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Fugitive Couple Caught in Columbus

Aired August 10, 2005 - 23:00   ET

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

AARON BROWN, HOST: Good evening, this is a special late edition of NEWSNIGHT. A prisoner and his wife are in custody, tonight, in Ohio, after pulling off an escape as brazen as the worst exploits of Bonnie and Clyde.
George and Jennifer Hyatte had been the focus of a massive manhunt, which included the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation, the FBI, U.S. Marshals, and late tonight, Ohio police. They have been the subject of this manhunt since they made a deadly getaway yesterday outside a courthouse in Tennessee, a getaway that left one man dead.

We're joined again by CNN's David Mattingly in Tennessee, tonight -- David?

DAVID MATTINGLY, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Aaron, from the time that couple left this parking lot in a violent act where they freed her husband, the couple then was looked for here as if -- everyone was looking for them as if they were still here, because they had really no clue exactly where they might have been going.

They were treating them as -- that they could possibly be anywhere. Extra authorities were brought into this town after it happened to augment their patrols. They were looking on back roads, they said. There were helicopter flights going over here. All this time, the couple was moving north, we find, to Kentucky, and then later to Ohio, where they were apprehended tonight, Aaron.

BROWN: Just so we don't have people racing to get maps and trying to figure out distance a little bit, from where you are, in Tennessee where this began, to the place where the second vehicle, the SUV, was found late today, is about how far?

MATTINGLY: From here, it's about 200 miles. And that moment really helped to focus everything here. And the authorities went before the cameras to tell us that they were -- at the time, that they were hopeful that there would be someone caught very soon.

BROWN: And then, a couple of hours later, it turns out that someone was not in the Cincinnati area, where they found the vehicle, but in the Columbus, Ohio, area, in roughly the central part of the state of Ohio, give or take. That's where, a short time ago, the press conference, the formal announcement, took place.

Officials with the TBI, the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation, U.S. Marshals were on hand. So were Columbus police, and here's some of what was said.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MARK GWYN, DIRECTOR, TENNESSEE BUREAU OF INVESTIGATION: We are very pleased to announce tonight that George and Jennifer Hyatte have been apprehended in Columbus, Ohio. They were at a Best Value Inn there in Columbus. Agents with the U.S. Marshals Service, the FBI, and the local Columbia (sic) police apprehended George and Jennifer Hyatte without incident.

We are processing the motel there now for evidence. We have found weapons. We don't know if it's the murder weapon, but we have found weapons, and we're processing those as we speak. Obviously, we're still -- we have agents on the ground. There's probably not a lot I can tell you, but I'll try to answer any questions that you have.

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

GWYN: I can't comment on that.

QUESTION: Can you tell us about their injuries, Jennifer and George?

GWYN: I can tell you that Jennifer is injured, but we don't know to what extent, yet.

QUESTION: (inaudible)

GWYN: I'll let the Marshals speak to bringing them back.

RON GIBBS, CHIEF DEPUTY, U.S. MARSHALS SERVICE: I'm sorry, the next question please?

QUESTION: What are you going to do (inaudible)

GIBBS: He will make an appearance -- should make an appearance tomorrow in federal court in Columbus, Ohio, at which time, the UFAP warrant, which has been issued out of this district, will be dismissed and he'll be turned over to local authorities for extradition back to Tennessee.

QUESTION: (inaudible)

GIBBS: Depending upon her medical situation, she will, eventually -- the same thing should -- will happen to her, and she will also eventually be extradited back by the state.

QUESTION: (inaudible)

GIBBS: Cannot give you a timeframe, no.

QUESTION: (inaudible)

GIBBS: For this evening, I guess around 8:00 or so, we started getting some information that the suspects were in the Ohio area. Our deputies were able to get some information, along with the FBI and the local authorities, here, and started following up on some leads, which led them to the hotel where they eventually were arrested.

QUESTION: Were they in the hotel room when they actually were, you know, come upon?

GWYN: Yes, they were. They were in the hotel room, and they were apprehended without incident.

QUESTION: What was their reaction?

GWYN: I can't say. But it was without incident.

QUESTION: Was Jennifer brought to the local hospital?

GWYN: I don't have that information right. I just would like to say that this is a classic example of when law enforcement cooperates, what can happen. And we had total cooperation between local, state, and federal law enforcement. And if nothing else, we can give the Morgan family some closure to this tragic incident.

QUESTION: (inaudible)

GWYN: We started receiving intelligence that they were in the area. Basically started conducting interviews, gathering more intelligence. And through that, the U.S. Marshals Service, the FBI, was able to determine that they were there at the hotel.

