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Jane Velez-Mitchell
Person of Interest Sought in Hannah Graham Disappearance; Mother of All Road Rage Videos; Alleged Abuse Uncovered at Dairy Farm
Aired September 18, 2014 - 09:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: But with the forensics, everything came together.
JANE VELEZ-MITCHELL, HOST: Tonight, fast-breaking news in the frantic search for missing college student Hannah Graham. Cops have just released
brand-new surveillance footage from the night the 18-year-old sophomore vanished, showing a mysterious man following Hannah. Who is this unknown
male and does he hold the key to her disappearance?
Good evening. I`m Jane Velez-Mitchell, coming to you live.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: We`re really concerned.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Late Friday night, investigators say Hannah and a friend went to a party just a few blocks from her house.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: This is unusual for her.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Surveillance cameras captured footage early Saturday morning that show a man, if you look closely, following the 18-year-old.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
VELEZ-MITCHELL: Eighteen-year-old Hannah Graham, last seen by her friends just before midnight Friday leaving a party on foot. Friends say she was
intoxicated but texted them after she left that everything seemed fine.
However, by 1:20 a.m., Hannah sent her friends an alarming message, saying she was lost, and then she disappeared.
Now, cops are piecing together the last moments leading up to her disappearance. She`s caught on at least four different surveillance
cameras in a Charlottesville neighborhood near campus.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: She was vulnerable. That she may not have been in a position to protect herself or defend herself.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
VELEZ-MITCHELL: The most disturbing video taken less than 20 minutes before she vanishes. Look, you can see a white male walking in front of
Hannah, stopping and then following her.
According to cops, this male came forward to police before surveillance video of him was released to the public. And he claimed, well, he was
following Hannah because she seemed distressed and he, quote -- this is a quote -- "wanted to make sure she got safely wherever she was going."
Now he claimed another man, a different man, described as a black male with a shaved head and a goatee came up and put his arm around Hannah, and they
started talking, so the alleged good Samaritan thought she was OK and left.
Now moments ago, police announced they`re now looking for that other mystery male. Is he real? Is he made up? Call me. What are your
theories? 1-877-JVM-SAYS, 1-877-586-729. And join the conversation on my Jane Velez-Mitchell Facebook page and talk to me on Twitter; @JVM is my
handle.
Our expert Lion`s Den panel ready to debate, but first to WCHB reporter Marcello Rolando.
Marcello, tell us about this new mystery man cops are seeking and how they got this tip from the other guy walking behind Hannah.
MARCELLO ROLANDO, WCHB REPORTER (via phone): This first guy went to police and said exactly what you said, to police looking at downtown surveillance
cameras at the downtown shopping mall, downtown walking mall in downtown Charlottesville. That surveillance only goes so far. They`re looking at
other camera choices from other locations like Bank of America to see if they can see any more footage and catch the man that allegedly has been
described as a black male, as you said, and 258 pounds or so. White T- shirt, black jeans. And the first man met with Hannah and then put his arm around her and seemed to know her. So the initial witness now stopped
following Hannah. But we have no footage, although the police does, what happened after the good Samaritan stopped following Hannah. That`s where
we are.
VELEZ-MITCHELL: OK. If you could stand by, Marcello. Marc Klaas of the Klaas kids foundation, perhaps the most knowledgeable man in America on
missing people.
First of all, Marc, do you buy the story of the male? I`ll just say the white male. We have two people with two different descriptions, who was
caught on tape following Hannah and says, "Well, I was looking out for her." Do you buy that story? Do you buy he actually did see her hook up or
meet up with another man who has a different description, described as a black man with a goatee or shaved head, do you think that, for sure, the
second person exists or could the first person have made up the second person?
MARC KLAAS, FOUNDER, KLAAS KIDS FOUNDATION: It`s actually significant, there`s no question about that. If the second person exists, he should be
able to be verified in one of two ways. They should be able to find more surveillance cameras, more surveillance footage that has him in the
footage. And/or if he is somebody that knew Hannah, they should be able to verify that through one of her friends if not more.
VELEZ-MITCHELL: Now, I want to go over the timeline. Go ahead.
SIERRA ELIZABETH, ATTORNEY: I want to tell you right now, this hypothetical black man does not exist. The police should stop looking for
him and focus on this other man who was following this woman. Why are you following her? You think she needs to get somewhere safely but you don`t
call 911? You don`t stop her and ask her if she needs help? This is the guy that the police need to focus their energy and their resources on and
stop looking for this guy that does not exist.
