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JANE VELEZ-MITCHELL

George Zimmerman Arrest on Domestic Violence Charges; Toronto Mayor`s Brand New Gig; Police Shoot at Van as Mom Speeds Away; Climate Change Calling

Aired November 18, 2013 - 19:00:00   ET

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


JANE VELEZ-MITCHELL, HOST: Tonight`s big story: Breaking news, George Zimmerman, the man who shot unarmed teen Trayvon Martin dead but was found not guilty of murdering him. Yes, that guy. Well, Zimmerman has been arrested again.

This time the former Neighborhood Watchman is accused of pointing a long gun at his girlfriend and barricading himself inside her house. He`s behind bars right now.

Good evening. I`m Jane Velez-Mitchell coming to you live. Thanks for joining me.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: No justice, no peace! No justice, no peace!

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: No justice, no peace! No justice, no peace!

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: No justice, no peace! No justice, no peace!

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: He can`t seem to stay out of a police station or out of the news. I`m talking about George Zimmerman.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: They arrested George Zimmerman after responding to a disturbance call.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: This guy seems to continue to get off. And for someone like him it says "I can do whatever I want. There are no consequences for me. I`m Teflon. They`re just going to fall right on off."

(END VIDEOTAPE)

VELEZ-MITCHELL: Cops say Zimmerman`s girlfriend called 911 from her house, where George was living, and the girlfriend alleges Zimmerman broke a table and pointed a shotgun at her during a fight.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: She and George Zimmerman were having a verbal dispute. And at that time, she alleged that he had broken a table and at one point pointed a long-barreled shotgun at her. She worked -- she was able to work her way to the front door of the residence on her cell phone and called 911 to make contact with authorities. And at that time, he actually pushed her out of the front of the residence and then barricaded the door with some furniture from the inside of the house.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

VELEZ-MITCHELL: Tonight, Zimmerman is charged with felony aggravated assault, domestic violence battery and criminal mischief.

But we all know he is notoriously full of excuses, right? And the biggest excuse was what happened the night he shot 17-year-old Trayvon Martin dead while the teen was packing only a fruit drink and Skittles. We all remember this.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

GEORGE ZIMMERMAN, ARRESTED ON DOMESTIC VIOLENCE CHARGES: I kept yelling, "Help, help, help." He put his hand on his nose -- on my nose and the other hand on my mouth and said, "Shut the (EXPLETIVE DELETED) up."

(END VIDEO CLIP)

VELEZ-MITCHELL: Just a couple of months ago, Zimmerman`s estranged wife, Shellie, called cops, saying George was threatening her with a gun.

Tonight we`re learning the mystery blond with George during that drama is, according to published reports, the same woman who called cops today.

Zimmerman had almost a half a dozen scrapes with the law since he was acquitted of murder in July. Will America`s least favorite Neighborhood Watchman talk his way out of this one?

What do you think? Give me a holler: 1-877-JVM-SAYS. That`s 1-877- 586-7297.

Now, we have a fabulous Lion`s Den debate panel tonight on the big story.

But first we`ve got some breaking news I want to tell you. And Natalie Jackson, you are formerly the attorney for Trayvon Martin`s family. So I know you`re going to have some comments on this. We have just this second obtained the 911 call from George Zimmerman`s girlfriend today. Listen to it, and then we`re going to debate it.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: What`s going on?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: He`s in my house breaking all my (EXPLETIVE DELETED) because I asked him to leave. He has his freaking gun right.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

VELEZ-MITCHELL: Wow. He has a bleeping gun. Natalie Jackson, again, you represented the family of dead teen Trayvon Martin. As you hear this, are you thinking deja vu all over again? What are you thinking?

NATALIE JACKSON, FORMER ATTORNEY FOR TRAYVON MARTIN`S FAMILY: Well, I`m thinking that we`ve heard this over and over, not just from Trayvon Martin`s case, but we also heard it from Shellie Zimmerman, George Zimmerman`s wife.

I think that we have to look at the pattern here. Even prior to Trayvon Martin`s killing, George Zimmerman had a pattern of aggressiveness. He had an arrest for battery on a law enforcement officer. He had an injunction taken out by a former girlfriend. We know that the night prior to Trayvon`s shooting, his wife -- he and his wife had gotten into an argument, and she left the home. And here we are, not even six months after his acquittal, and he`s had two other domestic violence incidents involving guns. There`s a pattern there.

