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Flooding in Missouri; Fugitive Caught; Two Arrested in New Year's Eve Plot; Student Killed by Chicago Police. Aired 2-2:30p ET

Aired December 29, 2015 - 14:00   ET

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

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[14:00:02] BROOKE BALDWIN, CNN ANCHOR: All right. You're watching CNN. I'm Brooke Baldwin.

And we begin with breaking news. Here we have it, just one day after tornadoes and these monster storms just devastated large sections of this country, one town right now actually on the verge of going under water. Union, Missouri. And the pictures tell you everything you need to know. They are now warning folks to get out right now because the access roads will be flooded in a matter of hours, not a matter of if, but when.

The floods there, they're already covering some of these homes. They're covering cars, restaurants, businesses. But the race is on to get these people out before it is too late.

So joining me by phone I have Lauren Mueller with me, who is nearby and seeing some of this flooding. And we also have Tom Sater, our meteorologist there in the CNN Weather Center.

So I'm just going to ping-pong between the two of you since this is the story at the moment.

Lauren, to you first. I saw your picture and I think we can show it. You were saying this is insanity, all of this water. Tell me where you are and what you're seeing.

LAUREN MUELLER, CNN CORRESPONDENT (via telephone): I'm in downtown St. Charles right now and Frontier Park is completely under water. There's a pavilion that is just absolutely surrounded. Ducks are swimming where my feet were two weeks ago. It's just mounds of water. I - they've got the - all these walkways that I used to walk on completely blocked off because it's getting ready to keep coming higher and higher.

BALDWIN: Laruen, were you in your car when I saw a photo that was take and you had to, what, be rerouted because the water was just too much?

MUELLER: Yes, I was driving from my home in St. Chesterfield to St. Charles to do some shopping and I didn't realize how bad the flooding had gotten because I've been kind of a - kind of off to the side of it. And I drove a little bit north and all of a sudden 141 was - like flooded in the area. So I had to kind of take an alternate route.

BALDWIN: Lauren, do me a favor and hang with me because I have a lot more I want to ask of you.

But, Tom Sater, let me pivot to you, because we're talking, you know, about multiple towns and cities in Missouri. You know, some that are in particular dire straits as far as getting out of town before they're under water.

TOM SATER, AMS METEOROLOGIST: Yes.

BALDWIN: Can you walk us through where we're talking about?

SATER: Yes, Brooke. I know this area well. Born and raised in St. Louis and flooding is no stranger to some areas. 1993, the historic year, where there's massive flooding, mainly along the Mississippi and the Missouri Rivers.

Now, I just drove back on Sunday after a week's worth of rain. They had over eight, even nine inches of rainfall. Lambert Airport, about eight and a half. You're going to see the stationary front.

But let's break this down even more because it's more than just looking at flood watches. Major rivers. You've got the Mississippi, obviously. Everything flows into the Mississippi. But you've got the Missouri River. You've got the Meramec River. Even down in areas of around Little Rock, or the Arkansas River, we're seeing moderate flooding expected for the capital of Little Rock, but major flooding north and south of the cities there.

But let me break this down because this is a little confusing. We've got several areas of concern. First, here is downtown St. Louis. Yes, it can flood. City parks flood. Even into the Illinois side, the Bellville (ph) area, (INAUDIBLE). But north of St. Louis, in between the Missouri and the Mississippi is West Alton. Maybe 50,000 to 55,000 population. I'm not quite sure. It does flood. That's under evacuation. They did not have a levee breach, but what they had is over topping. And that's just as bad because the number one cause for levees to breach is over topping.

Now, the record flooding on the Mississippi in 1993 hit a stage of 49.5 feet. They're expected Thursday morning to get up to about 44.8. That's the second highest level in history. Down to the south on the Mississippi, you have the Meramec. That's where the pictures have been coming in from Union. You get out towards St. Charles County, you've got the Missouri River. That's where we have flooding there. So it's very confusing to see all these pictures from our affiliates at KTVI (ph). So the Union on the Meramec River, you get on Highway 44 out to Highway 50, you're going to flood. That's going to be probably closed down at some point on 44. That's a major highway. Interstate 70, Brooke, west of metro St. Louis, you get out to around Midrivers (ph), that was closed a couple days ago. That's a major interstate. Eastbound traffic was closed and even on westbound down to a lane. That may be closed again.