JOE GOMEZ, REPORTER, KRLD: Nobody told him to file a police report. The fact is, he went out of his own free will and did file a police report.
And we also have another 20-year-old who went missing kind of in the same area, and police believe that a black male suspect may have been
responsible for her abduction and murder. She was later found, her remains in a farm.
So I mean, if you look at the pieces of this, this guy came forward. He was an innocent bystander, by the looks of it. He came forward, did his
due diligence, talked to the cops. So what`s he trying to hide? Don`t you think the cops would know by now?
VELEZ-MITCHELL: Hold on. Brian Claypool, let me ask you this question.
BRIAN CLAYPOOL, CRIMINAL DEFENSE ATTORNEY: Yes.
VELEZ-MITCHELL: If you`re following a young woman and you think she`s in trouble and you see this person following her, would you think that he`d go
up to her and say, "Look, honey, you look like you`re intoxicated." And that`s not to, in any way, blame the victim or embarrass the family. It`s
because every piece of information counts. "Let`s get you a cab."
But he does not communicate with her. He follows her up to the point where he says another man comes up and puts his arm around her, and this second
mystery man and Hannah start talking and then he leaves. Does that story make sense to you?
CLAYPOOL: Well, Jane, you should be a tarot card reader, because you are completely reading my mind. There is no question that this white man was
not looking out for the goodness of Hannah Graham. He was following her, and he was stalking her.
Because if you walk behind a woman that you are concerned about, all he`s got to do is jog and run a little faster and catch up to her and say,
"Hey, are you OK? You look distressed. Let me get you some help."
And then here`s another thing, Jane. If his story is true, which I don`t - - which I don`t believe, he sees a big 280-pound black man approaching her, you don`t think he`s going to go in there and intervene and say, "Hey,
dude, do you know her? I just want to make sure." So I completely do not believe it.
GOMEZ: Let me play devil`s advocate here for advocate for a second and just say that let`s say this guy is following her and this large black male
approaches this woman, and he thinks that that`s her boyfriend. He doesn`t want to get in a fight. He says, "OK, all right. You know, I`ll back off.
I guess she`s taken care of." He`s embracing her.
CLAYPOOL: Where is the videotape of the black man?
ELIZABETH: He doesn`t exist.
VELEZ-MITCHELL: Let me back off here. Let me back off here and offer the timeline for our viewers because it`s complicated.
OK. At 11:50 Friday night, Hannah leaves a party at her friend`s apartment. Then, she`s caught on camera outside of a pub about an hour
later. That`s about 12:45 a.m.
Just 10 minutes after that, Hannah is seen running past a gas station. Minutes later, she`s caught on camera again at an outdoor mall outside a
pizza place. Now, this is where the mystery white male starts to follow her. OK? So you`re looking now at all the places that she went, as I
described one after the other. And there is surveillance video.
OK. So she`s caught two minutes later outside a jewelry store, and the man is still behind her right there. Now 12 minutes later, she sends a text to
her friend saying she`s lost.
So this mystery man who`s white says he was a good Samaritan and only stopped trailing Hannah when she met up with another man, who he described
as a black man and gave a very detailed description.
Here`s my question, Marc Klaas. The police then proceed to issue a press release seeking the African-American male with a detailed description:
5`10" to 5`11", 250 to 285 pounds, close-shaved head, goatee, slight beer belly, being late 20s, early 30s, wearing black jeans, a white T-shirt. Is
it possible that they checked out the first guy`s story, and he has an alibi, like he went somewhere where he was identified by people. OK, he
went to wherever: a bar, back to his wife, who knows? And that`s why he has credibility to the point where they`re issuing a description of the man
that he says he saw?
KLAAS: Well, anything is possible, but it`s hard to give credibility to somebody who is lurking in the shadows and following behind a woman. But
the thing that`s really significant is that, if he`s telling the truth, they have a very good description of the last individual who was with
Hannah.
If he`s not telling the truth, then they have a -- then they know exactly who the last person that saw Hannah was. So I think one way or the other,
the key to this mystery is going to be in this man and this man`s testimony, whether it`s true or whether it`s a lie. They`ll be able to
sort that out in short time.
VELEZ-MITCHELL: And maybe they should give him a polygraph.
Facebook lighting up. Tracy says,, "I don`t buy the story of the black male." Chris says, "Don`t clear anyone until they find her."
Let`s go out to the phone lines. Ron, Nevada, what do you have to say? Ron, Nevada.