QUESTION: Was it local tips?

GWYN: I'm sorry?

QUESTION: Was there any indication of how they got from Erlanger to Columbus? Did they steal another vehicle? Do we know at this point?

GWYN: We can't give out that information at this time. It's an on-going investigation. We don't want to give out anything's that's going to damage the integrity of the investigation.

QUESTION: Will she be charged with murder?

GWYN: There are warrants for first-degree murder for both George and Jennifer Hyatte.

QUESTION: Will they be brought back here when they're extradited?

GWYN: At some point, they will be brought back to Roane County to face those charges.

QUESTION: Was he in shackles?

GWYN: No, he was not. Thank you.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BROWN: The last question, "Was he in shackles?" No, he was not. Also, there was a question asked, "Did they have a vehicle with them?" And while we don't know the specific answer to that, we do have a report that, at least, they got to the hotel. From where, we don't know. But they got to the motel -- I think "motel" is a better description -- by taxi. Whether that started the chain of tips that began about 8:00 tonight, in Ohio, we do not know.

David Mattingly. David, we've talked about his background, that he twice tried to escape from custody. Is there anything in her background that suggests that she would be involved in anything like that?

MATTINGLY: According to authorities here, she has no criminal background, which really makes this unusual for her, for what authorities knew about her. She was a nurse who worked in the Tennessee prison system for a time and lost her job because she became romantically involved with the man she later married. They were married a short time ago.

They have not had what you would think of as a conventional marriage because he's been behind bars, unable for the two of them to have any sort of life together. That is, until today, and what a life, apparently, it has been. Very short and very violent and apparently very desperate for the time they were on the run.

Authorities here, the way they describe it, they were able to pull this off by by-the-book police work. There were times that they were getting dozens of tips an hour from the public and other locations in this, and they were checking them all out.

They had leads that they were following from here all the way to the other side of the state in Memphis and in surrounding states. So finally, when they found the van up in northern Kentucky, they felt, finally, this was going to be focused, and they could see an end in sight.

BROWN: There's always, in these sorts of matters, a tremendous amount of detail that comes. And if you're reporting it, and if you're consuming it, frankly, you'd like the entire picture painted pretty clearly as quickly as possible.

But in fact, what happens is that over a period of hours, and in some cases days, the detail comes out and we'll know much more about the manhunt, how they got from A to B to C and to D and, ultimately, to that hotel over the next period of days.

But we do have little pieces of the puzzle that we can put in as we go along. Here are the comments of someone, of a witness in Columbus, Ohio, who apparently saw the conclusion of all of this, the arrest of the Hyattes made a short time ago, tonight.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: We had just pulled up. And we seen, like, policemen in vests and stuff, and I was like, Oh, no. I'm not getting out of the car. I had to go upstairs for a second because we work at the state fair. And I was like, Now, I'm not going to get out of the car. And, you know, they just -- for a while there, they were just circling around and covered every spot. And I'm like, Oh my gosh. Had to be drugs or something. But of course, it wasn't. The guy had told us -- well, the police had told us, later on, that it was a fugitive.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BROWN: That's a witness to the arrests, today. Jennifer Johnson is a public information officer with the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation, and she joins us from Tennessee this evening.

You got any more detail on what started this series of tips? Do you know when their trail was picked up?

JENNIFER JOHNSON, TENNESSEE BUREAU OF INVESTIGATION: Well, things really started to heat up, as far as the actual arrest, when we were able to pinpoint them around 6:00 Eastern Time to that hotel. From that point forward, even though we didn't capture them there, even though they had already left that room, we had felt all along that we were minutes behind them.

The intelligence that we were gathering behind the scenes gave us reason to believe that. The tips that we started to see coming in as a result of that information being put out, about the Kentucky motel, those also really helped us quite a bit in ferreting this out and finding them and, of course, we're elated.

BROWN: And as well you should be. When did you get -- when did TBI get word that the Marshals thought they knew exactly where they were?

JOHNSON: I'm sorry, can you repeat that?

BROWN: Yes, I'll try to even make it a little more clear. When did TBI get word from the Marshals Service that they believed they knew where they were hiding in Columbus?

JOHNSON: Well, the mobile command post for the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation has been on site since yesterday, within hours of the shooting. The U.S. Marshals Service, the FBI, local law enforcement, the Tennessee Highway Patrol, and the TBI, have all been working out of that mobile command post. So we've been in constant communication with them. So within minutes of this arrest, we have been in the middle of that.

Really, the TBI, as far as tonight, once this expanded out beyond the state of Tennessee, we've been the hub of information, and we've also been receiving all those tips. So it's just kind of been a free flow of information all night long, but we've known about it since the second it happened.