But then on the Meramec River, this is where you've got other communities that have seen flooding in the past. Not just from Union, but it will go to Pacific, it will go to Fenton, and then to Arnold. That also feeds the Mississippi. What we're going to see is even though we may not have a record crest in St. Louis, we're seeing records on the Meramec that go back to 1982.

And then in the town of Chester, just south, on the Mississippi River, we are expecting an all-time record crest. Let's see, back in 1993, they were at 40 - well, they're at 40 feet now. They're expected to go to 49.7. That's going to be very close to record, just at it or above. So even though some rivers are at record, they're still getting higher. Some areas are going to recede, but it's going to take a couple days. But, historically, second greatest flood that we're seeing in some areas on the Mississippi and the Missouri River. All- time for the Meramec.

[14:05:08] BALDWIN: Some of these towns are sounding familiar. We've covered flooding in this part of the country certainly before. Tom Sater, we have you well positioned today as a Missouri boy to talk about what's happening back in your home state. So we'll keep you close, of course.

And, Lauren Mueller, final question to you there in St. Charles. What are you doing right now? Are you sitting tight, sitting it out? Are you being told to leave?

MUELLER: No, nobody's being told to leave yet. This is pretty common that the Missouri floods, but I'm definitely going to be taking a different way home. My dad is actually out in Union and he said the 44 is shut down there.

BALDWIN: OK, Union is one of those areas -

MUELLER: He had to take a different way home from Washington, Missouri.

BALDWIN: Yes, we are watching -

MUELLER: So - yes, I'm - I'm pretty safe where I'm at, but I'm definitely going to kind of avoid the 141 because that's where the Meramecd's headed and I'm going to avoid that area now.

BALDWIN: You know what you're talking about, Lauren Mueller. Thank you so much. Stay safe to you and folks in these areas. We will keep a close eye on Missouri and the flooding situation there.

Meantime, a going away party before fleeing to Mexico. Hmm, shocking new details about the so-called affluenza teen Ethan Couch. The 18- year-old has now been nabbed by authorities in the vacation hotspot of Puerto Vallarta, along with his mother. Officials have been hunting for the pair for several weeks after Couch violated his probation. His case infuriated a lot of people. Ethan Couch making headlines after he avoided any jail time for killing these four people, plowing through a group while driving drunk on a Texas road two years ago. His defense attorney successfully arguing that his family's wealth meant he did not understand the limits or accountability. Take a listen to law enforcement talking about their planning the eventual capture of these two. (BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SHERIFF DEE ANDERSON, TARRANT COUNTY, TEXAS: What we suspected all along had happened, that they had had planned to disappear. That they even had something that was almost akin to a going away party before they - before they left town. Our suspicion that his mother was assisting him and helping him has proven true, we believe. And so we followed those leads and eventually led to Puerto Vallarta, Mexico, where they were taken into custody.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BALDWIN: So let's begin. Ed Lavandera there in Dallas for me.

So mom and son, they're still in Mexico. What happens next? And what exactly could these two be charged with?

ED LAVANDERA, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, we are just hearing from Mexican immigration officials saying that the mother and son will be deported voluntarily back here to the United States. That Mexican immigration official also saying that it is the wish of the mother and the son to return back here to Texas as well.

But what awaits them here is a far different, a much more serious circumstance than when they left here several weeks ago. Authorities here in Texas, in Fort Worth, say that as soon as the pair is back here in the United States, that the mother, Tonya Couch, will be arrested on a charge of hindering the apprehension of a fugitive. She now faces up to 10 years in prison for that.

But it is the case of Ethan Couch that is much more up in the air at this point. Technically, Ethan Couch hasn't committed any new crimes. He has just violated the terms of his probation. And what happens with him is still very much up in the air. It is presumed that he will be sent to juvenile jail. But right now prosecutors here in Fort Worth, what they're trying to do, Brooke, is get Couch's juvenile case pushed from a juvenile court system into the adult system, which they say will give them much more protection and much more accountability and much more serious consequences for violating the terms of a probation. But that hearing isn't scheduled until January 19th of next year, so it will take some time.

And then on top of all of this, Brooke, Ethan Couch turns 19 in mid- April. So even if he were to be sent to jail, he would have to be released on his 19th birthday. And what happens then is still very much up in the air. There's a series of possibilities that could happen with him. But all of this very much hinges on what the judge decides in January on what to do with his case and whether or not to move Ethan Couch's case from the juvenile system into the adult system here in Texas.

