Return to Transcripts main page
CNN Newsroom
"7th Heaven" Actor Target Of Molestation Probe; Police Smash Car Window, Tase Passenger; Dallas Ebola Patient Condition Still Critical
Aired October 07, 2014 - 15:30 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
BROOKE BALDWIN, CNN ANCHOR: Just into us here at CNN, we have this audio recording posted on TMZ that could land a veteran TV actor in some serious legal trouble.
The audio clip reportedly reveals possible incriminating statements by former "7th Heaven" star Stephen Collins. CNN has learned the actor is the target of an ongoing child molestation probe.
CNN's Sara Sidner is working the story for us from Los Angeles.
Sara, tell me what you know.
SARA SIDNER, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Look, a lot of people might remember actor, Stephen Collins, known for his role. He was actually the father and the pastor on that once popular show "7th Heaven." He is now the target of an ongoing child molestation investigation into an alleged incident that actually happened 40 years ago.
That's the allegation and that it happened in New York City. This was all brought up again now 40 years later because earlier today, TMZ released an audiotape that purports to have been recorded during a November 2012, two years ago, a November 2012 therapy session involving Collins and his estranged wife, Fay Grant.
Now, CNN at this point can't confirm the authenticity of the tape, whether it is actually Collins' voice or whether it's been edited. We can tell you, though, that Collins and Grant are in the middle of a very contentious divorce.
TMZ has reported that Collins made incriminating statements in that recording. The New York police we were able to talk to have not commented on the existence of the tape. And Collins' representatives have not yet returned our calls.
I can tell you this, though. We do know that following the recent information that's come out today, Collins has been fired from his job on the movie "Ted 2." We also got a chance to talk to the Los Angeles Police Department.
They told me that they received information in 2012 regarding allegations of criminal behavior involving Collins. A case was opened up at that time, but that case has been closed because, they said, there was no crime report made at the time and no verified victim. The LAPD is now reviewing that investigation to make certain that nothing was missed and they will collaborate with the New York Police Department in this case if they can help in any way -- Brooke.
BALDWIN: OK, stay on it for us. Sara Sidner, thank you so much in Los Angeles.
Coming up, shocking video of what began as a routine traffic stop.
(VIDEO CLIP)
BALDWIN: These people were pulled over because they weren't buckled up. How did this escalate into the smashing of a window and this man being tased? Were police in the right? Were they in the wrong? Is there somewhere in between? We'll discuss that coming up on CNN.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
BALDWIN: When police pull over a car for a traffic violation, anything is possible. And more than ever, we are seeing these dangerous confrontations coming seemingly out of nowhere.
This latest example, which you're about to see is this traffic stop in Hammond, Indiana, started because the driver wasn't wearing her seat belt. Take a look.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: If you're going to give me a ticket for no seat belt, right here. Just give me a ticket so I can go to the hospital because the doctor called me to tell me to come in because my mom is about to pass away.
All right. So I guess he's looking for his information in his book bag. When he digs in his book bag, they pulled a gun out. What was the purpose of a gun? Now they're asking me to open my door to get out. If you pull out a gun in front of two kids, two kids in the backseat.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Open your door, do you understand?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Yes.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: All right.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: No, don't -- now they about to mess my window!
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I'm not the operator of this vehicle. If you do that, all right. I'm not the operator -- I'm not in operation of this vehicle.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Are you going to open this door --
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: People are getting shot by the police --
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: On the ground. UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: That was crazy. It's horrible. This is a horrible -- are you recording this?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: This is terrible.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
BALDWIN: Susan Candiotti joining me now to walk us through what we see, which, again, began as the woman wasn't wearing her seat belt, four people in this car. You hear this child in the backseat screaming once the window is shattered. How did they get from A to B?
SUSAN CANDIOTTI, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, it's so tough to watch. And, yes, it only started over a simple -- they weren't wearing their seat belts.
BALDWIN: Right.
CANDIOTTI: So that's why they're pulled over. It's mom, it's an adult friend sitting in the front seat passenger side. It's her two children in the back, the young girl 7, the boy 14. He's rolling video on all this. That's how you seeing it.
The voice you hear her talking, she is calling 911 and saying what's going on here? She's asked to turn over her license, she does. He doesn't have one and sort of offers them, according to a lawsuit, a ticket.
But they want to get it, the police don't get the ticket. They ask him to get out of the car, he refuses. Everything goes south. You hear the passenger asking to see a supervisor. The mother is saying she's afraid. She's on the phone.
BALDWIN: With 911.
CANDIOTTI: That's right. With 911, and ultimately, you see what happens. A white shirted police officer shows up, uses something to bash in that window, tase him immediately. The little girl's crying in the backseat, glass going everywhere.