CALLER: Hi, Jane, thank you. First of all, I`m not sure what time she left her dorm or wherever she was at. But there`s a non-accountable time,
like from maybe. The mall would close around 10 or so, I think, if she went to a mall.
VELEZ-MITCHELL: No, no, no. She`s at a party with friends. She`s at -- let me clarify. She`s at a party with friends. Actually, she`d gone to
the party with a young man, and she decided to leave without him. And he, I don`t think, was very gallant and did not insist to go with her, even
though she was intoxicated. So she leaves the party, and then the next place she`s spotted is outside a pub at about 12:45 in the morning.
Continue with your point, sir.
CALLER: Well, my point is that, if you go out anywhere alone like that by yourself at night, and you don`t take your risk -- I mean, your risk is
very high that you`re doing it yourself. I mean, I hate to say it, but no woman should be out alone, or even men, at night.
VELEZ-MITCHELL: I have to disagree with you respectfully, Ron. A, we can`t blame the victim; B, it should not be the prerogative only of men to
walk out at night. If you take that thinking to its logical extreme, then oh, my gosh, could I even drive by myself, because there`s carjackings?
Well, why don`t we wear you-know-whats and stay at home all day?
Don`t forget to check out our Facebook page. Please like it while you`re there.
And I want to say that we`re just getting started on this. There`s text information. The authorities now believe that there was a problem with the
text she sent: that spell-check, spell correct changed the text.
And is there a connection to the disappearance of Morgan Harrington, who vanished in the same town, also a coed, also had been drinking back in
2009? And there is a matchup to a certain degree of suspect descriptions. We`re going to cover that on the other side.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: She had been drinking quite a bit. She told him that she was leaving and going home. He asked if he could walk her home. She
said, no, she was fine. He stayed and she left.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Saturday morning.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We need all business owners in and around the downtown mall to preserve any video they may have.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
VELEZ-MITCHELL: Where is 18-year-old Hannah Graham? The University of Virginia student disappeared after leaving a party alone over the weekend.
Cops say Hannah`s last message around 1:20 in the morning to her friends says that she`s lost, but it`s just a few blocks from where she started her
night and right near her apartment. Listen.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: One text message said, "I`m lost in the area of 14th and Wirtland (ph)," which is the area she was in. It`s also an area she`s
very familiar with. We`re checking her cell phone records, computer, bank accounts, everything we can possibly do.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
VELEZ-MITCHELL: So now, cops are saying that they believe that the text message could be incorrect, either typed wrong or the spell-check, the auto
correct -- all right -- changing the information.
So I want to go to Simone Bienne, behavior expert. Do you get a sense, having heard all this, that Hannah may have been trying to plead for help
instead of saying, "I`m lost"?
SIMONE BIENNE, BEHAVIOR EXPERT: Yes, I mean, look, it`s a fight-or-flight response. We know that she was rushing, that she was running at some
point. She`s a woman out late at night. And she is going to be distressed. Because of course, if she`s been drinking, it`s dark. She
doesn`t know where she is. She`s disoriented, all these things, it`s her cry for help.
The saddening part is why didn`t she dial 911? And the even scarier part is why didn`t the guy who was following her, who potentially was a good
Samaritan, dial 911, because would we be in this situation?
VELEZ-MITCHELL: That`s a good point.
Well, and we have to say, Hannah isn`t the only pretty young coed to go missing in this very town. Back in 2009 -- and we covered this story at
length -- Virginia Tech student Morgan Harrington vanished from a Metallica concert. That`s Morgan. Also in Charlottesville. Three months later, she
was discovered murdered. Here is Morgan`s devastated mother.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I will tell you, having seen, that girl even had some lovely bones.
We will find a way to be a family of three. You all have these tripods. They hold things. They`re not as stable as a table, but we can make a
tripod work.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
VELEZ-MITCHELL: Morgan`s killer was never found although, Joe Gomez, police did link DNA to an open abduction case from 2005. They`re still
hunting for the suspect. Here is the sketch. And that sketch may have commonalities with the person of interest they are seeking in the
disappearance of Hannah Graham?
GOMEZ: That`s right. Yes. I mean, it`s a black male with a shaved head, possibly a goatee, which is exactly the description that the white male who
was following Hannah gave.
And now granted, these are years apart. But still, I mean, some serial killers, some serial rapists, they stagger their crimes. We`ve seen this
happen several times before. If this guy was linked to the 2005 abduction and sexual assault of the Fairfax woman, and then in 2009, had abducted and
killed this 20-year-old coed and dumped her remains at a nearby farm, it`s entirely possible the same person could be responsible for Hannah`s
abduction, if she was abducted, mind you. She`s still out there missing. It`s possible.
