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Driver Plows into Crowd on Bourbon Street in New Orleans; 10 Dead After Driver Slams Truck Through New Orleans Crowd. Aired 10:30- 11a ET

Aired January 01, 2025 - 10:30   ET

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

[10:30:00]

PAMELA BROWN, CNN ANCHOR: Well, we continue to follow the breaking news out of New Orleans. The FBI is now investigating the deadly overnight act as an act of terrorism. A federal law enforcement official tells CNN that the suspect is dead. And we've also learned that the FBI is looking into any possible associates of the suspect and into possible connections he had in Texas, because that is where the truck -- the license plate for the truck is from.

One official tells CNN that investigators believe the suspect got out of the truck shooting and was likely killed by police during an exchange of gunfire. Joining us now, our CNN National Security Analyst Juliette Kayyem and CNN Senior Law Enforcement Analyst Andrew McCabe.

We've learned a lot of new information from these last two interviews I did. One with an eyewitness and one from the local -- the congressman for that area who had just been briefed. I want to start with what he said. The congressman who's been briefed by DHS officials, law enforcement officials said that this was someone who was local. So, someone who lived there in the area, New Orleans. That he was driving a truck with Texas license plates, that it appears early on that he was acting alone and that he was shot and killed by police. Andrew, what do you make of these early details coming in about the suspect?

ANDREW MCCABE, CNN SENIOR LAW ENFORCEMENT ANALYST AND FORMER DEPUTY FBI DIRECTOR: Well, really fascinating information, Pam, in both of those interviews. This gives investigators a lot of leads to follow up on. Knowing that this person has been living locally means we know -- they know his residence. They know where -- which will invariably become a primary search warrant zone, right?

[10:35:00]

They're probably pursuing a search warrant for that residence right now. You're going to see that happen as the morning continues to unfold. The truck itself is a source of a lot of valuable pieces of evidence, particularly if we think that this person might be related to these IEDs that they think they found in other places of the city, you're going to look -- they're going to be scouring that truck for forensic evidence, probably also executing a search warrant on that one. The fact that the plate comes back to Texas gives us a little bit more of a historical perspective on this person. So, there's at least one other residence or location in Texas that he's going to have been connected with, if not still today, likely in the not-too-distant past, that will also be the focus of investigative activity by FBI agents.

BROWN: But we don't know if it's a rental, right? I mean, it could have been a rental. We don't know, right?

MCCABE: It could have been a rental. But if we know they're already pursuing investigative leads in Texas, which is I thought I heard you say that then --

BROWN: Yes. Yes, it's true. They are investigating that.

MCCABE: -- you know, point the direction that's probably personally on vehicle.

BROWN: Would that mean that they have already determined that it belonged -- if they're already investigating in Texas, from your experience with the FBI, would that mean they've already determined that that truck belongs to them and it's not a rental?

MCCABE: Yes, I would definitely suggest that, right. Because the license plate is connected to a location, either a residence or a business in Texas. That's how you have to register the vehicle. So, if it's a rental car, he has no connection to Texas. There's no reason they'd be there doing that sort of investigative work.

BROWN: Yes.

MCCABE: So, they're likely -- they've connected him to some sort of location there, which will also be a focus of activity.

BROWN: So, Juliette, I want to go to you on this eyewitness I talked to. I am still processing that interview. Just so disturbing what he saw. He said he walked up and, you know, everyone was out partying on the street. He was a designated driver that night and then he went into a bar and these women came running in and said there was a truck that was going 60 miles per hour down the street. He went on the balcony and he said people were just flattened. I don't even want to go into detail. It's so disturbing.

But he also said that the barriers were very flimsy. They weren't the same barriers there at the entrance of the street as elsewhere in the area, and it's just so disturbing given his account, because, you know, you have to wonder if this truck would have been able to get through if other barriers had been there.