VELEZ-MITCHELL: Now, see -- see the video there? We are hearing from published reports that we can`t independently confirm, although we`re trying to, that that woman, that mystery blond, as she was referred to, who was with George Zimmerman back in September a couple of months ago when his estranged wife, Shellie, called the cops on him.

And I think you remember the incident where, essentially, Shellie said that he had punched her dad, his father-in-law, in the nose and broken their iPad while she was trying to record. I think you remember this. This was something that was in the news -- the news for days on end. And at that time Shellie said that George Zimmerman appeared to be reaching for his gun. Let`s listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SHELLIE ZIMMERMAN, ESTRANGED WIFE OF GEORGE ZIMMERMAN (via phone): He accosted my father and then took my iPad out of my hand and smashed it and cut it with a pocket knife. He`s in his car and she continually has his hand on his gun and he keeps saying, "Step closer." He`s just threatening all of us.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

VELEZ-MITCHELL: Now Shellie decided not to press charges, but these two incidents have one big thing in common. Both times the woman, who`s called 911, says Zimmerman is threatening them with a gun, but when cops arrive, where`s the weapon? They can`t seem to find it.

So I want to go to Mark Sterling, News 96.5 Radio reporter out of Orlando. Explain in the situation today, in the drama-rama today, cops arrive at the girlfriend`s home, and what do they do and what don`t they find?

MARK STERLING, REPORTER, NEWS 96.5 RADIO (via phone): Well, you know, they get there, Jane, and Zimmerman has barricaded himself inside. But as soon as he -- as soon as they arrive, he seemed to pretty much back down a little bit. He came out. He didn`t give the police any problem from what we`re being told.

You know, this is obviously after he`s put the butt of a shotgun through a glass table. And turned the gun at his girlfriend. And he apparently worked with police, and you know, now he`s looking at a felony charge of aggravated assault and battery and criminal mischief. Now...

VELEZ-MITCHELL: But, Mark, isn`t it true that they didn`t find a gun when they got there? Just like they didn`t find a gun when -- when the cops responded a couple of months ago when Shellie, his estranged wife, called. But they didn`t search his vehicle is my recollection the last time. And everybody was like, well, of course they didn`t find a gun. You didn`t check his glove compartment.

And now they get there, and they don`t find a gun. So aren`t they trying to get a search warrant to go in there and look for the guns now?

STERLING: They are trying to obtain a search warrant to try to find those guns. And it did seem a little bit odd that, you know, if the guns were in the house, they should have had full access to go to the house. I wouldn`t think that the girlfriend would try to throw up any sort of blockade to get in their way on that. So they are trying to obtain that.

But now deputies have said that, if Zimmerman is able to bond out or when he bonds out, they want him put on GPS tracking. And that`s something that is standard in Seminole County. Any domestic dispute or domestic violence situation, the offender always is put on GPS tracking. So he would be GPS tracked if...

VELEZ-MITCHELL: Yes, he`s going to court tomorrow before a judge. He`s behind bars right now. But he`s -- what time is he going to court tomorrow?

STERLING: One-thirty is the -- is when he`ll face a judge.

VELEZ-MITCHELL: OK. And I will say this tonight. Tomorrow night we will have the very latest right here on the show as to what happens to him in court tomorrow.

But Brian Claypool, defense attorney, I understand that you feel that there`s some justification for his behavior?

BRIAN CLAYPOOL, DEFENSE ATTORNEY: Jane, I wouldn`t go that far. But here`s the problem.

By the way, I was one of the most ardent critics of George Zimmerman when he was arrested for the alleged murder of Trayvon Martin. I was very critical of him, and I thought the prosecution did a bad job of presenting that case. I think that`s what leads us to the problem that we have today.

George Zimmerman has constitutional rights, even though a lot of folks think he was guilty, he was found not guilty. The problem is this: You need evidence first to arrest somebody. And where is the gun? I have a few...

VELEZ-MITCHELL: OK, Brian, I got to jump in. I`ve got to jump in. Why is it that they`re unable to find the gun over and over again? Why is it that the first time around they didn`t look in the glove compartment. They said, "Oh, we couldn`t find a gun." Therefore, no charges are filed. But oops, we did not get a warrant to look in the glove compartment.

