Return to Transcripts main page

Don Lemon Tonight

Pennsylvania Authorities Announce the Capture Of Eric Frein; Will Ferguson Police Chief Step Down?

Aired October 30, 2014 - 23:00   ET

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

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

DON LEMON, CNN HOST: Indeed, breaking news tonight, 11:00 p.m. on the East Coast, 10:00 p.m. in Ferguson, Missouri, this is CNN tonight, I'm Don Lemon. Live with breaking news here, we are awaiting a news conference on the capture of Eric Matthew Frein. He is the suspect in the ambush shooting at Pennsylvania state police barracks in Blooming Grove on September 12th.

That ambush left Corporal Bryon Dickson dead and Trooper Alex T. Douglass wounded. Frein was captured tonight at an abandoned airport between Henryville and Tannersville.

He's also taken into custody without incident, but armed with two guns, one a pistol and the other a rifle. Law enforcement officials are telling that CNN knives were recovered from Frein's hiding place as well.

A U.S. Marshall Service Special Operations team tracked Frein to the abandoned airport where it was in the process of clearing the area. That's according to a law enforcement source with knowledge of this capture.

I want to go to CNN's Miguel Marquez. And Miguel as I go to you, Miguel is in Holly, Pennsylvania, where this is all going to happen. Miguel, help me as we walk through this. Bear with me. I want-up to, to weigh in as well.

This is according to a source that was briefed on the investigations says, the U.S. Marshalls' Team spotted a man near the abandoned air strip, Miguel. They set up a perimeter and then they closed in. They said the suspect walked out. That he has his hands up and identified himself as Eric Frein.

They also say that the U.S. Marshall confiscated a sniper rifle, which is being tested to see if it was used in the trooper shooting and a handgun, Miguel, the source says he was not carrying the firearm when he was taken into custody.

So it is interesting, according to sources that he did not put up a fight and it was thought that he might since he had tactical training of sorts, but again, press conference starting very shortly as these new details come in -- Miguel. MIGUEL MARQUEZ, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yes, with that press conference may be a little bit delayed, Don. That special operations team, the U.S. Marshalls was in some ways lucky. It sounds like in any event. This is an area they had searched before. This is an abandoned airport next to abandoned resort. South of the Delaware forest where they had done the bulk of their searching.

What they're telling us is that, intelligence sources and other individuals in the area had lots of spottings of him down there. So they had returned to this area in order to search for Mr. Frein. Upon doing that, they saw him out there. They saw him cross the runway. This is a shutdown airport.

Most of the runway is, growing, has overgrowth on it. They saw him comes offing across the runway. This is a very specialized team. Just as good as any, most of them are, ex-special forces from the military, they were able to set up a perimeter and surprise him it sounds like.

No gun on him at the time, were able to finally cache inside the hangar, where he was operating out of a huge, huge get for them. Just talking to the few police officers that I have seen here and a lot of the state officials, who are beginning to gather behind the cameras you, can see the relief on their faces, some of them hugging.

You can tell them congratulations, great job. There is a great since of relief over their faces. There were hundreds, if not thousands of law enforcement involved in the search for this man. This is gorgeous area of Pennsylvania.

A lot of people were very on edge. That he was out there. There were sightings throughout a very, very large area of this place. So the fact that he is in custody tonight is huge, huge, news -- Don.

LEMON: All right, standby, Miguel and again, we're covering going to -- OK, again, we're going to the press conference now. Governor Tom Corbett will speak as well as law enforcement officials in Pennsylvania as they get ready there.

They have been again searching for the suspect almost seven weeks now in Pennsylvania for the shooting death of that, that corporal and also injuring another corporal. Again, you can see, the Pike County communications there. And they are holding this in Holly, Pennsylvania, not at the, barracks where the shooting was. Let's listen in.

GOVERNOR TOM CORBETT (R), PENNSYLVANIA: Tonight at 6:00 p.m., fugitive Eric Frein was captured. Now, as you know, he will face justice here in Pike County. We stated early on that we will not rest until his capture was made. I am so pleased to be able to say that tonight we have made that major step that has to be taken down the path of justice.

Due to the hard work of everybody that has been up here, for the seven weeks that this has been going on, all the different law enforcement official who stand behind me and they represent the hundreds if not thousands of people who have been involved.

Everybody has been working very, very hard out there looking to see this day come and when this day did come, as had been talked about since the day after the shooting. He was placed under arrest and handcuffed with the handcuffs of Corporal Dixon, which I think was very appropriate.

