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The Situation Room
Chief Talks Tip About Boat, Shootouts; Father of Suspects Speaks; Uncle of Suspects Has Change of Heart
Aired April 20, 2013 - 17:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
WOLF BLITZER, CNN ANCHOR: Thanks very much.
Happening now: how police got the bombing suspects. We have a gripping blow-by-blow account of the fatal gun battle in the streets and a final showdown in the suburban driveway. I will speak with the Watertown, Massachusetts, police chief.
Also, extraordinary thermal images taken from a helicopter that showed police where the suspect was moving inside that tarp-covered boat in the driveway. You will see what they saw.
And from Russia, CNN speaks exclusively with the father of the two suspects.
Plus, you will hear an emotional interview with their uncle, who has a special message for his surviving nephew.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BLITZER: I'm Wolf Blitzer. We want to welcome our viewers in the United States and around the world. You're in THE SITUATION ROOM.
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BLITZER: We are reporting live from Boston right now. One suspect dead, another in custody, an entire city breathing a whole lot easier right now. But there's also an urgent search for answers in the Boston Marathon bombings.
Here are the latest developments unfolding right now.
Watertown's police chief tells me the suspects were armed with handguns, a rifle and at least six bombs, three of which exploded during the Thursday night battle that ended with the death of Tamerlan Tsarnaev. His brother, the younger brother, was captured in Watertown last night and he lies seriously wounded right now in a local hospital.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
BLITZER (voice-over): A Justice Department official says he will face federal terrorism charges, possibly state murder charges at the same time. We are learning the 19-year-old was at the University of Massachusetts Dartmouth, just south of Boston, every day, yes, every day after the attack. Late Thursday, he attended classes as well as dorm parties.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BLITZER: Hard to believe, but that's what we are learning right now.
In the tense final standoff, Dzhokhar Tsarnaev was hidden in a boat parked in the Watertown driveway of a resident covered by a tarp.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
BLITZER (voice-over): But a helicopter overhead was able to take what they call thermal images showing police the movements inside that boat.
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BLITZER: Joining us now, CNN's Tom Foreman, our national security analyst, Tom Fuentes as well, a former assistant director of the FBI.
All right, guys. These thermal images, walk us through, Tom, what was going on.
TOM FOREMAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: We were just talking about this a moment ago here, Wolf, and it's astonishing. This is the boat right here, just so you have a sense what we are talking about, here's the nearby house, and there's a fence running along this side.
Tom, you were saying that, even though in this picture, you can't really see much in terms of anybody inside the boat, this picture is still very valuable. Why?
TOM FUENTES, CNN CONTRIBUTOR: Right. Well, it is going to help you position your tactical people, your observers, sniper observers, bomb techs and any other things. This is being shot in video. We are only seeing the still picture. So, this is getting collected through the -- excuse me, a forward-looking infrared imaging system of the helicopter.
That system is then being beamed down to a tactical command post that's right outside this area, would be very close and the tactical on-scene commander and all the key component leaders, the SWAT team leader, the bomb techs, the evidence techs, the negotiators, observers, they would all be directed in their operation.
FOREMAN: So they're watching where their team is and they are looking at this. When you see this image, this tells you undeniably there is someone inside this boat, even though you can't see them with your naked eye.
FUENTES: Right. Well, what you also can't see is if the subject is moving and -- but it tells you that probably you have a live human being here as opposed to duffel bags or something that would have cooled off through the night and been the same temperature or close to the same temperature as the boat itself or the surrounding area. So it's telling you that there's something very warm compared to the very cool boat.
FOREMAN: And because it was moving video, as Tom just noted here, they did know he was moving -- you can't tell from this picture, as you noted, and this is only 22 minutes past 7 o'clock, so this roughly 22 minutes after the call came in that he was here. This gunfight had taken place. It is believed he was hit twice more in that process.
Then this starts happening, Tom, these pictures are also quite amazing here. What they brought in here, if you look carefully, you can see there is a vehicle here that has a robotic arm that is reaching up here to the boat. Tom, tell me what this is all about.
FUENTES: Well, normally in a situation like this you might consider sending a SWAT team operator up close and then feed a fiberoptic lens line under that tarp to have it look around. It would have --
(CROSSTALK)
FOREMAN: -- a little tube, not much to it, right?
FUENTES: -- basically what your doctor uses to do an examination (inaudible). And it's got a little monitor and controls for the SWAT team member, and that image would also get --
FOREMAN: Why wouldn't they do that here?
