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Witness Describes Shootout, Capture of Bombing Suspect; Bar Owner Spots Suspect, Contacts Police Obama Speaks on Bombs in NY, NJ; Security Heightened in N.Y. Following Attacks, Amid U.N. General Assembly Meeting; Jeb Bush's Humor at Emmy Awards. Aired 2:30-3p ET

Aired September 19, 2016 - 14:30   ET

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

[14:30:00] ABEL ANDREW CAMPOS, WITNESS: Like I said, he was actually laid out on the sidewalk on his back.

BROOKE BALDWIN, CNN ANCHOR: Was he saying anything, shouting anything? Was he even able to speak?

CAMPOS: No, no, not that we were able to see. Or not that we were able to hear anything. Looks like he was pretty quiet. He was just dazed out. He was kind of stunned and just laid out, trying -- like I said, he was trying to get up, but he couldn't.

BALDWIN: So, this area, Andrew, where the shootout happened, we're seeing some pictures. Maybe some parking lots. Is it fairly residential, businesses? I'm trying to understand who would be out and about this time of day.

CAMPOS: It's pretty much -- it's a mix. It's residential and, I guess, residential, a couple of warehouses here, a couple of -- but definitely, you know, it's kind of out of the ordinary this would happen in this location.

BALDWIN: Out of the ordinary. As far as officers go, we know four were hurt in that shootout. Did you see -- describe the police presence.

CAMPOS: No, no, from what we heard, there were officers hurt. Two officers, from what we heard -- or from what I heard someone say, a news reporter. But in detail, we're really not, I guess, informed at the moment as to what happened.

BALDWIN: I just -- I just got an update. I think two of the officers who were hit. They are both in stable condition. That's encouraging. So you see this man, this suspect, being rolled into this ambulance. And they take off. That's the last thing you saw?

CAMPOS: Right, right. That's the last thing I saw. That's the only thing I saw from the beginning of the scene. I was literally a couple yards -- probably about three blocks away. We had to pull over because there was like 20 cop cars coming at once. Once we tried to drive off, we couldn't because more were coming. I called my boss and said, be careful, there were shots fired. That was pretty much from the beginning, middle to end. BALDWIN: You're in Linden. Elizabeth is one train stop away from

where you are. This is where the suspect and his family lived, apparently. This is where they owned this chicken shop, First American Fried Chicken. Are you familiar with Elizabeth?

CAMPOS: Right, right, yeah. I am familiar with Elizabeth. I'm not familiar with the chicken shack where they're actually at -- or from.

BALDWIN: Can you tell me more about Elizabeth, what kind of town it is?

CAMPOS: To be honest, Elizabeth is not the nicest area. You have your good areas and bad areas. You know, Morrow is such a nice, quiet place. It's shocking.

BALDWIN: Shocking, not just for you, but I think for a lot of people around the country.

Abel Andrew Campos, thank you so much for jumping in front of that camera for me. I appreciate your time.

CAMPOS: You're very welcome.

BALDWIN: Thank you.

Now, let's go now go to the phone. I have our senior investigative correspondent, Drew Griffin. He's on with new information.

Drew, tell me where you are and what are you learning?

DREW GRIFFIN, CNN SENIOR INVESTIGATIVE CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): I'm actually in Linden, also. We spoke with by phone to the owner of the business who first spotted Ahmad Khan Rahami this morning. He actually spotted a man who looked like a homeless person sleeping in the entranceway to his bar. He owns a business across the street, which opens about 9:00 in the morning. The bar was closed, Brooke. So he noticed this man sleeping literally in his doorway. He was -- told me that he was watching CNN on his laptop and recognized that this man looked very much like the suspect that the FBI was were looking for, and that's when he actually called police. So he is the person that called the police and brought them to the scene where they had this shootout. It was just shortly after he told me that on the phone that he had to jump off because a detective was coming to talk to him. So, that's about as much information as I have.

But it is the fact that, at 9:00 this morning, this business owner spotted what appeared to be the suspect sleeping in the doorway of a closed bar on Elizabeth Avenue in Linden, New Jersey -- Brooke?

BALDWIN: We're grateful he was watching CNN. Saw the guy, put two and two together, and that then led to police capturing him.

Drew Griffin, thank you so much, in Linden.

Coming up, President Obama addressing these attacks as he's in New York for the U.N. General Assembly this week. His message to Americans about not succumbing to fear.

[14:34:23] More on the capture of this suspect. Was he working alone? Are there accomplices? What police are saying. We'll take it from here.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

ANNOUNCER: This is CNN breaking news.

BALDWIN: Today, President Barack Obama addressed these bombings in both New Jersey and New York, seeking to reassure the country, and reaffirming the U.S. commitment to fighting terrorists and violent extremists. Here's the president.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

BARACK OBAMA, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: I want to say a few words about the explosions that occurred here and New York City and New Jersey, and the other device found in New Jersey. I've been monitoring the situation closely and receiving frequent updates from my team. I've just been briefed again by FBI Director Comey. In addition, I've had a chance to speak with Governors Cuomo and Christie, as well as Mayor de Blasio.