Now they go to the house and they don`t find a gun, and they say they need a serge warrant. Well, the reporter stated the obvious. The woman who called 911, it`s her place. She, I would assume, would be more than willing to say look around, find the thing. It was a long gun, she said.

STERLING: Well, maybe there`s a possibility that there was not a gun in both situations. I find that odd. Maybe Penn and Teller is investigating this, and they magically made the gun go away.

But Jane, focus on that 911 tape. The woman that called, his girlfriend, called in. She said, quote, "He has a gun." She didn`t say anything about pointing the gun. So there can`t be an aggravated assault charge if he`s not pointing the gun at her. And where`s there evidence of a domestic battery, or a serious battery here, as well? There`s no evidence of that either. Battering means that...

VELEZ-MITCHELL: I`ve got to tell you something. We`re getting new information. I want my producer to tell me what it is you are just hearing. It`s just coming in. It`s regarding two guns? OK.

Apparently George also called 911 and mentioned both me he and his girlfriend both had guns. First of all, we have no idea whether there`s any truth to that.

But this is the first I`m hearing it. Please confirm, producer, that indeed in this case today George Zimmerman also called 911? Is that what you`re saying?

OK. So I want to go back to Natalie Jackson, because this also seems to be a pattern. You know, many years ago, something like eight years ago, his then-ex-fiancee filed a restraining order against George Zimmerman. And what he did do? He filed a restraining order against her. She accused him of domestic violence. He turns around and it`s tit for tat. Do you see a pattern here, Natalie?

JACKSON: I personally see a pattern. And I agree with what the last person said, that George Zimmerman does have constitutional rights, and he does deserves a fair evaluation of the case. But evidence is testimonial evidence. And you had someone call 911 and you had them report what he did. And that`s why he was arrested, based upon this young lady`s report, and that is evidence in the case.

VELEZ-MITCHELL: Look, there is, in my opinion, a definite pattern here. Long before he was accused of murdering Trayvon Martin, he was no stranger to the criminal justice system. Cops say he responded like a pro to his most recent arrest. Listen to what cops said today.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The easiest way to describe it is rather passive. I mean, clearly, he`s had the opportunity to encounter situations similar to this in the past. Offered no resistance and cooperated the entire time.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

VELEZ-MITCHELL: Here`s my rant. This isn`t the first or even the second accusation of domestic violence against George Zimmerman.

Eight long years ago, as I mentioned, before the world ever heard of George Zimmerman, his then ex-fiancee got a restraining order against him, alleging domestic violence. He countered by filing a restraining order against her.

That same year he was charged with resisting an officer with violence, but he claimed, "Hey, I`m just protecting a friend from a guy. I didn`t realize that guy was an undercover cop." The charge was waived when he entered an alcohol education program.

Now, Robi Ludwig, psychotherapist, to me this seems like a guy who`s not only confrontational but a guy who knows how to play the system like a violin.

ROBI LUDWIG, PSYCHOTHERAPIST: Yes. I mean, George Zimmerman has a rage problem. It wouldn`t surprise me if he had a history of being a batterer.

But he`s always struck me as very paranoid. And so, if you`re paranoid, you think everybody is out to get you, and in some cases paranoids can be really smart and self-protective. So they always seem themselves as the victim. And now that he`s had so much experience with the police, he probably knows how to play that game a little bit to protect himself.

But I really think that there`s something not being addressed here in terms of his own -- his own mental health. This is a man who sees the world and other people as out to get him. And that`s very strong here.

VELEZ-MITCHELL: Well, I think there`s three possibilities in terms of his behavior.

One, that as his estranged wife Shellie said, he feels invincible. He feels, now he was acquitted of murdering Trayvon Martin, he can do anything he wants, and he`s not going to be held accountable.

The other is, according to, I believe, her brother, that he`s extremely guilty and he`s filled with self-hatred. So he tries to get into trouble, because he wants to be punished on some level.

And the other is he`s just a crackpot who can`t control his acting out.

I want to go to the phones. Lois, Kentucky. What have you got to say? Lois, Kentucky.

CALLER: Yes. Talking about George Zimmerman, I disagreed with the verdict entirely. I think they were wrong. And I think that he has pushed it ever since then by -- by going to the gun manufacturer and smiling. And I think he`s going to bite off more than he can chew when it comes to the point that he pulls a gun on the wrong person and then they will get justice for Trayvon Martin. That`s the only time.