FUENTES: Because he might have explosives. So if you stir this guy, if you wake him up, let's say he is sleeping or unaware that you're approaching, he may realize it and you don't want that. So in this case, that's why they are using -- the would have the same thing, they would have cameras and probes on the front of that robot.
FOREMAN: So a tremendous amount of protection for them here? And as you mentioned, the whole time, Wolf, remember, as Tom mentioned here, because they are getting this imaging, the thermal imaging that's happening and other things, they can be positioning people, moving them in and making the team aware of where everyone else is.
And as you pointed off, Tom, if there were someone else out here who didn't belong here coming up behind them, they can warn their team that there is a problem.
FUENTES: Yes. Sometimes in situations like this, if you have somebody oftentimes that's going to be an enterprising reporter, trying to sneak their way up there, that person might make a noise or do something or complicate the situation that alerts the subject, who may then come up, wake up, come out shooting.
FOREMAN: And this is the picture that we got near the end there, Wolf, and this really is an astonishing, astonishing image if you look at it very closely here. Here you can see the feet of the suspect here, there's a console in the boat here of some sort, basically, and you see the rest of him, the head up in this area.
At this point, Tom, the understanding was that he was so wounded that he really was not able to fight any more. They were looking for any sort of movement.
What would be the determinant for you, if you were commanding a scene like this to say we are ready to take this guy? We are convinced that he is not going to do anything?
FUENTES: Just exactly what they did last night was textbook. You'd say is he playing possum? Do you go up there thinking, oh, he is wounded, he's unable to respond or endanger you, so you go up there to try to do it and then he comes up shooting or starts pitching explosives --
FOREMAN: -- how do you avoid that?
FUENTES: Well, in this case, you'll get him to move, unless he is really unable to move, you'd get him to move, and have him stand up and do what they did, try to have him lift his shirt and see does he have explosives on -- have him do his own strip search to your satisfaction while you're a safe distance away.
FOREMAN: Amazing pictures here, Tom. And this is now very much, ever since particularly the recent wars in this country, this has become very much the operational procedure for police departments all over the country?
(CROSSTALK)
FOREMAN: Yes, nationally here, the FBI, state police, many city police use this all the time, especially in a rural area. It could be used with a missing child that may have wandered into the woods, and at night, you can look down and see if you see an object moving around.
Now sometimes it also is showing animals, deer and bear and other animals moving around, but for fugitive searches, missing persons searches, tactical operations like that, it's invaluable.
FOREMAN: And it certainly worked in an extraordinary way as these images attest this time. Wolf?
BLITZER: Excellent explanation, guys. Thanks so much.
Police, meanwhile, are scouring the final crime scene where the surviving suspect was found hiding in that boat.
Let's go to our national correspondent, Susan Candiotti, she is on the scene for us.
What is the very latest, Susan? SUSAN CANDIOTTI, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hi, Wolf. Well, since last night, since the capture, the FBI has remained on the scene, as you said, collecting all the evidence they can find, not only from the boat itself but from the back of the house, around the house, all kinds of areas back there.
They are looking to see whether any, for example, any explosives were left behind, any bomb residue, did he leave behind any personal belongings, such as a phone? If he did, that could have a treasure trove of information, but also trying to learn how long was he hiding inside that boat and where did he go before he was there, trying to follow that trail.
They have been at it for hours and hours, we don't know when they are going to complete it.
But until then, they have got that yellow crime scene tape set up. The house is at the end of this block and just a little bit to the left. We know that when he was captured, he didn't say much. That's what Watertown's police chief told you. But when he does and if he talks, that, of course, could help decide the motive here. Back to you, Wolf.
BLITZER: All right, Susan, thanks very much.
Hasn't even been -- hard to believe, it hasn't even been 24 hours since that dramatic final shootout that ended with Tsarnaev's capture. We are watching all of this unfold, minute by minute.
CNN's Brian Todd and his crew, they were the only people on the scene, only yards away, as they brought us some amazing sounds and images. And Brian is joining us right now to tell us how it all played out.
Brian, you got very, very close. You were the only real non-law enforcement personnel as close to the scene as you managed to get, but tell us what you saw and what you heard.