JULIETTE KAYYEM, CNN NATIONAL SECURITY ANALYST AND FORMER ASSISTANT HOMELAND SECURITY SECRETARY: Right. And so, what we -- what's going to be determined is what was -- what we would call sort of the surge planning in the lead up to the New Year's Eve events. And then, when was that planning intending to shift towards the Sugar Bowl, which is happening in a few hours? And what we don't know. And this is one eyewitness report. And so, this is just what cities learn from each other is, were streets starting to be unbarricaded but still have vulnerabilities because you have lots of people still partying at 3:00 a.m. And therefore, gave the killer the opportunity to get into the area relatively easily.

We know in other cities, they use essentially, you know, trash trucks to stop vehicular traffic where there would be pedestrians. New Orleans knows how to do this. This is not a question of were they caught off guard. They know how to do this. It's Jazz Fest, Super Bowls, the Bowl Tonight, all sorts of events. The question isn't, did they not know how to do it, the question is all sorts of planning for mega events, as we call them, has a ratchet up and then has a ratchet down.

This is one eyewitness. So, we'll wait to see what that planning was in terms of did -- was there a vulnerability left simply because that was part of the plan? Lots of people are still on the street at 3:00 a.m. And then I think -- and then, of course, the question is just sort of, at this stage is, the purposefulness of it, including the IEDs, including what we may know about what law enforcement may know about the suspect, and of course, the FBI coming out that these are going to be terrorism charges are going to lead to lots of speculation about what that was. We need to wait on that. There's, you know, of course, a potential foreign nexus or a potential domestic nexus, and all of them have tentacles that we don't know what it is.

The one thing that's interesting is, just from -- looking at it from -- if I were in the room, how are you thinking about tonight? It's a mega -- it's a large bowl, it's a large football game, are you thinking about canceling it or not? And I thought the assurance is that they believe that he was acting alone, that they did not see any ties and we're not hearing yet whether tonight will be canceled.

[10:40:00]

That's just something I'm looking at in terms of how is the city going to now focus on bull planning. My recommendation, you definitely want to keep cars away from it, obviously, just given the concerns by the population at this stage.

BROWN: And we should note, the Sugar Bowl Committee released the statement saying it's devastated by the terrible events from early this morning. Our thoughts and prayers are with the victims and their families. We are in ongoing discussions with authorities on the local state and federal levels and will communicate further details as they become available. So, that's what the committee is saying.

Andy, to you, I want to get your reaction to, you know, the Sugar Bowl later today, what do you think should happen? And what that eyewitness told me about what he saw and the -- from his perspective, the lack of security.

MCCABE: Yes, the eyewitness account is really troubling. And they can -- you know, they'll be able to confirm that with video coverage. They can go back to see what that area looked like and to try to confirm whether or not those vehicle blockades were up or not at the time the attack took place. It might actually shed some light on why the attack took place at 3:15 in the morning.

If what Juliette says is true or what we're talking about now, if we're in the post event period at 3:15 a.m. and the bollards came down at that point, that may be why the attack took place then instead of, you know, closer to midnight when there would have been a bigger crowd. But that's all those sorts of things they'll be able to confirm after the fact. A lot of them with the help of video.

As far as the Bowl Game Tonight goes, I think what you're going to see, I believe the game will go forward. I have every expectation it will, especially now that they've said they have no indication of other people being involved or an ongoing threat.

Now, that could change as the day goes on, if they find that there's an ongoing conspiracy that they're worried about, maybe they have a different position with the game. But you're going to see the -- I would expect the game goes forward and you're going to see like the most intense security you've ever seen in New Orleans.

BROWN: Yes.

MCCABE: Every hand will be on deck. Frozen zones will be probably extended around the Superdome, blocking off vehicle access with, you know, dump trucks, salt trucks, whatever they use down there. But I would expect somebody is dusting off the security plan for this Sugar Bowl and looking at ways they can really step up their game.