Which also should be noted that while everybody was out there, nobody else got shot after that day, Trooper Douglass is doing better. Our prayers are with him. Our prayers are with Mrs. Dickson and her two sons and with Trooper Douglass' family.

I can't tell you how much on behalf of a grateful state. We want to thank all the partners who have been involved in this mission to capture this individual. How much you have given your heart and soul in the name of justice.

I want to commend the great work of the commissioner of the state police, Frank Nunen, in contact with me sometimes hourly as to the progress of this manhunt. Lt. Col. George Bibbons as you know has been up here leading many of the conversations from the podiums.

But together with the entire team they have been working extremely hard, many, many long hours in days and now weeks, and the Pike County District Attorney Raymond Tonken, who is here with us, who now takes over in this prosecution, which is now going to be a prosecution.

And all of the federal and local law enforcement officers who have been involved in this also, and I know that the commissioner is going to name all of those. And in additionally, law enforcement agencies from around the country that participated, that volunteered to participate in this.

But I particularly want to thank the residents of northeastern Pennsylvania particularly the Pike Monroe County areas, whose patience whose tolerance and whose perseverance have been a tremendous support and lift to all of the law enforcement personnel that have been working out there day and night on this mission.

You demonstrate the very best of Pennsylvania. Just today when I was in the western part of the state, I've ran into a couple from here in Pike County, who were on their way to a western county. They talked about nothing more than, what was happening here and their support for all of law enforcement and what they were doing during this period of time.

The support of the community has been instrumental to all of law enforcement and finally, I would stop here and turn it over to the (inaudible) commissioner, but again to the family of Trooper Dickson, to the family of Trooper Douglass -- and Trooper Douglass, let me assure you from everybody here, justice will be served. Colonel.

COMMISSIONER FRANK NOONAN, PENNSYLVANIA STATE POLICE: Thank you all for coming. This is a great day for Pennsylvania State Police and for all Pennsylvanians, and it is only appropriate that I bring up Lieutenant Colonel Bibbons with me who has been leading this entire operation and just done a fantastic job.

You see many people behind me from various law enforcement agencies. The FBI, the ATF, the United States Marshalls, and border patrol was here. We have the township police chief with us, many municipal police officers, Scranton Police Department, too many to count, the state agencies from surrounding states, New York, New Jersey, Virginia, Ohio, Connecticut.

All of them have sent help and been part of this. It is truly been a team effort and a pleasure to work with so many great dedicated people. And the one thing I just would look to point out because there were so many, several thousand that took part in the manhunt.

The reason this was so important is because Eric Frein was dedicated to killing law enforcement members. He had at least one sniper rifle we knew of. We knew he had a handgun. We knew, at the beginning that he had explosive charges with him.

I can't think of a more dangerous occupation than going into the woods after this individual. Yet my biggest problem was telling people I don't need any more help. That is truly significant.

Let me tell you how this arrest took place about at 6:00 p.m. this evening. At the Birchwood Poconos Air Park, in Pocono Township, in Monroe County, we had been broken down into many, many teams, a lot of them SWAT teams and been assigned areas in the woods at various locations to sweep and to search.

We have been doing it over 40 days. It is a hot, tiring, dangerous job. Today, the United States Marshall Service had one of their teams out, at the abandoned airport. When they approached they saw an individual that they thought was Eric Frein.

They order him to surrender. Get down on his hand and knees that's what he did. Once they approach. He admitted his identity and was taken into custody. He was turned over to the Pennsylvania State Police, as the governor said, Corporal Dickson's handcuffs were placed on him.

And he was put in Corporal Dickson's car and transported back and is -- currently in custody. There are other search warrants that we are trying to serve right now on some areas that we believe he may have been staying at.

The thing that I want to emphasize, the reason this took so long is it such a big wooded area that he was totally familiar with and had a lot of places to hide in. We had to be very careful with how we search it. We would plot out different areas.

We have a lot of cameras in there, but it was the Marshalls going out there today, and we had a lot of other people out there searching other areas that came upon him. That's why he is in custody today.

I know that this has been a real trial for many of the community -- and, for all of my people and the people that are standing behind me and the people that have helped us. But let me explain to you. Eric Frein had a mission and that was to attack law enforcement.

If he got out of those woods, we were very concerned that he would then kill other law enforcement and if not them, civilians. That's why we had to keep the pressure on. Now when the governor talked about calling me, I am not saying he was a pest.