BROWN: I want to back in time. I guess what I'm trying to find out a little bit, Ms. Johnson, is, was it 10:00 tonight or 9:30 tonight or something that somebody first said, "We think we know they're in Columbus, Ohio, and we think we know they're in a hotel, there"? Do you know when that took place? JOHNSON: Well, it's all sort of a series of connect the dots. I mean, I can't say when the exact magical moment when that one person gave us that tip, because we're constantly receiving information in. I don't even know that someone would sit down be that meticulous about it.

I think that, as far as the timeline goes, what we can say is that at 6:00 Eastern time, entry was made on the motel in Kentucky. They were gone. From that point forward, we came out, made that information available shortly thereafter to the public. Tips began flooding in about additional sightings in that area. Information has been coming and going ever since, and they were arrested about 10:00 Eastern time. So you're talking about a four-hour window.

BROWN: When you heard that they had been captured and captured without incident, can you describe what the scene was like in the mobile command center there?

JOHNSON: Well, I mean, here, there was just a lot of phone calls being made. Really, it's too bad that people can't come in there and see the level of work that's being done in there, people flinging phones everywhere, shouting things out.

It's very organized, but at the same time, there's so much action going on. And of course, a lot of that information we couldn't have out to the public because it would be very tough to ever apprehend fugitives if they knew how we did it.

BROWN: Did people applaud?

JOHNSON: I won't say that people applauded, because I think maybe we're all too tired for that. There were a lot of smiles going around and, I think, a lot of relief that no law enforcement personnel was injured, because, as you know, this can go down a number of ways. We didn't know what they may be capable of. We didn't know if they were going to come out firing shots. So we were relieved, elated, and I think everyone's exhausted.

BROWN: I'll bet everyone is exhausted. Just bear with me for a couple more.

JOHNSON: Okay.

BROWN: Was there -- there's always hope that these things will end as soon as possible. Did you, in your heart of hearts, did your colleagues, in their heart of hearts, believe it would end tonight?

JOHNSON: Yes, we did. Really, since about 5:00 Eastern time, we had had an incredible level of optimism, just because of the really credible tips that were coming in. And I think once you start to build momentum like that, and it really kind of feeds off of itself. And it pumped new energy into this. And I just think that there has been a level of confidence all night long that we would apprehend them tonight.

BROWN: We know a little bit about that. He's out of shackles. They have weapons. It obviously could have ended -- as you mentioned a moment ago, it could have ended really ugly up in Columbus. It sounded like he goes to court tomorrow, and you may have him back fairly quickly in Tennessee. Is that your understanding?

JOHNSON: It is my understanding. There's a lot of logistical -- there are a lot of logistical details to work out. I've really been forwarding all those questions to the U.S. Marshals Service, because they will be the ones to bring him back here. But it is my understanding that once he is brought back to Tennessee, he'll come to the local law enforcement. They're both facing a murder charge.

BROWN: Ms. Johnson, you did a terrific job, and the people you work with did a terrific job. I know that answering all these questions, or trying to put the best non-answer you can on it, not always the easiest thing in the world. And I know you appreciate we have to ask them, and we appreciate your efforts to answer them. Thank you.

JOHNSON: Well, if I could just add, I think that, really, we could not have done this without the media's participation and the level of support that everyone's provided. So thank you for that as well.

BROWN: Thank you, Jennifer Johnson, who's the spokeswoman, public information officer for the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation, which, in the state of Tennessee, became the lead police agency on this. U.S. Marshals, FBI, Ohio police, Columbus, Ohio, police, others involved in the capture of George and Jennifer Hyatte, tonight. We'll continue our coverage after a break. This is a special edition of NEWSNIGHT.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BROWN: Continuing, now, our coverage of the capture of George and Jennifer Hyatte, captured tonight in Columbus, Ohio. Talk about quick work. We just got a front page, the front page of the "Cincinnati Enquirer," and they put a new headline on a story they wrote late this afternoon, "Fugitives Caught in Columbus, Tennessee Escapee Wife Hailed Cab from Erlanger, Ohio."

So Erlanger is the area. David Mattingly is with us. David, Erlanger is the area in northern Kentucky, southern -- where, sort of, Ohio and Kentucky come together. So according to the reporting of the "Cincinnati Enquirer," at least, and this dovetails a bit with what we heard coming out of Columbus, they catch a cab -- that's a long cab ride -- in Ohio, the Cincinnati area, and make their way to Columbus.