BROWN: Fortify it. It is interesting, you know, officials are saying that this driver clearly had the intent to cause mass carnage. But as you both pointed out, you know, mass carnage, I mean, more could have been done potentially, depending on the security, around midnight, right, when more people are out. But this happened at 3:15 in the morning. What are the big questions you have, Juliette, as this investigation unfolds?

KAYYEM: Well, I mean, the first is obviously motive. And it matters, you can't deny it matters in terms of who the perpetrator is, his ties to foreign or domestic groups, was this idea politically, ideologically based, which one interpreting the FBI statement might -- you know, it's reasonable to believe it was or -- and what was that political ideology? We just have to be honest here because the consequences of who this individual is do change the dynamics in this country. We know that now, and we have to understand who this person is.

I think it's -- second is how -- you know, the confidence level that there's no other threat. I'm with Andy on terms of you assess a risk, you increase and fortify for the event tonight. But New Orleans knows how to do this and that the city needs to, you know, both recognize a tragedy and also be ready for the next thing. It's just the nature of the kinds of threats we face today.

And then third, just what both of us are talking about is, we've got to learn from this. There was a massive vulnerability that a purposeful criminal was able to get around. Was that vulnerability created because there was a drawdown at 3:00 a.m. and should we -- should cities reconsider that, or was it a vulnerability that always existed? This is not to blame New Orleans. It is every city has to learn from this.

You know, we're just like, you know, less than 10 days from what happened in Germany, you know, if vehicles are going to be used, vehicle prohibitions may need to be extended, including as immediately as tonight.

BROWN: Juliette, Andy, thank you so much. We're continuing to follow this breaking news out of New Orleans. At least 10 people dead, dozens more injured and what investigators are calling an act of terrorism.

[10:45:00]

An eyewitness said the suspect was driving about 60 miles an hour as he approached Bourbon Street. He said he was told that by women running into the bar where he was, who saw it firsthand. He said it left, quote, "mingled and flattened bodies in the road." We're going to have more after the break.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BROWN: And welcome back. We continue to follow the deadly attack in New Orleans in just hours. The Sugar Bowl will be played less than a mile from this crime scene with thousands of people attending that college football game at the Superdome. So, security will be on alert. Let's get straight to CNN's Andy Scholes. Andy, we've got this new statement from the Sugar Bowl. What are they saying?

ANDY SCHOLES, CNN SPORTS ANCHOR: Well, Pam, obviously, you know, the Sugar Bowl, they'd say they're devastated by what's happened there in New Orleans overnight. Both schools, Notre Dame and Georgia, who are playing in the Sugar Bowl there tonight, have both also put out statements saying they are just horrified by the tragic events that took place. And the Georgia band also did put out a statement saying that all of their students and staff are safe. So, we do know that when -- in regards to the Georgia band.

[10:50:00]

Both teams and all the fans, of course, staying around the French Quarter. But the Sugar Bowl, they did put out a statement, their CEO, Jeff Hundley, he said the Sugar Bowl Committee devastated by the terrible events from early this morning. Our thoughts and prayers are with the victims and their families. We are in ongoing discussions with authorities on the local, state, and federal levels and we'll communicate further details as they become available.

Now, you know, the Superdome, it's about a mile away from where this incident occurred. And you know, Pam, we're going to have, you know, thousands of fans. You know, the Superdome holds 83,000 fans. They're all going to be walking up Canal Street, most of them to go to the game later on today. But the superintendent of New Orleans police said that they will be taking extra precautions. Here's what she had to say to fans.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SUPT. ANNE KIRKPATRICK, NEW ORLEANS POLICE: We want our community and our visitors to continue enjoying. There's so much to enjoy about New Orleans and we are going to make sure that our routes in the Superdome are safe today for the game. And yet, we had this tragic event. And we're sorry again to everyone in our community. But we do want you to go about the day. As we say, just stay away from Burma.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SCHOLES: Yes, certainly going to be tough for all those fans there in New Orleans to put this out of their mind and enjoy the day. But it was supposed to be a big day of football. Three games on the slate. Three college football playoff games. The first game of the day is the Peach Bowl. It's here in Atlanta between Arizona State and Texas.

