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Early Start with John Berman and Zoraida Sambolin

Baltimore Riots Started With "The Purge"; Rescue & Aid Workers Struggle In Nepal; Boston Bombing Trial: Life or Death. Aired 5-5:30a ET

Aired April 28, 2015 - 05:00   ET

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

[05:00:00] CHRISTINE ROMANS, CNN ANCHOR: West Baltimore might be described as a war zone after more than 12 hours of rioting. New fires this morning, more stores looted. And overnight, police officers under attack from rioters. The governor declaring a state of emergency.

Baltimore schools closed today in the interest of student safety. A 10:00 p.m. to 5:00 a.m. curfew begins tonight.

Our national correspondent Jason Carroll was there in the middle of it overnight. He has the latest for us.

Jason, just set the table for us. Bring us up to speed.

JASON CARROLL, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Even up until a few hours ago, we were at a Rite-Aid that was set on fire. Just when you thought it was all going to be over, even at that late hour, still unrest. Firefighters were able to get there and put the fire out, a lot of people wondering when it will all be over.

Let me set the scene of where we are right now. We are on Northwest Avenue. If you take a look at the street there, you can still see state police who are out there in riot gear. You've got armored cars on the streets, a street that's filed with debris after all the looting and the violence that took place out here last night, for hours yesterday. Basically, this was a city under siege.

The police commissioner saying at one point they were outnumbered and outflanked, frankly. Rioters, groups of rioters looted a CVS. They went to a check cashing store and liquor store, a check cashing store. They were throwing rocks and bricks and bottles at police for hours, breaking off in smaller groups. Hard to get control of.

Fire crews were challenged as they were trying to put out fires after rioters came out and cut their hoses. The city's mayor, Stephanie Rawlings-Blake, under criticism at this hour. Basically, a number of critics saying, why was there not more of the police presence, why was the National Guard not called out sooner?

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MAYOR STEPHANIE RAWLINGS-BLAKE (D), BALTIMORE, MARYLAND: We use best practices the way the officers are trained, to make sure that we are focusing on those that were doing the damage, and also working to not escalate. We have seen all over the country and throughout our history what happens when you use too much force to respond to an incident. It escalates and it can be a lot worse. I didn't want that for my city. We are working very hard to contain this and do it in a way that doesn't turn Baltimore into a military state.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CARROLL: Again, perhaps they are feeling more confident today, 5,000 law enforcement officials will be out here on the ground, 1,500 National Guard members as well. Additional state troopers will be here.

And, again, you heard about that mandatory curfew which will be in effect from 10:00 p.m. until to 5:00 a.m. tomorrow.

So perhaps, Christine, some of those things will change. When a lot of people wake up, a lot of people will wonder what happened yesterday. And as you know, you have been watching this. You watched this last night. A lot of city officials simply did not expect to see the response they saw last night.

ROMANS: Yes, and clearly, this got way out of control. I know so many people in the city watched this happen in their neighborhood and horrified. You know, we have this video, amazing video of a woman who's going after a young man.

If we can play that video, going after a young man who has his face covered. She is furious that this is her -- walk us through this, Jason. You see this?

CARROLL: You know, she came out and slapped him on the head. As you know, a lot of city leaders and clergy were calling on parents to come out and get their kids off the streets. A lot of this was started, as you know, after high school got out -- some high school students got out and started causing trouble. The word went out to parents to get their kids off the streets. They were concerned that frankly that some of the kids were going to get hurt.

But this was not just high schoolers who were out in the streets last night and yesterday afternoon. Definitely started by some of them, but there were adults out here, too. I think a lot of people looking for guidance in terms of what to do next.

ROMANS: Just remarkable, the tension on the street. You had some people whispering through the crowds, make sure your face is covered, make sure your face is covered, because there were cameras rolling on the looting and you have people like that woman in yellow. I know who you are. Your face is covered, I know who you are, stop doing this. Just shows you the tension within the neighborhood so vividly.

Jason, we'll check with you again very, very soon. Thanks for your hard work stay safe.

Officials say Monday's riots started with a message that spread on social media about a purge. That's a reference to a 2013 thriller in which crime is temporarily legalized. Now, Baltimore police responded to these social media ramblings by sending hundreds of officers to a local mall and a transit hub that is used by high school students.