BRIAN TODD, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Wolf, we saw the final negotiations between the police and the suspect, just as this was playing out in its most dramatic moment. We have some new elements to show you from that final exchange. We got there just as it was all playing out, pretty much at the very end.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
TODD (voice-over): As he was cornered, Dzhokhar Tsarnaev, police say, engaged them with gunfire. It went on for several minutes and police lobbed in flash-bang percussions to stun him. In the end, authorities showed their determination to capture the suspect alive.
Listen to officers negotiating with him as he is holed up inside a boat in a back yard in Watertown.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Come out with your hands up. Come out with your hands up. TODD (voice-over): We snaked through alleys and back lots to get to within a couple hundred yards of the boat. During negotiations, there was a word of reassurance --
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: You will not be harmed.
TODD (voice-over): -- and an appeal to someone they knew was in pain.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We know you're bleeding. We know you're tired.
TODD (voice-over): As we shot this exclusive video, police rushed us, saying we were in the crossfire zone.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Clear out, OK? Come on, I said please.
TODD (voice-over): It was just minutes later that police captured Tsarnaev. He had lost blood, was weakened. The entire neighborhood had been on lockdown, residents terrified as law enforcement went door to door. After the standoff, we spoke to neighbors.
TODD: Here on Cypress Street, this is one of the houses where police were combing through the neighborhood, looking for the suspect. This is Eddie Beck's house, he took us through what it was like when SWAT teams came through here.
EDDIE BECK, WATERTOWN RESIDENT: They came in. They searched the living room area, dining room, went through all the bedrooms, bathrooms, kitchen area, and --
TODD: Searched cabinets and things like that?
BECK: No, they didn't go through cabinets or anything like that but they did go through all the bedrooms, closet doors, then they made their way through the back here.
TODD (voice-over): Beck shared his own footage of the SWAT teams combing through his house. During these moments, they didn't know where Tsarnaev was or whether he was carrying explosives on his body. Beck got a chill just thinking about it.
BECK: Knowing that they had him surrounded and so close to our neighborhood, it made us think that he might have been here at nighttime and they kind of flushed him out into that area.
TODD (voice-over): Vivyan Stevens also lives very close to the house where Tsarnaev was cornered.
How do you feel right now that it's over?
VIVYAN STEVENS, WATERTOWN RESIDENT: Yes, it's surreal. I don't really -- I think I'm numb. I don't really feel -- I guess I can't really believe all this has happened. I know it's happening, but actually -- I mean, I am very happy that it's over and they got him. TODD (voice-over): A sentiment echoed by thousands of her neighbors in Watertown, cheering police as they pulled out after the arrest.
TODD: And we have one nugget of information for you about the final arrest. It was officers from the Massachusetts Bay Transit Authority police who put the handcuffs on Dzhokhar Tsarnaev at the very end.
They were pleased to have a chance to do that because it was one of their officers who was shot and wounded during the pursuit of the two suspects, Tsarnaev and his brother, late Thursday night into Friday morning here into Watertown, Wolf.
BLITZER: What a dramatic moment it was indeed. Brian Todd in Watertown for us, excellent report.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
BLITZER (voice-over): Up next, the FBI was actually warned about one of the suspects by a foreign government.
Did the FBI drop the ball? We will have the very latest on an emerging controversy.
Also coming up, leading lawmakers, they are demanding that the surviving suspect be declared an enemy combatant of the United States.
And an incredible account of how police tracked the suspects leading up to the bloody gun battle and the final standoff. My interview with the Watertown police chief. That's coming up.
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BLITZER: A huge question remains right now, why would the suspects carry out such a horrific crime? One clue. We are learning that the FBI was, in fact, tipped off to the older brother a couple of years ago by a foreign government. Let's bring in our crime and justice correspondent, Joe Johns.
Joe, tell our viewers what happened, because this is pretty startling, pretty specific information.
JOE JOHNS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: It certainly is Wolf, it's all about the interviews right now. The government hasn't said whether it's gotten a chance to interview the suspect they took into custody last night, but what's getting so much attention is that FBI agents interviewed the suspect's brother two years ago and found nothing incriminating.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
JOHNS (voice-over): The fact that Tamerlan Tsarnaev was interviewed by the FBI almost two years before the marathon bombings was already stirring up controversy before the chaos cleared in Watertown. The Republican chairman of the House Homeland Security Committee --
REP. MICHAEL MCCAUL (R), CHAIRMAN, HOMELAND SECURITY COMMITTEE: If he was on the radar around they let him out of their sights, that's an issue, certainly for me.