And Atlanta police, after what happened, they put out a statement saying, we acknowledge the concerns raised following the events earlier this morning in New Orleans. In advance of the Peach Bowl, the Atlanta Police Department had already implemented increased security measures, including the deployment of additional officers in the light of today's development and as an added precaution, specialized units and additional personnel will be further deployed to downtown and midtown areas to ensure continued safety and security of residents and visitors.

So, Pam, you see it right there from the Peach -- or the Atlanta police, they will be beefing up security around the Peach Bowl. And you know, it's worth noting, the Super Bowl this year, it is in New Orleans, Pam. So, as you can imagine, the security around the Super Bowl and Bourbon Street and the whole French Quarter is definitely going to be upped after what happened.

BROWN: Yes, for sure. Andy Scholes, thank you. CNN's Tom Foreman joins us now. Tom, you have some new information for us?

TOM FOREMAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yes, I think something that has to be asked in this next press conference, if possible. The Department of Public Works in New Orleans, in November, started a program to replace those bollards on Bourbon Street, the metal barriers that would stop a vehicle from coming through.

This program started in November. It was supposed to be done sometime in early February. And among the things that they mention in their explanation of the project, as it went all the way down Bourbon Street, was that while the bollards were out, there would be some vehicular access to Bourbon Street and it indicates the notion that there would just be some sort of temporary barriers in place, not the big, powerful barriers.

Now, we'll need to get some details about whether that's exactly where they were, but their information from the city indicates that is precisely where they were in this process. So, the barricades may not have been there. And as you were talking with Andy McCabe a minute ago, one of the other questions does have to do with the hour. If you live in New Orleans for a long time and you run -- wander the quarter at all sorts of weird hours, there is a point at which there is a transition happening in the quarter all the time because there are so many hotels and restaurants and bars all along Bourbon that have to have service trucks that get to them. So, there is a point at which you do start seeing an opening for some sort of vehicular traffic to prepare for the next day.

But right now, the question that I most want to hear an answer to is, what was going on with this bollard program had they in fact been removed from this end, because it certainly looks from the city's plans as if they would have been?

BROWN: Yes, and we have video right now. You see that little orange and white, little flimsy barrier that anyone, you know, could drive through if you really had the intent, as this driver claimed to have by police.

FOREMAN: Sure, sure. Yes, and they were replacing them because they obviously wanted it to be a better, more robust system that could more easily be retracted when they needed it and put in place when they needed it. That's why they're doing the project. And it looked like everything was on schedule, which would mean right now, there is a lot of reason to believe those bollards simply did not exist at this point.

[10:55:00]

BROWN: But you would think, Tom, that given New Year's Eve, that they would, you know, see the security risk at play and put in something else just even temporarily, right?

FOREMAN: I think people do. But, Pam, you and I both know that one of the problems that cities, states, federal governments often have is making sure that every department is fully aware of what other departments are doing. If you live in any place that's had a traffic problem, you find yourself saying, why did they start this construction project while that one was also going on? Well, one might be local, one might be state, and they just didn't know.

So, we have to get those answers, did the police know that these bollards were missing there and was there thought about whether this was an issue? And in fact, were the bollards missing at this time? Although, the indication is that they probably were.

BROWN: Those are really key information there, Tom.

FOREMAN: Yes, yes.

BROWN: And important questions to ask at this next press conference. Thank you so much for bringing that to us.

FOREMAN: You're welcome.

BROWN: We will continue to follow breaking news out of New Orleans. The deadly attack on Bourbon Street is now being investigated as an act of terrorism. The Homeland Security Department and the ATF now involved, along with the FBI. We're going to have more after the break.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[11:00:00]