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Anderson Cooper 360 Degrees

Police Standoff in Las Vegas; Prosecution in Eddie Ray Routh Trial Rests; Bobbi Kristina Brown Continues Fighting for Life; Bacteria in Hospital Environment; Niagara Falls Frozen;

Aired February 19, 2015 - 20:00   ET

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

ANDERSON COOPER, CNN ANCHOR: Good evening. Thanks for joining us.

There is breaking news tonight. It is not over yet in a killing that was already drawing national attention before the police standoff that happened today. Before the victim's physically distraught husband impeded the scene of the standoff before police took a young suspect into custody or announced that they're looking for additional person as well.

Before we learn that the suspect now in custody and the victim knew one another before all of that only appeared to be some kind of deadly road rage incident that ended with a Las Vegas mom shot to death in front of her son.

Well, tonight in the neighborhood where the suspect and the victim just lived a block apart, the story is growing and changing by the minute. The suspect in custody charged with murder. The victim's husband speaking out. More on all of it now from Sara Sidner who joins us from Las Vegas where police who just spoken to reporters -- Sara.

SARA SIDNER, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Hey, Anderson. This case has many twists and turns and they've all been happening over the last 48 hours.

The police now saying they have arrested one suspect. Two will be charged with murder. But they're now looking for a second suspect. Now, we did know from police that they thought there was more than one person in the car of the suspect and now that is becoming far more clear.

We also heard from the father a couple of times today shaking with sorrow and anger. He talked about the fact that the family knew the suspect well.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

ROBERT MEYERS, VICTIM'S HUSBAND: Are you all happy? My wife, my son. There's the animal a block away! Are you happy?

SIDNER (voice-over): Anger and sorrow bursting from Robert Meyers, a husband and father clearly distraught as police are closing in on the man accused of shooting and killing his wife. The police standoff is just one block away from where the shootings occurred. Neighbors describe what happened when police came looking for the suspect.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: They were going over to the speaker, telling him he needed to come out with his hands in the air, at least come to the window let us know you're OK. We don't want to hurt you. We just want to talk to you. We just want to discuss this with you. We know you're a kid. We know you're young but we want to talk to you.

SIDNER: The suspect's mother arrived at the scene afraid for her son's safety, in no mood to talk.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Please, turn your (bleep) phone off.

SIDNER: Moments later, the suspect, Eric Milton Nosh, led away in handcuffs. Booked on three felonies including the murder of Tammy Meyers.

CAPT. CHRIS TOMAINO, LAS VEGAS METROPOLITAN POLICE DEPARTMENT ROBBERY/HOMICIDE BUREAU: Suspect has been taken into custody a few minutes ago, pursuant to the road rage homicide that occurred.

SIDNER: But in another twist, late in the day, Tammy Meyers' husband said the man charged with murder was someone the Meyers family actually knew, including Tammy Meyers herself who her husband said often tried to help the suspect out.

MEYERS: We know this boy. I couldn't tell you this before. He knew where I lived. We knew how bad he was, but we didn't know he was this bad. That he's gotten to this point and his friends. But this kid, my wife was going to search, my wife spent countless hours at that park with this boy and probably watching us right now and I know he's got to feel bad because she was really good to him. She fed him. She gave him money. She told him to pull his pants up and to be a man.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

COOPER: Sara, they are looking for the second person allegedly in the car. The suspect though in custody, what happens next for him? Do we know when the court appearance is?

SIDNER: We just got new information that he will be arraigned on Monday. And I do want to mention this, Anderson. The father and husband, Robert Meyers, lashed out at the media. Social media included saying that people were threatening to kill his son on social media because they believe that they escalated this situation beyond what it initially was but said his wife was simply trying to keep this young man away from the house knowing that he lived close by -- Anderson.

COOPER: And do we have any more information on the second suspect?

SIDNER: No. It's interesting. We talked to a lot of neighbors here and they talked about the fact they had never actually seen him driving ever. That they'd seen him in the neighborhood hanging out at the park. They didn't think he worked, that he would often used his skateboard but never saw him behind the wheel of a car. In fact, they said they never saw anyone picking him up. His mother clearly distraught. We tried to talk to her today. She was worried for his safety. She believed he was going to take his life at one point. When she rushed over to the house, this ended though with no one hurt. The police taking him into the custody without any major incident.

COOPER: All right, Sara Sidner, appreciate the update. Thank you.

As Sara said, a lot of twists and turns in this. Our legal analyst who just sinking their teeth into it. Joining us now, criminal defense attorney Mark Geragos and former federal prosecutor Jeffrey Toobin.