But I will say he would call me, four, five times every day. He always ended with the same question -- what else do you need? How do we get this done? Is there anything else I can do. That's been great.

I can tell you too, that all of the federal agencies. I talked to the heads of all of them. That have been participating with us that if. They all said the same thing. What can we do to help? We are in this for the long haul. We're in this with you.

That really made a tremendous difference, I believe, in this case. We weren't going to stop until this, this fugitive was arrested. I'm glad that it ended without any other loss of life including his. This way the people will know exactly how our justice system works and I know that you are going to follow it.

And I hope that it brings some closure to the families that have been so seriously affected. I know many of you were at the funeral of Corporal Dickson. And I have had an opportunity to talk to his wife, Tiffany and to Trooper Douglass and assure them that we would not stop until he was apprehended.

And it makes me very proud to say that today, he is apprehended. Let me introduce, well, so many people here, the fellow in the really nice suit, United States Marshall, Marty Peyton, very good friend of mine, the first one to speak, Janell Miller.

JANELL MILLER, ASSISTANT SPECIAL AGENT, FBI: Good evening. My name is Janell Miller, assistant special agent in charge of the FBI Philadelphia Division. On behalf of the men and women of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, I would look to thank the Pennsylvania State Police. And all of our partners for their efforts and professionalism in this trying time in Eastern Pennsylvania.

Tonight the public can sleep soundly knowing that this dangerous, FBI top ten fugitive has been apprehended. I want to thank this community for your help as the search was conducted. And also thank the media for spreading the subject's photograph far and wide in the interest of public safety.

While we find comfort in knowing a dangerous threat to the community is in custody, we will never forget Corporal Bryon Dickson, who will forever remain in our memories. And our thoughts and prayers remain with Trooper Douglas. Thank you.

NOONAN: Next, I'd like to bring up the SAC of the ATF who has been with me throughout this entire ordeal, Sam Roboti.

SAM ROBOTI, SPECIAL AGENT-IN-CHARGE, ATF: My name is Sam Roboti. I'm the special agent in charge for ATF, out of our Philadelphia Division. As you've heard several times before through a variety of press conferences, we said we would not stop until Frein was brought to justice, and held to answer for his allege heinous crimes.

Tonight, we had a sense of closure especially for the families of Trooper Dickson and Douglass, but also for the community itself. An alleged cop killer has been taken into custody and placed in handcuffs. This individual is no longer a threat to this community and is now behind bars.

He has been stripped of his guns, his bombs, and now, his freedom, and as he sits in a cell inside the same state police barracks where it began seven weeks ago, the senseless truth is where it was committed.

He can no longer hide behind his rifle. He can no longer hide in the woods. He is no longer on the run. Now he will have to answer for his violent actions. Thank you.

NOONAN: As the governor mentioned, during a manhunt, law enforcement, the police, the state police, the federal agencies, we were driving the search. But now we shift to a new phase and that is going to be represented by the district attorney, who will speak to you now and after he is done, we'll take questions. Ray, you can come forward.

Thank you, Governor.

RAY TONKIN, DISTRICT ATTORNEY: My name is Ray Tonkin. I'm the district attorney here in Pike County. I want to begin by commending law enforcement, the Pennsylvania State Police, the FBI, the ATF, and the United States Marshall Service, PA Municipal Police officers, and the other law enforcement officers from multiple jurisdictions outside of Pennsylvania that really worked without rest to successfully apprehend Eric Frein.

They're to be commended for their professionalism, persistence and the resources that were all required to bring Mr. Frein into custody alive. I also want to thank Governor Corbett whose support during the search and this phase of the investigation has been invaluable.

Now it becomes time to find answers on behalf of the fallen officers, families, and the truth on behalf of justice. Based on the facts and evidence we already have, Mr. Frein has been charged with murder in the first degree, homicide of a law enforcement officer, attempted murder, in the first degree, possession of weapons of mass destruction, discharging of firearm into an occupied structure, and reckless endangerment.

Among these charges being murder in the first degree and homicide of a law enforcement officer are capital offenses. It is my intention to file notice to seek the death penalty for Eric Frein in this case. I know that this arrest is a relief off to all residents of northeastern Pennsylvania.

And I want to personally thank the brave, tireless efforts of all the law enforcement officers involved in the investigation in manhunt to bring peace now to those communities. Also, the community itself, I would look to thank including all of the volunteers for your patience and cooperation.