VELEZ-MITCHELL: Ma`am, you have stated something that is very wise. We see this in cases where we think somebody has gotten away with something. O.J. Simpson comes to mind, right? Many people feel he got away with double murder, and he`s behind bars on something else, armed robbery.

And you know, Joran Vander Sloot in the Natalie Holloway case, he`s behind bars. So is it going to be that way this time around? Because this guy is in serious trouble. He`s facing a felony and two misdemeanors and if it`s a gun, this that is mandatory tame if he`s convicted.

So, speaking of crackpots, he`s apologized for smoking crack, for making homophobic and racial slurs, and now Toronto Mayor Rob Ford is saying sorry again, but you will not believe what he did this time. And it`s all caught on camera.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Did I? Come on. I`m not an addict. I`m not an alcoholic.

ROB FORD, MAYOR OF TORONTO: I`m not a drug addict.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

FORD: I`m not an addict. You guys can spin it. You can call it whatever you want. These people know that I`m not. Have you ever got drunk before?

Yes, I have smoked crack cocaine.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: You`re not being truthful.

FORD: I`m not being truthful? Have you been into that house?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I have no interest in being in that house. I`m not a crack user.

FORD: The reason I drank or did drugs was not because of stress. It was out of sheer stupidity.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

VELEZ-MITCHELL: I am fed up with this bozo, and so is the Toronto city council. Breaking news in the ongoing saga of crack-smoking Toronto Mayor Rob Ford. The Toronto city council just voted 36-5 to strip him of virtually all of his duties, making him basically a mayor in name only.

Just before the vote, Mayor Ford made a last-ditch effort to keep his powers and, typically, resorted to ugly threats.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP_)

FORD: If you think American-style politics was nasty, you guys have just attracted Kuwait, and you will never, you will never see something -- mark my words, friends. This is going to be outright war in the next election, and I`m going to do everything in any power...

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Mayor Ford, your time is up.

FORD: ... everything in my power to beat you guys.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

VELEZ-MITCHELL: How this crack scandal relates to the first Gulf War is a mystery. But then, most of this crackpot behavior is a mystery to rational people.

Ford`s been on the war path ever since he was forced to admit that he smoked crack as recently as just a little over a year ago, and now he`s even literally mowing down innocent bystanders.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Mr. Ford.

Now you knocked down the camera person again.

FORD: I didn`t push her. I didn`t touch her.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: How did the taping go, Mr. Mayor.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

VELEZ-MITCHELL: I didn`t push her? What a gentleman. What about asking if the woman is OK, Mr. Mayor.

That incident happened yesterday, and today Ford was at it again. OK. There he is bowling over a fellow council member during today`s meeting. That woman is a grandmother who was seen icing her lip after the altercation.

This guy is a nut job. Ford has been getting more and more confrontational, and even CNN`s Bill Weir could not escape his wrath. Check this out.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

FORD: I haven`t smoked crack in over a year.

That`s semantics.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It`s not semantics.

FORD: You guys are all cut from the same cloth. You know what I mean? You guys can spin it any way you want. I`m not an addict. You guys can spin it. You can call it whatever you want. These people know that I`m not. Have you ever got drunk before, Bill?

BILL WEIR, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Of course.

FORD: OK. This doesn`t matter.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

VELEZ-MITCHELL: Isn`t it interesting? He didn`t ask Bill Weir if he had smoked crack. That`s because he knew the answer would be no, he hadn`t, unlike the mayor.

Straight out to our fantastic Lion`s Den debate. Now we begin with Pete Dominick, Sirius XM comedian and radio host. Now that the mayor is a figurehead, or bobblehead, as I like to say, with no power, but he has a new TV show, what`s the next likely chapter in this pathetic saga?

PETE DOMINICK, SIRIUS XM: This one is -- I mean he`s going to maybe run for prime minister, Jane. This guy is the gift that keeps on giving to us comedians.

I mean, Americans love a reality show. Apparently, Canadians love a reality show, as well.

This guy is unbelievable. I`ve been enjoying watching this. And if it weren`t so funny, it would almost be sad. I mean, honestly, you have to ask who did he beat, who lost to Mayor Rob Ford? Was he running against Charlie Sheen? Who`s his image consultant? Artie Lange?

