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CNN Live Today

Suspect Recaptured In Florida; New Orleans Shooting; Tsunami: One Year Later

Aired December 27, 2005 - 10:00   ET

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

MILES O'BRIEN, CNN ANCHOR: That sounds like a happy ending, right? Just end there.
CAROL COSTELLO, CNN ANCHOR: It does.

MILES O'BRIEN: There is a twist to this story. A twist to the tale, as they say.

COSTELLO: You mean the owner's turned up?

MILES O'BRIEN: In a word, yes. But it's even more interesting than that because Dana -- well, it was rough. It was rough for her, so to speak. So we'll have that story. We'll give you the full denouement to Sunny the dog tomorrow. But I know Daryn will be watching for that because she is an animal lover.

DARYN KAGAN, CNN ANCHOR: I'm sitting here -- you know what, I'm not waiting until tomorrow, Miles.

MILES O'BRIEN: You want to know now, don't you? I'll send you an e-mail.

KAGAN: There had better be an e-mail in the next five minutes in my file because, my goodness. But I will watch tomorrow as well.

MILES O'BRIEN: Please do.

KAGAN: And that's what we call in the biz, a great tease.

MILES O'BRIEN: Well, thank you.

KAGAN: Yes. There are a lot of animal . . .

MILES O'BRIEN: You have a good day.

KAGAN: I will. You have a great day in New York City and I'll look forward to that e-mail.

MILES O'BRIEN: All right.

KAGAN: Thanks, guys. Let's go ahead and take a look at what's happening "Now in the News."

In Miami, this rape suspect was all smiles as he was returned to jail after a weekend-long escape. A tipster led police to Reynaldo Rapalo outside of a video store in southwest Miami. He's charged with sexually assaulting seven women and girls ranging in age from 11 to 79 years old. We'll have a live report coming up.

Also in south Florida, a bus driver is in jail charged with threatening to bomb a Broward County mass transit bus. Police say they learned about the alleged threat from Victor Carrera's relatives. Bomb squad detectives say they found a homemade explosive device and two hollowed out grenades in Carrera's apartment. Authorities aren't saying why Carrera would have wanted to bomb a bus.

Cleanup is underway in downtown Montpelier, Vermont, this morning after a major rock slide closed a section of Route 12. Car-size boulders knocked down trees and forced the evacuation of about 50 residents from an apartment house. It's not clear when the residents can return or when the road will reopen.

In Russia, prosecutors say they have found no mistake in the authorities handling of a Beslan school siege. You might remember, more than 300 people died in the three-day standoff last year. Most of them schoolchildren who had been taken hostage. Relatives of the victims rejected the findings saying that the flawed rescue operation did cost lives.

And good morning to you on this Tuesday morning. I'm Daryn Kagan at CNN Center in Atlanta.

Our first story this hour, Miami's manhunt for a rape suspect is over with the late-night recapture of 34-year-old Reynaldo Rapalo. Police said that Rapalo escaped from jail last week putting two neighborhoods where the rapist had preyed back on edge. CNN's John Zarrella joins us now. He is live in Miami with the latest.

John, good morning.

JOHN ZARRELLA, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Daryn.

Well, certainly huge relief in those neighborhoods. The neighborhood known as the Shenandoah neighborhood and an area of Little Havana. Reynaldo Rapalo in the Miami-Dade County Jail this morning. He is in a maximum security cell. He is being monitored and within the next half hour we expect him to appear in bond court to face these latest charges, the escape charges.

There you see Rapalo this morning as he was led from the Florida Department of Law Enforcement facility to the jail taken away. He talked with police. He seemed to laugh. They say -- the authorities say that he was actually very happy that he was able to elude capture for a week.

Now Rapalo terrorized that Shenandoah neighborhood or is believed to have terrorized that Shenandoah neighborhood in the years 2002 and 2003. He is charged with the sexual assault on 11 young girls and women agency 11 to 79. And, again, he did terrorize that entire neighborhood until his arrest.

Now police say that they believe that more arrests may be made today because for him to have eluded their capture for the past week, that he must have had some sort of assistance during the week in hiding out. The arrest came last night about 10:00 p.m. acting on a tip that police got from someone who called from a shopping mall giving them a description of the man.

They confronted Rapalo and at that time Rapalo told them that he was homeless, that he was from Nicaragua. When they continued to question him, he bolted, started running across the parking lot. With the assistance of canine units, they were able to catch him and bring him back into custody.