And to the medical professionals who have attended to Trooper Douglass and assisting him on his road to recovery. We are a small, tight-knit community here and whether it was through ribbons of support, donations of food, cards of encouragement or calls and tips, that helped narrow the search, and allowed progress in the search.

We have all demonstrated what this community is all about. And thankfully now, because Eric Frein was arrested tonight the children can go on and have Halloween tomorrow. I would also like to thank the Red Cross. I see Jeff Banks down here, who I have seen here, on multiple occasions.

I can tell you personally, that he has been here as much, probably, as any law enforcement officer has been here taking care of law enforcement so they can go about their duties in the woods.

I would also like to remind everyone that while the suspect is in custody the investigation is still on going. The tips and calls we have received throughout the search have been instrumental in getting us to this point.

I ask for the continued support of the community so we can build the best case in order to achieve justice on behalf of Corporal Bryon Dickson, Alex Douglass and their families.

The families of Corporal Dickson, Trooper Douglass and Pennsylvania State Police have suffered an unimaginable harm, unspeakable proportion. They may never be the same, but today everyone can find some comfort as we take these next steps toward justice. Thank you.

NOONAN: I want to reiterate what Ray said about the Red Cross and also the -- Barrett Township Fire Department. This has been a huge undertaking. We have had -- up to 1,000 people involved in this manhunt at one time and just -- feeding and lodging them, is a huge problem for us as it was made easy by these agency that really helped us. Now if there are any questions, if you just raise your hand. We'll take some. Yes.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: How long do you think he was in the area of the airport? What did you find on him and inside the hangar?

NOONAN: Well, we are serving a search warrant on the hangar right now. So I can't tell you what was in there. How long he was there, I am not sure. I know he was in the general area, we have been searching. I believe since the shooting occurred. Yes.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Describe his condition at the time of his arrest?

NOONAN: Yes. He was in good physical condition. He is not damaged at all and -- he did not require any medical attention. He looked, fairly healthy, healthier than I would have expected.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: What about the nose?

NOONAN: He had a scratch. He had that before we got there. UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Did he say anything?

NOONAN: That will be for the district attorney at some future point to discuss. Well, obviously when we serve warrants that's a secret. We are not going to tell people where we will serve them. It is basically just to search, line up our case.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Is this a location (inaudible) --

NOONAN: I lead a very good life and I think that must have played a role in it. Actually, we have this all gridded out and it is -- it is such a huge area. And we have been, just been basically sweeping every square inch of the wooded area that we could. It is acres, and acres.

The problem is once you clear an area he can come back in. So, I think we'll know that. But I don't know that right now. Whether he was always there or whether he moved before.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It had no indication he was there before?

NOONAN: I don't have any indication of that, no.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: (Inaudible) is it possible that it was, and could that leave the possibility that people were helping him out.

NOONAN: You know, anything is possible, that may be possible. I have no reason to believe that. As you might have known if you were, might know if you have been following this case. He was quite well prepared. He had stashed various items for the situation. I don't think it is necessarily true that anybody helped him. In fact, right now, I have no indication that any one followed him.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Was he taken by surprise?

NOONAN: Yes, he was definitely taken by surprise.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Any indication that anybody was helping him.

NOONAN: No, there is no indication that any one was helping him. Yes.

What was on his mind, I don't know. He was away from the hangar in an open field when we apprehended him.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: How much of a relief was it that (inaudible).

NOONAN: I can tell you this. The governor, and I, when we talked that was always our biggest concern. Because like I said, he had a sniper rifle. He is pretty good in an open field, 500, 600 yards. Not impossible shot for him. You wouldn't know what hit you.

As did Corporal Dickson and Trooper Douglas, you wouldn't know and I was especially concerned by the explosive devices that he had been preparing because, once again, you walk in through the woods. It would, it would have been a -- it presented a great threat to us. So I was very relieved that this ended peacefully.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Did he have arms with him?

NOONAN: I do know. I can't say right now. He is being processed now. And I believe, ray, eventually. He will be, at the Pike County Jail. Yes. That's where, that's where he will eventually wind up, I believe.

We are working on the process for that now because of the interest in this case, both, both, media and law enforcement, we are working on a location. That will be able to fit everyone while also providing security.

We will be making an announcement of that, but there are details to be worked out with the Pike County court system. I believe it will be in person, yes.

Yes, possibly, Friday. I wouldn't imagine it would be any later than sometime tomorrow. I will tell you, there are investigative steps taken. He will be finger printed, photographed, and then we will be ready to be arraigned before a district judge here in Pike County.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Tonight, middle of the night?