I mean, Jeff, you embarked, Mark, both last night raised a lot of questions about this. Now it seems though the husband, the wife knew this young man. Had tried to help him and left the house afraid, essentially, that he knew where she lived.

JEFFREY TOOBIN, CNN LEGAL ANALYST: Right. The first version of this we heard was that she had gone with the son to try to chase him down. And obviously, a lot of people were very critical of that. The version we heard today was that she left the house to escape, to run away from him because she feared that he was coming to get her.

Again, we're -- the police investigators are going to have to learn a lot more. But, you know, the facts matter and it seems like the facts are somewhat different than what we understood initially.

COOPER: And Mark, again, this coming from the victim's husband, the fact that she knew the suspect, and again, according to the husband, spent hours consoling him certainly adds a whole other dimension to this.

MARK GERAGOS, CRIMINAL DEFENSE ATTORNEY: Well, there's a whole other dimension, but I still don't think that we're getting, you know, 50 percent of what really is going on here. None of this hangs together. What's been reported today certainly is at odds with yesterday and what's being reported today still doesn't make any sense. I mean, why, if you were afraid, do you drop off your daughter, pick up, wake up your son, have him armed, and then go out?

And by the way, the first thing that anybody ever says in these situations when I'm trying these cases is, well, why didn't they just call 9-1-1? Why didn't they just call the police? Why did they go out and do self-help? I mean, that's what every prosecutor argues in these type of situations. So I'm not convinced that we've heard anything that remotely resembles the truth in this case and that's one of the reasons that we're characterizing it as having so many twists and turns.

COOPER: Jeff, we should also point out that most of the information that's come forward as come from various people in the Meyers family.

TOOBIN: That's right. And in fact, Mr. Myers said today that he couldn't say yesterday that there was a prior relationship between his wife and this suspect. I don't know if that's exactly true, but I doubt that he's making up that there was this prior relationship. I mean, that is an easily determined fact. But, you know, Mark is certainly right that the question that hangs over this case remains: why didn't she just call 9-1-1? Why did this escalation have to take place?

COOPER: The fact, Mark, that there is another suspect still out there, allegedly a person who was in the vehicle, police are understandably being very cautious about the information they release. I mean, especially because they have some sort of a lead.

GERAGOS: Right. And in your package that you just showed, I think one of the things that's interesting, and we'll find out as it comes out, if it's true that the investigation has determined or at least that people are determining that this kid doesn't drive, it may be that it's the driver, it may be that they didn't want to let out too much information about the car because the car will presumably belong to either a relative or a friend of whoever was driving. And depending on who they claim is the shooter, and they want to try and track the person down.

So I understand that. I understand it's a drip by drip. And I also understand the frustration of Mr. Myers with the media, but the fact remains is that when you put out misinformation or you put out half truths that get reported, that's kind of the price you pay.

TOOBIN: By the way, some of these reports say that there were three people in the car, not two. Which adds another potential layer of complexity and another potential suspect.

COOPER: Mark, in a case like this, how closely do police keep the family, in this case, the Meyers family, informed of what's going on given that the police probably don't have all the facts at this point?

GERAGOS: Well, this is another thing and, you know, I understand. Look, somebody has just lost their wife and the mother of their children. They're obviously going to be distraught. But remember, if what's being reported is correct and his son was firing shots, the police are not necessarily going to consider him a victim. They want to know what the facts are. They may be giving him this information.

You know, the U.S. Supreme Court has said the police can lie to you and that's good police work, so. He doesn't necessarily have the kind of seizing the moral high ground here on whatever the correct information or the true information is. And he's got a son who was firing shots. I'm not condemning that in one way or another until I learn the facts. But there's not a necessity for the police to keep him informed as to what they're really thinking until they kind of unwind this.

COOPER: Right. Mark Geragos, appreciate you being on. Jeff Toobin as well.

As always, a lot more ahead in the hour. Whatever specifically fueled this particular incident, there's no denying just about everybody has witnessed or experienced what happens when automobiles and anger mix.

We'll have more on that now from Randi Kaye.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Oh my God.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Go, go, go, go.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: This is the craziest.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I've never seen anything like this.

RANDI KAYE, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Days before Christmas in northern California, two women inside this car frantically call the California highway patrol, reporting another driver is trying to force them off the road.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: We have a vehicle that has been following us, telling us she's a cop and keeps trying to tell us to pull over.

KAYE: Watch what the driver of the pickup does next.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: She just hit our car. She's pushing us off the road. Yes, she is pushing us off the road. She's coming for us. Put it in reverse, Vanessa. Put it in reverse.