MATTINGLY: Speaking to authorities here, it's possible there was some other mode of transportation, possibly another vehicle involved between the time they left northern Kentucky and ended up in Columbus. Something other, from the time they left that hotel in Kentucky, taking them, possibly, to another location where they then took a taxi. They're still trying to work out those details, but at this point, they don't believe they took a cab all the way from Kentucky.

BROWN: David, stay with us, here. I need to interrupt you just briefly. Simone Wilkinson has been reporting the story for WSYX in Columbus, and she joins us now.

Can you give us any more detail on sort of what led up to the capture and how the capture played out?

SIMONE WILKINSON, REPORTER, WSYX: Well, it turned out quite peacefully, actually, considering the situation. Apparently, they tracked them here about two hours ago. They got a tip. When they came here, they found that the pair had actually arrived in a taxi cab. So they weren't exactly sure how. No word on what kind of taxi cab that was.

A U.S. marshal went in on foot to confirm that they were in there. They were actually on the second floor of this Best Value Inn. When they actually got here and confirmed that they were here, they then called Jennifer and they spoke to her for a little while, told her that they knew they were inside, they knew they were armed, and they figured it was best for all of them to come out peacefully. It would be the best way to do it. And if they didn't come out, they were going in.

So they came out peacefully. Both are in custody, now. Neither have made statements. Marshal and SWAT collected a lot of evidence. You can see them bringing it down. No idea what was in those bags. Still waiting to hear back on that.

BROWN: When did this phone call place? Do you know about what time this phone call took place to Jennifer Hyatte in the hotel room?

WILKINSON: No. Police are being pretty closed-mouthed right now, trying to keep it all hush-hush, obviously because the investigation is ongoing. They say it's been roughly an hour ago, but that timeline is rather sketchy because the evidence is just not here for us right now, and they're just trying to hold onto it to find out what's going on.

BROWN: I just want to go over a couple details with you, OK? Do you believe they took a cab from northern Kentucky to Columbus? How far is that?

WILKINSON: To be honest, I'm not exactly sure. They said they were in Cincinnati around 11:00, so it's not confirmed where they actually picked up that cab. Apparently, they had an SUV in Kentucky, where they did stop. Not confirmed if they took the cab from Kentucky.

They did find the SUV, but we are told they left Cincinnati around 11:00 this morning. So, possibly, they took the cab from Cincinnati, although they are not confirming exactly where. They're not even telling us who they were with.

BROWN: So that's a new piece of information for us. So let me play it back to make sure I understand it, Simone. What you're being is they were in the Cincinnati area, or at least had left the Cincinnati area, that southern Ohio, northern Kentucky area, before noon today. They actually found the SUV late this afternoon, is that correct? WILKINSON: They said they found this SUV. They didn't give me a timeline personally. At first, to be honest, they said, "Well, we're not confirming about the cab."

We said, "We already found out. We have evidence they did come by cab."

And then they sort of turned around and said, "Well, all right, they came by cab. No more information about where that cab trip started or where it ended or who the tip came from."

BROWN: Nice work, tonight. Thank you, Simone Wilkinson, with WSYX-TV in Columbus, Ohio. Nice job in filling out a little more detail. And the most intriguing detail there, a phone call made by a U.S. marshal into that hotel room telling Jennifer Hyatte, "We know you're there. Either come out or we're coming in." And as we now hear the story, they came out. David Mattingly joins us, again, from Tennessee, and we'll continue to put this puzzle together as this special edition NEWSNIGHT continues in a moment.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BROWN: Well, we can put a fair number of pieces together, and there are a lot of questions still to be answered in the capture of George and Jennifer Hyatte tonight in Columbus, Ohio. But we know, at least now, David Mattingly, down in Tennessee, we know how the endgame went down. Through a series of tips, police find them at this motel. They check to make sure yes, they are in that motel. And then they pick up the telephone and call the room, 236-B, I think it said, up on the second floor, at least. And they talked to her and they say, "Jennifer, we know you're in there, and this is going to end one of two ways. You can come out or we can go in."

And we don't know how much time transpired, but some amount of time transpired, and the two came out and were taken into custody without incident.

MATTINGLY: That's right, Aaron. They say it was the combination of public tips and good police work, possibly even involving their monitoring of cell phone traffic, but they haven't confirmed that yet. They did say that this was a peaceful ending, the best ending they could have possibly hoped for here. And here's what they had to say when they made the long-awaited announcement.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

GWYN: We are very pleased to announce tonight that George and Jennifer Hyatte have been apprehended in Columbus, Ohio. They were at a Best Value Inn there in Columbus. Agents with the U.S. Marshals Service, the FBI, and the local Columbia police apprehended George and Jennifer Hyatte without incident.