NOONAN: It could possibly be tonight.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: What was Trooper Douglass' reaction?

NOONAN: Well, we have been in contact with Trooper Douglass and his family as well as Corporal Dickson's family, and relief and gratitude were their reactions. They had been -- we have tried to keep them abreast of what the developments in the case.

We have all visited them many times, the governor, Colonel Bibbons, Major Reid, all of us, actually have gotten very close to them. So it is, it is really -- a great thing.

Also, there is always that element of fear. You know, what else is this guy going to do? That hopefully now that they don't have to think about it anymore.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Who is representing him?

NOONAN: It was a matter of yards. He couldn't get back to it. He did not have access to the hangar when they approached him. They ordered him not to move. He had no chance to get back. I have no knowledge.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Did he is say anything? Did he indicate anything?

NOONAN: He did not just give up because he was tired. He gave up because he was caught the he had no choice but to give up. As far as what he said that will come out later on through the District Attorney's Office.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Have you talked to Frein's family at all since he's been arrested?

NOONAN: I have not.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Did he have a gun on him?

NOONAN: No. He did not have a gun on his person. Actually, the -- very shortly after the incident took place, myself and the troopers that he worked with, and also the governor and I all discussed it would be, if we had the opportunity that it would be fitting to use Corporal Dickson's handcuffs to place them on Frein when we caught him.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Thank you.

NOONAN: No, There is nothing said. We don't have to say anything now. Thank you all so much. I appreciate it.

LEMON: All right. That is it. You are listening to the press conference in Holly, Pennsylvania. They of course capture of Eric Frein been on the run really for about seven weeks now after he killed a corporal and shot a trooper.

The prosecutor there, in Pennsylvania, saying he will seek the death penalty for Eric Frein. Of course, the governor and the police commissioner there, saying that they are happy that, that he is caught. They're saying that children now can, can go, for Halloween and feel that they're safe.

They said they have had so much interest in this and not only from people around the country, but really from law enforcement all over the country as well. And the biggest thing they have had to do besides search for Eric Frein was say they don't need any more help.

They have all the help that they need. CNN's Miguel Marquez is at that press conference this evening. Miguel, relief and again, he is going to possibly get the death penalty.

MARQUEZ: Well, they're certainly going to seek the death penalty. We may see him in court as soon as tomorrow, the next 12, 15 hours or so. Incredible, incredible relief, palpable emotion in this room tonight as the governor and the head of the state police here in Pennsylvania, describe how Eric Frein was taken down.

The big take away from this and this is, clearly how, close they held this to their hearts is that he was, when he was arrested. They slapped the cuffs of Corporal Brian Dickson, and put him in Dickson's car. That is the corporal who Frein ambushed, hunted down and killed as though he were an animal in that leather that he released some weeks ago.

Also saying that he was caught completely by surprise, this was an area that they have gridded out. They have been through. They were going back through it. They saw him and they immediately went after him and we're able to get him to go down on his knees and take him into custody. He immediately told him who he was. He has a cut on his nose. If you can see the pictures that we've seen so far in the back of that police car, they're only saying that was a cut that he suffered, but it wasn't particularly bad.

This is a person who had been on the run for seven weeks alluding police. Absolutely, massive area that they had been searching through and to find him in that, abandoned hangar, next to that abandoned resort, a lot of these different buildings and resorts that he had been using over the time.

You know, if they got lucky, they make their own luck. This was a very, very good night for law enforcement officials here -- Don.

LEMON: Absolutely. Again almost seven weeks, and again as you said that cut that you are seeing in him in the back of the police car. Again folks at the press conference, Miguel saying that he had the cut before, but again, he surrendered, did not put up a fight.

They found weapons, but not on his person. Our Miguel Marquez is going to stand by in Pennsylvania for us. We'll be right back with much, much more on the breaking news tonight, the capture of fugitive Eric Matthew Frein. We will be back in just moments.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

LEMON: Hello, everyone. Don Lemon live in Ferguson, Missouri where we are covering two stories that have to deal with the law. One here in Ferguson, Missouri as we wait an announcement from the grand jury as to what happens with Officer Darren Wilson.

The other story we are covering. It is out of Pennsylvania where the suspect in the ambush shooting at Pennsylvania State Police barracks in Blooming Grove on September 12th. He has been captured. His name is Eric Frein, captured in Pennsylvania tonight.

I have a lot of people helping me out with this, Evan Perez, Susan Candiotti, Mark O'Mara, and also former FBI counterterrorism agent, Tim Clemente, joins me on the phone.