JOHNS (voice-over): Tsarnaev's contacts with the agency were made public by the man's mother, who suggested agents had been harassing her son for years.
ZUBEIDAT TSARNAEVA, SUSPECTS' MOTHER: They knew what my son was doing. They knew what action and what sites on the Internet he was going. How could this happen? How could they -- they were following every step of him and telling today that this is a terrorist act.
JOHNS (voice-over): The FBI only confirmed that in 2011, it interviewed the older brother and family members. It did not say how many times. It was at the request of an unspecified foreign government, reportedly Russian intelligence.
The FBI said the request was based on information that Tsarnaev was a follower of radical Islam, a strong believer, and that he had changed drastically since 2010.
In response to the request, the FBI says it checked U.S. government databases looking for derogatory telephone communications, possible use of online sites promoting radical activity. The FBI says it did not find any terrorism activity, gave the results to the foreign government that made the request and asked for but didn't get more information. Then, they closed the file.
FUENTES: They don't give you more, then everything that can be done has been done, unless you know that there should be more to the story.
JOHNS (voice-over): That interview came before travel records showed Tsarnaev flew from New York City to Moscow in January 2012 and stayed in Russia six months, returning to New York in July. It's not clear what he did there, but Tsarnaev's father has said his son was with him at all times.
But when he got back, things were different. Homeland Security Chairman McCaul says he started putting radical jihadist material on YouTube websites.
MCCAUL: What I'm very concerned about is that when he went over there he very well may have been radicalized and trained by these Chechen rebels who are the fiercest jihad warriors.
JOHNS (voice-over): But the dead suspect's uncle told CNN his radicalization began in the Boston area.
RUSLAN TSARNI, SUSPECTS' UNCLE: And it started right in Cambridge, right there on the streets of Cambridge. Where this guy, this new convert is going to the local mosque on Massachusetts Avenue. So I'm saying it started there.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
JOHNS: The documents show no record of the younger brother, Dzhokhar Tsarnaev, leaving the country. And moments ago, a senior U.S. official confirmed to CNN's Barbara Starr it was indeed Russia that asked the FBI to look into the suspects' activities. Wolf?
BLITZER: So, Russia was the country named by the FBI, the foreign country that specifically warned the FBI that maybe you should look into this older brother; he could have serious issues there as far as being an extremist, if you will, so it's now been confirmed, Joe, that it was, in fact, Russia that tipped off the FBI?
JOHNS: That's correct. And you have to say, that country operates a bit differently than this country. Obviously, if the FBI had probable cause to look into this individual, they could get search warrants and a variety of other things. But without that, there's only a limited amount of stuff you can do, Wolf.
BLITZER: Joe Johns reporting for us. Thank you.
Some key lawmakers back in Washington, they are pushing very hard right now for the surviving suspect to be treated as what they call an enemy combatant.
Joining us now CNN's senior legal analyst Jeffrey Toobin.
Jeffrey, this 19-year old has not yet been read his Miranda rights. Why does this matter; what does it allowed for? What is the issue here?
JEFFREY TOOBIN, CNN LEGAL ANALYST: Well, there are a lot of variables here. First of all, there is the question of is he in any condition to answer questions with or without Miranda? What is his health situation? Also, even if he doesn't get Miranda warnings, he may decline to answer questions in any case.
They can't force him to answer questions, but if he does not receive Miranda warnings and if he then answers questions those answers cannot be used in a criminal case against him. They can be used for intelligence gathering.
They can be used if there are other conspirators who may be prosecuted, but they can't be used against him. Other evidence can be used against him. There may be lots of other evidence. But if you don't get Miranda warnings, your statements can't be used against you.
BLITZER: All right. So this is a sensitive issue. Another sensitive issue raised by Republican Senators Lindsey Graham, John McCain, Kelly Ayotte and Representative Peter King, they released a statement today. Among other things, they said this, "The suspect, based upon his actions, clearly is a good candidate for enemy combatant status.
"We do not want the suspect to remain silent. We have concerns that limiting this investigation to 48 hours and exclusively relying on the public safety exception to Miranda could very well be a national security mistake."
So is this realistic that he would be named as an enemy combatant, denying him rights even though he is a U.S. citizen, he was naturalized on September 11th of last year and he was arrested in the United States?