Police Commissioner Anthony Batts says the students then started throwing bricks and stones at the officers.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

[05:05:03] ANTHONY BATTS, BALTIMORE POLICE COMMISSIONER: We had information yesterday that the Mondawmin Mall, we're going to have a large purge of high school students from across the city move to Mondawmin Mall. We had pretty close to about 250 to 300 police officers staged in and around the mall at the time the youth got out of school. Stones been thrown at them. The officers proceed northbound to push the youth in the northerly direction. The officers were caught on an incline to which a number of officers got injured. One officer knocked out, hit in the head, he was taken to the hospital.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ROMANS: Now, Freddie Gray's family called for calm on the day of his funeral. Yesterday was the day they laid their son, their brother, their friend to rest. They have been quick to denounce this violence. Family members say he never would have wanted this.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

RICHARD SHIPLEY, FREDDIE GRAY'S STEPFATHER: Earlier today and we had a beautiful home service and to see that it turned into all this violence and destruction I am really appalled. Family, I love you. We are supposed to be in this for justice. But is it just us?

FREDERICKA GRAY, FREDDIE GRAY'S SISTER: I think the violence is wrong, and Freddie Gray wasn't a person for violence. Freddie Gray wasn't that type of person who break into no stores or none of that. I don't like it at all.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ROMANS: Just 40 miles away in Washington, Attorney General Loretta Lynch faced a crisis in Baltimore, just hours after her swearing in Monday. After an evening meeting with President Obama, Lynch issued a statement saying, "I condemn the senseless acts by some individuals in Baltimore that have resulted in harm to law enforcement officers, destruction of property and a shattering of the peace in the city of Baltimore. I will bring the full resources of the Department of Justice to bear and protecting those under threat and investigating wrongdoing, and securing an end to violence."

White House correspondent Michelle Kosinski has more on the administration's reaction to these riots.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

MICHELLE KOSINSKI, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Hi, Christine.

Well, so far, we have seen a restrained, pretty low key response from the White House on this. And that's similar to what we have seen in some prior incidents where police abuse has been alleged and there have been big demonstrations. I mean, in those prior incidents, what we heard behind the scenes here at the White House were things like, well, if the president, you know, these questions if he will go there or if he will deliver a specific statement. What good would that do at this point? And might it even inflate the situation or escalate it in some way?

So, right now, the White House is putting this firmly in the hands of the Department of Justice, this brand new -- I mean, hours into her swearing in Attorney General Loretta Lynch. And the president met with her. She updated him. They talked about DOJ resources that could be used there in Baltimore.

It was Loretta Lynch who delivered the statement to the public condemning what she called senseless act of violence, and talking a little bit about the kind of federal resources that at this point, in addition to the investigation, could be used in Baltimore, people on the ground, community relations, community policing, people from the civil rights division.

But we're also seeing outreach from the president. I mean, he had a phone call with the Baltimore mayor yesterday. The White House is not saying if that was pre- or post riots. And he also had a call with the Maryland governor.

I think what's interesting is that the White House is that reading out, or putting out a summary of the call with the mayor, but not the one from the governor. It seems like what we're hearing from other sources is they talked about some planning, maybe some logistical things that the White House doesn't want to talk about at this point. What the Maryland governor said, though, is the president supported what they are doing at this point, and that he may even send the attorney general herself there to Baltimore.

Other than that, that's where the White House is standing right now. The president isn't speaking directly on this, but they definitely want to get the message out that they are engaged through the Department of Justice -- Christine.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

ROMANS: All right. Michelle Kosinski, thank you for that.

CVS, the drug store chain, was able to get employees and customers out of its Baltimore store, one of its Baltimore stores, just in time. You can see the pictures here of the looting. Protests started to turn violent on Monday. That is when CVS closed a nearby store at 3:00 p.m., shortly after this scene happened, the store torn apart by looters.

Luckily, no employees are customers inside when the looters broke in. But you can see people carrying out prescriptions, carrying out baby gear, carrying out all kinds of things. Look at this. A few hours later, the CVS set on fire. And the fire hose -- when firefighters tried to put out the fire, protesters cut the fire hose being used to put out that fire. CVS is a big national drug store chain, when you think about the smaller companies, these mom and pop stores, this hair stylist, a bodega, a grocery store, some of smaller chains -- not even chains, smaller stores that were burned and looted, the devastation there for the neighborhood just unbelievable.

