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Anderson Cooper 360 Degrees
Rick Perry Suspends Campaign; Rudy Giuliani Interview; Navy SEAL Talks Bergdahl Rescue Attempt; Interview with Phoenix Mayor; Armed Carjacker Leads Police on High-Speed Chase. Aired 8-9p ET
Aired September 11, 2015 - 20:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
[20:00:06] ANDERSON COOPER, CNN HOST: Hey, good evening. Thanks very much for joining us.
A very full hour ahead. For the first time anywhere, a former Navy seal talks about the classified mission to rescue Bowe Bergdahl.
Also, on the anniversary of the 9/11 attacks, former New York mayor and presidential candidate Rudy Giuliani joins us as your live pictures of Lower Manhattan.
We begin though tonight with breaking news about a presidential hopeful this time around who seems to be quickly losing hope. Here's what former Texas governor Rick Perry said late today before members of the socially conservative eagle form in St. Louis.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
RICK PERRY (R), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: When I gave my life to Christ, I said your ways are greater than my ways. Your will is superior to mine. Today I submit to you his will remains a mystery. But some things have come and become very clear to me. That is why today I am suspending my campaign for the presidency of the United States.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
COOPER: Now Governor Perry has been polling in the single digits and recently stopped paying campaign staffers. He failed to make the primetime CNN debate now just five days away in the Reagan library in Southern California and it showed every sign of going nowhere.
Reaction now from CNN political commentator and Donald Trump supporter, Jeffrey Lord, also Matt Kibbe, senior adviser to the pro- Rand Paul super PAC, concerned American voters.
Jeff, what do you make of this, Perry suspending his campaign? Not a huge surprise, but perhaps the timing of it a little sooner than some people thought.
JEFFREY LORD, CNN POLITICAL COMMENTATOR: Well, I think there is a couple interesting lessons here. Number one, Governor Perry is the one who went out of his way to attack Donald Trump said he was a cancer on the Republican Party, et cetera. His numbers tanked. And today, we see that he is, you know, in essence pulling out of the race.
Number two, there is -- along those lines is an interesting situation in Texas. He is, of course, the former governor of Texas. Senator Cruz also in the race, is, has a whole different, is from Texas and has a whole different view of Donald Trump. Senator Cruz is succeeding. Governor Perry is pulling out. I think there is a lesson on that as well.
COOPER: Matt, I mean, just couple weeks ago, we saw one of Perry's top advisers join Trump's campaign. Perry's campaign was struggling, as we said, to pay staff with part of the so-called JV debate last month. It was said to be in the smaller debates on Wednesday. Are you surprised by this?
MATT KIBBE, SENIOR ADVISER TO CONCERNED AMERICAN VOTERS: Well, I am surprised because the super PAC still has cash in the bank. And I was certain that the hipster glasses were going to be a game changer for him, but that didn't really work out.
COOPER: Your glasses are kind of hipster, too, by the way, as are mine.
KIBBE: That's why I'm betting on it. I'm betting on it.
LORD: I'll get some.
KIBBE: But you know, the volatility in this race is sort of representative of the new politics. In the last cycle, Rick Perry was at the top of his game kind of like where Donald Trump is right now. And I would expect to see lots of ups and downs and Rick Perry is the first to go. But you know, some of these other candidates are going to have a second life as, you know, someone like Ben Carson. Either he goes up or he goes down, we will see what happens.
COOPER: It is incredible, Jeff, when you think about, I mean, to Matt's point, that last time around he was so far, you know, out in front. Everybody was kind of looking at him as -- suddenly the savior of the GOP. He had 28 percent. He has the same sizable lead that Trump has right now. And that really cratered. People are saying well, he is a better candidate this time around. Is it just the electorate has changed? That what people want has changed?
LORD: Well, you know, frankly, I think what happened was in 2012 there was all that expectation. And he basically cratered. Then, you know, he had the problem in the debate. There was some policy problems there with Texas and illegal immigration. And I think, you know, scholarships for kids, or state funding for illegal immigrants kids and this sort of thing. Basically, the more base got to know, the national base got to know Governor Perry, they just were sort of flat on him. And I don't think, frankly, that he ever recovered from it. And I don't think the expectations were high this time.
The Trump factor certainly complicated it for him as it has for others. And inevitably in this which happens all the time, you know, eventually somebody starts to dominate the field and your money starts to drains out slowly it is not sustainable. And then when you lose your supporters, you know, there is nowhere else to go until, you know, you get to the point that he came in to today.
COOPER: Jeffrey Lord, good to have you on. Matt Kibbe as well. Have a good weekend.