He's tased, and all of them wind up -- she gets a ticket for not wearing a seat belt, so does the passenger, and he is also charged with failing to help a police officer and resisting an officer.
And now, they are suing saying this was way out of line, excessive force. The police, however, disagree.
BALDWIN: What are they saying?
CANDIOTTI: Well, they're saying they believe that when they saw him moving around, presumably to get that ticket, they felt their lives were in danger because they couldn't see what he was doing with his hands or worried about their safety. So they say in part, the passenger continued to refuse to exit the vehicle after approximately 13 minutes had elapsed. And upon request by at least three different officers present at the scene to stop.
Fearing the occupants of the vehicle may have possessed a weapon and seeing the passenger repeatedly reach toward the rear seats of the vehicle, the first officer then broke the passenger side window of the vehicle.
And the passenger was removed from the vehicle and was placed under arrest. The police officers were at all times acting in the interest of officer safety and in accordance with Indiana law.
But, a federal lawsuit has now been filed by the woman in the car and the other passengers alleging that things got way out of hand. They're suing over their civil rights being violated. Excessive use of force.
BALDWIN: Those are the facts. That's both sides. We have more coming up, Susan Candiotti, thank you so much. Because they're saying excessive force, is that accurate? Was this legal? Was this not? We've got a police expert standing by and an attorney who is fired up. We'll talk to them about this next.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I'm not the operator of this vehicle. If you do that, all right. I'm not the operator -- I'm not in operation of this vehicle.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Are you going to open this door --
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: People are getting shot by the police --
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: On the ground.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: That was crazy.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BALDWIN: We just wanted to stay on this video and this conversation because so many of you are reacting to this very viscerally. Let me bring in legal analyst, Sunny Hostin, and Rashid Abdul-Salaam, a private investigator, security specialist, and former police officer.
So first and foremost, I guess, Sunny, to you. Because you're here, you saw this earlier, you had quite the reaction earlier. And it's interesting, though, too, because you and I often times talk about routine traffic stops.
They weren't buckled up and turned into something much, much different. And you say, you know what, often times the law sides on the side of police officers. But in this case, what do you say?
SUNNY HOSTIN, CNN LEGAL ANALYST: This was different and you're right. When I first saw this, I saw it on air with all of our viewers.
BALDWIN: Watching it live.
HOSTIN: Earlier today during our 12:00 hour. And I was so horrified and hurt and frustrated that what I do generally say is police officers have a very difficult job, the majority of them are very good. Traffic stops are so very difficult for them.
It is the most dangerous thing, usually that they do, in their line of duty. When I saw this, Brooke, I was so hurt and taken aback because I saw the fear in this family's eyes. They didn't want to get out of the car because they were afraid that someone would get hurt.
They said that to the officers. The officers were trying to assure them that they weren't going to hurt anyone. And you hear the mother saying people get shot all around the country for this.
BALDWIN: We've seen examples of excessive force.
HOSTIN: And we've seen it, and I can't believe that people are saying that race didn't drive this. Because we know when you look at the statistics across our country, African-Americans are stopped disproportionately higher than any other race.
In fact, there's a new study that just came out that says in Connecticut over 50 percent of the cars that are stopped are driven by African-Americans, yet contraband is found 77 percent of the time in white driven vehicles.
So you can see as a person of color what was really going on here. They were being tortured. They were being terrorized for 13 minutes by the very people that are supposed to protect him.
And I've got to tell you, and I'm still sort of bewildered at my response because it's so very painful to watch and to see that today, even today, we have a black president, a black attorney general, this kind of nonsense is happening. And this is the stuff that we get to see. Imagine what we don't see.
BALDWIN: I hear you. I can't say I can fully understand, but I hear you loud and clear. And to you, Rashid, can you just -- taking all this in, also just as a former officer. When you see what happened in this video, the smashing of the window, the tasing.
On the other side, though, there are people saying why didn't he get out of the car? If police were asking for him to get out of the car, why not get out of the car? What's your read?
RASHID ABDUL-SALAAM, PRIVATE INVESTIGATOR AND SECURITY SPECIALIST: The police are creating theater in these scenarios that's not necessary. Because you have the authority to do something doesn't necessarily mean you need to do all those things. You have to think outside the box, many times.
You have to evaluate the necessity and if a situation warrants this much contact even with the citizens. The police are equipped with all of these sophisticated mechanisms to do their jobs. He has an intercom system on his vehicle.
He could've pulled up alongside the vehicle and said blue car, occupants, put your seat belts on. The idea was the intent was for these people to safely operate their vehicle.