KAYE: Finally, the victims reach an officer for help.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Can he help us, please? Can he help us? Please?

KAYE: The 50-year-old suspect is charged with multiple crimes including two counts of assault with a deadly weapon, unlawful use of a badge, and reckless driving.

In North Carolina last month, a woman driving an SUV allegedly attempts to slam into another driver.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: She would speed up, hit the brakes. Speed up, hit the brakes.

KAYE: So she called 9-1-1 and started recording on her phone, and then this.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Somebody got out. Stop it.

KAYE: Examples of road rage are everywhere. So it should come as no surprise that a 2013 "Washington Post" poll found the number of drivers who say they feel uncontrollable anger toward another driver has doubled from eight years earlier. It's now about one in every ten drivers on the road. And those camera phones used to record that road rage only seem to make tempers flare.

This month in Austin, the woman has a scare of her life when a man driving erratically and dangerously close to her suddenly pulled into the bike lane. She too grabbed her cell phone to record it.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: (Bleep) you.

KAYE: An investigation is still under way.

Even in Hawaii, there's road rage. After a man cuts a woman off, she pursues him, honking and screaming.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Let me get your license plate, fool!

KAYE: Then blocks him in the road and jumps out of her car.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: He cut me off. Almost (bleep) wrecked.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Don't touch me.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: You're the one who almost caused a wreck.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Shut up.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Fatty!

KAYE: In the end, the man who admits he first cut the woman off filed a police report against her. The woman turned herself in and was charged with a felony.

Randi Kaye, CNN, New York.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

COOPER: Wow. Coming up next, more breaking news. Word of a big new offense against ISIS in Iraq. And the role that American troops may have in it.

And the so-called "American sniper" trial, the defense rests. The question is, did they make their case that the man who killed Chris Kyle was insane? Details ahead.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

COOPER: Breaking news tonight that could put American military personnel deeper in the action in Iraq. We have now learned new details that a major upcoming offensive to drive ISIS out of the city of Mosul. It will be big. And it could feature U.S. military advisers right in the thick of it all.

Joining us with late details, chief national security correspondent Jim Sciutto.

So let's talk about this offensive. What do we know about it?

JIM SCIUTTO, CNN CHIEF NATIONAL SECURITY CORRESPONDENT: Anderson, this will be bigger than by far that any ground operation is a coalition campaign against ISIS that we've seen at all, 25,000 Iraqi ground troops. You have Kurdish forces cutting off supply lines to the city from the west and you'll certainly have U.S. air cover.

But this is urban warfare. You're going to have a thousand to 2,000 ISIS fighters. It's estimated already dug into the city. They are going to be well dug in. It's going to be a deadly operation. It's going to take a long time.

COOPER: Why is this being, I mean, why are the details of this, why are people giving the details of this so far in advance? Doesn't that give an advantage to ISIS?

SCIUTTO: Well, to be fair, this operation has been spoken about in public for a number of months now. Iraqi officials talking about an effort perhaps in the spring to retake the city and we've seen already Kurdish forces, for instance, blocking some of the supply lines or attempting to block the supply lines of the city and further concentration of coalition air strikes. So everybody knew and ISIS certainly knew that something was brewing.

COOPER: OK.

SCIUTTO: A little bit more detail here about the number of forces. You know, it's possible that there's a Psy ops (ph), as the military would call, Psychological operations components to this whereby, telegraphing that this coming. You see how ISIS prepares, where do they put their forces, where they dig in. And that may clue you in to where to direct your forces when this begins.

COOPER: And is it at this point clear what role the U.S. military advisor is going to play?

SCIUTTO: It's not clear but what's clear is the U.S. commanders said they reserved right to go to the president and ask for military advisors. And Anderson, they have specifically mentioned an operation against Mosul as one of the circumstances where they might do that, possibly advisors with advance front line troops to help guide them as they go into the city or possibly advisors or air control, ground controllers calling in airstrikes.

But again, that's not a recommendation that the Pentagon has made to the president and it is not one he approved yet. But it may, you know, it's certainly possible that they ask for that in this operation.

COOPER: All right, Jim Sciutto, appreciate it. Thanks very much.

Now, to Texas where the defense rested today. They have already rested in the trial of the man accused of murdering Chris Kyle, the former Navy SEAL. This is subject of the blockbuster movie "American Sniper." The shooter's attorney, amidst that this client, killed Kyle back in 2013, but says that he suffered from severe psychosis at the time. Well today, jurors heard from a forensic psychiatrist who said the shooter has schizophrenia and showed signs of psychosis in the weeks leading up to the killing.