We've seen what was apparently a pipe bomb go off in New Jersey in Seaside Park, where it could have seriously injured our U.S. Marines and spectators who were there for a race. The bombing in the Chelsea neighborhood here in New York injured more than two dozen people. We are extremely fortunate and grateful that nobody was killed. And our prayers go out to all of those injured and we want to wish them a speedy recovery.

[14:40:02] I especially want to commend all the outstanding police and first responders in both New York City and New Jersey for their extraordinary professionalism and their quick response, which surely prevented even more people from being hurt, and ensure that people got assistance quickly.

The investigation is moving rapidly. And as is my practice, I'm going to leave it to the FBI and law enforcement to provide details. I think everybody is aware at this point that there is a person of interest, who is the focus of the investigation, and the FBI can give you further details in terms of how that is proceeding.

I told Governors Cuomo and Christie, and Mayor de Blasio, that they and their teams will have all federal support as they move ahead in their investigations, tracking down every lead and working to keep the people of this city and of this region safe.

Law enforcement is asking for the help of the community. And so to everybody in this region, I want to repeat what we've said before. If you see something suspicious, then you need to say something. Contact local law enforcement.

In the meantime, I would ask that the press try to refrain from getting out ahead of the investigation. I am extraordinarily happy with the cooperation that's been taking place between the FBI and state and local law enforcement officials. They are moving smartly on this investigation. It does not help if false reports or incomplete information is out there. So, try to as much as possible stick to what our investigators say, because they actually know what they're talking about.

Meanwhile, I know the United Nations meeting here every year already creates an additional workload for New York. But given the U.N. meetings, we also have a particularly high level of federal resources here to help as needed. We're going to make sure that everybody is working together seamlessly as one team to get the bottom of what happened, to find those responsible, and make sure that justice is done.

Meanwhile, while all this is going on in New York and New Jersey, we're also focused on the stabbing attack at the shopping mall in Minnesota. At this point, we see no connection between that incident and what happened here in New York and New Jersey. Our attention there is on the people who were injured. And again, we're very grateful that no one lost their life. Thanks to the quick action of a brave off-duty police officer, the suspect was killed, and we avoided more people being hurt.

I had a chance to also speak with Governor Dayton this morning. I assured him that we will provide all the assistance that he needs in the investigation. The FBI is investigating the Minnesota incident as a potential act of terrorism. We will direct the full resources of the federal government to make sure that the investigation goes forward aggressively.

Finally, I want to take this opportunity to reassure the people in this city, this region, and Americans across our country that our counterterrorism and law enforcement professionals at every level, federal, state and local, are working together around the clock to prevent attacks and keep us safe. They are the best of the best. Over the years, they have thwarted many plots and we're incredibly grateful to their service today and every day.

We will continue to lead the global coalition in the fight to destroy ISIL, which is instigating a lot of people over the Internet to carry out attacks. We'll continue to go after them.

BALDWIN: Coming up next here, new developments from the scene of the bombing in New York. More than two dozen people were injured Saturday night. We'll take you there.

Also ahead, soft targets. And yet another terror attack this weekend. A man walked into a suburban Minnesota mall and stabbed nine people. What police there are saying about his motive.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[14:48:25] ANNOUNCER: This is CNN breaking news.

BALDWIN: More on our breaking news. The suspect in the New York and New Jersey bombings captured live in a shootout with police in Linden, New Jersey, just a few hours ago. The NYPD are under pressure. Police are still investigating the explosion in Manhattan's Chelsea neighborhood and the other devices found just a few blocks away.

More than 50 heads of state are in Manhattan, including President Obama, for the United Nations General Assembly.

CNN's chief national security correspondent, Jim Sciutto, is here to talk security.

Before you do, I know you just got off the phone with some folks, in terms of the suspect's travel to Afghanistan, where he comes from. What do you know?

JIM SCIUTTO, CNN CHIEF NATIONAL SECURITY CORRESPONDENT: So, he had multiple trips to Afghanistan. I'm told to other countries as well, not necessarily countries of concern. He just traveled a lot outside the U.S. He traveled to Afghanistan by itself is not incriminating. He had family there and many people ravel back and forth. There are many Afghan-Americans here. What they're looking at now is to see during that travel if he had any contacts of concern. Did he meet with any groups or known individuals while he was there that might have helped radicalize him? They haven't discovered that yet but that's a focus of the investigation right now.

BALDWIN: So they're looking at that, "A." "B," the U.N. G.A. here in New York, Mayor de Blasio earlier saying it would be strong police presence because of U.N. G.A. and what happened over the weekend. You came from the train station.

You came through Penn Station this morning on the train from Washington. How was it?

SCIUTTO: The train ran on time. I arrived on time into a busy Penn Station with lots of people arriving and departing. You know New York City --

BALDWIN: Bounces back.