TOOBIN: No, this is a deep philosophical division between the Obama administration and some of its Republican -- some of its Republican -- sorry about this -- and what that means is the Obama administration has said the criminal justice system can make this work, the criminal justice system can handle national security risks like this person; terrorists have been prosecuted, Moussaoui.
This administration is committed to using the American courts. There are some critics, like Senator McCain, like Senator Graham, who say that's too big a risk, that we have too many protections, we have too many abilities on the part of these defendants not to answer questions that put all of us at risk but I don't think there's any chance that the Obama administration is going to change its mind and use something other than the criminal justice system for this case.
BLITZER: Yes, because a lot of people are raising questions, they had apparently some explosive devices, some weapons, rifles, hand grenades, stuff that's pretty expensive.
Where did they get this material?
Where did the money come from that helped them purchase this material?
That's why some of these Republican senators, lawmakers, are asking for this enemy combatant status. We will continue this conversation. I know it's going to be a subject of a big debate, Jeffrey. Thanks very much.
Coming up here, the wild and chaotic search for the suspects. How police finally were able to track their movements via a cell phone. New information coming in.
We also have brand-new details of the bloody gun battle that led to the death of one suspect. My dramatic interview with the police chief of Watertown. That's next.
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BLITZER: Welcome back, happening now, a riveting moment-by- moment account of the operation that led to the capture of suspect number two, as we haven't heard before. My interview with the police chief behind it all. That's coming up.
CNN's exclusive interview from Russia with the father of both suspects. Why he says his sons were never, ever, his words, "never, ever" involved in the attacks. And Boston's team spirit returning. One Red Sox player's shocking tribute to the city and the unforgettable celebrity surprise at Fenway Park. That is all coming up. I'm Wolf Blitzer.
You're in THE SITUATION ROOM.
We're reporting live from Boston right now; let's turn to the frantic search for the suspects, a trail of violence that led to a fatal gun battle right in the streets and a final showdown in a suburban driveway.
I spoke earlier with the Watertown police chief, Ed Deveau.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
BLITZER: Thanks very much, Chief, for coming in.
CHIEF EDWARD DEVEAU, WATERTOWN POLICE: It's a pleasure to be here. Thank you very much.
BLITZER: You never experienced anything. How many years have you been a cop?
DEVEAU: I've been on the job 30 years.
BLITZER: Never experienced anything like this before?
DEVEAU: Absolutely not.
BLITZER: When did you realize that this was going down, that you had a second suspect?
DEVEAU: We -- it was late in the day. You know, we had a report that, you know, that we got from our citizens; we asked them to keep vigilant. And we got the call and it sounded like really good information.
BLITZER: That person called and said, "There's a guy in this boat in my backyard."
DEVEAU: That's right.
BLITZER: And, "There looks like there's blood there."
So what did you -- pick up the story there.
DEVEAU: Right. And I do want to talk about what happened the night before.
(CROSSTALK)
BLITZER: We'll get to that in a second. But pick up the story --
(CROSSTALK) DEVEAU: At that point, we had a couple thousand police officers on scene. The turnout was just incredible, the support that we got from the state and from the region. We did take our time to make sure everybody was safe in the neighborhood, eventually, we had to use some flash bangs to render the subject --
(CROSSTALK)
BLITZER: Tell our viewers what a flash bang is.
DEVEAU: A compression that will stun somebody for a short time. We began negotiations, slowly august 15 to 20-minute period, we were able to get him to stand up and show us that he didn't have a device on him.
BLITZER: So he is lying in this boat, he has been there for several hours, he is wounded, clearly, right, he is bleeding?
DEVEAU: Right.
BLITZER: He is obviously weak. You come over there and what do you say to him? You have a bull horn and start saying come up with your hands up?
DEVEAU: We have a negotiator, actually on the second floor of the House looking down at the boat.
BLITZER: Could you see him?
DEVEAU: No, we couldn't see, there was a plastic tarp over them, but we had the state police helicopter that could tell us when there was movement in the boat by the heat sensor so we could tell he was alive and moving. We began negotiations that way. Over a long period of time, we were finally able to get him to surrender without anybody -- anybody hurt.
He didn't use any more gunfire (INAUDIBLE). He exchanged gunfire with officers and no more gunfire after that.
BLITZER: What kind of weapon did he have?
DEVEAU: We are not sure that crime scene is still live there, that boat, the FBI crime scene search is there now, we haven't got into that boat, we don't know what's in that boat the.
BLITZER: The FBI in charge of it?
DEVEAU: Yes.