BANFIELD: To the adult. Wow. Ed Lavandera, thank you very much.

I am not finished with this. Let's bring in now Judge Larry Seidlin, who famously presided over the Anna Nicole Smith trial, former juvenile court judge.

Judge, nice to see you, sir.

JUDGE LARRY SEIDLIN, ANNA NICOLE SMITH JUDGE: Nice to be here. BALDWIN: Where to begin. Let me ask you this. I've just been - I've

been wondering, you know, if you were in Judge Jean Boyd's shoes, who is now retired after she was the one who handed down the sentence of probation, you know, and treatment to the teen who - to Ethan Couch who killed those four people and then, you know, here we now know the rest of the story. He and mom went on the lam to this resort in Mexico. How would you be feeling as a judge right now?

[14:10:10] SEIDLIN: I'd be pretty pissed off. The juvenile court is a court where you try to rehabilitate the children. I wonder why the prosecutor didn't file this case as - as an adult. Why he wasn't brought into adult court.

All right, now you're in juvenile court. The judge is looking at his prior record. He has alcohol in a prior crime. And then there's three things you do when you sentence. One is to punish, one is to rehabilitate, and one is to deter other people from committing this kind of crime. The judge embraced only leniency here. And I would have thrown some years into the mixture. I would have placed him in a secure facility for a couple of years at least. There was no jail time here. He hit the Texas lottery in the criminal justice system by getting just a lenient sentence.

BALDWIN: I am just so mindful of the families of these four people who were killed knowing that this - that this, you know, young man was put on probation and then went off to Mexico, you know, running away with his mother. Here's what I also want to know. The Tarrant County sheriff said that Ethan Couch and the mother, that they had planned to disappear, that they had something akin to like a going away party before they left town. Knowing that, judge, how would you defend this young man moving forward?

SEIDLIN: Well, a lawyer is going to try to sell you the Brooklyn Bridge, obviously. That's their job, to try to get a lenient -

BALDWIN: How? How?

SEIDLIN: Oh, they're going to use that - that term affluenza. It's - he's a spoiled brat and he should pay the price for taking four lives and injuring nine other human beings. And the judge, who's now retired collecting her pension from the Texas court system, she's no longer involved in this. So the new judge, the fact that the media is on top of this case, the new judge will throw the book at him, but the book is only a few more months because he turns 19. So the legal issue is, can the prosecutor move this case to adult court and try to get adult sanctions, get some state prison time. It's a close question because double jeopardy is going to take effect.

BALDWIN: Yes.

SEIDLIN: We've (INAUDIBLE) through his case. We've (INAUDIBLE) plea bargain. And the supreme court of Texas may not buy it. The local judge may allow it, may allow that case to be transferred to adult court because of the political ramifications. No one's exempt from the politics of these kinds of cases.

BALDWIN: Judge Seidlin -

SEIDLIN: Yes.

BALDWIN: What about looking ahead, final question, if he were to serve time, as you're just mentioning, and you have this, you know - I mean everyone knows about this affluenza case, I imagine including inmates. How would he be treated behind bars, do you think?

SEIDLIN: Well, what happens is the superintendent in a prison - and when I was a legal adviser at the sheriff's department, we separate a kid like this otherwise he'll be sexually assaulted. So you separate him. There's separate facilities for the juveniles that are now in adult court. So he would have to be separated.

But it's a - it's a legal maize that we're going to have to go through. And we're going to see as it progresses. I'm betting that the local Texas judge, that state court judge, may allow that to go to adult court because otherwise he's going to have tremendous ramifications when he's up for reelection.

BALDWIN: Yes.

SEIDLIN: But the supreme court of Texas may say, kids, no go. This is double jeopardy.

BALDWIN: Judge Larry Seidlin, thank you so much. We'll be watching.

SEIDLIN: My pleasure.

BALDWIN: We will indeed. Thank you, sir.

A New Year's attack thwarted. Belgium investigators say they have arrested two people for plotting the target well known sights in Brussels, capital city of Belgium. CNN has learned the duo appears to have been inspired, not directed by ISIS. We are told there is no credible threat involving New York's Times Square. CNN's global affairs correspondent Elise Labott joins me from Washington.

Elise Labott, talk to me about this thwarted Belgium plot.