[14:50:02] SCIUTTO: -- New York has a way to bounce back. There was traffic but that's also New York. That's that. Now, if you've ever been in New York during a U.N. General Assembly, I know you have, the security by itself is already intense. Now they have an added concern, but I think that in terms of the way the city will look, it will has in previous Septembers, but with police -- listen, on any other given day, they're on a high level of alert, now even on a higher level of alert.

BALDWIN: Jim Sciutto, thanks very much.

Now for this. Let's go to Jessica Schneider, standing by there in Manhattan.

With the scene behind you, what are you learning about the investigation?

JESSICA SCHNEIDER, CNN CORRESPONDENT: You know, Brooke, we're really in the epicenter of this investigation. So while the manhunt is over, the suspect's in custody, the fact-finding mission out here is really in full force. You can see just behind me, this street remains closed. This is where it all started on Saturday night. We're on West 23rd Street between 7th Avenue and 6th Avenue. Earlier today, I saw the FBI Evidence Response Team. They were still collecting evidence two days after this explosion happened here.

This whole area has been pretty much shut down. The avenues are open but a lot of these cross streets are closed. I've seen the police here. They're actually checking identification for the residents and the people who need to get into this area. This is a residential area. We're in downtown Manhattan, the Chelsea district, somewhat a trendy district. A lot of people live here. A lot of people go out here. Still, life is going on here in this section of New York City as the investigation is happening.

One of the key parts of this investigation actually came from this area. We learned surveillance video was actually key in identifying this suspect and launching that manhunt that happened over the hours of this morning after they released Rahami's photo around 7:30 this morning. The surveillance video that was captured, there were two spots, one here on West 23rd Street, one up on West 27th Street. In those two videos, the same man was found. That man later concluded to be Rahami. He was spotted here with a black duffel bag that had wheels and then spotted on video with that same black duffel bag.

Now, what's interesting is that up at West 27th Street, four blocks north of here, police also say there were two men who came into view. They want up to the duffel bag after Rahami left the scene and went into that duffel bag. Actually, took out a white garbage bag that investigators believe contained that pressure cooker, and then got away with the duffel bag. You know, investigators are still looking to exactly piece together who those two men were.

It's worth noting that Police Commissioner James O'Neill and Mayor de Blasio say at this point they're not actively seeking out -- or they don't actively know of any other suspects who might be involved here. Unclear, unsure if those two men are involved.

But again, this investigation still ongoing, still hitting high point, despite the fact that the manhunt itself is over -- Brooke?

BALDWIN: Manhunt is over but lots of questions. Relatives, friends, anyone who could have inspired him. That is so on.

Jessica Schneider, thank you so much in downtown Manhattan.

News just in involving a bar owner and the tip that actually led to the capture of the suspect this morning right there in New Jersey. We'll have that for you.

Also, new information about the suspect's family and a lawsuit they filed just a couple years ago over alleged discrimination.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[14:58:] BALDWIN: In case you missed this, a little bit of political humor from Jeb Bush during last night's Emmy Awards.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

JIMMY KIMMEL, HOST, JIMMY KIMMEL LIVE: Hey, you're driving?

JEB BUSH, (R), FORMER FLORIDA GOVERNOR & FORMER PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: Yeah, I'm in-between jobs right now.

You know you can make $2 an hour driving for Uber?

KIMMEL: I did not know that, but that's great.

I have to get downtown for the Emmys.

BUSH: Are you nominated?

KIMMEL: I am. Yeah.

BUSH: Wow. What's that like?

KIMMEL: It's nice. It's nice.

BUSH: You think you can win?

KIMMEL: Well, there's a lot of competition, and probably not.

BUSH: Well, here's what I know. If you run a positive campaign, the voters ultimately will make the right choice.

(LAUGHTER)

KIMMEL: It's funny you say that. My psychic --

(CROSSTALK)

BUSH: Jimmy, that was a joke.

(LAUGHTER)

Get out of the car.

(LAUGHTER)

And shave that wig off your face you godless Hollywood hippy.

Jeb Exclamation Point!

(LAUGHTER)

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BALDWIN: It was good. It was funny. Indeed, funny. For more on the Emmy's highs and lows and reaction, go to CNN.com.

ANNOUNCER: This is CNN breaking news.

BALDWIN: Here we go. We continue on. You're watching CNN. I'm Brooke Baldwin.

We're back with the news of the capture and a manhunt of a suspect tied to a number of bomb attacks and planned bombings both in New York and New Jersey. We just learned that 28-year-old Ahmad Khan Rahami, an Afghan national, traveled to Afghanistan multiple times in past years. This is what we're getting now from law enforcement sources. Rahami -- here he is -- This is just after he was had this shootout in Linden, New Jersey, caught, bleeding, but definitely alive. This is after a shootout with police in Linden.

The owner of a bar there, who actually was watching CNN on his laptop, recognized him. This suspect was just asleep in the doorway of his bar. So, there's that.

You also have this surveillance picture. This is believed to be Rahami in New York carrying a duffel bag in Manhattan's Chelsea neighborhood. Authorities now believe that within that bag was, indeed, a pressure cooker --