BLITZER: Did he have an explosive vest on his body like his brother the night before?
DEVEAU: That is our concern. We needed him to lift his chest up, his shirt up to see his chest, felt comfortable to send some people in to take him into custody.
BLITZER: Did he do that?
DEVEAU: Eventually, over a long period of time, 20 to 30 minutes, got him to do that.
BLITZER: No explosives with him in the boat, as far as you know?
DEVEAU: On his person. We haven't got into that boat. It is a decent size boat. We don't know what else is in there.
BLITZER: Who did the negotiations, who did the talking with him?
DEVEAU: That would have been the FBI task force.
BLITZER: He raised up his shirt. He showed he wasn't wearing an explosive device and then what happened?
DEVEAU: We felt comfortable enough to send some officer to in tactical equipment to go and grab him out of the boat. He needed first aid. He was transported by ambulance to a Boston hospital.
BLITZER: What were the nature of the injuries? I understand they were sustained the night before with his older brother (INAUDIBLE) -- walk us through that.
DEVEAU: A very hectic night, so much heroics in a lot of different police departments, but I just want to give credit to the men and women of the Watertown Police Department. What had happened was there was an assassination of an MIT police officer.
(CROSSTALK)
BLITZER: You believe by these two brothers?
DEVEAU: Yes.
BLITZER: Why would they want to kill this police officer?
DEVEAU: That's still under investigation. He was responding to just a loud disturbance call and next, you know that happens.
BLITZER: Was it on the campus at MIT or this event store? .
DEVEAU: I believe it was on campus. They fled, a carjacking, then somehow, some reason, ended up coming to Watertown and that's where our officers engaged the two of them.
BLITZER: Pick up the story. So they are in a hijacked car. They had hijacked the car, tee took the driver and then let the driver go after the driver supposedly went to the ATM, gave them some money, right?
DEVEAU: Some money withdrawn from his ATM. And so what happened when Watertown, one of our first police officer, we are getting information based on pinging the cell phone, that he is in Watertown. So we kind of know what streets he's on.
(CROSSTALK)
BLITZER: Wait a second. So, Tsarnaev was using his own personal --
DEVEAU: No the victim's cell phones.
(CROSSTALK)
BLITZER: The victim's, all right. In other words, let the victim go blacked to the victims they were the bombers of the marathon? Is that right?
DEVEAU: That's what I understand. Said we did the Boston Marathon bombing and we killed a police officer.
BLITZER: Explain why they let the driver go the man they hijacked?
DEVEAU: No.
BLITZER: Thank god they did.
DEVEAU: Lucky for him. Lucky for us, his cell phone remained in that vehicle so we were able to get updates. So, now, it's about 12:30 in the morning, down a residential street in Watertown. Everybody is sleeping, sleepy neighborhood. Officers seize two vehicles, two brothers in two different cars, including the car that was hijacked. He calls, notifies our station, we do all the proper procedure, do not engage the car, let's get you some more backup. And before the backup could even get there the two cars stopped, they jump out of the car and unload on our police officers.
BLITZER: When you say unload, what do you --
(CROSSTALK)
DEVEAU: They both came out shooting.
BLITZER: Shooting what?
DEVEAU: Shooting guns. Handguns and there was a long arm in the car. We are not sure. We're still piecing that together. He is under direct fire, very close by. He has to jam it in reverse and try to get himself a little distance.
BLITZER: The younger brother?
DEVEAU: My police officer. So the two brothers are shooting at my first police officer that responded and now, within seconds, I have two or three other police officers that pull up. We had just finished shift so two off-duty officers on their way home heard the call. So, I have six police officers in this very tight area engaged in gun fight. We estimate there was over 200 shots fired over a 10 -- five to 10-minute period.
(END VIDEOTAPE) BLITZER: Up next, we learned how police tracked the suspects' location after they carjacked a man. More with the police chief, Edward Deveau, when we come back.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
BLITZER: More now with my interview with the Watertown, Massachusetts, police chief, Edward Deveau. He is telling us about the bloody gun battle Thursday night that left one of the suspects dead.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
DEVEAU: We had pipe bombs and explosives. During the exchange, something got thrown at my police officers and we now find out it's an exact bomb that blew up at the marathon on Monday.
BLITZER: Pressure cooker?