Ed Lavandera was in the courtroom. He joins us now with more.

So tell us more about the psychiatrist. He assessed the shooter in jail after the murders, right?

ED LAVANDERA, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: You're right, Anderson. And this was an interview by this psychiatrist who done who is about a full year after the murders of Chris Kyle and Chad Littlefield. And this psychiatrist spent six hours with him.

It was interesting. There were conversation detailing the medical visits of four visits to psychiatric hospitals. And during the course of the interview, he says that Eddie Ray Routh talked about pigs taking over the world. He felt that Chris Kyle and Chad Littlefield were half humans half pigs out to get him.

He also talked about a couple people he worked with in a cabinet making shop, felt these two coworkers were cannibals out to get him. So he talked about the paranoia importantly that he still do that the psychiatrist testified that he doesn't think Eddie Ray Routh knew right from wrong.

But there one line from this that prosecutors will seize on. The psychiatrist also said, Anderson, that Routh told him as soon as I did it, killing Kyle and Littlefield, I realized I made a mistake.

COOPER: And the shooter, they obviously decided they're not going to put him on the stand because the defense rested.

LAVANDERA: Yes, he was asked at the very end of the day today, Eddie Routh stood up. He was asked by the judge if he would like to testify and Eddie Ray Routh declined. He will not be testifying in this case.

COOPER: It is not over though. I understand the prosecutions, they're trying to call more witnesses tomorrow. Try are going to try to rebut some of the -- what psychiatrist said?

LAVANDERA: Right. The defense only one medical expert that they called today. Prosecutors say they expect two of their medical experts to testify tomorrow and after that, it will be time for closing arguments. So early next week, it looks like that both sides will be making closing arguments in the "American sniper" trial.

COOPER: All right, Ed Lavandera, thanks very much. Appreciate it.

Up next tonight, a deadly super bug. This is serious stuff. Nearly 200 patients now on alert. They could have been exposed. Dr. Sanjay Gupta joins us with more coming up.

Also, this is an amazing story. You've got to see the video, a guy climbing up Niagara Falls. You're going to see and hear how he did it and what it was like when we continue.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

COOPER: New developments tonight in a story that really place strange to many of our worse fears about what happens into a hospital. You go to a hospital for routine procedure and you come down with the life- threatening condition. From 179 patients who underwent and specialized but by no means uncommon kind of treatment. That nightmare has come true. They notified they might have been exposed to a deadly drug resistant germ called CRE. Seven others already known who have been infected with this super bug, two of them have died. This is happening in UCLA's Ronald Reagan medical center when the most

prestigious in the world. Today the FDA issued a safety warning about the medical instrumenting question in one patient's family said that it's planning legal action against the company that made it.

Late today, hospital officials brief the public. Kyung Lah is there. She joins me now with all the details -- Kyung.

KYUNG LAH, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well Anderson, the investigator here according to the hospital is still ongoing but they have figured out who the proverbial patient zero is, the person who brought it in to the hospital. That patient already had the super bug in his or her system, got an endoscopy here, a routine procedure. The scope then became infected and that's how it spread.

A total of two scopes, were detected for having this bacteria. A total of seven confirmed people here were infected by this. And Anderson, the hospital says they are still trying to figure out exactly how long this has been going on but they do believe it was weeks in the making, Anderson.

COOPER: It's often hard to get these kinds of super bugs that are drug resistant out of the hospital once they're in. Is it possible the hospital is still contaminated?

LAH: Well, the hospital is pretty confident that they have indeed contained it. They do not believe that it is still inside the hospital. Those two scopes I was referencing, those two scopes are not longer being used out of abundance of caution. The hospital says there is also going beyond the FDA regulations, the recommendations as far as cleaning all the other scopes. They're using a special sort of gas to try to eradicate it.

They do say though, Anderson, the 179 people you are just talking about, they're still in the process of leaving phone messages, still trying to notify all the people.

COOPER: All right. And I know you spoke with the attorney of one of the seven infected patients. How is the patient doing?

LAH: This is really a heartbreaking story. An 18-year-old high school student came here because was having some sort of issue with his pancreas. His doctors thought a routine out-patient procedure. The scope was used on the boy. He got the super bug in the system. He had to come to the hospital, 80 days in the hospital, much of it in the ICU. He went home for a few day, he had to come back in. He still in the hospital. His parents, Anderson, say they're terrified and they feel helpless.

COOPER: Just awful. Kyung Lah, thank you.