As we said at the top, Rudy Giuliani is on the program tonight. We will get his reaction to all this including the political rise of the best men in New York right now, Donald Trump, but not before acknowledging that for Mayor Giuliani and so many others this morning, politics gave way to remembering everyone who gave their lives 14 years ago. Today at Fort Mead, Maryland headquarters, President Obama spoke with the troops.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
[20:05:01] BARACK OBAMA, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: Today is a solemn day. I started my day commemorating 9/11 and all of the people who were killed on that day. And you know I have had an opportunity as president to meet with many of the survivors, the family members of those who were killed, and you know, on this particular day we are constantly reminded of their loss. We want to let them know that we do not forget those who were fallen. We are inspired by the survivors, who have the scars seen and unseen of the terrible day.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
COOPER: President Obama this afternoon.
Joining to us talk about 9/11, the future face of terrorism and, of course, the breaking campaign news, former New York may and 2008 presidential candidate Rudy Giuliani.
First of all the breaking news tonight, Rick Perry dropping out. Surprise to you? What are your thoughts on it?
RUDY GIULIANI (R), FORMER MAYOR OF NEW YORK: Not a surprise. I mean, Rick was having trouble. Been in the papers last two, three weeks, raising money. I know a lot of his people. He was a big supporter of mine.
COOPER: Huge supporter of yours early on.
GIULIANI: Huge. We have a lot of overlapping friend. And I knew he was having real difficulty raising money. So I am expected something like this -- like this would happen. I feel bad because he was so much better a candidate this time than last time. The timing is everything in politics as you know.
COOPER: You have obviously known Donald trump for a long time. You are mayor of New York. Does it surprise you how far he has gone so far?
GIULIANI: Yes, sure. At first I didn't think, but I can see why. I can see what's happening.
COOPER: He's tapped into something? GIULIANI: He's tapping into something. And he's also, he's also
talking to people openly and freely and that gives him a sense of, first of being honest with me.
COOPER: I want to talk a little bit more about Trump. But you wrote a piece in "the Wall Street Journal" about on obviously on this incredibly important day, anniversary of 9/11 and about Islamist terrorism and the threat that still exists. And do you believe we are less safe than we were prior to 9/11?
GIULIANI: In a certain way. We are more safe against what happened to us in the past which is often the case. We fight the last battle. Meaning, we are much safer against airplane hijackings, airplanes being used as missiles, that sort of thing. We put a lot of time and effort into that. We are much less safe against the smaller attack.
COOPER: The active shooter, Mumbai style attack?
GIULIANI: Yes. I think we are much more vulnerable to that now. And that's because the nature of our enemy has changed. I always had a sense about Al-Qaeda under bin Laden that they weren't going to pull another attack so they could pull one as big as September 11th. He didn't want to go in the opposite direction. But I think these people have gotten a sense that they can destabilize us with small ear tacks.
COOPER: On national security, obviously, you are not endorsing any candidate at this point. But on national security, is there a candidate who you, every time you hear him, you think, he or she knows.
GIULIANI: Lindsey Graham.
COOPER: :Lindsey Graham.
GIULIANI: Yes. Lindsey to me on national security, on military and, and -- Rubio, I think the two of them, probably have the best feel for that. That doesn't mean I'm going to endorse them because it is much bigger than that. It is also something that, you know, it is really going to depend on a president's learning curve and who he brings in with him as to how you handle this.
COOPER: What do you -- with this upcoming debate, I mean, there is a lot of people now, you have Donald Trump who has been fighting with Dr. Ben Carson exchanging words, although, Carson says he is not going to continue that. Obviously, with Carly Fiorina. Obviously, with Jeb Bush. There is going to be a lot of people on the stage who are trying to figure out how to deal with Donald Trump as they have been for the last couple months. How would you if you were against Donald Trump be dealing with Donald Trump?
GIULIANI: I wouldn't.
COOPER: You wouldn't?
GIULIANI: I would not. I mean, I think there have been enough lessons that you are not going to beat him at his game. You are going to have to beat him at your game. And you are going to have to hope your game works. I think Jeb is handling it correctly for where he stands right now. He is being rational. He is being reasonable. He is laying out positions. He is laying out policies. His tax policy was a good substance.
COOPER: Is he planning a long game here?
GIULIANI: That seems that's what he is doing.
COOPER: The rules, as you know better than anyone, the rules in the past for Iowa, New Hampshire, were you got to be on the ground, you have to be out shaking hand, you got to meet everybody in Iowa and everybody in New Hampshire, basically, a couple times.