We are processing the motel there, now, for evidence. We have found weapons. We don't know if it's the murder weapon, but we have found weapons, and we're processing those as we speak. Obviously, we're still -- we have agents on the ground. There's probably not a lot I can tell you, but I'll try to answer any questions that you have.

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

GWYN: I can't comment on that.

QUESTION: Can you tell us about their injuries, Jennifer and George?

GWYN: I can tell you that Jennifer is injured, but we don't know to what extent, yet.

QUESTION: (inaudible)

GWYN: I'll let the marshal speak to bringing them back.

GIBBS: I'm sorry, the next question please?

QUESTION: What are you going to do (inaudible)

GIBBS: He will make an appearance -- should make an appearance tomorrow in federal court in Columbus, Ohio, at which time, the escape (ph) warrant, which has been issued out of this district, will be dismissed and he'll be turned over to local authorities for extradition back to Tennessee.

Depending upon her medical situation, she will, eventually -- the same thing should happen to her and she will also eventually be extradited back to the state.

QUESTION: (inaudible)

GIBBS: Cannot give you a timeframe, no.

QUESTION: (inaudible)

GIBBS: For this evening, I guess around 8:00 or so, we started to get some information that the suspects were in the Ohio area. Our deputies were able to get some information, along with the FBI and the local authorities, here, and started following up on some leads, which led them to the hotel where they eventually were arrested.

QUESTION: Were they actually in the hotel room when they actually were, you know, come upon?

They were -- yes, they were in the hotel room, and they were apprehended without incident.

COSBY: Wonder what their reaction was?

GWYN: I can't say, but it was without incident.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: (UNINTELLIGIBLE) hospital?

GWYN: I don't have that information right now. I just would like to say that this is a classic example of when law enforcement cooperates, what can happen. We had total cooperation between local, state and federal law enforcement. And if nothing else, we can give the Morgan family some closure to this tragic incident.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: (UNINTELLIGIBLE)

GWYN: We started receiving intelligence they were in the area, basically started conducting interviews, gathering more intelligence. And through that, the U.S. Marshals Service, the FBI was able to determine that they were there at the hotel.

COSBY: Was it local, or...

GWYN: I'm sorry.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Was there any indication how they got to Erlanger? Did they steal another vehicle? Do we know at this point?

GWYN: We can't give out that information at this time. It's an ongoing investigation. We don't want to give out anything that's going to be damaging the integrity of the investigation.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: (UNINTELLIGIBLE)

GWYN: There are warrants for first degree murder for both George and Jennifer Hyatte.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: (UNINTELLIGIBLE)

GWYN: At some point, they will be brought back to Roane County to face their charges.

COSBY: Was he in shackles?

GWYN: No, he was not. Thank you.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

BROWN: That was Mark Gwyn of the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation. Mr. Gwyn, who's had a long 24-plus hours, is with us now.

First and foremost, congratulations. Obviously, your people and everyone involved are much relieved and very satisfied to have this over. And that's good police work, and so good for you. You'll sleep better tonight, whenever sleep comes.

Can you tell us what time the arrest itself was made?

GWYN: The arrest was approximately 10 p.m. Eastern Time. The SWAT team from the Columbus, Ohio, police department descended upon the room, where we had gathered intelligence that George and Jennifer Hyatte were staying. They entered that room. George and Jennifer Hyatte gave up without incident.

BROWN: Can you confirm that, either one of your -- one of your people or a U.S. marshal made a phone call to the room, talked to Jennifer and said, "We're here. We know you're there. This will end one of two ways: you come out, we come in."

Did that call take place?

GWYN: I cannot confirm that. There was a lot going on at that time. I know there was some surveillance on the room. There were some walk-throughs. But I cannot confirm that phone call.

BROWN: Honestly, not to be difficult, OK? Really I'm not. You're not denying that that phone call took place. You're just saying you're not going to tell me it took place. Is that right?

GWYN: Right. I am not denying that phone call took place.

BROWN: OK. Do you know, is there any evidence that any -- anyone else other than the two of them was involved in this?

GWYN: Obviously, it's an ongoing investigation. We feel pretty sure that there were other people that knew about the escape. To what extent right now, we just don't know. I have agents in Ohio to interview both Jennifer and George. Once we conduct those interviews, I think that we'll haven a better idea of who all took part in this escape.

BROWN: Mr. Gwyn, do you believe that obviously, the escape itself was well planned, and ruthlessly executed. Do you believe that they had a plan after that that they were headed someplace specific, that they knew where they were going or they were just running?