Because this kind of procedure is done every day in hospitals around the country because antibiotic resistant germs are so widespread, people may be left with a lot of questions. We certainly were.

Here tonight with some answer, chief medical correspondent, Dr. Sanjay Gupta.

All right, Sanjay, I understand these super bugs, they are really terrifying, but reading a lot about it, I read on the CDC website say that this particular one, CRE, can contribute death up to 50 percent of the patients who get infected.

DOCTOR SANJAY GUPTA, CNN CHIEF MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT: That is the same stats I have read of this particular organism. It's called Klebsiella. It is the Klebsiella that is resistant to certain classes of antibiotic. If it gets into your blood, cause the blood infection, it can kill up to half the people it infects.

Now, frankly, the numbers are not so huge. You know, to be able to tell exactly what the mortality rate will be over larger groups of people. But yes, this is very concerning. And this particular organism, Anderson, we used to be able to treat this very easily. This is an example of antibiotic resistance and the consequences of it.

COOPER: So, what, just because antibiotics are overprescribed? That how things become resistant to it?

GUPTA: This is what fascinating today. What happened is imagine you have a bunch of bacteria, you treat it with antibiotics, but you don't give all the antibiotics. You stop the antibiotics too early, for example, let's say. A few of the bacteria will survive. And those are the ones that are most resilient. They will start to replicate, right, these tough bacteria. The next time the antibiotic strike, it may not work as well. Carry that out over 30, 40 generations. Each time the antibiotic is used like that, the bacteria can start to create more and more resistance to it. This particular bacteria can actually create an enzyme that is essentially inactivate antibiotic. It has got a defense mechanism that is evolve into it. So, it's a really smart yet frightening bacteria.

COOPER: And the majority of people who've gotten this thing, CRE, they've contracted it in the hospital, right?

GUPTA: Yes, this appears to be a hospital-acquired infection. Now, remember, even MRSA, which is another example of antibiotic resistant bacteria that started off in hospitals as well. And eventually, over time, as it grew more common, started to become a community acquired infection as well, so places outside the hospital. This particular one still acquired in hospitals and specifically during a procedure, a scope-like procedure, where they're looking at your pancreas and your gallbladder. This isn't the same kind of scope where someone puts a scope into your stomach if you have reflux, for example, it's a different scope, but it seems to be related to the hospital and that procedure in particular.

COOPER: And if you're a patient in a hospital, I mean is there anything you or your family can do to, you know, try to make sure you're not exposed to this?

GUPTA: Well, you know, I think within the hospital, certainly the basic hygiene practice is making sure that people around you, who are caring for you are practicing good hygiene, as simple as washing their hands, that antibiotics are prescribed only if there's a particular reason. With this particular problem here, the scope itself had been cleaned. It had been sterilized according to protocol but what we're now hearing is that the protocol just wasn't good enough to get rid of this particular bacteria from the scope. So the protocol is going to have to change. That's a huge, huge issue, Anderson. You can imagine. They've been using these scopes. They were following the rules, cleaning them as they should have been and yet those scopes were still passing on the infection. That's - they've got to either change the protocols or those scopes can no longer be used.

COOPER: It's scary stuff. Sanjay, thanks very much.

GUPTA: You got it. Thank you.

COOPER: Let's just have another topic. More questions for Dr. Gupta. The daughter of the late Whitney Houston is still in the hospital, nearly three weeks after she was found face down in a bathtub. Sources now say doctors are trying to slowly bring her out of a medically induced coma. The latest on her condition next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

COOPER: The daughter of the late Whitney Houston, she has been hospitalized, as you probably know for nearly three weeks now. She was found unresponsive in a bathtub of water in her home. Well, now doctors have taken her, taken out her breathing tube. And they've done a tracheostomy meaning she'll be ventilated through a hole in her throat. Doctors are also trying to slowly leave the medically induced coma that she's been in. Legal analyzed Sunny Hostin has sources close to the family. She joins me along with chief medical correspondent, Dr. Sanjay Gupta. Sunny, what's the latest you're hearing on how she's doing?

SUNNY HOSTIN, CNN LEGAL ANALYST: Sure, what I've heard is that just yesterday on Wednesday the doctors performed a tracheotomy. I've also heard that they have begun weaning her off of the sedation, the sedatives, which will help her come out of this medically induced coma. The family and the doctors want to know what her brain function is at this point. And if she wakes up from this coma, then they will have a better sense of what that brain function is and they're very hopeful. They remain prayerful and I'm told that they feel that they've seen positive signs. And so they're still very hopeful for her recovery.

