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Several Hurt at Hussle Vigil Stampede; New Book on Trump's Cheating at Golf; Video Captures Hit-and-Run Driver Plow into Girl. Aired 8:30-9a ET

Aired April 02, 2019 - 08:30   ET

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

[08:30:00] D. JOHNSON, FAN AND COMMUNITY MEMBER: Someone who put our community on the map. People thought that our community was just about violence. And Nipsey put a change in it.

He was willing to partner to bring things to this community that we are now going to lose.

NICK WATT, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice over): A massive crowd of fans gathering throughout the day to honor Hussle, then chaos erupted Monday night.

Hundreds of mourners scattering across the parking lot where Hussle was killed after police say a disturbance incited panic.

Aerial footage captures the crowd fleeing in all directions, shoes and smashed candles left behind, at least 19 injured in the stampede. One person was critically wounded after being hit by a car.

MEGHAN AGUILAR, LAPD SPOKESWOMAN: Absolutely chaotic. Mass panic.

WATT: Mourners carrying the injured as firefighters treated people at the scene.

Police dressed in riot gear rushing in, trying to disburse the crowd and breaking up fights that broke out amid the confusion.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

WATT: And when Los Angeles wakes up, the LAPD is going to be holding a press conference at 8:30 when they say they will give us an update on the investigation. They are appealing for the public's help in trying to track down that suspect. And they also say they will address what they're calling a surge in gun violence here in Los Angeles. Apparently Nipsey Hussle just one of 26 people shot in the space of just one week.

John.

JOHN BERMAN, CNN ANCHOR: All right. Wow, Nick Watt, thank you very much for that story.

On a decidedly different note, President Trump has spent 177 days of his presidency at one of his golf clubs. That's about 20 percent of the time he's been president. So he plays a lot of golf. And according to a new book, he doesn't just play a lot of golf, he cheats a lot.

Joining us now is award winning sports writer Rick Reilly. He is the author of "Commander in Cheat: How Golf Explains Trump."

Rick, always a pleasure to speak to you.

RICK REILLY, AUTHOR, "COMMANDER IN CHEAT": Thank you.

BERMAN: I confess, I picked up the book, I was skeptical, 244 pages on the president cheating at golf. And then I read it and I think I got it. You're not just saying he cheats, you're saying he cheats. I mean, he cheats on all of it.

REILLY: He cheats like a mafia accountant, right? He cheats crazy. He cheats whether you're watching or not. He cheats whether you like it or not. He tried to cheat Tiger Woods in a match and Tiger hits it like this, he hits two balls in the water, doesn't count either, and pretends that he almost tied Tiger Woods. So it doesn't matter who he is, he has to be the winner.

What really bothers me is that he's told -- he told people on the campaign trail -- I don't know if you remember this -- he said, I'm a win. You've got to vote for me because I've won 18 club championships. He says this three or four times. And that's against the best players in the club. But I knew he was lying because he told me how he does it. Whenever he

opens a new course that he buys, he plays the first round by himself and calls that the club championship. Puts his name on the wall. Sometimes he wins club championships from another state.

BERMAN: There was a time he was in Philadelphia and he claims he won a club championship in Bedminster?

REILLY: Yes.

BERMAN: What happened?

REILLY: So he's -- the club championship is going on at Bedminster. He's playing in Philly at his club there. And he finishes his round. He says, hey, what won the club championship? And they said, oh, joe schmoe (ph) shot 74. He goes, well, I shot 72 today, make me the club champion. And the guy's like, what? Yes, make me the club champion. And so they take joe's name off and put Trump's up.

And this happens over and over. Like, he often says, I've won 18 club championships. Well, he doesn't tell you they're the senior club championships.

BERMAN: Or super senior as in the case (ph).

REILLY: Or super senior. I wouldn't even know if he won those. So it goes on and on. Like his handicap he says is a 2.8.

BERMAN: Let's hold off on that because I love the handicap story also.

REILLY: It's true. BERMAN: Let me just read part of this to get a sense of what we're talking about here. You write, to say Donald Trump cheats at golf is like saying Michael Phelps swims. He cheats at the highest level. He cheats when people are watching and he cheats when they aren't. Whether you're his pharmacist or Tiger Woods, if you're playing golf with him, he's going to cheat.

And the book is filled with stories -- you talked about the club championships -- but of people, in some cases famous people, golfing with the president or before he was president with Donald Trump and he's cheating.