I mean, the last chapter remains to be written on the Mayor Ford story. But I don`t think the question is whether or not he`s going to be finished as the mayor of Toronto. That`s a definite, Jane. But the question of -- that I want to know...

VELEZ-MITCHELL: You mentioned Charlie Sheen.

DOMINICK: ... how does he keep that shirt tucked in? That`s what we really want to know.

VELEZ-MITCHELL: He makes Charlie Sheen look good. "Saturday Night Live" mocked him, the mayor, in one of the funniest skits I`ve seen in a long time. Check this out from NBC.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BOBBY MOYNIHAN, CAST MEMBER, NBC`S "SATURDAY NIGHT LIVE": I am sorry for how I have been acting. It is not indicative of my position of mayor in this great town of Toronto.

JAY PHAROAH, CAST MEMBER, NBC`S "SATURDAY NIGHT LIVE": Hey, man, I got what you asked.

MOYNIHAN: Let`s do it under the desk.

Don`t say what it is.

PHAROAH: Well I got your stuff right here.

MOYNIHAN: Wow, that`s a lot of crack. I`m the best mayor in the world. Your mayor can such my (EXPLETIVE DELETED).

(END VIDEO CLIP)

VELEZ-MITCHELL: You know, that guy did such a great job I confused the two of them.

Now listen, Jamison Monroe, founder and CEO of Newport Academy, you`re an addiction specialist. You`re in recovery. I think he`s confused, like the guy with the umbrella or the lamp shade on his head at a party. He`s confusing being the butt of jokes and being the object of ridicule with being popular.

JAMISON MONROE, FOUNDER/CEO, NEWPORT ACADEMY: Yes. Exactly. And Jane, you and I -- I know I`ve never met -- I`ve never met a recreational crack user before.

VELEZ-MITCHELL: Yes.

MONROE: It`s really not something you just use for fun on the weekends or anything like that.

Now I think a reality show is what he is intended to do, not be in public office. Because when you do run for public office and you are a mayor, you do subject yourself to higher standards. You are supposed to be a role model.

Now, do people make mistakes? Yes. Do they deserve second chances? Of course. I`m a big fan of second chances.

But what he needs to do in this case is he needs to accept and admit the -- the fact that he`s made some pretty big public mistakes, quit digging himself a deeper hole and then seek the help that he needs to get his lie back.

VELEZ-MITCHELL: He`s refused to admit that he is an addict or an alcoholic.

It`s only a matter of time until the whole thing comes crashing down.

This is insanity. It`s come crashing down. But this is the insanity of an addiction. I`m 18 years sober as from alcohol. I mean, sober, but I`m a recovering alcoholic.

But this is the insanity of addiction. The difference is he`s prominent and there`s a camera rolling. But millions of families are dealing with somebody like this in their household right now. How do you get them to see themselves realistically? How do you get them to hit bottom? How do you get them to get help?

This guy refuses to admit he has a problem. This is classic. I`m sure that everybody can relate on some level to dealing with this. This is the monster that is addiction.

We`re taking your calls on the other side.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

FORD: There`s nothing else to say, guys. I really F`d up, and that`s it.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

FORD: You know what, I made mistakes. I drank too much. I smoked some crack sometimes.

WEIR: But you denied doing it in the first place.

FORD: No, I didn`t say that. No, I didn`t say that. You`re wrong. They said, "Do you smoke crack and are you a crack addict?"

No, I don`t smoke crack and I`m not a crack addict. Have I? Yes, I have. I didn`t lie. I haven`t smoked crack in over a year.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

VELEZ-MITCHELL: Let`s talk about the big elephant in the room. He says he hasn`t smoked crack in over a year. I`ve got to go to Jamison Monroe, addiction specialist, on this. You know, when you`re in recovery, you learn how people phrase things. If they`ve only tried something once, usually they go, "I did it once, but I only did it once." The way he`s saying it now is "I haven`t smoked crack in over a year." What does that sound like?

MONROE: Sounds like a person that`s lying, to me. You know, how do you know an addict is lying? They`re opening their mouth. It sounds like a person that`s justifying, rationalizing, and making excuses.

I mean, typically, if someone is a habitual crack user, they have do have some sort of treatment episode or some sort of process in which they stop. Right? He`s not alluding to any fact that he got help for any alcohol use or drug use in the past.