COOPER: Sanjay, what exactly is a tracheostomy? I mean I've heard of a tracheotomy, what's the tracheostomy? Why would doctors be doing that right now?

GUPTA: A lot of times those terms are used interchangeably, Anderson. What happens is that when someone's on a breathing machine, they typically have what's called an endotracheal tube, and that's a tube that goes through the mouth and into the trachea. It's really meant to be a temporary tube, but for people who they think are going to require being on the ventilator, the breathing machine longer, they'll do a tracheostomy. It's more comfortable for the patient. It also makes it easier to try and prevent their lungs from becoming infected as well. So, that's a comfort and sort of an ease of medical care procedure.

COOPER: But it's an indication that they believe the patient would be requiring a ventilator for a long time?

GUPTA: Yeah, I think that's a safe assumption. I mean typically if someone is in the hospital for a couple of weeks and on a breathing machine, they will plan to do a tracheotomy. If they think the patient is going to be able to get off the ventilator, the breathing machine the next couple of days, they probably wouldn't do that procedure. So, yes, I agree by virtue of the fact that they have done this, they think that she will require this for not hours and days, but more days and weeks.

COOPER: And Sunny, is it your sense that everybody in the family, all the sides of the family are kind of on the same page and also, there had been reports that her, you know, the boyfriend wasn't being allowed to go to the hospital?

HOSTIN: The family certainly has come together. There's no question about that. They are on the same page. They want her to recover. They are hopeful. They are at the hospital standing vigil. There is a lot of tension with Nick Gordon. They do not want him at the hospital. They have prevented him from being at the hospital. My understanding is that he has tried to sort of negotiate some sort of terms with them so that he can visit with her and that hasn't been successful. They don't want him there.

COOPER: and Sanjay, to bring somebody out of a medically induced coma, how long does that typically take and how critical is it, I guess, to see how she responds after that?

GUPTA: Yeah. That's the really crucial issue, is to be able to do what's called the neurological exam. With medically induced coma, you're talking about using medicines that really put the brain to rest. So the brain is not requiring as much. It allows the brain to sort of heal. Sometimes they give medications to control seizures. They give pain medications, sedatives. What may surprise you, Anderson, is that you can sort of lift, if you will, some of these medications pretty quickly and at least put a person into a state of twilight where you could talk to them, you could see if they can follow a command, can you squeeze my hand, can you hold up two fingers, can you do something to show that you're hearing me, that you're understanding me and that you are executing a command based on what you're understanding. That's really the circuit you're trying to establish. If that's not happening, you can quickly put the medications, raise the medication levels back up and put the person back into that coma-like state. It can happen fairly quickly, Anderson.

COOPER: All right, Sanjay, thank you very much for the update. Sunny Hostin as well. Thanks.

Here are some results to report from a "360" investigation. You'll recall Drew Griffin exposed an alleged scheme, insurance

companies steering drivers to body shops that did substandard and in some cases apparently dangerous repairs. But since that story aired, Connecticut's Democratic U.S. Senator Richard Blumenthal has written a letter to Attorney General Eric Holder mentioning our report and asking him to take immediate federal action to investigate. And we'll continue to follow up.

Just ahead, what's it like to climb up Niagara Falls? You're going to hear from the man who did it and the pictures are amazing.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: That's a wild place to be, to stand right on the edge of Niagara Falls and look at all that water. You know, it's one of the natural wonders of the world. That's one amazing place.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

COOPER: Well, it's more than just winter cold out there. It's so cold that part of the mighty Niagara Falls is frozen, an incredible sight along the U.S.-Canadian border and tourists cannot get enough of the icy wonderland. Neither can a brave man who recently actually climbed the frozen falls. His story in a moment. What he did is remarkable. First, CNN's Ryan Young joins us from the Falls. The images are just incredible, Ryan. Show us what you're seeing behind you.

RYAN YOUNG, CNN CORRESPONDENT: What an amazing sight. What an assignment to get. If you look back at this direction, that's the American side. You can see just the chunk of ice. It looks like a scene out of a movie. Especially as you look along the way here. It's just solid chunks. You can't really see anything moving. As we look back towards the light in this direction, you can see the water and the mist that just pours up from here. And this has been going on for quite some time. In fact, most people thought the water had stopped, but just look at this. You can really get a sense, a feeling of the frozen wonderland. It's quite majestic to stand here and just look at the sight. We've been doing it ourselves for most of the night.

COOPER: And in the areas where the falls are frozen, I mean is there water still flowing underneath the ice?