GIULIANI: And in Iowa, you have about 80,000 of the 500,000 Republicans show up for the primary. And they are the most right- wing, most conservative.
COOPER: But Trump is doing a lot of campaigning from trump tower and it has been effective. I mean, he is on the ground obviously from time to time. But he is doing a lot of stuff in New York?
[20:10:04] GIULIANI: It is the nonpolitician communication. Remember, the man is a skilled, enormously skilled communicator like Ronald Reagan in a different way. He was a very, very skilled communicator like President Obama is a very skilled communicator. He is sure making it fun.
COOPER: Well, and he is getting people to watch. I mean, the number of people watching that last Republican debate, I mean, it is unprecedented.
GIULIANI: That I think it is good because I think it is educating people.
COOPER: Trump claims that he as president would sort of change his, I don't want to use his tone because he makes fun of reporters, talking about his tone. But what -- he would be kind of different than he is in the campaign trail. The campaign trail is one kind of game. Being president is completely different. Do you believe there is a different Donald Trump in there?
GIULIANI: First, that is true. That is something -- running and governing are two different things. And if you don't know the difference between the two you can never be a good mayor, governor or president. Yes, I think he is a good enough executive that he does know that difference.
COOPER: Mr. Mayor, it is always good to talk to you. Thank you.
Just ahead tonight, Sam cook sang it. Don't know much about history. The question is does Mike Huckabee. When you hear what he said about things every school kid learns, you might wonder. Tonight we are Keeping Them Honest.
And later, former Navy SEAL, Jimmy Hatch. Remarkable man speaking out for the very first time about the sacrifice he and so many others made to rescue Sergeant Bowe Bergdahl from captivity. He talks about that mission, the mission that gave him wounds that he had to leave the SEALs. The pain of leaving brothers on the battlefield and the darkness that followed and the darkness that he is now emerging from.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[20:15:13] COOPER: Keeping Them Honest tonight. Candidate Mike Huckabee's opposition to the Supreme Court recent marriage decision and the factually questionable way he is making his case especially in the last couple days saying that he long, long, long, superseded ruling by the Supreme Court remains the law of the land.
First some background. As you know, he has wrapped his arms around Kim Davis, the rural Kentucky county clerk that went to jail for refusing to grant marriage licenses to same-sex couples and it goes back to work Monday and made more news today which we will get to shortly.
But here's what Governor Huckabee said on stage with here when she first got out.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
MIKE HUCKABEE (R), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: She followed the only law that was in front of her. The law of the Kentucky constitution which 75 percent of the people of this state affirmed and decided that marriage is what it has always been and what the bible says it to be.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
COOPER: Now, we should point out plenty of social conservatives share his views on marriage. Many also agree that public servants should be permitted to disregard or not enforce laws that clash with deeply held beliefs.
The first not an issue. Second is debatable. Neither of which, though, we are talking about right now. The issue is purely factual. Has Governor Huckabee simply been getting his historical facts wrong.
Now this all began right after the Supreme Court in late June overturned state laws barring same-sex marriage. In the statement on that day, Governor Huckabee said, and I quote "the Supreme Court can no more repeal the laws of nature and nature's God on marriage than it can the law of gravity." And that too is a widely held opinion. It is also a red herring and factually wrong.
This is something the court has been doing if you remember ninth grade history, since 1803 in the case of (INAUDIBLE). It is called judicial review. And we respectfully suggest that as a former governor Mike Huckabee should really know all about it, probably does.
Governors sign laws many of which get challenged in courts and some of which are found unconstitutional, Civics 101. But that is not the end of it. Mr. Huckabee on Wednesday took his judicial reasoning to a whole new planet. Listen to what he told conservative radio host Michael Medvedev.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
HUCKABEE: Michael, Dred Scott decision of a857 remains to this day the law of the land, which says that black people aren't fully human. Does anybody still follow the Dred Scott Supreme Court decision?
(END VIDEO CLIP)
COOPER: Now, that notorious decision, again, from high school history class affirm to any simplest terms that slaves were property. Governor Huckabee was equating the marriage decision to that and suggesting because we don't abide by the Dred Scott decision made by the court, the same should apply to the marriage ruling.
Keeping Them Honest, though, when it comes to Dred Scott, let's be charitable and say it does not really work like that. It is not on the books. Two reasons, the first available for viewing this week in fact on PBS.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: From director Ken Burns, for the first time in high definition, the Civil War.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
COOPER: That's right, the civil war. And a direct consequence of the civil war was a pair of amendment to the constitution. The 13th in 1865 which abolished slavery, and in 1868, the 14th, which among many other things overturned the basis for the Dred Scott decision no matter what people believed about slavery in the years that followed and no matter what Mike Huckabee believes now about marriage.