VELEZ-MITCHELL: All right. Sierra Elizabeth, do you want to respond to that? Because you were suspicious of him even existing.
ELIZABETH: I am. And I don`t think the two cases are related, because I think the man that was following her is the one who has her or,
unfortunately, killed her. So the two cases are probably not related.
CLAYPOOL: Jane.
ELIZABETH: And let me tell you why the guy probably called the tip line. Because that was brought up earlier. He probably called the tip line
because a lot of criminals like to watch their work and like to watch people`s reaction to their work. And so he`s interested. He`s interested
in what`s going on.
VELEZ-MITCHELL: All right.
ELIZABETH: And that`s ultimately going to be his downfall.
CLAYPOOL: Jane.
VELEZ-MITCHELL: All right. Brian Claypool, criminal defense attorney.
CLAYPOOL: Yes. Jane, how convenient that this white guy that is stalking Hannah Graham calls in and says, "Hey, the suspect is a black man, 250 to
280, that looks just like that picture you posted." There was an FBI profile circulated of the suspect in Morgan`s death, and this guy knew who
-- knew what the suspect looked like, and he identified that suspect to take the attention away from him.
GOMEZ: That seems like a bit of a stretch to me.
VELEZ-MITCHELL: All right. Marc Klaas, Klaas Kids. Marc Klaas, do you -- do you think that that`s plausible, what you just heard?
KLAAS: Well, I think it`s going to be easy to determine. What we do know is that there is a serial killer at work. They`ve been able to link two
different cases. With serial killers, they accelerate their activity at a certain point, so the possibility very much exists that this girl, Hannah,
is yet another victim.
But again, they`ve got DNA. If it`s this white guy, they`ll be able to determine whether it`s him very quickly. If it`s not him, perhaps there is
a black man out there that put his arm around this girl. Again, the police should be able to determine that through other video and other types of --
of investigative tools.
VELEZ-MITCHELL: And the other possibility is that somebody else entirely.
KLAAS: Yes.
VELEZ-MITCHELL: That the person that she ran into who gave her a hug is an innocent person, and there`s a third person out there who is responsible.
All right. We`re going to take a short break. There`s other information that`s still coming in. We want to go back to ma Marcello Rolando, the
reporter who is on the ground in Charlottesville, on the other side of the break. Stay right there. And I want to hear from you.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: This department`s focus is to find their daughter, first and foremost to find their daughter, and by the grace of God, return
her safely to their care.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Students are always walking down the railroad tracks at every hour.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: One-twenty a.m. is a time when there`s a lot of people out and about.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
VELEZ-MITCHELL: Hannah Graham, 18 years old, sophomore, University of Virginia student, missing. Now a mysterious white male was seen following
her on surveillance tape minutes before she disappeared, but he`s pointed the finger at another man, a black male who he claims walked up to Hannah
and put his arm around her. And the so-called good Samaritan, who says he was following her to see, oh, if she was OK told police he thought the
other man was, quote, "either known to Miss Graham or was trying to help her," so he left. Some people believe this other man exists. Others say,
well maybe the initial man who was following her just made it up.
Marcello Rolando, is there any videotape of the man wanted for questioning, this so-called black male that some people think is made up and others say
may exist?
ROLANDO: Well, if he exists, they`ve got video of him. It`s just that they haven`t released it yet.
The video that you`ve been talking about is of the cameras that have already been reviewed. But at the south end of the downtown mall is where
the cameras that have not been made public yet or the videos not been made public yet. And I`m telling you that Police Captain Gary Pleasance (ph)
and the chief down here, Chief of Police Tim Longo (ph), they are aggressively pursuing this. And if they`re putting out a description, I
don`t think it`s just because somebody described someone. I think they`ve gotten ahold of those videos that are of the south end of the downtown mall
that no one has seen yet but perhaps them. They`re not public yet. But they were pursuing those camera videos, and if they`ve got them, then
either they know the witness, the good Samaritan is lying, because there`s nobody there or the know that he`s described somebody who looks similar to
the guy in the video with Hannah.
VELEZ-MITCHELL: All right. Now Simone Bienne, we were looking at photos a second ago of two young women, and these are the two young woman. One,
Morgan Harrington, who was found dead after being abducted in this same town, and the other is the current missing young woman, Hannah Graham.
They`re very similar looking. They`re both sophomores, both pretty blondes, and they both vanished after a night out with friends when they
were both drinking and then they left alone. That`s the commonalty. Is there a significance? Do you see that, Simone?