I want to get to you, Mark because I thought it was interesting that they're going to seek the death penalty. Is that -- that's not really a surprise in the case although they're announcing that tonight. They're going for that.

MARK O'MARA, CNN LEGAL ANALYST: Not much of a surprise in a case like this, this was an assassination of a police officer with intent and planning ahead of time. It doesn't get much worse than that as far as first degree murder case, law enforcement officer. So it makes sense in this case. Since Pennsylvania has the death penalty. They'll keep it in the state system and charge him like that.

LEMON: Evan Perez, Corporal Dickson's handcuffs were placed on Frein, transported in Corporal Dickson's car and law enforcement thought it was significant for the community that those two things occurred. EVAN PEREZ, CNN JUSTICE REPORTER: Well, Don, you know, for seven weeks this community has been living in fear. You know, they had to cancel Halloween. There were some days where the schools were afraid that the kids were going to be shot at, you know.

So this was a big relief for this community and especially for the families involved, the two, two state troopers, very symbolic thing. Obviously this guy had, had prepared for this. He was, he knew that these woods. He had prepared apparently he had, dug some burrows where he was able to hide out.

They did not where he was, where he was and he kept apparently moving positions. So it was -- something that, you know you had hundreds of officers looking for him. He was able to elude them for all the time.

They found signs that he had like study this area and had prepared to be able to elude police for some time. They still don't know really why he had it in for, law enforcement, for police officers.

LEMON: Susan Candiotti, let's talk a bit more about his condition. It was mentioned, the cut on his nose was talked about, addressed, in the press conference. You could see his hair had grown quite a bit. He looked scraggly. He'd been out there for seven weeks.

SUSAN CANDIOTTI, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Yes, that's for sure. And certainly the first thing that all of us noticed was that apparent cut on his nose, on the bridge of his nose. Authorities making it clear they said that that was a minor cut and that it happened before he was arrested.

But I tell you, Don, there is nothing like, the element of surprise, and in this case, even though they had the search the area once before, it is such a huge area. When going for it again they spotted him before he saw them.

So they were able to quickly set up a perimeter and approach him. They said he gave up without a fight. Get down on the ground. Identify yourself. That's what he did and they immediately took him into custody.

And, I think one of the other things that important here that we are going to be learning more about are the weapons that they recovered from him including that high-powered sniper rifle.

Obviously, they're going to be testing that to see whether that was the very same weapon used to shoot and kill Corporal Dickson and injure Trooper Douglass -- Don.

LEMON: So during that press conference, the governor mentioned, Tim Clemente, that no one else was injured during the manhunt and apprehension. I'm wondering as someone who has worked with people of this profile, is that a surprise for you that he did not fight back?

TIM CLEMENTE, FORMER FBI COUNTERTERRORISM AGENT (via telephone): It kind of is, Don, and it's also a surprise that he allowed himself to be captured. Normally in circumstances like this, a lot of these individuals take their own lives.

When they have time to either reflect on what they have done and it sinks in the gravity of it, a lot of times they'll kill themselves. In this situation, though, he was kind of alone in the woods. Maybe he thought, maybe he thought they'll give of me and they won't continue this pursuit.

But the fact that he didn't have the weapons with him shows that he wasn't always prepare, I know everyone is saying that he had prepared for and planned this out.

Obviously didn't do it well enough if he was walking in the woods or whatever he was doing this evening without a weapon with him so for law enforcement sake.

You know, grateful that was the case because -- even if they would have the drop on him, it doesn't mean that he couldn't have got off a shot and injured or killed someone else.

It is a little bit surprising that -- that he didn't offer more resistance though. I would have thought he would have tried to run or do something. But, good work on, part of the Marshall Service for taking him down the way that they did.

LEMON: Tim, can I ask you this because, you know, he is a survivalist and people, you know, it was concern that, that, he may have taken longer to find him. If you consider the place where he was found, it was abandoned. He was walking apparently to -- to an abandoned terminal, abandoned hangar, he appeared to be hiding in plain sight.

CLEMENTE: It is plain sight, but again, Don, the problem with searching an area like this, and I believe one of the individuals of the press conference mentioned it is that once you clear an area, there is no way to secure it, ordinarily, we're doing a home search, a raid.

We go from room to room. We clear a room and we leave officers back to make sure that those rooms don't become occupied again. And to ascertain, OK, this is clear. That end is not clear.