Joining us now to elaborate is CNN senior legal analyst Jeffrey Toobin.
I mean, do you believe Mike Huckabee actually believes this, what do you make of this?
JEFFREY TOOBIN, CNN LEGAL ANALYST: Well, I don't know. You know, it's Friday night. And my experience is most people on Friday night want to talk about 19th century constitutional history. And so, you know, it is just really a good time to talk about this.
COOPER: It is, no doubt.
TOOBIN: And you know, what he actually believes and what he said, I mean, I think he does believe this. There is a whole school of thought that says you know that, God's law and nature's law can supersede the constitution. A lot of people believe that. But that is not the law of the United States. It is not what the Supreme Court has the said. It is not how the constitution is written. But, you know, I think he is being sincere. He is just wrong.
COOPER: But it is interesting because the same people, who are arguing that, would have a problem with sharia. And people who believe in sharia believe it should supersede the law of any given land?
TOOBIN: That's right. And you know, the constitution is clear and the way the court has interpreted the constitution, you know there are a lot of murky areas. But this happens not to be one of them. You know, the Dred Scott decision was overruled by the 13th and 14th amendment. Everybody knew that. That was the purpose of the 13th and 14th amendment.
So the idea that Dred Scott is still on the books is as you said factually inaccurate and the same point about judicial review. 1803, John Marshals opinion in Marbury versus Madison. It is the law, it is the duty of the court to stay what the law is. They can overturn laws. Conservatives like it when nay overturn campaign finance laws or gun control laws. This law they didn't like it.
[20:20:07] COOPER: On the same broadcast, I should tell viewers Huckabee also said that accepting same-sex marriage as a law would be surrendering to judicial tyranny even quoting Jefferson to make his point. He, and that's an argument he used before.
TOOBIN: That's right. And you know, Jefferson liked politicians for time and memorial have disagreed with things the Supreme Court has done. And politicians get very angry at the Supreme Court. Franklin Roosevelt tried to pack the court with more justices because he was so angry with what they did. But that's not the same thing as saying that the Supreme Court is not the arbiter of the final law of the land because it is.
COOPER: I mean, Kim Davis, she is taking a break this week. She is going back to work on Monday. If she tries to interfere with her deputies who are now giving out marriage licenses, what happens?
TOOBIN: She will go back to jail. I don't think there is any doubt about that, yes. If she stops her county from giving more licenses, Judge Bunning who supervising the case has the made quite clear, that you know, he is not going to put up with it. She filed an emergency appeal today to try to get some sort of wiggle room. But I just, I think the law here is just so straight forward. And the interesting thing is, her lawyer has not really said what she is going to do on Monday. So Monday is going to be very interesting about whether she basically accedes to letting deputies issue the marriage licenses or she continues to defy the court.
COOPER: We'll see. Jeffrey Toobin, thank you very much.
Next, a "360" exclusive. A story that's never been told until tonight. A former Navy SEAL reveals, details about a classified mission to rescue army sergeant Bowe Bergdahl. My conversation with former SEAL Jimmy Hatch, you will only see it here.
And later, what newly released video reveals about the case of mistaken identity that knocked tennis great James Blake off his feet.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK) [20:25:53] COOPER: On this anniversary of the 9/11 attacks, we remember those who lost their lives and he lives that were forever changed. It is the day that sent off chain reactions in countless ways affecting countless numbers of people. It is the day that led to the war in Afghanistan and to the story that you are about to see tonight. A story that hasn't been told. It involves former Navy SEAL, and army Private Bowe Bergdahl. Now, you will remember Bergdahl is the soldier who would disappear from the outpost, get taken prisoner by insurgents, affiliated with Taliban, and beheld in captivity for five years before his release in a controversial swap for five Taliban prisoners.
Next week, Bergdahl faces the military equivalent of a grand jury hearing. He is charged with desertion of the crime. Now, tonight for the first time, you will hear the harrowing details of U.S. military mission to rescue him.
Retired Navy SEAL, Jimmy Hatch was there. He told me he is speaking out tonight because he believes it is important for people to know the sacrifices that he and countless others made to try to bring Bergdahl home. It is a mission that changed Hatch's life forever.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
COOPER: What was the first time you heard the name Bowe Bergdahl?