BIENNE: I think absolutely there is a significance. Because what we do know, let`s just go along with this thought for a minute. With serial
killers, they do choose similar age, similar race, similar occupations. These both -- girls are very attractive, as well. Sadly, to serial
killers, there tends to be a sexual element, as well. You`re going to choose a pretty young woman.
And also, if it is a big guy, these women are also a similar build, so they`re very easy to dominate.
Jane, I want to say one thing about -- that doesn`t make sense about the black man. If he was trying to help this girl, then why -- why would she
let him put her arm around him? That doesn`t make sense. What we do know about serial killers is they either approach from behind or they put their
arm around them and a knife to the throat. That would make sense of why she might look as if...
GOMEZ: Or maybe she was drunk. Maybe she was too inebriated.
VELEZ-MITCHELL: He said that he saw the two of them talking. She, indeed, was inebriated. The police have established that, but we say that not to
blame the victim.
We`re going to stay on top of this case. I`m sure there`s going to be more to tell of this next week, so come back here for the latest. We want to
find Hannah Graham. We want to find her OK. Our hearts go out to her family.
Next, an insane case of road rage. You`ve got to see it to believe it. A mom driving her kid around in a minivan, spews "F" bombs at another driver.
It`s unbelievable. And guess what? Well, you`re just going to have to wait to see on the other side. It`s a shocker.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: She says it was entirely his fault.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Even my son Austin (ph) says the guy started it.
Well, you cut me off!
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
VELEZ-MITCHELL: Next, an insane case of road rage. You`ve got to see it to believe it. A mom driving her kid around in a minivan spews "f" bombs
at another driver. It`s unbelievable. And guess what? Well, you`re just going to have to wait to see on the other side. It`s a shocker.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: She says it was entirely his fault.
KIMBERLY ONG: Even my friend Austin said, the guy started it.
When you cut me off, I almost (EXPLETIVE DELETED) wrecked you. (EXPLETIVE DELETED) that.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
VELEZ-MITCHELL: Tonight`s "Naked Truth".
Unbelievable road rage hit the paradise of Hawaii, a stunningly wild confrontation caught on cell phone goes viral with nearly a million views
on YouTube. Now, it`s a massive controversy. This mom, Kimberly Ong, was furious after another driver cut in front of her car; that other driver is
the guy filming, Ryan Arakaki. Blaring her horn, she began swerving in and out of lanes to catch up to his car screaming "f" bombs.
All this goes down while her little boy is in the front seat. Watch the incident and decide for yourself.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
ONG: (EXPLETIVE DELETED). You think you can cut me off like that? (EXPLETIVE DELETED) Let me get your license plate.
Why don`t you get out of your car you (EXPLETIVE DELETED)? Come on, do it.
You think you`re (EXPLETIVE DELETED) funny. When you (EXPLETIVE DELETED) cut me off I almost (EXPLETIVE DELETED) wrecked you. Film that.
RYAN ARAKAKI: Don`t touch me.
ONG: You`re the one who (EXPLETIVE DELETED). Film that, fatty. (EXPLETIVE DELETED) What are you going to do about it?
ARAKAKI: Get out of here. Move.
ONG: Really? Really. Oh, yes fat boy. Go, fat boy. Go, fat boy. Fat boy.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
VELEZ-MITCHELL: And you didn`t hear the curse words -- all right. We bleeped them out. Out to my (EXPLETIVE DELETED) "Naked Truth" panel
beginning with Judge Larry Seidlin; is there any justification for this woman`s behavior, Judge?
JUDGE LARRY SEIDLIN, PRESIDED OVER ANNA NICOLE SMITH CASE: No. This woman`s behavior is absolutely bizarre. She`s committed a number of crimes
if the prosecutor wants to prosecute. She left the child unattended in the car. She went into his car, which is unlawful entry, into his automobile.
She assaulted him. She also touched him unlawfully, which is a battery. She was going down a one-way street the wrong way.
This woman may have been on drugs or alcohol. She was bizarre and she`s dangerous. The prosecutor is looking at her trying to figure out what
crimes to charge her with.
VELEZ-MITCHELL: Guess what. No, I have no information she is in any way intoxicated. She might just be angry. Police say this case, if it were
prosecuted, would be classified as unauthorized entry into a motor vehicle when she appears to smack at his cell phone camera. But get this, Simone
Bienne -- or maybe I`ll throw it to Brian Claypool -- she was released without being charged.