Mike Tirico, you know, famous play by play guy, tell me that story.

REILLY: So Tirico and two other announcers are playing with Trump at Trump Philly. And Tirico hits -- is against him in a team game, right? And he hits the shot of his life onto the green, blind par 5. And when he gets there, it's not near the green. It's not on the green. It's not near the pin. It's in the bunker.

Well, it turns out Trump kicked it into the bunker so that he could -- I mean, can you give the guy the shot of his life? And how important is it you -- for you to win? You're worth billions. Like, at what point is it like -- doesn't matter to him? But it does.

You know, I played with Clinton when he was president.

BERMAN: He cheated.

REILLY: He cheated, but in a completely different way. Like he would take what we call billigans (ph), like he'd hit a shot and then he'd hit five or six more because he was confounded by golf. But he wasn't trying to make you lose. He'd always play his first ball, but he was just trying to get the game.

[08:35:04] It's like a guy that goes to the bank to steal the pen versus the guy that goes to steal the money. He really needs to win. And I've never seen anything quite like it.

BERMAN: So, Donald Trump is a very good golfer.

REILLY: Yes.

BERMAN: All right. But he claims to be a 2.8 handicap.

REILLY: Right.

BERMAN: Explain that.

REILLY: So, in golf, you know, you and I can play if you're really good and I'm terrible, then you've got to give me shots. So I get ten free shots. Well, Trump says he's a 2.8, which is really, really good. To give you a little idea, Jack Nicklaus is a 3.5. Jack Nicklaus. So you look at -- you can go on the website that shows you people's -- anybody in the country, you can see their handicap. He's a 2.8, but it's taken him eight years to get the 20 scores. So he's just cherry- picking his best rounds. He can't cover a 2.8. No way.

Everybody that's played with him, the pros, Dustin Johnson, they all say he's about a nine or ten. So why does he have to say he's a 10 -- I mean a 2.8 when he's really a 10? Isn't 2.8 -- isn't 10 pretty good? Why's he got to say 2.8?

BERMAN: And that gets to the other issue with this book or the -- what this is really all about, because you can ask, well, why does it matter that Donald Trump cheats at golf. And you write, golf is like bicycle shorts, it reveals a lot about a man.

REILLY: It does. And what it reveals about him is he has to win no matter what. It's not that he loves golf, he just loves beating you. So these guys always say he's fun to play with, he always wins, but then he doesn't even take your money. So it's not about beating you out of the ten bucks, it's about showing you that he's better than you.

So when he always say, I'm the best player among all the rich people, nobody can beat me, he's played on television ten times, Pebble Beach Pro-Am (ph) seven times and the Lake Tahoe thing, Stormy Daniels' deal, three times. He's never made the cut at Pebble Beach. And at Tahoe he's never finished in the top half. So when there's rules guys and cameras, he's not that good. When it's just his course, his caddie, his world, he's pretty good.

BERMAN: You did say two things there and I want people to know that you make this clear in the book, he is good at golf, just not a 2.8, and people do like to play with him.

REILLY: They like to play with him. I played with him. He was fun. But it's crazy. He doesn't putt out. You sometimes putt out. He took a gimme (ph) chip in with me. Have you ever heard of this? We're playing a bet, I'm in there for a par at 5. He's off the green in four. He says, I guess that makes this good. He hasn't even gotten to the green. I said, did you just take a gimme chip in? Well, yes, I'd have made that.

BERMAN: So -- so --

REILLY: Come on.

BERMAN: You know, we're constantly fact checking the president and calling out when he says things that are untrue or just flat out lies.

What's his response? This isn't the -- you're not the first person to say he's a cheater. What's his response to the claims that he cheats at golf and the proof that's in this book?

REILLY: Every time he says, I never cheat, so I snuck into the Bedminster caddy shack in New Jersey with all the caddies, and I said, the president says he never cheats. And they all go, no, he never cheats. And then there was this silence. And I go, oh, you guys cheat for him. Then they all laughed. And they told they have three or four balls in the pocket, they throw it out of bunkers because he hates bunker shots. They throw it out of the rough. You know, he kicks the ball out of the rough so many times the caddies call him pele (ph).

BERMAN: Finally, you have a challenge for the president here. You want to play him.

REILLY: I want to play him.

BERMAN: You're a 4.5?

REILLY: I think I'm a 4.5.

BERMAN: All right.