GWYN: It's hard to speculate. You know, I think they had a plan. Did it go off the way they wanted it to or expected it to? I doubt it. So once a plan goes awry, a lot of times you just go on instinct. And I think when the plan went bad, they just probably took off and just started trying to get outside the county. And then once you get outside the county, you try to get outside the state and so forth.

BROWN: How bad is she hurt?

GWYN: We think she's pretty seriously injured. At least probably one gunshot wound.

BROWN: What part of her body is hit? Can you tell us?

GWYN: We don't know at this time. We will be giving her medical treatment pretty soon, and we'll find out. But we feel pretty sure that there's at least -- she has at least one gunshot wound.

BROWN: Any reason to believe the injury's life threatening?

GWYN: Not at this time. But they are serious.

BROWN: Mr. Gwyn, congratulations. This is a satisfying end for you on a difficult day. It will never be a happy ending, because the Morgan family will live with what went on at that courthouse for the rest of their lives. But it's a satisfying ending for any law enforcement agency. And so congratulations. GWYN: Thank you.

BROWN: Thank you very much for your time. Mark Gwyn of -- director of the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation. We'll take a break. When we come back, we'll talk with John Bolen of the U.S. Marshals Service. Marshal Service much involved in the end game of all of this. And we'll hear Mr. Bolen's perspective right after the break.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BROWN: Continuing our coverage of the capture of George and Jennifer Hyatte in Columbus, Ohio, tonight after his escape from custody in Tennessee with her assistance, which left one person dead and she, apparently, rather badly injured.

John Bolen is with the U.S. Marshals Service and was involved in -- in what went down tonight in Columbus. And he joins us on the telephone. Can you tell me how many officers were involved in the end game here?

JOHN BOLEN, SUPERVISOR, U.S. MARSHALS SERVICE: Mr. Brown, yes, if we're talking specifically about the apprehension itself, there was approximately eight deputy United States marshals, as well as the CPD SWAT team, the Columbus Police Department SWAT team. And their -- their numbers were approximately about a dozen. So in all, about 20 law enforcement officials.

BROWN: Was the hotel or the motel there evacuated?

BOLEN: Surrounding rooms, yes sir. We identified which rooms were vacant, and we asked people in adjoining rooms and rooms that certainly could have been in harm's way, we did evacuate those rooms.

BROWN: How -- how were you able to do that without -- or were you able to do that without letting them know that you were there?

BOLEN: Well, fortunately, the hotel was not extremely busy at the time. And so there was not that many people that needed to be -- needed to be moved. We simply just had hotel employees place phone calls to rooms, as well as actually literally knock on the doors and ask people to step outside just as we were about to -- to try to make the apprehension.

BROWN: And that's where I want to go next. One of the reports we've heard is that -- this is -- I'm not sure how familiar people are with the Marshals Service. This is one of the things the Marshals Service does best, really, is tracking down and ultimately apprehending people who are fugitives of the law. One of the reports we've gotten -- we've received is that someone from the marshal service called the room, talked to Mrs. Hyatte. Can you confirm that?

BOLEN: Yes, I can confirm that. It was one of the deputies that works for me here in Columbus. Her name is Deputy Nicky Ralston (ph), and I had Nicky (ph) place a telephone call into the hotel room and speak with Mrs. Hyatte. Jennifer Hyatte answered the telephone. She told them that the room was surrounded and that, essentially, they had no hope of escape and that we wanted to do things the way that we prefer to do them, of course, peacefully. And we gave them an opportunity to self-surrender. At which time they did so.

BROWN: Mr. Bolen, how long did that conversation take -- how long a conversation was that?

BOLEN: It was probably less than a one-minute conversation.

BROWN: The officer or the marshal that you had make the call, does she have special training in that? Did you specifically pick a woman for any particular reason? Is it just who was near the phone at the time? How did you make that decision?

BOLEN: Sir, I just made that decision based on personnel that were at the scene. It just so happened that we were partnered at the time and we were the first to be on the scene. And she had just right place, right time, I guess, so to speak. She had the telephone number in hand to hotel employees that were actually able to transfer her into the room. It was that simple, really.

And as far as the conversation, no particular training. We weren't there to try to hostage negotiate at that particular time. We just basically were wanting to confirm that they were actually still inside the room. And of course, using the training she had, when she answered the phone. That was -- the instruction that she gave was to step out and to walk toward the Columbus Police Department SWAT team members and myself that were standing outside the door.

BROWN: And were you just outside the door?

BOLEN: Yes, we were. We were standing there, just adjacent to the door.