YOUNG: Definitely. In fact, more than 40 million gallons kind of roll through here during the summer and during the winter, only 20 million gallons flow through here. But look over there as the light changes from the pink to the blue. You can see the water cascading over the side there. You can still hear it rushing, especially below us. But look, there's so much water. Look at this frozen chunk of ice right here. Everything around here is cased in ice. They haven't had a day above freezing this entire month. And it is bone chilling cold. The feel-like temperature here, the wind chill is negative 13 right now.

COOPER: Are there still a lot of tourists even though it's freezing cold?

YOUNG: And that's the best part. People have been coming out here all night. We've seen a lot of people holding hands, posing. Taking selfies and kissing. I guess it's romantic, so everyone is kind of having a good time. There's been a line down the road here. As people come on the Canadian side and the American side. And honestly, our entire crew has stood out here and just watched this despite the cold because it's a sight that you won't forget. It really is something that is just breathtaking to see.

COOPER: Yeah, it's just amazing. Amazing to see it like that and it gets kind of cool to think that the water is still flowing, although less, but underneath all of that ice. Ryan Young, I appreciate the report and try to stay warm. Now the Niagara Falls ice climber. I was looking at these pictures earlier today and we really want you to see it tonight. Because just it's remarkable what this guy did. I mean ice climbers, his name is Will Gadd, he's the first person to ever climb up the falls. It took a lot of time just to get approvals from all the people at Niagara Falls for him to do this from New York State park officials, but you know, want to find out how he pulled it off. I spoke to Will shortly before we went to air.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

COOPER: Will, congratulations. I mean, the pictures from your climb, they're unbelievable. What made you decide you wanted to be the first person to climb Niagara Falls?

WILL GADD, ICE CLIMBED NIAGARA FALLS: Well, it's Niagara Falls. It's the largest, wildest, most iconic waterfall of the world. You know, if you're an ice climber, the idea of climbing the Niagara Falls sounds just great, mostly.

COOPER: Mostly? What - I mean what are the biggest obstacles, what's the toughest thing about it?

GADD: Well, there's a few things that are really hard about it that aren't normal. First of all, there's 8,000 cubic feet a second of water ripping off the edge of that water fall, so that's like 4,000 semi-trucks going off every second. You got in the way of that, it would obviously not work out well. And then it's the oldest state park in the United States. It's an icon.

COOPER: The root you climbed, I understand it started over an area that you call the caldron of doom. That does not sound like a good start.

GADD: No, the caldron of doom would - that would be a very bad place if you wound up in there. All of that water from Niagara Falls is just smashing down and it's like the world's largest cement mixer or something. And if you went into the caldron of doom, that would - that would not be good. So, definitely before I started climbing, we had to make really sure that I would not fall into the caldron of doom and as my mom said, hang on tight when I was climbing in there.

COOPER: That's your mom's advice? That's wise advice from her. And I understand the ice that you're climbing is not actually all ice. Right? I mean, what is it?

GADD: It's kind of like meringue. What happens is, all that spray from Niagara Falls flowed south and then sticks onto the icy rock wall right behind there and it's kind of like climbing frozen clouds and then there's obviously the water, direct water as well. And it all comes together in this really volatile mixture. And you got to be pretty careful climbing it. Because it's not as stable as a normal sort of water fall. It's frozen. And it was pretty exciting. You hit a rocket occasionally and big chunks are coming off. You know, it's ..

COOPER: That sounds terrifying.

GADD: That gets your attention.

COOPER: Yeah, I can imagine. I mean also, are you just - are you completely wet during all of this? Because you're really close to the falls.

GADD: Yeah. You know, like, it is scary, actually, because it's the only place I've ever been where you can feel the earth shake from the force of the falls. Like you can feel it in your guts, it's so loud and then look over my shoulder and there's Niagara Falls absolutely ripping by. And the water switched a little bit at one point. And I got a big couple of buckets at Niagara Falls water down my neck. And it's cold to begin with and you put some water into it. It's one of these environments where you want to keep your mind very, very focused for sure.

COOPER: And I mean sometimes, you put in your ax and we just saw some video where the ice just falls away.

GADD: Yeah. That's -- part of that is cleaning it. You've got to knock off the loose bits, but some of the pieces I was knocking off were a lot larger than I planned on and they could knock your feet out as well. And then you're going to go the distance. But it is important to note, that I've got a rope on here. So I'm still going to fall quite a ways if I do fall, but the whole idea here is to be able to do this another day. And we had to convince the park service that this wasn't a stunt like going over the falls in a barrel. And in the end, they gave us their wholehearted support. You know, it was just great to work with them. But this is what I do - I've been doing it for 30 years. And I started ice climbing with my dad. So, it's definitely not a one-off stunt. Well, climbing Niagara Falls is. Nobody ...