And again, Daryn, huge, huge relief in Miami. There was also some concern, of course, that perhaps Rapalo had fled the area. But police are saying now that while he apparently, obviously, had a very well thought out escape plan to get out of jail, he didn't have much of a plan after that. And in a lot of ways that's a good thing. They've got him back now in custody.

Daryn.

KAGAN: Any more information on what the tip was or who it came from, John?

ZARRELLA: No, the tipster's anonymous right now. But the tipster, according to police, did give them a description of the man, saying that he had on blue jeans and wore a shirt that had a pink frilly top to it. A sweatshirt of some sort. And he did match the description of Reynaldo Rapalo. But again, this person is anonymous and at this point could receive up to the $36,000 reward for their assistance.

KAGAN: John Zarrella live in Miami. John, thank you.

Now with go to New Orleans where we witness signs of normalcy returning in the months following Hurricane Katrina. Today an unwanted milestone to tell you about. The first police shooting since the city reopened. You can see a number of officers surrounding a man waving a knife. A witness says the man had just assaulted a drugstore employee and police were following him down the street ordering him to get down. They even used pepper spray. That didn't work. And then they say the man lunged at an officer. At that point police fired bullets.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DAVID ADAMS, NEW ORLEANS POLICE SPOKESMAN: Yes, several officers out here. And a police officers, right in front of him, life is in imminent danger, he has to back out of the way to keep from being stabbed in his chest. No, I don't think it's too much force.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

KAGAN: Robert Jenkins is an attorney who witnessed the incident. He spoke to Miles O'Brien earlier today on CNN.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ROBERT JENKINS, WITNESS: When the police came out, they ordered the man to put the gun down -- I mean the knife down. They told him to get on the ground. He refused. They pepper sprayed him. He still didn't go down. And they also, you know, showed great restraint early on in terms of following him down the street.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

KAGAN: A remind to our viewers, AMERICAN MORNING is now on an hour earlier. You can watch it weekdays beginning at 6:00 a.m. Eastern. They go to 10 a.m. Eastern and then we here at CNN LIVE TODAY take over from there.

So that video of the New Orleans incident was taken by video journalist Phin Percy, who joins me now on the phone.

Phin, good morning.

PHIN PERCY, VIDEO JOURNALIST: Good morning. How are you?

KAGAN: I'm doing OK.

How did you happen to be in the right place at the right time to get these pictures?

PERCY: Well, actually, back up a bit to Katrina, because that sort of ties into anything that has anything to do with New Orleans. But I was actually working with an NBC affiliate in Seattle when the hurricane came. And I'm born and raised in New Orleans, so I actually quit my job in Seattle and returned to New Orleans.

I was staying at my dad's condominium on St. Charles Avenue, which anyone familiar with New Orleans is familiar with St. Charles Avenue, has now become the main thorough fare of the city. It's not uncommon to hear fire engines, EMS, police cars screaming by and numerous times a day. But because I have a news background, I'm always drawn to the window to see if there's any excitement nearby.

As it turned out yesterday, about 3:00 in the afternoon, I heard a police car go by with the siren and I heard the brakes screech and I looked out the window and noticed a very large number of police officers, I would say it was probably maybe between a dozen and 16, with their guns drawn on an individual, a rather large man who was flailing his arms. My instincts kicked in. I went and grabbed my camera and began shooting immediately from the bedroom of my dad's condominium.

KAGAN: So what did you think you were seeing as you're shooting it, keeping in mind when you're looking through the viewer that you're not really necessarily seeing what's happening if you could just be watching it?

PERCY: Exactly. What struck me as I began shooting through the camera, is that at the time I couldn't see a weapon in this individual's hand. And I continued shooting as he backpedaled up St. Charles with the police officers following maybe about 10, 15 feet. As they moved up St. Charles, I lost the view from the window and had no choice but to run through the apartment, down the stairs, through the garage, up the driveway and out to the avenue.

And as I was running up the driveway, I heard probably between 7 and 10 shots and knew immediately that this individual had probably been shot. I got out on the street and, as you can well imagine, it was very chaotic. At this point there were, I would guess, close to 30, I believe, all New Orleans police officers. And at the time, I think their main concern was public safety. I don't know if they were aware whether this individual was by himself or had an accomplice.