JIMMY HATCH, FORMER NAVY SEAL: So we are sitting in this Intel center. And few of the guys on my crew and this guy walks up, with a piece of paper. And it is basically information. You know, Bowe Bergdahl, that's just kind of where he is from and his rank. The guy is talking to us, he is like this guy are saying he just walked off. And I looked at the guy, I said, somebody is going to get killed looking for this kid, kill or hurt.
COOPER (voice-over): Navy SEAL, Jimmy Hatch had no idea just how right he was. A week and a half after Bowe Bergdahl disappeared, he says his SEAL team received intelligence about where the young army private could be and who was holding him hostage.
HATCH: You know, we had to plan quick. Hostage rescue stuff is really hard. And you have to be, you know, fast. So we planned it out. Spun out. And I was in a little task force. Every service was represented. Every air force guy is reasons, army guys. Got on these helicopters. And took off. Flew in. And -- you know, got close to the ground. It was on.
COOPER: A night rescue, as the two helicopters touched down. Hatch says the team came under heavy fire.
HATCH: Guys had to immediately deal with a pretty major gunfight.
COOPER: And at that point, what's the goal?
HATCH: The goal is to get that kid.
COOPER: Find Bowe Bergdahl. HATCH: Yes. Fast. And we were close. Because things started right
away. You know? We had, they had a big, big belt fed machine gun and they were shooting that cage. And then later on as the search was going on, guys were hitting dudes with RPGs, and it was chaos, man.
COOPER: Hatch believes intensity of the fight, heaven weaponry of the enemy signaled they were closing in on Bergdahl.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It is very unnerving to be a prisoner.
COOPER: Despite the murky details of how Bergdahl ended up a hostage. For Hatch, the mission's objective was crystal clear.
HATCH: He was an American and he had a mom. And I didn't want a mom see him get his head chopped off on You Tube. You've know what I mean.
COOPER: That went through your mind?
HATCH: Yes. For sure.
COOPER: In the middle of the fire fight with every second counting, hatch split off with two men and a secret weapon, a dog named Remco.
HATCH: At some point I could see a couple guys, probably 400, 500 meters away in a flat field. And they were moving. And then they kind of disappeared. So I'm like we got to, got to get over there. We went, we went at them. Put the dog out in front of us. Because his body language will tell you if there is people close by for sure. And we couldn't see these guys. So the dog was out, probably, two three meters out in front of us. And we were moving pretty good. I saw his fur go up. I so his ears go up. And he started to pick up speed. And boom, boom, two round go into the dog.
[20:30:00]
The muzzle flash lights up. The guy who shot the dog.
COOPER: So you could see the guy who shot the dog?
HATCH: With the muzzle flash. Yes. But I couldn't see him before that. So I start shooting that guy, the other bad guy. And he just started spraying wildly with his ak-47. He just -- so one of those bullets got lucky and hit me.
COOPER: Your leg officially just knocked from under you.
HATCH: Yes, just totally. I just started to put my weight on it and -- so I'm in the air, and I'm like, don't scream, that's what I'm thinking. Don't scream, don't scream.
COOPER: You didn't want to scream.
HATCH: No. Those dudes were right there, you know. And I boom, I land. I started screaming. I mean it was, it hurt, man.
COOPER: The bone was shattered.
HATCH: Oh, yes, it sent the bone, the top part of my femur. Hit me right above the knee. It sent the bone kind of out the back of my leg. I was bleeding really bad.
COOPER: In a heartbeat, Hatch's mission changed from rescuing Bowe Bergdahl to keeping himself alive.
HATCH: I was laying there. Initially, I thought man, I am dead. I am so close and I can't move. Then I hear my buddies, and I hear their guns, I hear them going to work. And then I hear, the guy throws a grenade. The shrapnel is flying around. I am like --
COOPER: One of the Taliban guys threw a grenade.
HATCH: Yeah, yeah. Anyway, my buddies finished the job.
COOPER: The team finished off both Taliban fighters and applied a tourniquet to Hatch's leg. Even though the fighting still raged around him, the helicopters were called back to extract the now wounded SEAL.
HATCH: When I get hit, that changes the plan. So, they have to take, we have to kind of concentrate some resources on the screaming guy. And get the helicopters in there to get him out. And those dudes on those helicopters, they came back like, man, they're the ones who dropped us off. And they didn't hesitate. They flew right back into that fire.
COOPER: Hatch was evacuated along with Remco, the fatally wounded dog. Hatch's leg, bandaged and bleeding, a lollipop of potent painkillers in his mouth. It would be his last mission, the end of his war as a Navy SEAL.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
COOPER: The mission to rescue Bergdahl had failed. And Jimmy Hatch has some complicated emotions in the aftermath of it, which you will hear about next in part two of our exclusive interview. Hatch also tells me about the dark place he ended up in and how he is getting through it with the help of his family and dogs, like the one that was killed during the mission. Dogs that have become his new mission in life.