CLAYPOOL: Jane, she`s not going to be charged with anything. The driver of the car that cut her off, he needs to know if he did that out here in
Los Angeles, he might be at a funeral instead of a luau in Hawaii, I`ll tell you that much.
VELEZ-MITCHELL: Come on. I don`t think there`s any excuse for this behavior. Listen, I know she`s a mom. She says she was defending her kid.
GOMEZ: Can I just say one thing?
BIENNE: Jane, she`s not defending her kid.
GOMEZ: I just want to say one thing.
BIENNE: She`s doing the opposite of what she claims she`s doing. She`s not defending her child. She`s traumatizing her child.
ELIZABETH: She`s absolutely defending her child.
BIENNE: She`s screaming over her child. She`s swearing. She is not defending her child.
(CROSSTALK)
VELEZ-MITCHELL: One at a time. One at a time.
GOMEZ: One of the funniest things to this video is that you could actually hear --
VELEZ-MITCHELL: Hold on. Go ahead.
GOMEZ: -- you could actually hear the kid yelling, you can actually hear the kid yell, "Mom."
VELEZ-MITCHELL: Yes. Ok. Wait a second. Sierra Elizabeth, you think this woman is defending her child?
ELIZABETH: I do. I actually do. First of all, this video is very one- sided. When the video starts she`s already yelling and upset which tells me that there were critical events that occurred before the video started
rolling that got her to that point. She says that this guy was trying to hit her, thereby endangering not only her life but her young son. We all
know that a mother will go to great lengths if they think that their child is in danger.
And I think that`s what happened here. She looks crazy because she was in mama bear mode protecting her cub.
VELEZ-MITCHELL: Sierra -- Simone Bienne help me out here. She left the child, it would appear, in a car that`s running. She left her little --
and gets out and the car is in the street. And she confronts this guy. Is that protecting your child?
CLAYPOOL: Jane --
ELIZABETH: You do irrational things when you`re trying to protect --
BIENNE: Exactly. No, we`ve heard --
VELEZ-MITCHELL: One at a time -- hold on.
BIENNE: She needed to flee the scene and get her child out of any danger and maybe get the child to memorize the license plate so she can then call
the cops if what he did was so bad. This is absolutely --
ELIZABETH: This guy was still following her --
(CROSSTALK)
VELEZ-MITCHELL: Give me a break. You know what --
BIENNE: Listen Sierra -- I think you`ve had too much sunshine. It makes your brain go crazy. There`s no two sides to this.
GOMEZ: Oh come on.
CLAYPOOL: Hey, Jane --
(CROSSTALK)
VELEZ-MITCHELL: Hold on. One at a time people. I know you`re all upset about this. It sounds like you`re all experiencing road rage in the
studio. Brian Claypool.
CLAYPOOL: Jane, this guy has committed two crimes himself. He committed reckless driving by cutting her off, number one --
ELIZABETH: That`s right.
CLAYPOOL: -- and number two, he committed a crime by using his cell phone to do a videotape of her while he`s driving. That`s a misdemeanor as well.
So this guy`s just as culpable.
ELIZABETH: It is.
CLAYPOOL: He instigated --
ELIZABETH: He`s also following her -- (inaudible) her before she gets out of the car.
VELEZ-MITCHELL: Listen -- I want to go to Kai, D.C. quickly -- what do you have to say?
KAI, WASHINGTON, D.C.: How are you doing Jane? You know, the panel -- I don`t know what the panel is talking about. But my only concern is the
parent as a mom. The mom`s first responsibility is to that child. Did you see how she was driving recklessly trying to catch up to this guy? The
thing you do is you get away from someone who tries to cut you off. You don`t follow him, chase after him.
Yes, he was recklessly doing whatever he was doing but he did not have a child in the car. She should have got away from him and pulled over to the
side and called the police. There was no way in the world any one of --
VELEZ-MITCHELL: All right. Wait, hold on. Kai -- thank you so much. I think you`re the voice of reason, Kai Washington D.C.
We`re taking a short break. We`ll be back with more on the other side.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
ONG: You`re the one who (EXPLETIVE DELETED) back. You fat (EXPLETIVE DELETED). Film that, fatty.
What are you going to do about it?
ARAKAKI: Just get out of her -- move.
ONG: Oh really? Really? All right, fat boy. Go, fat boy. Go, fat boy. Fat boy.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
ARAKAKI: Don`t touch me.
ONG: You`re the one who (EXPLETIVE DELETED). You fat (EXPLETIVE DELETED) -- film that, fatty.