As it turns out, fortunately he was by himself. But I didn't actually see the shooting and it wasn't until I got back in the apartment and looked at the tape that I realized that there was a very visibly -- a very large knife in his right hand that he was flailing at these officers.

KAGAN: So before the shots, what else could you hear while you had your camera outside the window?

PERCY: There were repeated, numerous calls from the police officers, from each of the police officers, to drop the knife, lay on the ground, get down. And, I mean, this went on for probably three or four minutes. Now, as the police officers and this individual moved up St. Charles and fell out of my view, the police officers were getting closer and closer to the suspect.

It's a little disconcerting in the video because, as I was shooting, the police officers were keeping a very safe distance. As they worked their way down St. Charles Avenue, I believe this individual, again, I didn't see, I'm just surmising, that he got into an area against a parked car and had nowhere to go and I believe at that point that's when he lunged at the officers.

KAGAN: All right. Well, Phin Percy, photographer, sharp pictures there. And if you get anything else as you're there trying to monitor and document what is taking place in your hometown, be sure to pass them on to us here at CNN.

PERCY: Absolutely.

KAGAN: We appreciate your pictures and your explanation of the pictures as well. Phin Percy who took that video.

By the way, we want to tell you, we decided to pixilate the man's face. We haven't identified him and we're not sure if his family has been notified of what has taken place with New Orleans police. We'll have more on that story as it develops.

Meanwhile, we go to California. That's where one motorist is dead after losing control of a vehicle in a mudslide near Modesto. A winter storm watch that was posted yesterday remains in effect today, especially for the higher elevations of northern California. Skiers there saw as much as two new feet of fresh snow yesterday. A little bit of video of a ski lift near Truckee. That's where they might even have more snow later today.

Jacqui Jeras is watching what's happening in the west, as well as all around the country.

Jacqui, good morning.

(WEATHER REPORT)

KAGAN: Also today, nearly 50 people have been indicted in connection with a Hurricane Katrina fraud case. The story appears in today's "Washington Post." The federal probe focuses on a Red Cross call center in Bakersfield, California. Authorities say hundreds of thousands of dollars in false claims were filed at that center. Suspicions were aroused when an unusually large number of people were pick up Red Cross money at Western Union outlets near the center. Contract workers and their relatives and friends have been named in the indictments. Red Cross officials note that none of their workers have been accused of fraud.

I want to show you a story that we're watching out of Lutz, Florida, today in Tampa. This is the funeral service that is getting ready to start for James Dungy, the 18-year-old son of Tony Dungy, the head coach of the Indianapolis Colts. Eighteen-year-old James Dungy taking his own life last week. And the entire NFL community has rallied around the Dungy family. It's believed that as many as 200 members of the Indianapolis Coals will be flying down there today to support their coach at this very difficult and challenging time.

The road to recovery in New Orleans takes many turns, even humor playing a role. Ahead on CNN LIVE TODAY, we're going to talk to a former sitcom star who's using his nightclub to help bring the city together.

Also, living in fear and in the cold after Sanjay Gupta visits a tent in Pakistan where thousands are earthquake survivors are struggling to survive.

And this. A U.S. soldier in Iraq doing some soul searching about his mission. He opens up to CNN about the personal struggles that he faces.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

KAGAN: A little boy patrols a fishing hole where his home once stood. Is it simple life for a youngster with big dreams in tsunami ravaged Indonesia. His heartfelt loss when CNN LIVE TODAY returns.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

KAGAN: To Iraq now. Progress and a grim reminder of the past. Construction workers laying a new water line in Karbala have discovered a mass grave containing the remains of about 20 people. The victims are believed to have been killed by Saddam Hussein's security forces during a Shite uprising in 1991.

Sectarian violence is suspected in a deadly attack south of Baghdad. Gunmen there stormed a poultry farm and killed four Shiite workers. A note left next to the bodies said, "you deserve to die because you are Shiites." The U.S. military says no hostile fire was involved in a deadly crash of an army helicopter west of Baghdad. Two army helicopter pilots died in last night's accident. Both were members of Task Force Baghdad.

The U.S. military is also confirming the death of an American soldier in Khalidiya. The soldier was on combat operations and hit by small arms fire. The soldier was among several U.S. army units attached to the second marine division during Operation Iraqi Freedom.

The bells and rings of slot machines are back on the Gulf Coast. Ahead, why residents are happy to be putting their hard-earned money on the table.