[05:10:10] All right. Ten minutes past the hour.

Turning now to the earthquake in Nepal for a moment. The death toll from the huge 7.8 quake now stands at more than 4,400, most of them in Nepal. Officials say at least 8,000 people were hurt. Rescue and aid workers in Nepal struggling, struggling this morning, with the scale of the disaster.

There are supply shortages, power blackout, widespread devastation, that's just in the capital Kathmandu. In the countryside, the death and destruction is not tallied.

CNN's Arwa Damon is joining us live from the Kavre District.

Arwa, what are you seeing this morning?

ARWA DAMON, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Just take a look at these conditions. We are huddled here with families. The weather not helping at this stage.

This is a very bare-bones shelter to the outside is one of the homes of these families used to live in. And like many of the buildings around here, it has been severely damaged.

The terrain is very harsh. It is very difficult to access, at least in this part of the country. One can reach this location by road, but in so many areas, that is not even an option. These rains make the roads even more difficult to travel on. We have been speaking with these families here. We have women, children, we have little babies.

And since the earthquake struck, Uzminda (ph) here was telling us all they have been eating has been rice. Getting supplies out is very difficult. People don't have vehicles. They are lucky if they have a motorcycle. They often travel to places on foot.

Many of them have suffered destruction to their homes. Some are wounded. There was one little 2-year-old girl killed in a house just down the road.

And this begins to give you a little bit of an idea of how difficult conditions are in the countryside. And just imagine how much harder it is in those areas that are not accessible by road and aid is yet to reach them. We don't have a full grasp of just how many people were killed or how widespread the devastation there is.

ROMANS: Yes, Arwa Damon, thank you. "Reuters" reporting that it could be up to 10,000. They just don't know. They have not been able to get into the countryside. Thank you so much for that, Arwa, this morning.

Happening now, a daring rescue operation at the top of the world is over. Helicopter pilots risking their lives at the peak of Mt. Everest, reaching stranded climbers from the highest point on the planet. The latest word, all of those climbers have now been saved. I want to go to London.

Erin McLaughlin has been watching this rescue operation today. She's been talking to hikers.

What are they saying, Erin?

ERIN MCLAUGHLIN, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Hi, Christine.

That's right. Amidst this immense tragedy, a glimmer of good news this morning. I have been speaking who tell me that the last of the stranded climbers have been safely evacuated from the upper reaches of Mt. Everest brought back to base camp, this after a very daring rescue operation that took place all day yesterday, choppers whizzing up the mountain side to rescue those climbers. They were happy to be evacuated by chopper because an area known as the Khumbu Icefall was ravaged in the aftermath of the quake, plenty of aftershocks rendering it impassible.

Now, they are bringing the climbers back to base camp, which itself was devastated by an avalanche triggered by that earthquake. I was speaking to a 17-year-old from Boulder, Colorado, by the name of Matthew Moniz (ph). He was at the base camp at the time of that avalanche. He described to me his sheer terror as he hid behind a rock as that avalanche passed through. He remarkably emerged unscathed, and he described to me the feelings of adrenaline, as he was scurrying about the camp, the camp coming together with the camaraderie, to rescue the injured and sadly recovered the dead. At least 17 killed, including four Americans.

Moniz said he was carrying some of the injured all day yesterday to a makeshift clinic. I'm saying a makeshift clinic because the real clinic was wiped out by the avalanche. Moniz telling me this morning the base camp is calm, those feelings of adrenaline now giving way to pain as they realization of the immense tragedy that has unfolded there.

He says he is waiting for the international airport in Kathmandu to open up to flights, international flights, so that he can go home. But meanwhile, other climbers telling me they want to continue to climb Mt. Everest. I was speaking to one climber this morning who said they are trying to assess the icefall to see if there's anyway they can potentially pass through. I asked this climber he's so determined, and he said this is his dream, and he said it's his chance to realize it.

[05:15:00] ROMANS: Wow, even after all of that tragedy on the peaks of Mt. Everest. Thanks so much for that, Erin McLaughlin. Glad to know that that rescue operation is now safe and done.