(EXPLETIVE DELETED) you too. What are you going to do about it?
ARAKAKI: Just get out of her -- move.
ONG: Oh, really? Really? Oh yes, fat boy. Go fat boy. Go fat boy. Fat boy.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
VELEZ-MITCHELL: In her statement, Kimberly tells us she was in quote "self-defense mode", a mother protecting her son and they were actually
victimized by the guy who cut around her. I want to say either of these folks are invited on any time.
Simone Bienne, behavior expert -- what do you make of the "fat" comments?
BIENNE: I`m going to be nice to her and say under stress we regress. But seriously it`s just hurling insults. And the thing is look you`re supposed
to be a role model to your kids. And I was laughing, Jane, sorry while you`re playing that video because it sounds like she was on Queen Latifah`s
talk show. "Go fat boy. Go fat boy." I mean it`s absolutely absurd. You shouldn`t be speaking to people like that. This is about her needing to
win, not --
CLAYPOOL: She had a bad day, Simone. Simone she had a bad day. Cut her a break.
BIENNE: Come on, you had a bad day? You`re going to cut --
(CROSSTALK)
VELEZ-MITCHELL: Listen, Louie C.K. makes a very good points in his comedy routine. If you did that to somebody you were trapped in an elevator with
who pushed you out of the way and you turned around and said blank you and fatty, fatty, people would be up in arms. Just because you`re in a vehicle
doesn`t mean it`s ok to unleash all your hostility at a stranger.
(CROSSTALK)
BIENNE: -- what it does is it gives us anonymity and it gives us protection.
VELEZ-MITCHELL: Brian.
CLAYPOOL: This is real life, Jane, throw out the logic. People have bad days, people are on the freeway. She reacted. This guy instigated it.
VELEZ-MITCHELL: Instigated it.
CLAYPOOL: And here`s another thing. She was at the Stop Sign and the guy should have sat there. He honks his horn. I heard that honk -- I`m like,
oh, no.
VELEZ-MITCHELL: Oh come on. Now you can`t honk. Why do they put horns in vehicles?
Joe Gomez, here`s what the guy said on YouTube.
(CROSSTALK)
GOMEZ: Maybe on her phone or something else but there was a good car and a half length of free space in front of her. So I changed lane. She was
completely still not moving at all, waiting for the red light to change. As I made my turn I could hear the lady`s horn blaring.
GOMEZ: Right.
VELEZ-MITCHELL: It goes on and on. But the bottom line -- I wasn`t there. I don`t know. Either of these people are invited.
GOMEZ: Maybe -- she was maybe just looking for a reason to explode. She`s probably just looking for a reason to explode and there it was. I mean if
she was on her cell phone and the guy is behind her a car length away, I mean what is she doing? She`s got a kid in the car. I mean even the kid
thinks his mom is nuts. You can hear him screaming at his mom in the car telling her to calm down. I`ve never seen anything like this before.
VELEZ-MITCHELL: Well, listen, I have seen it a lot in L.A. Let me tell you, I have an admission to make. I once gave the bird to a driver who I
thought was harassing me on the freeway. He followed me off the freeway for 20 blocks. I was absolutely terrified. I never did it again.
Now, no matter what anybody does I`m totally polite because I`m terrified. I`m terrified of road rage. Look at that. It can be dangerous, Sierra.
ELIZABETH: Yes, absolutely. I mean the one thing that I will say is, that mother took a great risk by walking up on someone`s car because, you know,
she`s approaching him. What if he had a gun in the car? That`s a very dangerous situation for her. I hope she doesn`t do it again but I do
understand her protecting her child and being very angry in this situation.
VELEZ-MITCHELL: Yes.
GOMEZ: I don`t think she`s protecting her kid. I think she`s filled with rage.
BIENNE: I think it was all about her -- her winning. That`s what this was about. And also look, when we get in that situation, when rage actually
overtakes our evolved brains, we need to be calm under pressure, for goodness sake. She`s a mother driving an infant.
VELEZ-MITCHELL: Got to leave it right there. Facebook, I get it. But take a deep breath and move on. I agree. Absolutely great comments from
Facebook. All right.
Stay right there. We have an extraordinary story on the other side. It is something that`s going to make you super, super -- well, I`m not going to
put emotions in your mind. You watch it and you decide.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
VELEZ-MITCHELL: I usually have my chihuahua mascot with me but little Rico is on vacation.
Tonight, allegations of horrifying abuse, uncovered at a New Mexico dairy farm. I warn you this video is graphic. But just stay there for a second.