And the markets are opened today in New York City. It's been open about 50 minutes. You can see the Dow looking strong in post- Christmas trading. Up about 32 points. And the Nasdaq in positive territory. It is up just a bit. It is up just over four points.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

KAGAN: To world news now. The Thai meteorologist who predicted the tsunami seven years beforehand now says his country in some ways is ill-prepared for another killer wave. Smith Thammasaroj says that a number of beach hotels and facilities are not connected to a new tsunami warning system. He said many hotels still don't have emergency instructions. Thammasaroj stepped down as the head of the Thai meteorological service when he was criticized for his 1998 prediction of an impending tsunami. He is back on the job, by the way, after his prediction came true.

Recovery from the tsunami has been, at best, slow and laborious. In parts of hard-hit Banda Aceh, Indonesia, there's little distinction between living and existing.

CNN's Alex Quade now looks at a 13-year-old boy who subsists from where the waters where close relatives and so many of his countrymen perished.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

ALEX QUADE, CNN CORRESPONDENT, (voice over): This is Hasmula's (ph) secret way to catch fish.

HASMULA, (through translator): I chase the fish by bashing the water. I beat the water so the fish will come out.

QUADE: And this is Hasmula's secret fishing hole.

HASMULA: At this location there were houses. After the tsunami, there is water here and no more houses. They were taken by the tsunami.

QUADE: The 13-year-old's relatives lived right here. They and their homes are gone.

What do you remember about the tsunami?

HASMULA: I heard people screaming, water, the water was rising. I wondered why. I ran. I saw my friends also running. Five of my close friends died.

QUADE: More than 169,000 people lost their lives in Aceh, more than anywhere else the wave hit. Hasmula and his parents survived. His home, relatives and school mates did not.

HASMULA: There are many dead bodies everywhere after the tsunami. There are damaged houses and schools. It makes me feel unhappy and sad to think about it.

QUADE: Though he smiles, he says he hates this water. But he must fish to help support what's left of his family. Today is a good day.

HASMULA: These two cost 5,000 rupah (ph).

QUADE: About 50 cents in U.S. dollars. Fishing for a living after the tsunami is hard. Muck and debris choke the eco system.

HASMULA: Now there's no place to fish. The water has gone deeper. It's not good.

QUADE: All around Hasmula, workers are rebuilding.

HASMULA: There are no houses anymore. Many poor people. I feel sad. I still feel sad.

QUADE: The tsunami made 500,000 Achenes homeless. Today, nearly 68,000 in this provincial capital alone still live in tents. Humanitarian shanty towns are going up, but rebuilding lives is harder.

HASMULA: It's not the same now. I don't enjoy school anymore. I lost so many friends.

QUADE: As he fishes, Hasmula dreams of becoming a Muslim cleric but worries he'll be stuck for the rest of his life beating the water that took his relatives.

HASMULA: I don't know why the tsunami happened.

QUADE: A year later, he's still afraid it will happen again.

HASMULA: It was scary. I'm still scared.

QUADE: Alex Quade, CNN, Banda Aceh, Indonesia.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

KAGAN: If there is anything positive to come from the tsunami tragedy, it's the new found peace in Banda Aceh. That is where a bloody 30-year-long civil war ended with warring sides setting aside their differences for the sake of survival. Today, former Aceh rebels announced they have disbanded their militia as spelled out in their August peace deal with the Indonesian government. And in return, the government is giving Banda Aceh more autonomy and revenue from the province's energy resources. As many as 15,000 people died in the nation's civil war.

We're going to check in on the top stories just ahead.

Plus, a marine serving his third tour of duty in Iraq struggles with the consequences of his actions. Stay with us.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

KAGAN: Welcome back to our next half hour of CNN LIVE TODAY. I'm Daryn Kagan. Here's a look at what's happening "Now in the News."

Police in New Orleans are launching an internal investigation into a police shooting. Police yesterday ordered a man waving a knife to get down. He didn't respond and wasn't affected when police sprayed him with pepper spray. Police say the man lunged at an officer, fellow officers shot and killed the man. The police shooting was the first in New Orleans since the city reopened after Hurricane Katrina.

A suspect in a series of Miami rapes has been captured after six days on the run. Reynaldo Rapalo escaped from jail where he was awaiting a trial that could have sent him to prison for life. Police say Rapalo was cocky after his arrest, bragging about outsmarting police for nearly a week.

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