ELISE LABOTT, CNN GLOBAL AFFAIRS CORRESPONDENT: Well, Brooke, they originally - Belgian authorities originally arrested six individuals, two of them have been charged with plotting a terrorist attack. And you remember just a few days ago, there was a warning coming out of Vienna that there were multiple cities that could be facing possible terrorist attacks on New Year's Eve. This does seem to be connect in some way to that.

[14:15:02] We understand investigators are - police seized military- style uniforms, computers, ISIS propaganda during these raids. We are not sure whether they, as you said, whether it was directed by ISIS, but it certainly seems to be inspired that (ph), Brooke. We don't know exactly -

BALDWIN: OK. LABOTT: Where the attacks would be, but they do understand it was supposed to be in some type of large venue where a lot of people could have been, including policemen.

BALDWIN: Thwarted, thwarted.

The second item I wanted to ask you about was this French ISIS fighter linked to the terror attacks in Paris. He was killed in an airstrike December 24th. What do we know about him?

LABOTT: Well, we're talking about 27-year-old Charaffe al Mouadan. He was investigated for terrorist plotting several times, including in 2012. He went to Syria in 2013. And we understand from CNN terrorist analyst Paul Cruickshank, he was in touch with some of the plotters of the Paris attacks, including the suspected ringleader, just days before the attack, Brooke.

Now, we don't - we don't know if he had any role in the attacks per say, but certainly the fact that he was in touch with the plotters and the - perhaps the suspected ringleader certainly has raised eyebrows. The coalition says he is among 10 ISIS leaders who have been killed in recent airstrikes. This guy was killed in Syria. Twenty-seven years old, we don't know what a real ISIS leader he was, but certainly he was someone on the coalition's target list, Brooke.

BALDWIN: All right, Elise Labott, thank you.

Coming up next, the father of the unarmed college student killed by Chicago police just over this weekend, he will join me live on why he called for help, what he saw and heard that night, and why he is now suing the city of Chicago.

Plus, a country singer right now is missing after sending an eerie tweet about going duck hunting during a storm. Hear where they found his friend.

And much more on our breaking news, this town telling people to get out now before flood waters cover the entire area. We will take you back there live to Missouri.

You're watching CNN. I'm Brooke Baldwin. We'll be right back.

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[14:20:40] BALDWIN: You're watching CNN. I'm Brooke Baldwin.

To a deadly police shooting in Chicago over the weekend just a day after Christmas. The family of one of the victims killed just filed a lawsuit against the city of Chicago. The father of Quintonio LeGrier alleges not only did police have no reason to shoot his son, but that the officer who fired did not even try to give any medical care to the 19-year-old young man who, according to this lawsuit, was still alive after he was shot. The suit adds that the father himself was forced from the scene as his son lay dying and the father was detained for hours under police questioning. Now, police say officers were dealing with a, quote, "a combative

subject," when Quintonio LeGrier was killed and they admit they accidentally killed a 55-year-old Bettie Jones when they were targeting LeGrier. The father of Quintonio LeGrier, I have Antonio LeGrier, joins me now along with his attorney, Bill Futris (ph).

So, gentlemen, thank you so much for joining me.

And Mr. LeGrier, to you specifically, I am so sorry for your loss.

ANTONIO LEGRIER, 19-YEAR-OLD SON, QUINTONIO KILLED BY CHICAGO POLICE: Thank you, Ms. Brooke.

BALDWIN: Let me just begin with you, talking a little bit more about your son. I know Quintonio, I understand he ran a marathon for charity, helping raise money for children in Africa. He was an honor engineering student in college. Can you help us get to know him a little bit more?

LEGRIER: At this point, Ms. Brooke, he was everything you just spoke of and more. He was a kind, generous son who always contribute nothing but the utmost respect for all people. His age, older, he was the model kid. You know, he wasn't perfect, but he was that type of kid that would respect anyone of authority. And he was a great son. The perfect son for me. He was a great son.

BALDWIN: I can't -

LEGRIER: He - he worked with me. I have my own business. He worked with me and I developed him to be an independent son and he was a great son.

BALDWIN: Can you now take me back to Saturday. You were the one who called police on your son.

LEGRIER: Yes.

BALDWIN: Can you first just tell me why?

LEGRIER: I heard a loud bang in my bedroom door. And I could only assume it was my son because only him and I was in the house. And when I thought about it, I was asleep. When I woke up and I thought about it, after a second banging on the door, I received a phone and called the police department because I wasn't equipped with being able to understand how to deal with my angry son at that time because I figured the police would know better how to handle an angry situation that my teenage son was going through. So I called the police.