Like I said, he`s crashing and burning. He hasn`t hit bottom yet. That`s the problem. And so hopefully, some of the political consequences will come about, and hopefully, his reality show won`t be a success.

VELEZ-MITCHELL: Exactly.

MONROE: And he will get some help. I feel bad for him.

VELEZ-MITCHELL: Exactly. It`s like watching a train wreck.

MONROE: Exactly.

VELEZ-MITCHELL: And it`s something that people like to watch, so it could be a ratings grabber.

Let`s go to Dorothy, Virginia. What have you got to say? Dorothy, Virginia?

DOROTHY, VIRGINIA (via telephone): Hi, Jane. Why is the mayor any different from anyone else who does crack? Some people go to jail for that. The mayor is out of control and needs to step down. He does crack and some people go to jail for that so I don`t understand it.

VELEZ-MITCHELL: You are singing my song, Dorothy, Virginia because Robi Ludwig, psychotherapist -- you know, we have a double standard when it comes to prosecuting drug users both in the United States and in Canada. If you`re middle class, wear a suit and a tie you get all sorts of opportunities and second chances and therapy.

And if you`re a kid on the street, you get caught and you get thrown in jail and you get a record. And then you can`t get a job.

LUDWIG: Yes everybody is talking about hitting rock bottom. Well, there are systems that can enable somebody so that they don`t hit rock bottom. I mean this mayor is still allowed to be mayor. So in his mind he can justify his grandiosity, the fact that he`s terminally unique. He has family that`s also enabling him.

So I think that it`s not only one`s self-denial that can happen when it comes to addiction but the people and sometimes workforces that these people find themselves in can also enable dangerous and addictive behavior.

VELEZ-MITCHELL: Yes. One viewer says a hot mess, I say a not so hot mess.

LUDWIG: Yes.

VELEZ-MITCHELL: On the other side, this story is wild and the video is even crazier. A mom driving a minivan full of kids gets stopped by the cops. You won`t believe what happens, but it involves gun fire.

Stay right there.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Stay at your vehicle. Ma`am, listen to me --

(END VIDEO CLIP)

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: The police officer opened fire on a minivan full of kids.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: How in the world does a routine traffic stop turn into this?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Get out of the vehicle. Get out of the vehicle right now.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Tension escalating quickly and violently.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Stay at your vehicle. Ma`am, listen to me.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Please.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Mom.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: The mom is being charged with child abuse.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Booked for fleeing, child abuse and battery.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Open the door. Open the door.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

VELEZ-MITCHELL: Tonight a traffic stop spirals out of car with an officer opening fire on a minivan. Inside -- a mom and her five kids ages six to 18. It happened last month in New Mexico but we`re just seeing the video right now.

A 39-year-old single mom on vacation with her kids was going 71 in a 55. It should have been a routine traffic stop. She decided to take off, drive away. The officer chased her down and she pulled over a second time. Watch.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Get out of the vehicle. Get out of the vehicle right now.

You`re also facing evading charges right now. You ran away from me -- ok.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Sir, I was supposed to -- I didn`t run away.

I`m not trying to --

(END VIDEO CLIP)

VELEZ-MITCHELL: Finally mom agreed to get out and talk. But moments later the confrontation gets really nasty. The officer tries to cuff the mom and her 14-year-old son jumps out to defend her.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Turn around and face your vehicle. Ma`am, listen to me.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

VELEZ-MITCHELL: Next, more officers arrive on the scene. One of them uses his baton to bash out a passenger side window with the kids inside. You can hear the terrified kids screaming inside.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Open the door.

Open the door.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

VELEZ-MITCHELL: Yes, you`re hearing gone shots. An officer fired three shots at the van. Thank God nobody was hurt. But traumatized -- that`s another story. Next, mom hightails it to a hotel, where she and her 14-year-old son are arrested.

So she is charged with fleeing officers and child abuse and battery. She`s also accused of having a marijuana pipe. Her son is charged with battery; her four other kids in state custody tonight. This is a gut- wrenching story.

Straight out to the "Lion`s Den" -- you know, Jon Leiberman, everybody made mistakes here. The mom should have stopped. She should have pulled over. But I have to believe that the cops did not need to fire on a car with a bunch of kids inside.