Plus, tonight a high speed car chase across Los Angeles County, from the carjacking, the beginning, to the hostage taking at a restaurant to the SWAT team that ended the horror story. We'll see it all ahead.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
COOPER: More now of my exclusive interview with a remarkable guy, retired Navy SEAL Jimmy Hatch, about a mission that until now has been a little known secret. As you heard in the first part of the interview, the mission was to rescue Army Private Bowe Bergdahl. Hatch is speaking publicly about it for the first time because he feels it is important for people to know the sacrifices that so many people made to try to bring Bowe Bergdahl home. I asked him if he felt like that mission was a failure.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
HATCH: To me it was. In the sense that, I mean, we didn't get him.
COOPER: Do you know if he was there in that -- in that area where you were?
HATCH: You know, I was told that he for sure was in that area. That they found things on some of the dead guys that, that, you know, indicated that he was there.
COOPER: Does it matter to you, that, I mean is that a component of that you were wounded on the mission which didn't succeed in what the objective was? Is that something that resonated with you?
HATCH: I took a lot of that on myself. I felt like maybe if I had done things a little bit differently, not gotten hurt, you know, the mission wouldn't have failed. There was no way to know that. At the time I certainly -- it was a failure to me. And I was the cause of it.
COOPER: Hatch was awarded a Purple Heart and the Bronze Star for his actions that night by secretary of the Navy, Ray Mabus.
HATCH: You will not lose this war. That is deep. There is a lot of layers. And we are all blessed.
COOPER: Hatch felt tremendous guilt for as he saw it failing on the Bergdahl mission. And for leaving his brothers on the battlefield to fight without him. That, along with the wound to his leg that ended his 21 years as a SEAL, it all added up, and sent him to a dark and dangerous place.
HATCH: Pain meds, you know, chasing them with vodka, and, I basically became, you know, just this pathetic human.
COOPER: Did you think about killing yourself?
HATCH: Oh, yes, I had a plan for sure.
COOPER: You actually had made out a plan?
HATCH: Yes. Yes.
COOPER: That's when psychologists, whenever somebody goes to them and says I am thinking about killing myself. That's the first question they ask is, have you actually taken the next step of making out a plan. So you had?
HATCH: Yes. For sure. I was a planner. So, so, this incident happens where a gun in my mouth, crying.
COOPER: You put a gun in your mouth?
HATCH: Oh, yes, in front of my wife. And my wife -- somehow, I don't know how, she got the gun away from me.
COOPER: Hatch was sent to a psychiatric hospital for his own protection. It was another SEAL, the same one who had gotten him to safety on that helicopter in Afghanistan, who made sure he got there.
HATCH: He is going to drive me to this hospital. And you know, there are no medals for driving your buddy to a psych hospital. So we get in the car and I looked at him. I said, man, I am running. I am not doing this. He is like, listen, you have got to fix yourself. You got to do it for yourself, for your family, and you got to do it for us, because you are the beginning. There is going to be more like you. And it might be me. And that just, you know, stunned me. The guy saved my life.
COOPER: With those words?
HATCH: Twice.
COOPER: Ever since, Jimmy Hatch has been on a path of healing. Today he continues to honor those who saved his life, including the dog killed on the Bergdahl mission, Remco.
[20:40:00]
COOPER: She's fast.
HATCH: She's an athlete, man.
COOPER: He started an organization called Spike's Canine Fund to provide medical care and proper protection for police dogs, search and rescue dogs, dogs that can be hurt or killed in the line of duty.
HATCH: I am not going to let her run really fast at you.
COOPER: No, I am good. I'm ready for it.
COOPER: A former naval dog handler himself, I asked Hatch to show me some of what his Dutch shepherd Nina can do. With incredible precision, Nina took me down again and again and again. I felt the full weight, literally, of Hatch's respect and love for these brave working dogs. While Hatch has come so far from those dark days after the mission to rescue Bowe Bergdahl, the mission that ended life as he knew it, he is finally telling his story because he wants the man who put him and so many others in harm's way to finally be held accountable.
HATCH: I want that kid to have his day in court. Because he is an American. And he's got that coming. People say, oh, yes, maybe he suffered enough because he was held captive. That's kind of like saying, if I go out and drink a bunch of vodka tonight and slam into a car with children in it and hurt them, but I get paralyzed from the waist down, that because I got paralyzed, you know, I've been punished enough. No, I still need to be held accountable for the decisions I made. And I think that's the case with Mr. Bergdahl. I feel pretty strongly about that. He needs to know how much was risked.