BALDWIN: Let me - can I ask you about that without, you know, divulging personal information? When you talk about, you know, your son was angry, you told "The Chicago Sun-Times" that he had some anger issue, emotional problems. When you - you know, just knowing that, as you would as a father would know about his son, did you relay that when you called 911?

LEGRIER: At this point I can't remember what I said exactly and I - I - I know that when the call was made, I had just been awoken from a - a sleep, so I'm not sure exactly what I said. At this point in time, I can't remember.

BALDWIN: OK. So - so you know that your son, you believe he has this bat, he's banging on your door at, what, 4:00 or 5:00 in the morning. You're aroused from sleep. You call your neighbor, Bettie Jones, essentially, and correct me if I'm wrong, but saying, you know, listen, I'm calling police. Let them come in when they - when they arrive. Tell me what happened once police arrived at your home.

LEGRIER: Well, Ms. Brooke, in all fairness, I was in the bedroom. And after calling 911, I called Ms. Jones to indicate that there was some noise in the house and that she was not to open her door because I'm not sure exactly what was going on while I waited for the police to come. I only did it out of concern for her and her family's safety.

[14:25:14] BALDWIN: And then police arrive and what happened?

LEGRIER: I heard a noise, which was a voice saying, "whoa, whoa, whoa," to my knowledge, I can't accurately remember. But it was along those lines. And I proceeded down the staircase from my apartment on the second level. And as I got a quarter of the way down the staircase, I heard gunshots. I stopped at that point in time because I didn't know for sure where those shots were coming from. And at that - at that - after that, the gunshots stopped. I proceed further down the stairs, displaying my hands, indicating that I - I'm sorry, Ms. Brooke.

BALDWIN: No, I'm sorry.

LEGRIER: Indicating that - I'm so sorry. Give me one second. Indicating that I was the father and I was the one that called. And when I got to the bottom of the steps, I noticed the lower torso at first of someone in a stance in the grass. I did not know clearly as he was an officer or who he might have been. And as I got to the bottom of the stairs on the landing, I recognized someone standing there, dark hair, light skin, Spanish or perhaps Caucasian assent race. And I noticed a gesture. I can't believe it. I thought he was coming at me with that bat. "F" - the word "f", no, no, twice was yelled. I proceeded to look to my right and I saw my son laying there. And I saw his legs. And he was approximately three feet inside Ms. Jones' doorway.

And I wanted to reach out and grab him, but I wasn't trained in CPR or anything, so I didn't know exactly what to do except call out to him to let him know that I was there because my son - please, forgive me, Ms. Brooke. My son was laying there and he was still alive and moving. And no one - no one at all assisted him at any time while he was there. And at which point I looked back and saw Ms. Jones laying there. And, once again, yelled, screamed as loud as I can, someone get an ambulance. Someone get someone to help my son. That's all I could think to say.

At that time, an officer approached me and asked me, was anyone else in the unit upstairs. And I replied no. And he walked past me and he went into the unit. And I proceeded to continue to stand there and request an ambulance assistance or some police assistance to assist my son because I know he's still alive. I see him moving. But no one would reply to help my son or Ms. Jones.

At this point, an officer approached me and asked me, what's going on, calm down, calm down. And I replied, that's my son. Get him some assistance. And no one did anything. Once the paramedics approached the porch, they proceed on to the porch. And I looked back in the hallway and I see them dragging my son out. Not to roll him over to give him CPR, just to pull him out and put him on the gurney and roll him away. No one administered CPR at any point. No one.

At this point, I didn't know what to say or what to do. As I saw my son and Ms. Jones be rolled away with no one assisting them. I begged, I plead that they assist them with CPR, yet no one - no one assisted them at all.

BALDWIN: I -

LEGRIER: And all I can do - all I can do was say, why, why my son? And everyone's looking at me. And all I can think is, why did this have to happen? I don't know why. I don't know why.

BALDWIN: I don't know - I cannot even begin to pretend to understand what it is like to walk in your shoes right now. I am so sorry. After Christmas, to lose your child, this - you know, your neighbor, this 55-year-old woman who opens the door. She ends up getting shot accidentally. Police have acknowledged that.

[14:30:08] I want to give you a minute and just - just doing my job and my due diligence and -