JON LEIBERMAN, HLN CONTRIBUTOR: Well, look, first of all there is no such thing as a routine traffic stop. So we should just take that term out. I mean I know cops who hate that term because no traffic stop is routine. That being said, this did not have to escalate to this situation. This woman actually fled police twice. You can see it clearly on the video.

So what`s going through the police officer`s mind is "What is this woman trying to flee from? What is she trying to get away from?" Now, granted, Jane, this police officer did not have to pull his weapon out and fire three shots.

VELEZ-MITCHELL: Well, let me say this --

LEIBERMAN: Court documents say though he was simply trying to stop the vehicle which still would be against police policy. But it didn`t have to get to this point.

(CROSSTALK)

VELEZ-MITCHELL: Well, you know, stats show that the chance of shooting at a tire in a situation like this is very, very small.

LEIBERMAN: Right.

VELEZ-MITCHELL: It only happens in the movies. If you`re ready to vilify this mom first, you would be surprised to know she has her own blog where she espouses parenting advice. She posted this video to OrianaLeeBlogSpot. Check it out.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: One of the things people are always asking me is, how do you spend time with all of those children? When do you find the time to spend time with all of those children? And my answer is you got to schedule one on one time. It`s real simple.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

VELEZ-MITCHELL: Shawn Henry, president Crowd Strike Services, former executive assistant director FBI, the mom made a mistake. She shouldn`t have driven off but the cops also made a big mistake in my opinion. Your thoughts.

SHAWN HENRY, FORMER EXECUTIVE ASSISTANT DIRECTOR FBI: Well yes. You know, I agree with Jon. There is no such thing as a routine traffic stop. And when the young man gets out of the car it`s really not clear what the officer was feeling. I know, I can imagine, he may have felt threatened at the time. We`ve all seen situations like this previously where officers have been wrestled to the ground, their gun taken away. But when officers use deadly force, when they`re authorized to use deadly force it really is to protect their own lives or the lives of somebody else.

It appears that this officer that arrived on the scene was a secondary officer. He wasn`t there during the original traffic stop. It`s unclear exactly what he was being told as he was responding to the scene. What was the dispatcher telling him? Perhaps the first officer said he felt in danger, he was being attacked, this young man had come out after him. So that`s unclear what that second officer thought. Needless to say he shouldn`t probably in that particular situation be discharging a weapon.

VELEZ-MITCHELL: Ten seconds, Pete Dominick.

PETE DOMINICK, RADIO HOST: I`m not a cop, but it`s a mom with five kids in a minivan with a mattress or luggage on top. The cops could have caught up to her on a horse. The car was leaving.

LEIBERMAN: Oh come on Pete.

DOMINICK: What threat was there? These guys made that motorcycle gang look like cub scouts. They`re well-trained police officers bashing in a window where a child is sitting inside? Come on. This woman should be nominated for a Darwin award.

(CROSSTALK)

VELEZ-MITCHELL: Let me say this. I`ve covered -- I`ve covered hundreds of slow speed chases where the cops drive real slow behind a car and everybody is like why don`t they just bash the car. So this seems to be the other extreme. I`m not Monday morning quarterbacking.

I could never be a cop. I understand. Cops put their lives on the line every day for people. But these poor kids -- these poor kids in state custody right now. They`ve committed no crime. What a mess.

Stay right there.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

VELEZ-MITCHELL: Here`s your Crazy Video of the Day.

A football fan falls from the top deck yesterday in Buffalo and lands on another man in the deck below. Check it out. The man who fell was goofing off and slid down the railing and slipped. He hurt his shoulder. But the man he landed on suffered a head injury. So this is not funny in the slightest.

He tried to take a joyride on the railing and he goofed and now somebody else is hurting bad because of this idiocy. And this man has correctly been banned from the stadium forever. We hope that the gentleman who he landed on gets better seats.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I have break downs every time I walk in there.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Winds nearing 200 miles per hour.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Everything is wiped out.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: We may need to take shelter right now ourselves.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes. We do.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: We need to go off the air.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: You could not protect them. You could not help them and you don`t know where they are.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Our father who art in heaven hollowed be thy name.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: And you always watch TV and say, "That will never happen to us."

(END VIDEO CLIP)

VELEZ-MITCHELL: Unleash me. It`s happening all over the world. From the American Midwest to the Philippines, innocent people are dying. Hundreds of billions of dollars in property swept away. Why -- because there`s more extreme weather. The proof in the wreckage -- look at it.

