime, would any answer really allay your concerns?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I don't think so. I really don't. I think it always will be a question. I'll never understand how someone can do that.

BALDWIN: I don't think we ever will. Tell me, though, just about the scene. It is like this place is hopping. It feels back, but I couch that with it is not fully.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: It's not the same. I mean, it is -- it is open, but it is not the same as it was. It is nice to see all the people here. It is nice that the businesses are back open and people are going there and, you know, giving them business now.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Being supportive.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Yes.

BALDWIN: Jake Tapper, I'm going to send it back to you. I was walking last night, just finished working, wanted to head to the Boston Marathon Sport location, the store that was closed right there for where the explosion number one was.

And I tell you the line was out the door. So hopefully people, whether you're from here or not, come down here, and whether you want to pay your respects, go to the small businesses, give them a little business, quite a scene -- Jake.

TAPPER: Thanks, Brooke. Up next, the hero vendor who disrupted the 2010 terror plot in Times Square. He's reacting today to the Boston suspects' plan to attack New York City, to attack Times Square. We'll take you to that site next.

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BALDWIN: Welcome back to our live coverage in Boston. I'm Brooke Baldwin alongside Jake Tapper. And from Boston to New York City, people there are a little bit on edge after investigators revealed that the suspected marathon bombers were on their way to attack Times Square.

TAPPER: It is especially chilling for the hero vendor who actually helped stop a bombing in 2010. And our own Richard Roth caught up with that vendor today and got his take on this latest terror plot.

RICHARD ROTH, CNN SENIOR U.N. CORRESPONDENT: Brooke, I'm here in the crossroads of the world, Times Square. New York City keeps a closer eye than ever on people here in Times Square. There are security cameras from New York City police, from various hotels, that totally are around the whole zone.

Of course, three years ago, a man tried to blow up a car inside Times Square. Duane Jackson was here at that time and you were the one who saw this van smoking. How did you notice that?

DUANE JACKSON, TIMES SQUARE STREET VENDOR: Well, you know, I've been here 15 years. And in this business you always keep your eyes open because you never know what's going on in New York City.

ROTH: What do you think of the latest report that the Boston bombers might have come here spontaneously to detonate something.

JACKSON: Well, it certainly sends a chill down my back partially because I was fortunate to graduate from Boston University, and I lived in Boston for four years. But, you know, the incident that we had here on May 1st was another indication that our enemies are right here with us. And unfortunately, you know, my heart goes out to those people in Boston, especially the graduate student who lost her life.

ROTH: The smoking van was across the street?

JACKSON: Yes, it was right across the street. The keys were inside of it, the car was running, which is one of the main things that got my curiosity up. And it used to be a bank across the street.

When I saw the car running, and walked over to it, and not knowing exactly what the contents that were in that car at that particular time, but who leaves the car running on a quarter to 7:00 on a beautiful Saturday evening in Times Square?

ROTH: Well, and that, of course, furthers the policy of New York that is spread elsewhere, if you see something, say something. Brooke, back to you.

BALDWIN: Richard Roth, thank you very much.

Coming up, if you had to get on an airplane recently, probably noticed maybe more than the usual delays, but thanks to Congress and a little complaining it looks like that's all about to change.

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BALDWIN: Welcome back to CNN's special coverage here in Boston. In just a moment, we'll talk more about the investigation into the terrorist attacks. But first, if you have to catch a flight in the next couple of weeks, you might have just caught a break from delays caused by the furlough of air traffic controllers.

Congress just voted to let the Federal Aviation Administration shuffle money around so it can keep controllers on a full schedule. The bill sailed through the Senate and the House, but not before some House members expressed their anger.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

REPRESENTATIVE SHEILA JACKSON LEE (D), TEXAS: I know that the American people are watching the blame game, but the blame game falls clearly on this side of the aisle, my Republican friends held this place hostage. We won't pay the debt ceiling, we won't pay our debt. Now we're losing jobs and I believe in air traffic controllers, but we're holding them hostage. What about the person that cannot afford an air ticket?

REPRESENTATIVE TOM LATHAM (R), IOWA: The FAA negotiated in bad faith with the FAA employees, the airlines, the flying public and the Congress. And the administration played shameful politics with sequestration at the cost of hard working American families. As I have often said, this is simply no way to run a government.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

TAPPER: Stephanie Elam is at Los Angeles International Airport. Stephanie, how bad has it been out there and what has been the cost?

STEPHANIE ELAM, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, Jake, early on this week, we saw flights that are being diverted, that were supposed to land here at LAX, but because of runways aren't all open, they were being diverted to Ontario.

So when you look at it. There have been some bad days, today, not so bad. But overall, people wondered how much has this cost? Obviously the government had to do what they had to do because of sequestration. But some industries out there say the cost was just way larger than they were getting at first estimates.

One trade group, the Airlines for America, put the airline industry losses at $30 million over just the last five days. Another group, the U.S. Travel Association, estimated that the airline and travel industry that their losses would have been more than $9 billion over six months.

Now, to compare that, think about it this way, that the FAA was required to cut some $600 million over the rest of this fiscal year period through September. That just puts into perspective how badly they think this would have gone on, these airlines think this would have gone on had this continued -- Jake.

BALDWIN: Stephanie, it is Brooke. I mean, are the delays gone? When did everything go back to normal?

ELAM: We're not quite back to normal yet, Brooke. Obviously, we still have to get the president to sign this bill, to make it go into effect and then the Transportation Department then has to figure out where they're putting the money in, get those workers back into the control towers and keep the other ones open that were slated to close.

I would imagine they were preparing for this, and from what indications we have seen, it will probably happen very quickly that things will be running back the way they were before and we can go back to blaming things on weather -- Brooke and Jake.

TAPPER: All right, Stephanie Elam, thanks.

When we come back, heart and soul, "Boston" magazine's powerful tribute to the Boston marathon victims, the story behind this cover next.

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