It`s important to bear witness so we can do something about it.
Mercy for Animals` latest investigation allegedly found workers, kicking, punching, throwing and shocking cows. The farm, Winchester Dairy, says it
has fired all the abusive workers in this video. And the New Mexico Livestock Board has opened an investigation.
In a statement the board tells us quote, "The New Mexico Livestock Board takes allegations off animal cruelty very seriously. After reviewing the
video, it immediately went to the dairy in question and began to investigate the actions of the workers in the video.
Straight out Nathan Runkle, executive director of Mercy for Animals. And full disclosure, I have been supportive of Mercy for Animals for a very
long time.
Nathan this investigation has already reportedly forced changes at this farm and the companies they supply -- big companies. Tell us precisely
what your undercover investigator says he caught on tape.
NATHAN RUNKLE, MERCY FOR ANIMALS: Our investigator documented workers kicking, beating cows with metal chains, shocking them in their genitals,
and lifting them on tractors and shoving them into transport units. These are cows that were too sick or injured to even stand on their own. They
should have been provided with veterinary care, but instead they were abused and tortured by these workers under the full knowledge and
oftentimes supervision of management at this company.
This case shows once again, the dairy industry incapable of self- regulation. We need stronger oversight and rules and we need these companies to implement meaningful animal welfare policies.
VELEZ-MITCHELL: So this is a living animal right here. This is a living animal being held up by some kind of foreign vehicle by its haunches. That
animal is alive as this is happening.
RUNKLE: Absolutely, you can hear the cow bellowing in pain and distress. These are live animals who should be receiving veterinary care. They`re so
sick or injured they can`t even walk. Their babies are ripped from their side. They`re thrown into trucks and many of them sent to slaughter.
This is egregious animal abuse that is sanctioned by the dairy industry.
VELEZ-MITCHELL: As soon as Mercy for Animals released this video, the farm says it took action. In a statement Winchester Dairy told us they
terminated all employees and referred the abusive employees to law enforcement for further review, disbursed the farm`s dairy cows to other
dairy farms with purported strong track records in animal welfare within hours of the video being received. Stopped shipment of the farm`s milk to
all vendors and closed the farms operations effective immediately.
One of the vendors they supplied milk to is Leprino Foods. In a statement Leprino said, quote, "As soon as our cooperative supplier was informed
about the abuse on one of these dairies, all shipments from that farm were immediately terminated. Leprino Foods is not receiving milk from these
operations. We take these situations extremely seriously and are extremely repulsed by these events" -- end quote.
Leprino Foods in turn supplies dairy products to company`s like Domino`s. Dominos released a statement saying, quote, "As an industry, we should
thank the organization for bringing this to light as there is no room for this anywhere in the food industry."
All those statements in their entirety will be posted on our Web site in full. Nathan, what`s your response, particularly to the dairy farm`s
statement itself?
RUNKLE: It`s really too little and it`s too late. This is abuse that was allowed to fester at this factory farm for weeks, probably months and even
years before our investigator was there to document it and ultimately go to law enforcement and hold these animal abusers accountable. This facility
should be shut down permanently and these animal abusers should be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law. We can`t tolerate this.
VELEZ-MITCHELL: You see this going on. It`s not happening in a darkroom. You see there`s sunlight right there. How could somebody who`s in charge
of this be unaware of it? Because essentially what they`re saying is the dairy said in the statement, "Animal care and wellbeing are essentially to
the company, as a result the dairy fired all employees and referred the abusive workers to law enforcement." So essentially, what they`re saying
is it`s the worker`s fault.
RUNKLE: Yes -- which is absurd. Our investigator himself brought this abuse to the attention of supervisors time and time again. As you see in
this video, this is abuse taking place in daylight in front of other workers. This abuse was allowed to take place day after day. The only
thing that they`re really sorry about here is that they were caught red handed and now they`ve lost some of their biggest customers, which should
send a message to the dairy industry that animal abuse --
VELEZ-MITCHELL: Look at that, pulling by the tail. This is unbelievable video. It`s horrific.
All right. Thank you, Nathan Runkle, Mercy for Animals.
Don`t miss our coverage next week of the horrific dolphin slaughter in Japan`s infamous Taiji Bay. The six-month killing season has just begun.
Despite these killers erecting massive tarps to prevent anyone from seeing the killing, animal advocates are still managing to live stream from the
notorious cove. Go to the hlntv.com/jane for more details. They can`t speak for themselves.
Nancy next.
END