Come on. We have to face it. We can no longer afford to hang on to the cavalier reassurances of climate change deniers. 95 percent of scientists say this is real.

Look at the proof from a drone cam showing typhoon wreckage in the Philippines. A representative of the Philippines is calling the climate crisis "madness". The Philippines and other so-called developing countries are saying "Hey, we`re tired of having our land destroyed because of your behavior." They`re talking about us people.

Listen -- I`m unleashed on this one. Take a look at this emissions chart -- the number fossil fuel emitter -- China. Now we all know is making stuff for the United States, what we buy in America. The second biggest polluter is us. The Philippines, they`re 41 down on the list doing very little pollution by comparison.

Let`s cut to the chase, people. Climate change is creating more extreme weather and we are largely responsible for it therefore we are at least partially responsible for that, the devastation in the Philippines.

When it comes to climate change we`re hurting ourselves too obviously. Just look at the killer tornadoes devastating the Midwest -- it`s heartbreaking. It`s a tragedy that we could turn around with very modest changes to our lifestyle.

So take a look at these photos of a house before and after it was devastated by a tornado. Here`s my question. Would you prefer to keep the house and make your carbon footprint just a little smaller or would you prefer to lose your house entirely and possibly your life?

Mark Floegel of Green Peace, how do we get people to understand this is real?

MARK FLOEGEL, GREEN PEACE: It`s coming to a neighborhood near you. It`s the Philippines this year, last year it was Sandy in New York and New Jersey, the year before that it was Irene up in Vermont. We are now living in a post climate changer era. It`s here. The question is how bad will it get and that`s going to be up to us.

VELEZ-MITCHELL: There are so many things that can be done. We don`t need plastic. Look at this obvious choice. Cardboard. Ok? But is the government encouraging cardboard? No. Mark, why isn`t the government doing more?

FLOEGEL: The same people who are making the plastic bottles, the oil industries are making huge campaign contributions here in Washington, D.C. That`s what`s getting in the way. We`re being politically crippled by the same people who are pumping tons of CO2 into the atmosphere and are causing climate change.

VELEZ-MITCHELL: One way you can get involved is join Green Peace. Full disclosure, I`m a member and had been for years.

FLOEGEL: Thank you.

VELEZ-MITCHELL: We`ve got to band together. We`ve got to band together and change our habits, our lives depend on it.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

VELEZ-MITCHELL: Time for "Pet of the Day". Send your pet pics to hlntv.com/jane.

Charlie, who`s the nephew of our fabulous producer Rob Beck, and we love you and your uncle, Charlie -- yes. And we`re moving on to Darcy. She`s got kind of a little hippie getup. She says, "Yes, sometimes I follow the Grateful Dead around." TJ --- he says "Absolutely not. I`m regal and very, very classic." And Gustav and Daisy Mae -- they say we hang out together -- whatever happens -- whatever happens during the day, that`s what we have to say.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

VELEZ-MITCHELL: "UPWAVE" on HLN, it`s 7:00 p.m. Learn to "COOK YOUR ASS OFF" with celebrity chef Richard Blaze -- he cooks his ass off and he`ll show you how to do the same.

At 8:00 p.m. learn to be a quick study on almost anything. "The TIM FERRISS EXPERIMENT", simple techniques to master the impossible. And guess what, later this week he`s going to teach me how to tango. I can`t wait. You`re see it. I may make a fool of myself but maybe his technique works and I`ll look fabulous.

And at 8:30 "THE DOSE WITH DR. BILLY" a new twist on what ails us with a dose of laughter. Don`t miss this all-new Sunday night lineup on HLN, starts December 1st 7:00 p.m.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

VELEZ-MITCHELL: And here is your Slice of Happiness. Millions -- and I`m talking actually millions of baby sea turtles hatched over the weekend in Mexico. Now sea turtles are making a comeback after over-hunting nearly made them extinct. Still they`re considered endangered and they have a tough road to hoe because let`s face it. It`s not easy being an animal in today`s world.

Manatees, for example, are being devastated in Florida because of the pollution, the runoff from all the factories and the factory farms. I pray that those little turtles grow to be big turtles and they live for a long, long, long time.

"NANCY GRACE" is next.

END