COOPER: That's important to you that he knows that.
HATCH: Yes. It's important that Americans know that.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
COOPER: We hope now they do. We corroborated the details of Jimmy Hatch's incredible story of that mission to rescue Bergdahl through two other military personnel who were with him that night and through additional sources in the intelligence community. We also asked the U.S. Navy to verify Hatch's story. While the Navy confirmed Hatch's long and distinguished career as a SEAL, they would not comment about this particular mission.
For more information on the nonprofit organization Hatch founded or if you want to donate, go to spikesk9fund.org. And check out the website there. He is really just an amazing, amazing guy. He is trying to do some good work for animals.
Just ahead. Breaking news in Phoenix. Where police are looking for the shooter or shooters, who are terrorizing a busy freeway. I will talk to the mayor. Also coming up more than 100 people killed after a crane collapses. Details on that ahead.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
COOPER: Breaking news tonight in Phoenix where a string of shootings along a busy freeway has rattled much of the city. Police are now questioning a man in connection with the investigation. According to Arizona officials, a woman was also questioned today and released. The shootings along Interstate 10. At least 11 of them the last two weeks, began August 29. I want to talk about it now, all the new developments, joining me now is the mayor of Phoenix Greg Stanton.
What's the latest you know about the people who are detained today in connection with the shootings?
MAYOR GREG STANTON, PHOENIX: Well, I've just been briefed. The governor and I were briefed by Department of Public Safety, the Phoenix PD. That's probably the subject I can least talk about in terms of the details of that. It's fair to say that the investigation is ongoing. And so they are still out there, this Phoenix P.D., and DPS officers are out there still conducting a thorough investigation. I can't speak much about the person under arrest at this point.
COOPER: Fair enough. One of the people that was released of these two, correct?
STANTON: That's, my understanding, correct, yeah.
COOPER: And at least, I mean it's not been made public whether it is believed to be one shooter or multiple shooters or if some might be copycat situations that is still not known, right?
STANTON: That is all under investigation. Correct. So, the amount of personnel, equipment, resources that are out there on the street, still looking is, as strong as it has ever been. I think there has been no, no relinquishment of that by law enforcement here in Arizona.
COOPER: And is it just Interstate 10 that authorities are concerned about? Because I understand that drivers have been targeted on other roads as well?
STANTON: Well, that has been the focus of the investigation. Because, so much of the activity has been concentrated on I-10, in the central part of the city of Phoenix. But it is fair to say that, the police are investigating a very, very wide area of Phoenix along the freeways.
COOPER: Do you yourself feel safe driving around Phoenix? I mean are you advising your friends, your family to stay off those interstates?
STANTON: Just the opposite. I personally took I-10 to get here for this interview. Just a few moments ago. I am telling my wife who picks up our kids and takes them home from, from school, and anybody else not to avoid I-10. However what I am telling them is to put the DPS hotline on their speed dial. So that they see anything suspicious, to call that number right away. It is going to take a partnership between the people and law enforcement to solve these crimes. These are vexing crimes. And we need every piece of information, every piece of evidence if you see something, make that phone call. The DPS hot line. So, don't avoid I-10. But be vigilant and have that hotline on your speed dial.
COOPER: Mayor Stanton, I wish you and all your officers there best of luck. Thank you so much.
STANTON: Thank you, Anderson.
COOPER: I want to go now to Los Angeles where an armed carjacker led police on a high-speed chase across the entire county. A chase so wild, that it's hard to believe, but welcome all the same that more people were not hurt. Stephanie Elam has details.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Right turn.
STEPHANIE ELAM, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Close call after close call.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: This guy is going to wreck, dude.
ELAM: As a man leads police on a car chase near Los Angeles. His driving is erratic as he barely misses other cars. Sometimes driving on the wrong side of the road.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: There we go. Other side of the road.
ELAM: The pursuit begins around 6:30 p.m. after deputies are alerted to a carjacking. The suspect takes law enforcement through several jurisdictions hijacking another car along the way. After he leaves a freeway, California highway patrol pulls what's called a pit maneuver.
[20:50:02] Sending the car careening into another vehicle and ultimately stopping the stolen car.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It looks like a pit. It looks like a pit. Whoa.
ELAM: But the man isn't done.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: There he is. Suspect. He has got the gun in his hand. And he's shooting in the air. Suspect is running with that weapon in his hand.