COOPER: You are not going to do that again.

GADD: Not doing that again.

COOPER: Yeah, what's the feeling like, I mean I just saw in the video you are standing essentially on the edge after having completed this climb. Even standing on the edge makes my knees, even watching you stand on the edge like that makes my knees shake. What is that feeling like? I mean is it just complete exhilaration, exhaustion? Are you just freezing cold? Are you totally like adrenaline pumping? What is it?

GADD: Probably a little bit of all of those emotions. But that's a wild place to be, to stand right on the edge of Niagara Falls and look at all that water. You know, it's one of the natural wonders of the world. That is one amazing place and just to feel all of that power and look down at the ice below, and just experience that place in a way that very few people get to. I felt very, very lucky to be there. One of the highlights of my life, for sure.

COOPER: Well, it's the highlight of my day just talking to you, Will. Thank you so much for doing this. I really appreciate it.

GADD: Thank you for the discussion. And take care.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

COOPER: Cool guy. Just amazing accomplishment. Just ahead, what's up with the way that birds are acting lately? The owls are not what they seem and that's coming up next on the "Ridiculist." I want to make you smile at the end of a long day.

But first, that was just one more look at Niagara Falls live right now. The sights and the sounds, just extraordinary.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

COOPER: Time now for "The Ridiculist." And tonight, we have a warning for the good people of Salem, Oregon, especially those who frequent Bush's pasture park where something has been swooping down on unsuspected joggers.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: So, I spun around trying to see what was behind me. And nothing was there. And I started kind of looking around. And then it kind of hit me. Wait a minute, my hat is actually gone.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

COOPER: This is not much of a who done it. Clearly, an owl done it. A now infamous owl, which has struck so many times that a local newspaper, "The Statesman Journal" sponsored a contest to name it. Meet Owl Capone. That was the winning name beating out such contenders as Owl Pacino, Owl Get You and - Al the third. Al Capone is so prolific with his - hooping adventures that the park has put up warning signs and is recommending that park goers wear hard hats, which is a good idea, I guess, but I don't know how practical that is. It seems like wearing a hard hat to jog in the park would sort of make you stand out.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Salem Doctor Ron Jakes was the first to report such an attack last week when he was jogging through the park.

(END VIDEO CLIP) COOPER: What was that? I just - that was the first time I saw that video. Was that the right video? Can I see the video again?

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Salem Doctor Ron Jakes was the first to report such an attack.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

(LAUGHTER)

COOPER: OK. He's a surgeon and a former magician. And apparently one of Salem's most beloved residents, leave him alone, Owl Capone. Please.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: All of the sudden, my cap was sucked off like a vortex and it was like a tearing sheering sensation when he latched on to my head.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

COOPER: I'm sorry. This owl attack thing, it's got me puzzled. A lot has me puzzled about this. As we've seen on "The Ridiculist" before, it's generally accepted that geese are the a-holes of the avian community, not owls. Yes, I said it. Although lately, we are seeing all kinds of birds behaving badly. Recently parks of New Brunswick, Canada had been invaded by a flock of seagulls.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

(MUSIC)

(END VIDEO CLIP)

COOPER: No, not that flock of seagulls, but that would be awesome. I'm talking about the other kind.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Usually around dusk, flocks have been spotted circling over large buildings in places like Fredericktown and Monktown.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Something is up, man. Hello.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Seagulls, they must know something we don't.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

COOPER: All right, someone is just messing with me in the video department.

LAUGHTER) COOPER: Wow. In the business we call these MOSs, man on the streets. But quite some MOSs we're seeing. I can't help you with the seagull problem, I'm sorry about that. But I do have a suggestion for the owl problem in Oregon, all you need is a swiffer. Remember that when owl got into that guy's house in Texas?

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It's OK. Owl, it's OK. Please don't give me that look. Oh (EXPLETIVE DELETED). Oh (EXPLETIVE DELETED). Oh, please don't fly.

Oh. Yes. Yes.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

COOPER: It's the stare. Stare gets me every time. He's like the little tiny terminator staring like, owl be back. Hold on to your hard hats in Salem, Oregon. We'll rooting for you, all of us, on "The Ridiculist." That does it for us. We'll see you again at 11 p.m. Eastern. Now, the dash, you know, "360."

And Martin Spurlock's "INSIDE MAN" magic starts now.