In a situation like this where you have miles and miles and miles of wooded areas, there is no way to secure it once you have cleared it. So this, they mention that this abandoned airport had been searched prior. They came back to it because they had new intel where they were just going around again to research.

So there is no way for them, even if, imagine this, the size of this airport and the woods just around it. So it is an impossible task or even thousands of officers to cover hundreds of square miles continuously.

So they have to sweep through and then come back and sweep through again because again he is moving so he is responding to what they're doing. He has the elements to his advantage because although we can use things like thermal imaging at night and blood hounds to search for somebody like this. He has advantage of being able to move freely. It's one individual moving very lightly. He is not carrying a lot of gear. Whereas law enforcements have to always be wary of the fact that this is an individual that wants to kill us.

So you can't just move out there quickly and put yourself in the situation where you are in the line of sight of this man's sniper rifle.

LEMON: All right. Tim, Evan, Susan, standby, we are going to be right back with much more on our breaking news tonight, the capture of Eric Frein.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

LEMON: Back now with breaking news here on CNN. We want to get back to Pennsylvania at the site of that press conference with the capture of Eric Frein.

Joining us now is CNN's Miguel Marquez. Miguel, it's an incredibly victorious night for the people, law enforcement in Pennsylvania. You are standing there I understand with the commissioner from Pennsylvania State, Frank Noonan. I'm sure he is happy about this capture as he expressed in the press conference?

MIGUEL MARQUEZ, CNN CORRESPONDENT: I think happy and victorious, doesn't even begin to say how individuals feel in Pennsylvania tonight. Colonel Frank Noonan, thank you very much for joining us. What is the sense of relief right now for you?

COMMISSIONER FRANK NOONAN, COMMISSIONER, PENNSYLVANIA STATE: Tremendous sense of relief for both myself, Pennsylvania State Police, law enforcement, and the community that has been every day going to bed at night wondering where is Eric Frein and what is he going to do next?

I'm especially happy for the family of Corporal Dickson and Trooper Douglass and his family because this gives them some sense of closure.

MARQUEZ: Why was it important to cuff him with Corporal Dickson's handcuffs and put him in Corporal Dickson's squad car?

DICKSON: It wasn't important except to us we just thought it was fitting. All us in the state police and Governor Corbett, it's his thought that if we had that opportunity that would be a very fitting tribute to Corporal Dickson and a message to all law enforcement. But especially to Pennsylvania State Police that we are a brotherhood and we would never rest until this, this fugitive was apprehended.

MARQUEZ: How -- I don't want to say that they were lucky to catch him, but in these cases you do make your own luck. You had a lot of guys out there. But you had the right folks in the right place at the right time. How fortunate are you at the way this came together?

NOONAN: Well, as you said, you make your own luck. We have had several thousand people that have been working on this manhunt. And it has been very thorough. And I don't think people appreciate how remote and -- difficult this terrain is especially with the leaves and the trees.

It really negated a lot of our technical equipment that we could have used. So it's, it's basically just keep, keep pushing him and then the reason that was so important, from his statements what we believe.

Eric Frein was going to kill again, law enforcement officers, he had a sniper rifle. He was accurate up to 500 yards. We couldn't allow him to get his feet under him and do it again.

MARQUEZ: Did he say anything when he was taken into custody?

NOONAN: He may have said some things, but that would have to come from the district attorney. That will be coming out in the trial.

MARQUEZ: All right, Colonel, thank you very much. Congratulations to you and all your folks. Really appreciate it.

NOONAN: Thank you.

MARQUEZ: Don, an enormous sense of relief, the emotion flowing. You don't see cops hugging each other very often, but tonight you see that happening throughout the area here. And I think in the hours ahead you are going to see this area come alive with, with gratitude and thanks -- Don.

LEMON: Well said, Miguel Marquez, and again, thanks to our commissioner as well for joining us here.

When we come back, there are more questions that we are going to answer about this story and also about Ferguson and whether the police chief will step down here. He tells CNN why he won't go.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

LEMON: We are live in Ferguson, Missouri tonight where the city's police chief, Thomas Jackson, insists that he won't step down. He talked to our very own Jason Carroll earlier.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

THOMAS JACKSON, CHIEF, FERGUSON POLICE DEPARTMENT: I am just trying to stay focused on the job at hand.

JASON CARROLL, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Staying focused and staying on the job at least for now. Ferguson's embattled Police Chief Tom Jackson says he wants to stay.

JACKSON: I am going to stay and see this through. I know there is a lot of politics going on behind the scenes.