ELAM: The suspect takes cover in this barbecue restaurant reportedly filled with about 80 people.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: He ran inside this Chris and Pit's. Just imagine what kind of panic is going on inside that restaurant right now.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I see a guy, blue shirt, bald, he's rushed in. You know, very panicked. Very, very seemed agitated. Rushes in. And rushes straight to - to go box where I am working. And he points a gun at me and he demands for water. He tells me, I need water. Give me water.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: You can see officers from the California highway patrol swarming this right now. We have other people coming out the back.
ELAM: In waves people begin to emerge from the restaurant. Some with their hands up. Others holding on to their young children. The suspect barricades himself in the restaurant keeping several people hostage.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: One of the deputies could see through the window, that the suspect was walking near the hostages, and he was waving a gun in the air and very - acting very erratically. So, the deputy felt it was necessary to protect the lives of the hostages to take the shot. He fired one shot. It hit the suspect.
ELAM: Then a SWAT team goes in. There is a series of shots.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: When they entered the restaurant. The suspect was down crawling on the floor. And he picked up the gun rearming himself. And that's when a second deputy of all shooting occurred. And that ultimately ended the suspect's life.
ELAM: The police rescued four hostages and no one beside the suspect was hurt. Stephanie Elam, CNN, Los Angeles.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
COOPER: Incredible. How it all played out. There is a lot more happening tonight. Gary Tuchman has a "360 Bulletin." Gary?
GARY TUCHMAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Anderson, we now have video of the moment a crane collapsed at Islam's holiest site, the Grand Mosque in Mecca, Saudi Arabia. At least 107 people were killed, more than 200 injured. It's the world's largest mosque, it was packed when the crane fell. Saudi officials say severe storms are to blame.
Just released surveillance video shows tennis great, James Blake being tackled by an undercover New York City police officer. Blake was handcuffed and detained after he was mistaken for a suspect in a sting operation. The officer is now on desk duty. And the NYPD has apologized. Black was on his way to the U.S. Open earlier this week when all this happened. Today in a statement he called on the city to make a "significant financial commitment to improving the relationship between police and the public."
Today, at the U.S. Open, a major upset involving Serena Williams, her attempt to win a calendar year Grand Slam derailed by Roberta Vinci, an unseeded Italian. It was Vinci's first Grand Slam, semifinal appearance. An amazing debut. And in her own words, entirely unexpected.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: When you woke up this morning, what gave you the belief that this moment was possible?
ROBERTA VINCI: No.
(LAUGHTER)
VINCI: Really. It's true. No, no. When I wake up. I say okay, I have semifinal today. Try to enjoy. Don't think about Serena. Play, enjoy. Enjoy. But I didn't expect that I won. No.
(CHEERS AND APPLAUSE)
(END VIDEO CLIP)
TUCHMAN: A big surprise on the tennis courts in Queens, New York.
Gary, thanks very much. Up next, a solemn anniversary, life changing day, singed into our memories. A tribute to the victims of the 9/11 terror attacks.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
COOPER: In New York. Washington, D.C. and Shanksville, Pennsylvania today, ceremonies marked the anniversary of the 9/11 attacks and honored the 2977 people whose lives were cut short on that terrible day. Right now we want to share with you some of the sights and the sounds of the day 14 years later.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Our beloved Shawn Gordon Corvet (ph). We think of you every single day. Your light and spirit shines so brightly through our daughter.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: With the iconic words "Let's roll" the passengers of Flight 93 stormed the cockpit, altered the course of history that day. UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: My father Donald Freeman Green.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Our son and brother, Richard Jay was ...
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It is a tough day for all of you who, who lost buddies, lost friends, it's even tougher for the family members. When you go through this year after year it doesn't matter, if it is 14 years or 40 years, it brings back memories as if they happened five minutes ago.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: My uncle, Michael Boyle, I wish I could meet you.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: My mother Maxima Jeanne Pierre. We love you and miss you. And pray that all of your - feels this in your heart, weeping may endure for a night but joy cometh in the morning.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
COOPER: We will never forget. And one final note for us this hour, we want to give continued thanks to all the first responders and recovery teams who worked tirelessly in the days and weeks after 9/11, including Britney, the last known leaving search-and-rescue dog who was at ground zero. She's a 16-year-old golden retriever. 9/11 was her first job with her handler, Denise Cordless (ph). They were recently treated to a trip to New York where they were honored with a sign in Times Square and a cobblestone dedicated to Britney at the 9/11 memorial plaza. That does it for us. Thanks very much for watching. CNN tonight with Don Lemon starts now.