BROWN: And I'm sorry. I'm just a stickler for trying to understand detail. Where -- where is the phone call taking place? Is she also just outside the door?

BOLEN: She's actually down at the -- this is down on the second level of a motel.

BROWN: OK.

BOLEN: And Deputy Ralston (ph) was actually down on the ground level, watching me, taking instruction on when to place the call. And...

BROWN: And you have how many -- how many marshals and other officers with you right outside that door at that time?

BOLEN: Right outside the door was the Columbus Police Department SWAT team. Those members at the door were probably six in number. And myself.

BROWN: Answer this as best you're willing to, I guess. Did you think they'd walk out, or did you think you were walking in?

BOLEN: The best I can answer it, you never know in these situations. You're hopeful that they'll walk out, but you're prepared to walk in. Based on the alleged incident that occurred a couple days ago, to be frank, I certainly believe that we would have to go in.

BROWN: When the phone call was being made, were you able to hear the conversation on the other side of the door?

BOLEN: No, sir. Actually, I was not. I was not able to hear that at all. We were not actually standing right at the door, for obvious reasons, believing that they were armed and dangerous. Standing just around the corner.

BROWN: Just give me a sense, if you can, Mr. Bolen. You know this call is being made. Is it just incredibly quiet, or are people holding their breath? I mean, is it -- is it you can cut the tension with a knife? I guess all the cliches that come to mind. Is that what it's like?

BOLEN: To some degree, yes. To some degree it is, but at the same time, things are moving rapidly, and you really don't have time to think about things like that. We're trained to act and react, and that's -- that's how things go. That's what we get paid to do.

BROWN: What time was it when the U.S. Marshals Service in Columbus, Ohio, began to believe that it was going to be a player in -- in this?

BOLEN: Well, I actually got a telephone call -- it came directly to me from one of the deputy marshals down in Cincinnati, which is also part of our district. And they said, "Hey, we think that these folks might be in your backyard." They, of course, as you're probably well aware, had been already actively looking at a hotel room or motel room there in Erlanger, Kentucky. And we just quickly assembled.

That was probably about 9 p.m. or so. And the apprehension was made probably sometime just before 11. So everything did move relatively quickly.

BROWN: It moved. The apprehension was just before 11 or was it before 10?

BOLEN: I apologize. I did misspeak. It was just before 10 p.m.

BROWN: OK. And did it seem like the clock was racing, or was it, again, this is the sort of detail that those of us who are not in law enforcement can't really imagine. Are things playing out for you in slow motion? Is there -- or are you just so busy trying to make sure that everything that needs to be done, that every precaution that your people are protected and safe and all of that? Are you just so busy you don't have a chance to even look at your watch?

BOLEN: You know, you really don't. You really don't have an opportunity to look at your watch. And time does seem to -- to go by rather quickly. I'm just very fortunate to work with a great group of professionals who knew what to do and with simple instruction are in the right places. And are there at the right times.

And again, I have to give a great deal of credit to the Columbus Police Department SWAT team. From the moment the call went in to them from us, they were on the scene very quickly. And those guys are outstanding.

BROWN: And just , finally, by the way, on the subject of outstanding you've been outstanding.

BOLEN: Thank you.

BROWN: Can you tell me -- can you tell us at all about the extent of Mrs. Hyatte's injuries?

BOLEN: I can't speak specifically to it. I will tell you that we brought Mrs. Hyatte back to a location where we could have an opportunity to -- to speak with her, first of all, and also process her. But also, we had emergency medical services dispatched and brought to that same location where they were treating her as we speak. She more likely than not probably will be admitted to the hospital. My understanding at this time, none of the injuries are life threatening.

BROWN: She say anything?

BOLEN: At this point, I'd rather not comment. We certainly are giving both Mr. and Mrs. Hyatte and opportunity to make a statement.

BROWN: I suspect you are. Mr. Bolen, congratulations to you and to the people you work with in the U.S. Marshals Service. As I said earlier, I'm not sure people generally understand how much of this sort of thing the Marshals Service does every day, does it well, doesn't get a lot of notoriety for it, except in moments like this. But we've been aware of it for some time. We appreciate your good efforts on any day, and we appreciate them tonight.

BOLEN: And we appreciate your reporting. Thank you so much.

BROWN: Thank you, sir. John Bolen, U.S. Marshals Service, the supervisor in Columbus, Ohio, there, which the pretty -- is the best description, I must say, that we've had and that we suspect that anyone's had of how the last couple of minutes played out.