CARROLL (on camera): What do you mean by that, politics going on behind -- are you talking pressure coming from the federal government? What are we talking about here? JACKSON: It's not pressure coming my way. I report to the city manager, period. As long as he and the council support me then I tend to stay.

CARROLL: There are a number of people in the community who say "It's time for a change. It times for you to step down." Why stay?

JACKSON: I do have a lot of support in the community. As I said, this is my job. This happened -- on my watch. I intend to see it through.

CARROLL (voice-over): One of those apparently not behind Chief Jackson is U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder, who after seeing weeks of unrest, between protesters and police said a wholesale change is needed.

(on camera): It sounds to me like there is not a lot of confidence there. I am wondering how does that sit with you, I mean, that is got to make you angry?

JACKSON: I just think he's -- hasn't been informed.

CARROLL: Choosing your words very carefully.

JACKSON: There has been a lot of change. There have been a lot of very positive things that have happened and we have talked about those. There are a lot of positive things that are ongoing. When you use a word like wholesale change, I think actually that is not choosing words carefully, it needs to be more specific.

CARROLL: So do you think the attorney general is out of touch. How would you define it?

JACKSON: I don't know. I know that wholesale change is a very broad brush and -- you know I wonder if that means we can get rid of our community oriented policing programs, is that what we do, is that what he means?

CARROLL: I think it would be fair to say that he at the very least means a new police chief in Ferguson.

JACKSON: I can't speak for him. If that's what he means that's what he should say.

CARROLL (voice-over): Jackson acknowledged some mistakes were made after Officer Darren Wilson shot Michael Brown namely that Brown's body was left out on the street for four hours.

JACKSON: But in the end it was way too long.

CARROLL: Jackson apologized to Brown's family, but the unrest here has continued. Ferguson is predominantly black, its police department mostly white. Long standing feelings of mistrust are now spilling into anger on the streets.

(on camera): People don't seem to be talking to each other. JACKSON: I think a lot of progress is being made, maybe it's just not out there in the general public, but here locally it is.

CARROLL: That's one of the first times I can say I've heard from an official out here that progress is being made. You really feel as though progress is being made?

JACKSON: Yes, I do. Yes, I do. I think the problem though is that it is being overshadowed by the ongoing protests.

CARROLL (voice-over): More protests are expected when the grand jury announces its decision whether or not there is evidence to indict Officer Darren Wilson for shooting Brown who was unarmed, but who had struggled with Wilson after the officer stopped him and his friend.

(on camera): What do you think will happen if the grand jury decides not to indict Officer Darren Wilson, then what?

JACKSON: I think we will see more protests. I think we will probably see a lot of anger.

CARROLL: I think a lot of people are, you know, are already predicting that the grand jury will come to a decision not to issue any charges at all against Darren Wilson and that this community will react in some ways violently and the thought is that the police specifically you are not in position to be able to control what inevitably might happen?

JACKSON: We're -- we're talking a lot about how we are going to address that. It will be a unified command again. We will have -- you know, the St. Louis County Police Department, you know working with highway patrol, to -- and all of the municipalities put together, comprehensive plan to address issues as they pop up.

CARROLL (voice-over): Jackson says police are prepared to protect peaceful demonstrators, but will also do everything they can to prevent looting like they saw in the early days of the protests here. He is also hoping more communication with those in the community will help going forward. In the meantime, he will follow his supporters who gave him this advice.

JACKSON: Stay. Finish the job.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

LEMON: Nice job. CNN's Jason Carroll reporting tonight. I want to bring now, CNN's legal analyst, Mark O'Mara. Mark, you know, all along he said he is not going anywhere. The police chief from St. Louis County mentioned consent decree that could happen. The likelihood of someone else taking over the department is pretty slim.

O'MARA: We have to be realistic though. He was the police chief at a time when he cannot defend the racial disparity between the community and the number of black police officers he has in his department. So that's one concern. But much more specifically to this case, he had an opportunity to explain to the community why Mike Brown's body was there for four hours and he waited weeks to do it.

That was a leadership position he didn't take. He also -- let's not forget one the people who talked about whether or not Wilson knew about the issue of --

LEMON: I've got to run.

O'MARA: -- OK, sorry, I think that he needs to go because he's lost the confidence of the people.

LEMON: Thank you, Mark O'Mara. We appreciate it. That's it for us tonight. Thank you for joining us.

"ANTHONY BOURDAIN'S PARTS UNKNOWN" starts right now.