It could have been communicated to them in such a way that they're actually serving the public interest and not creating this extreme theater that's not necessary. And this is what -- the police officers that are listening to this just calm down.
You know, re-evaluate what your purpose is when you get out in your patrol car. It's to serve and to protect the public. It's the public that's paying your salary. And we have to be cognizant of this in executing our duties because the very authority that you have can be taken from you by the citizens.
BALDWIN: Protect and serve.
HOSTIN: I think people just want to be treated with respect and dignity. Get this, Brook, for a first offense for a seat belt violation in Indiana, it's a $25 ticket. A $25 ticket. Since when have we seen a seat belt violation go here?
Where you have a family terrorized and a man tased and a broken window? When have we ever seen this kind of thing? I mean, I think when you see the protests in Ferguson, quite frankly, and you see all of this going on, people are sick and tired. Sick and tired of being sick and tired.
ABDUL-SALAAM: May I please add this, the police officers are trained in any encounter to -- there's two things that are going to happen when police get involved. You're either going to diffuse a situation or escalate it.
BALDWIN: Right.
ABDUL-SALAAM: It's clear in this incident, these officers escalated a situation that was totally unwarranted. It could have been avoided. And so now in-service training, sensitivity training, all of these things need to be looked at from a progressive department to try to improve themselves so they can properly and effectively serve their citizens.
BALDWIN: Rashid Abdul-Salaam and Sunny Hostin, thank you.
ABDUL-SALAAM: Thank you.
BALDWIN: This is now federal.
Coming up next, the family of the Ebola patient in Dallas just spoke out moments ago. Hear what they are saying about his condition. We'll talk live with our chief medical correspondent, Dr. Sanjay Gupta, here with me on set.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK) BALDWIN: It appears yet another medical worker has been struck with Ebola. The organization "Doctors Without Borders" is reporting that a Norwegian staff member has contracted the deadly virus.
Meantime, Reverend Jessie Jackson was with family members of Thomas Eric Duncan, the Liberian man hospitalized with Ebola in Dallas. After tweeting a photo of him praying with the Duncan's family, Jackson updated the 42-year-old's condition saying, his blood pressure was up.
His temperature was normal, but he's still battling and lung and kidney infection. This is all happening as the fifth American with Ebola, a video journalist, Ashoko Mukpo, is receiving the same experimental drug being used to treat Duncan in Dallas.
And our own chief medical correspondent, Dr. Sanjay Gupta, seeing video of him months ago before all of us were really talking about this there in Guinea with the experimental suits, some of what the medical personnel wear as they are treating some of these different patients in these isolation areas.
Here he is fresh off a plane joining me now in New York. There you were in April and who knew that we would be, you know, to the depths, especially now in Dallas talking about it, but when you hear about lung and kidney infection with this gentleman in Dallas, still in critical condition.
DR. SANJAY GUPTA, CNN CHIEF MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT: Yes. Most of these patients have ups and downs. We saw that with Kent Brantly and Nancy Writebol. Remember they were deathly ill --
BALDWIN: He like walked into that hospital.
GUPTA: There was concerns he might die on a Thursday and on Saturday, two days later, he was walking into the hospital.
BALDWIN: Yes.
GUPTA: So the virus invades various organs in the body. It gets into cells and invades multiple organs and that's probably what is happening here with the liver and kidneys, maybe to some extent the lungs as well, he's on a breathing machine.
He had been in critical condition but then improved to serious condition, that's an improvement, but then back to critical condition. So it's a long course, Brooke, with all of these patients.
BALDWIN: Just quickly I'm thinking about this medical personnel, you think about this nurse in Spain, right, who was treating a missionary who had done some work in Sierra Leone. Obviously there has to be protocol. We saw you in the suits and yet there was some kind of lapse.
GUPTA: I think that has to what happened here. We know how this spreads. We know that a small amount of bodily fluid, if it gets on somebody's skin, can cause an infection. That's why you see those suits. They are not ventilator masks or trying to protect you from an airborne virus.
It's to protect your skins. You don't want liquids to seep through that and that's why you have the hood and mask and eye protection. That's it. That's what you're trying to do. There's nothing more magical than that. Just protect those infected fluids from touching your body anywhere. Somehow that didn't happen here.
BALDWIN: Dr. Gupta, thank you. Thank you so much.
GUPTA: Thank you.
BALDWIN: We're back after this quick break.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
BALDWIN: A quick look at the big board before that bell rings here. We have the Dow down just about 270 points here. Experts say investors in the U.S. disappointed by manufacturing data from Germany.
I'm Brooke Baldwin. See you tomorrow. "THE LEAD" with Jake Tapper starts now.