REILLY: He's a 2.8. If he plays the 2.8 and I play -- I'll play him for 100 grand. Either of our charities. And -- but the rule is we can't play his course, can't use his cheating caddies and there's got to be a rules guy with each of us. And I'll play him all day.

BERMAN: Rick Reilly, the book is "Commander in Cheat: How Golf Explains Trump."

REILLY: That's right.

BERMAN: Thank you very much for being with us.

Mr. President, we'll see if you respond to the challenge.

Alisyn.

ALISYN CAMEROTA, CNN ANCHOR: President Trump online, too. Just kidding. We'll see if he actually takes you up on that.

Now there's this video you must see. A nine-year-old girl was playing in her own front yard when a hit and run driver came crashing in at this rate of speed. We cannot believe it, but we can tell you that thankfully she is OK, though police need your help. They have not captured this driver. We're going to talk with the little girl's mother straight ahead.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[08:43:04] CAMEROTA: A University of Hartford student is charged with attempted murder for allegedly stabbing two classmates while acting out a movie scene for drama class. Jake Wascher is being held on a million dollars bail. The three students were working on a group project Sunday when police say Wascher took the assignment too far. One of the stabbing victims is in critical condition. The other is in stable.

BERMAN: Baltimore's mayor, Catherine Pugh, is taking an indefinite leave of absence as she faces growing backlash over a book scandal. The medical system in that state has paid Pugh half a million dollars since 2011 for books for Baltimore school children. Pugh recently returned $100,000, canceled the book deal and resigned from the health system board. Pugh's office released a statement Monday saying Pugh is battling pneumonia and is focusing on her health. CAMEROTA: All right, caught on video. Wait until you see that. OK. There was a large wave that was triggered by that glacier collapse. It sent tourists in Iceland scrambling for higher ground, as you're about to see.

BERMAN: Oh.

CAMEROTA: They were -- scary.

They were admiring the glacier when a large section of the ice began to break away. You can hear rumbling that sounds like thunder as pieces of the glacier crashed into the water and then, despite the close call, thank goodness, no one was hurt or even got wet. Well, at least there's no global warming, you know?

BERMAN: Be careful around a glacier.

CAMEROTA: Yes. That's -- I would say that's an indication of some melting happening.

[08:44:46] BERMAN: A surveillance camera captures the terrifying moment that a young girl playing in her yard gets mowed down by a car, or hit by a car. This is terrifying. We should tell you, she survived. We'll speak to the girl's mother, next.

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CAMEROTA: A manhunt is underway this morning in Georgia for a hit and run driver who plowed into a nine-year-old girl who was playing in her front yard. Miraculously, the girl survived. We must warn you, the security video you're about to see is very upsetting.

Here is LaDerihanna Holmes. She's playing outside in the front yard of her Georgia home. And from the top of your screen, you see a black car careen into the yard and ram right into her. Moments later you see someone get out of the car and make a run for it.

LaDerihanna suffered multiple injuries, including a fractured skull and a broken pelvis. She is expected to make a full recovery.

And with us now is LaDerihanna's mother, Charlotte Bolton, and her attorney Chris Stewart.

Oh, my gosh, this is heart-stopping video, Charlotte. So tell us what happened. Your daughter was outside playing in the yard. You were inside the house with your husband. Then what happened?

[08:50:04] CHARLOTTE BOLTON, MOTHER OF NINE-YEAR-OLD HIT-AND-RUN VICTIM: I heard a very bad sound and my house shook like an earthquake. I immediately knew something was wrong. I screamed, my baby, because I knew she was on the porch.

I immediately knew something was wrong. I screamed, my baby, because I knew she was on the porch. I ran down. A lady was -- had got my baby from between the car and my house and placed her and her friend on the ground. And she was lifeless. I was screaming. My 12-year-old son and another gentleman started doing CPR on her. And that's when I start working on her. I felt a heartbeat.

CAMEROTA: Oh, my gosh.

BOLTON: Her dad then came outside, picked her up, drove her to the hospital. Everything was happening so fast. The gentleman in the yellow -- one gentleman did run immediately. There's a gentleman in a yellow shirt, he was the driver. And another gentlemen was --

CAMEROTA: Did he run or did he stay? The yellow -- the gentleman in the yellow shirt, did you see him or did he run away?

BOLTON: I didn't see anything until I looked at the surveillance camera over and over again.

CAMEROTA: Yes.

BOLTON: Him and another gentleman was getting something out of the car, back and forth, inside the car. Once he retrieved it, he put it in his pants and he walked off.

