Return to Transcripts main page

Live From...

Interviews With John Shadegg, Mike Thompson

Aired October 30, 2003 - 13:54   ET

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

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


KYRA PHILLIPS, CNN ANCHOR: We're going to break away from the Pentagon briefing once again to continue to follow this other breaking news story we've been telling you about, within the past ten minutes or so.
And that is that the Cannon House Office Building on the Hill, members of the House being evacuated at this moment. The SWAT team on the scene looking for a man believed to have a handgun somewhere within this building, on the loose.

He was spotted as he was coming through. A handgun, apparently, according to witnesses, was in his backpack as he was coming through a metal detector. He then grabbed the backpack, sprinted down the hallway, and now the SWAT team is trying to evacuate that building and search for the individual.

Right now, locked up in his office in that building we have Congressman John Shadegg with us, representative Arizona. He's in his office. Congressman, tell me everything you know.

REP. JOHN SHADEGG (R), ARIZONA: I think your report is fairly accurate. That's what we know. I was actually in a committee hearing at the time. They moved us out of that committee hearing. I returned to my office and they are not, in fact, evacuating staff and members from their offices, at least not on the second floor or the third floor and up.

So far as I know, members have been asked to stay in their offices, and their staff's stay in their offices, and keep the doors locked. I actually learned about the incident from the Capitol Hill policemen and called my staff immediately and said, Lock the door.

And they did so and I was able to get to my office and get in and stay behind locked doors.

PHILLIPS: So basically you are behind locked doors right now. You and your entire staff. Do you feel safe?

SHADEGG: Yes. I think the policeman are moving through the building. I saw a number of them, and they're doing their job. These are big, solid doors and they're locked and I feel just fine.

PHILLIPS: You are also a member of the Homeland Security Committee.

SHADEGG: And that was the committee that was meeting actually.

PHILLIPS: How ironic.

SHADEGG: Yes.

PHILLIPS: Tell me, you know -- this is a sensitive time of course. What's going through your mind? You obviously know, sense the issue of homeland security has become a -- in such the forefront for all of us here in the United States.

Any new systems in place that could handle a situation like this where previously -- maybe not -- it wouldn't necessarily be engaged? Any new systems or security measures?

SHADEGG: Well there are a number of new systems and security measures. And one of the things that will come out of the incident is an assessment of how well they worked.

Members and staff now all -- just virtually all carry BlackBerrys and able to get wireless communications and be notified of an incident like this by BlackBerry.

And there's a device in each our offices that is unconnected to any of the other communication systems and it can give us an alert. And that system actually after CNN called us.

And they came over that system, after you first placed your call, and instructed us basically what was going on and said we should stay in the building behind closed doors, which, frankly, the notification came to my office quite late, long after I had told my staff of the incident and had told them to lock the doors.

So there will be, I think, some assessment how well the systems are working.

PHILLIPS: What kind of communication do you have, for example, with the Capitol Hill Police right now, the SWAT team that's in the building, searching for this individual?

SHADEGG: Well, no communication with that SWAT team. We have the ability to telephone the Capitol Hill Police and, I guess, otherwise communicate by them via the Internet.

PHILLIPS: Now, Congressman -- oh, that's interesting. So you've got your e-mail up and running right now?

SHADEGG: Yes.

PHILLIPS: OK. Now this individual, we are told, came into the building and fled, grabbed the backpack and fled. Now, you have hallways that lead directly into the Capitol. Isn't that correct?

SHADEGG: Yes. There are hallways from this building that lead to an underground tunnel that would go to the Capitol. Although, when I went through that -- those doors and those hallways were some of the first that were closed. Very early in this incident, the doors that lead from the Cannon building to the tunnel that goes into the Capitol building had been closed. And there were Capitol police there not allowing anyone to go from the one building, the Cannon building to the Capitol building.

PHILLIPS: All right, Congressman Shadegg, thank you so much for the information. We want to keep in touch with you, as you remain there in your office.

I understand we have another Congressman on the phone with us now, Congressman Mike Thompson from California. Sir, are you also in your office?

REP. MIKE THOMPSON (D), CALIFORNIA: I am. I'm sitting at my desk, watching you on television.

(LAUGHTER)

PHILLIPS: Well we appreciate you watching CNN. We're going to try and do the best that we can about following the story. And of course getting a track on this man, allegedly with a gun that is somewhere inside of this building.

Can you tell me the security situation, how you were notified where your staff is, where exactly you are?

THOMPSON: Everyone on my staff is in the office. We're all here, the doors are locked. We've been visited by two Capitol Police. They came in and searched the entire office, all different rooms. And informed us that there's a possibility that someone is in the building, with the firearm, and that they were going to check all the rooms throughout the entire office complex.

PHILLIPS: And -- now, when a situation -- first of all, how many times has this happened since you've been in office? Is this the first time for you?

THOMPSON: This is the first time. But remember, security has really been enhanced in the last couple of years. Before, they didn't have quite the security system -- the doors that they have now.

PHILLIPS: What's the difference -- OK, Congressman, I'll ask you to stand by. I'm being told there's a news conference now.

TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com







Aired October 30, 2003 - 13:54   ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
KYRA PHILLIPS, CNN ANCHOR: We're going to break away from the Pentagon briefing once again to continue to follow this other breaking news story we've been telling you about, within the past ten minutes or so.
And that is that the Cannon House Office Building on the Hill, members of the House being evacuated at this moment. The SWAT team on the scene looking for a man believed to have a handgun somewhere within this building, on the loose.

He was spotted as he was coming through. A handgun, apparently, according to witnesses, was in his backpack as he was coming through a metal detector. He then grabbed the backpack, sprinted down the hallway, and now the SWAT team is trying to evacuate that building and search for the individual.

Right now, locked up in his office in that building we have Congressman John Shadegg with us, representative Arizona. He's in his office. Congressman, tell me everything you know.

REP. JOHN SHADEGG (R), ARIZONA: I think your report is fairly accurate. That's what we know. I was actually in a committee hearing at the time. They moved us out of that committee hearing. I returned to my office and they are not, in fact, evacuating staff and members from their offices, at least not on the second floor or the third floor and up.

So far as I know, members have been asked to stay in their offices, and their staff's stay in their offices, and keep the doors locked. I actually learned about the incident from the Capitol Hill policemen and called my staff immediately and said, Lock the door.

And they did so and I was able to get to my office and get in and stay behind locked doors.

PHILLIPS: So basically you are behind locked doors right now. You and your entire staff. Do you feel safe?

SHADEGG: Yes. I think the policeman are moving through the building. I saw a number of them, and they're doing their job. These are big, solid doors and they're locked and I feel just fine.

PHILLIPS: You are also a member of the Homeland Security Committee.

SHADEGG: And that was the committee that was meeting actually.

PHILLIPS: How ironic.

SHADEGG: Yes.

PHILLIPS: Tell me, you know -- this is a sensitive time of course. What's going through your mind? You obviously know, sense the issue of homeland security has become a -- in such the forefront for all of us here in the United States.

Any new systems in place that could handle a situation like this where previously -- maybe not -- it wouldn't necessarily be engaged? Any new systems or security measures?

SHADEGG: Well there are a number of new systems and security measures. And one of the things that will come out of the incident is an assessment of how well they worked.

Members and staff now all -- just virtually all carry BlackBerrys and able to get wireless communications and be notified of an incident like this by BlackBerry.

And there's a device in each our offices that is unconnected to any of the other communication systems and it can give us an alert. And that system actually after CNN called us.

And they came over that system, after you first placed your call, and instructed us basically what was going on and said we should stay in the building behind closed doors, which, frankly, the notification came to my office quite late, long after I had told my staff of the incident and had told them to lock the doors.

So there will be, I think, some assessment how well the systems are working.

PHILLIPS: What kind of communication do you have, for example, with the Capitol Hill Police right now, the SWAT team that's in the building, searching for this individual?

SHADEGG: Well, no communication with that SWAT team. We have the ability to telephone the Capitol Hill Police and, I guess, otherwise communicate by them via the Internet.

PHILLIPS: Now, Congressman -- oh, that's interesting. So you've got your e-mail up and running right now?

SHADEGG: Yes.

PHILLIPS: OK. Now this individual, we are told, came into the building and fled, grabbed the backpack and fled. Now, you have hallways that lead directly into the Capitol. Isn't that correct?

SHADEGG: Yes. There are hallways from this building that lead to an underground tunnel that would go to the Capitol. Although, when I went through that -- those doors and those hallways were some of the first that were closed. Very early in this incident, the doors that lead from the Cannon building to the tunnel that goes into the Capitol building had been closed. And there were Capitol police there not allowing anyone to go from the one building, the Cannon building to the Capitol building.

PHILLIPS: All right, Congressman Shadegg, thank you so much for the information. We want to keep in touch with you, as you remain there in your office.

I understand we have another Congressman on the phone with us now, Congressman Mike Thompson from California. Sir, are you also in your office?

REP. MIKE THOMPSON (D), CALIFORNIA: I am. I'm sitting at my desk, watching you on television.

(LAUGHTER)

PHILLIPS: Well we appreciate you watching CNN. We're going to try and do the best that we can about following the story. And of course getting a track on this man, allegedly with a gun that is somewhere inside of this building.

Can you tell me the security situation, how you were notified where your staff is, where exactly you are?

THOMPSON: Everyone on my staff is in the office. We're all here, the doors are locked. We've been visited by two Capitol Police. They came in and searched the entire office, all different rooms. And informed us that there's a possibility that someone is in the building, with the firearm, and that they were going to check all the rooms throughout the entire office complex.

PHILLIPS: And -- now, when a situation -- first of all, how many times has this happened since you've been in office? Is this the first time for you?

THOMPSON: This is the first time. But remember, security has really been enhanced in the last couple of years. Before, they didn't have quite the security system -- the doors that they have now.

PHILLIPS: What's the difference -- OK, Congressman, I'll ask you to stand by. I'm being told there's a news conference now.

TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com