There are blanks to fill in that sort of got us to that point. How did we get to Columbus, Ohio? How did you get from Kingston, Tennessee, to Erlanger, Kentucky, and then up into Columbus today? And we have some detail on that. Irene Kelley is a reporter, and she'll join us. We need to take a short break first. And our coverage continues in a moment.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) BOLEN: They responded to the scene, set up a perimeter. And we then made a phone call into the room, and we asked -- we told George and Jennifer, but we spoke with Jennifer, that we knew they were in there. We knew that there was a possibility they could be armed. We didn't want to harm them. And so we asked them to come out.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BROWN: That's John Bolen, the U.S. Marshals Service we just -- just got off the phone with. And he supplied an awful lot of detail of how the last few minutes of the capture of George and Jennifer Hyatte went down in Columbus. U.S. Marshals Service, the SWAT team from the Columbus Police Department involved. About 20 officers in total, both services, mostly hanging outside that door, room 236B in that hotel, waiting to see if they were going in or the couple was coming out.

The couple, in fact, came out. Mrs. Hyatte suffering a gun shot wound, and we're not quite clear on her condition, but she'll probably end up in the hospital. She's not in great shape. He's been taken to jail. And as Mr. Bolen said, they're both being given an opportunity to make a statement. Whether they will or not, we do not know.

How they got to Columbus is the next piece of the puzzle. Irene Kelley is a part of the team of reporters, I suspect team of reporters, for the "Cincinnati Enquirer," newspaper in Cincinnati that's been working on the story. And she joins us now.

You all pick up the story in the greater Cincinnati area, I guess, when the car is found, the second car is found. Is that right?

EILEEN KELLEY, CORRESPONDENT, "CINCINNATI ENQUIRER": Yes, it is.

BROWN: About what time was that?

KELLEY: There were some unconfirmed reports that the car had been spotted here on Tuesday. Early Wednesday morning, some all points bulletins went out to some different law enforcement agencies, telling them to be on the lookout for a gold van. And we do know that it was sometime after four before five when police emerged at the Econolodge.

BROWN: Yes.

KELLEY: And started surrounding the area. The Erlanger Police Department, they were soon joined by the SWAT team, U.S. marshals and the FBI, as well as a few other agencies.

BROWN: Eileen, and it is Eileen, and I apologize for that.

KELLEY: Thank you, Aaron.

BROWN: Do you know how they got from that point in the greater Cincinnati area to Columbus?

KELLEY: They took a cab. BROWN: How long of a cab ride is that?

KELLEY: It's about 100 miles.

BROWN: Do we know who the cabbie was? Do we know...

KELLEY: We're still trying to track down the cab driver's name. We do know the company. It's Community Cab Yellow Cabs. And that we're told that they were paying customers.

BROWN: So this cab driver wasn't forced to...

KELLEY: No. Apparently, he had no idea what was going on. It had to have been some time before 5, because officers stormed the hotel at about 4:50. And they believe that the couple had left relatively quickly and just before their arrival. Apparently, they called a cab. It's unclear right now from where, if it was from the hotel or not.

The cab driver took them to Columbus, dropped them off at the hotel, and it was not until he -- as we are being told right now, it was not until he returned back home, which I believe is in northern Kentucky or possibly Cincinnati area, that he turned on the news and realized who his paying customers were.

BROWN: Wow.

KELLEY: Yes.

BROWN: Wow. Eileen, thanks for your time tonight. I know you guys are filing and updating.

KELLEY: Yes.

BROWN: And doing all that. And we appreciate you taking a few minutes to talk with us. Thank you.

KELLEY: OK. Thanks.

BROWN: Eileen Kelley with the "Cincinnati Enquirer." They'll be updating their story for the paper tomorrow.

David Mattingly has been doing some updating down in Tennessee. We've got an awful lot of detail, and we'll put it all together in one clear picture after a short break.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BROWN: Well, the truth is, if you like news breaking on your watch and putting the pieces of it together, it's been a fascinating hour and a half or so. David Mattingly, as this has been playing out, what have you heard? What sort of jumped out at you?

DAVID MATTINGLY, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, what jumped out at me is probably the same thing that jumped out at the authorities here. Everyone was anticipating a violent end to a spree that began so violently, but it was something that ended, as they said many times, without incident, peacefully, and something that they were very happy to see, Aaron.

BROWN: Indeed. David, nice work tonight. We were struck, as we often are, by the professionalism of the law enforcement agencies involved. Just listening to them tell their stories tonight, it's a great reminder of that. We'll take a look at how the local papers are headlining it after this short break.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BROWN: This is the headline they'll see across Tennessee and Ohio and in many other places tomorrow: "Fugitives Captures at Motel in Ohio." You saw it play out tonight. Have a good night. And good night for all of us.

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