CAMEROTA: Oh, my God.

BOLTON: I then jumped in my son's car, drove to the emergency room and they let me in to see my baby while they worked on her and assessed her.

CAMEROTA: And what condition is LaDerihanna in this morning?

BOLTON: She's been upgraded from critical to stable right now. She's in a lot of pain. She sustained a skull fracture, her pelvis is broken in three places. She's in a lot of pain, but she's in good spirits. She's a strong little girl. She's talking. She's laughing. She's joking. She's talked to her friends. Another little girl got hit as well. Once she regained consciousness, she had a bruised foot. She hopped across the street.

We've had a wide outpouring of love and support all across the world. LaDerihanna wanted me to tell everyone thank you so much for your prayers, your well wishes. All of her new friends that she's gained all around the world, she wanted me to say thank you for contributing to her Go Fund Me that's in her name. That's, you know, to pay for her unpaid medical bills, her rehabilitation and long-term care.

CAMEROTA: Oh, my gosh.

BOLTON: I'm very grateful for her attorney, Mr. Chris Stewart, his staff, everyone has been so wonderful to my family.

CAMEROTA: Oh, my gosh, Charlotte, you are so strong. I mean to be able to be this composed after an accident like this and to have been able to know what to do for your daughter and work on her and get her the medical attention right away, drive yourselves to the hospital after something like that, it is remarkable.

Mr. Stewart, what is the status of the investigation of looking into this -- where this driver and who this driver is this morning? L. CHRIS STEWART, ATTORNEY FOR LADERIHANNA HOLMES FAMILY: We're just

hoping that he turns himself in. I mean he's caught on camera taking part in this horrific situation that turned into a miracle for this child. I have just never seen anything like this in my entire career of handling these types of cases.

CAMEROTA: I haven't either.

STEWART: There's no explanation of why she's alive.

CAMEROTA: I mean that video -- that -- it is so heart-stopping, that video. I can't believe that she survived.

But you're hoping that the drive turns himself in.

STEWART: If you didn't believe in God, you do now.

CAMEROTA: Yes. For sure.

You're hoping the driver turns himself in, but can they tell? I mean this is good video. Do police have a suspect?

STEWART: They do. And they're following up on that right now. I can't mention the details of what's transpiring yet, but they have a very solid lead on what the driver was doing and where he was.

CAMEROTA: Charlotte, explain why you had that camera set up to begin with so that we could see what happened there. And as I understand it, you and your husband were considering getting rid of that surveillance camera, but you had kept it. So tell us the story of why that was rolling.

BOLTON: Someone had stole my son's bicycle out of the front yard. And my husband said, I'm going to get cameras for the house. It was something as simple as that. We were -- he canceled the iCloud service that records the cameras and this was just two, three weeks ago, and I told him, we need those cameras back running. And if it wasn't for that, we wouldn't know anything. Mind you, this car was deep in my house. Deep in my house. My basement is destroyed. There's a big hole in -- my whole basement is gone. There's a big hole in my house. And my daughter is lucky to be here.

[08:55:07] CAMEROTA: Oh, my gosh, that's -- that's an understatement.

It was horrible for you to live through, but when you watched that video that we're all now watching, what was your reaction when you first saw that?

BOLTON: Shock. My baby tried to run. And I think that's what saved her and her tiny frame. I can't watch it. I can watch the suspects, but the impact is heart-wrenching. I cannot watch it.

CAMEROTA: I don't blame you. I can't either. I've been averting my eyes.

Mr. Stewart, tell us about the Go Fund Me page. Obviously this family needs help with what will be long term medical care for LaDerihanna. So where can we find the Go Fund Me page?

STEWART: It's under her name, LaDerihanna Holmes. Everyone just feels so bad for them. My law firm is doing this case for free just to help them. Their house is destroyed. She will have some serious medical bills from this situation. So everybody is just trying to support this family. They didn't ask for this to happen.

CAMEROTA: Of course.

STEWART: And it's a miracle. I mean this is a miracle.

CAMEROTA: Absolutely.

Well, Charlotte and Chris Stewart, Charlotte Bolton, we're thinking of you, we're thinking of LaDerihanna. Please keep us posted as the investigation unfolds. We want this suspect to be found.

BOLTON: Thank you.

STEWART: Thank you for having us.

BERMAN: All right, new developments in the Republican healthcare plan. The president says you will have to wait to see it, maybe until after the 2020 election. That's next.

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