All right. We are following the very latest on the Baltimore riots all morning long. A pastor -- a pastor who watched his church burn down. What he has to say ahead.

But, first, Boston bomber Dzhokhar Tsarnaev's attorneys are trying to save him from the death penalty. Some dramatic courtroom testimony. We'll bring it to you, next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

ROMANS: We are following the breaking news out of Baltimore. Baltimore erupted into violence, shortly after the funeral of Freddie Gray. Freddie Gray is the 25-year-old man who died after a severe injury in police custody. His voice box crushed, his neck broken.

Rioters setting fires and throwing rocks at police and firefighters, 15 officers injured in what was mayhem. More than two dozen people arrested. Now, a state of emergency is now in effect. The National Guard is being deployed to the city.

A pastor who saw his church burn down spoke to CNN.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DANTE HICKMAN, PASTOR, SOUTHERN BAPTIST CHURCH: I haven't lost my focus. I haven't lost my sense of resiliency. I haven't lost my hope. I've been a little heartbroken. My eyes are filled with tears because someone didn't understand that we exist in the community to help to revitalize it.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ROMANS: Heartbroken.

Public schools in Baltimore are closed today. The mayor announcing a citywide curfew from 10:00 p.m. to 5:00 a.m. That curfew begins tonight.

All right. In Boston, the defense calling eight witnesses on the first day of the case in the penalty phase of Dzhokhar Tsarnaev's trial. Tsarnaev's attorney trying to spare him the death penalty. The attorney told jurors the convicted marathon bomber was the product of a dysfunctional family and he easily fell under the spell of his brother Tamerlan.

Lawyer David Bruck adding that sending Tsarnaev to a super max prison would be a fate worse than death, a fate that would deprive the bomber of a martyr's death.

[05:20:08] We are following that breaking news in Baltimore, a lot to report this morning. Those protests over the death of a man mysteriously injured during an arrest -- well, it turns into riots. Frustrated residents speaking out, ahead.

Plus, we are learning new information about the student tackled by the teacher when he opened fire inside his high school. What was he planning to do? That's next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

ROMANS: A state of emergency now in effect in Baltimore after more than two dozen arrests Monday, two dozen arrests. Rioters setting fires and looting stores and throwing rocks at police and firefighters. Fifteen injured -- 15 officers injured in this mayhem. Emotions running very high right now on the city streets.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: This right here is not relevant. They need to have their butts at home. They need to be in their home units with their families, studying and doing something with their life. Not out here protesting about something that's not really about nothing. They do not respect this young man's death.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I hope all of the kids and everybody stays off the streets. Maybe we can calm down. If we don't get justice, we're not going to calm down, period.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ROMANS: The Baltimore Orioles baseball game was postponed last night. Officials announcing public schools in Baltimore are closed today.

[05:25:04] All right. Police say a teenager who opened fire inside a high school in Washington state, he told them he never intended to harm his fellow students. The 16-year-old fired two shots Monday inside North Thurston High School in Lacey, Washington, before he was tackled by a teacher-turned-hero.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

COURTNEY SCHRIEVE, NORTH THURSTON SCHOOL DISTRICT: I think staff definitely and students are always thinking what if, what I do. In this case, the teacher reacted in a very brave way. Reportedly, he is an AP government teacher. He's a rather large guy and very popular teacher. I'm just glad and everybody is glad that he had the wherewithal he reacted the way he did, and that he's safe as well as everybody else.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ROMANS: The gunman now in custody, 16 years old. His motive is still not clear. Now, police say he had issues in personal relationships. Police say it is possible this teen was attempting suicide by cop.

Breaking news this morning. Riots taking over the streets of Baltimore. We are live with the very latest happening right now next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

ANNOUNCER: This is CNN breaking news.

ROMANS : Our breaking news this morning, Baltimore is burning. Buildings destroyed. Stores looted. Officers attacked.

Demonstrators are furious over the death of Freddie Gray, the man who died during his arrest. He was buried yesterday.

Complete coverage on our big story begins right now.

Welcome back to EARLY START. I'm Christine Romans. Thirty minutes past the hour.

There is breaking news this morning. West Baltimore might well be described as a war zone after more than 12 hours of rioting. New fires this morning. More stores being looted and overnight, police officers under attack from rioters.