DEVEAU: We find the pressure cooker embedded in the car down the street. There's a major explosion during this gunfight of my -- six of my officers that I'm extremely proud of -- heroic. My heart is out to the MIT officer and his family but how the Watertown police aren't attending a funeral of our own based on what happened on that street over that period of time is just talent, guts and glory that my officers did.
BLITZER: Luck, too, that nobody was killed, none of your officers.
DEVEAU: Right. So there was that major explosive. Two other grenades that came at our officers.
BLITZER: Were they hand grenades?
DEVEAU: They were lighting something and throwing them and they were exploding them. We called them hand grenades but they are very rough devices. Two other ones didn't explode, but our officers nearby could have exploded at any other time and now so that's what my officers have done. At the same time, the whole greater Boston area is rushing to Watertown. They're on the radio saying Watertown is in deep trouble. Shots fired.
BLITZER: This is shortly after midnight.
DEVEAU: Yes. So everybody is coming and they were able to come to us, but the gunfight was over by the time people got there except for a couple police officers from the transit.
BLITZER: Walk us through what happened. The older brother, he's wounded, right? He's thrown out of the car and there are reports that the younger brother drove away and drove over his brother, is that right?
DEVEAU: Well, eventually, yes. That's exactly what happened. What happened was, at some point, the first brother who died at the scene, he, all of a sudden, comes out from undercover and starts walking down the street shooting at our police officers, trying to get closer? My closest police officer is five to ten feet away and they're exchanging gunfire between them and he runs out of ammunition, the bad guy. And so one of my police officers comes off the side and tackles him in the street and we're trying to get him handcuffed. There's two or three police officers handcuffing him in the street.
BLITZER: The older brother?
DEVEAU: The older brother. At the same time, at the last minute, they have tunnel vision. Very, very stressful situation. One of them yells, "Look out." Here comes the black SUV, the carjacked car, directly at them. They dive out of the way and he runs over his brother and drags him a short distance down the street.
BLITZER: In effect killing his brother?
DEVEAU: Yes. That's what we think.
BLITZER: The 19-year-old is then driving this car and he escapes?
DEVEAU: Exactly.
BLITZER: You pursue?
DEVEAU: At the same time, one of the transit officers that came behind our officers, we realize he's been shot and hit in the groin and has serious bleeding going on. One of my police officers, who is an EMT, rendered him aid, along with his partner from the transit authority. And they deserve all kinds of credit for saving that gentleman's life. Our prayers are still with him and the family because he's in a tough way. He lost a lot of blood at the scene but we hope he can make a recovery.
BLITZER: How did the younger one escape?
DEVEAU: He drove off. There's still gunfire. He got down two or three streets. We were in pursuit of him, along with other officers from surrounding communities that are coming in, and he dumps the car and runs into the darkness of the streets.
BLITZER: That's it?
DEVEAU: Then we lost contact with him.
BLITZER: He's in Watertown some place. He's running. You have no idea if he's armed and if he has explosives, but he's gone.
DEVEAU: We're assuming that he has explosives and that he has weapons.
BLITZER: This is now about 1:00 in the morning?
DEVEAU: Right, just before 1:00.
BLITZER: That's when you begin this massive manhunt?
DEVEAU: Right.
BLITZER: You take the older brother to the hospital. He's pronounced dead at the hospital?
DEVEAU: Right.
BLITZER: What else did you find there? What other types of weapons and explosives, hand grenades, pipe bombs, what else did you find?
DEVEAU: Handguns there, long-armed rifle. Three bombs that exploded is my understanding. There's two that weren't detonated and then the car that he bailed out of, I know there was at least one other explosive device in that car that they didn't use. There was at least six bombs they had, if you will.
Before we wrap up, I want to say the support we have gotten at the Boston Police Department, Watertown Police Department, support from local law enforcement across the country, across the world so many people reaching out us to -- the streets of Watertown were lined with people as we left the scene. It was just so moving to see the support we have. And I just want to thank the people of Watertown, the greater Boston area and across the country for the support that we've got opinion.
BLITZER: Police chief, hey, thanks for your excellent work. Thanks for what you did. We really appreciate it, not only here in the Boston area, but nationally, indeed, around the world. People are watching all over the world right now. We really appreciate what you've a done.
DEVEAU: Thank you very much. I really appreciate it.
BLITZER: Thanks for bringing this to an end.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
BLITZER: And this just coming in, we are getting a new photo into CNN, on the right. Take a look at this. It shows the MIT police officer, Sean Collier, who was killed Thursday night in the shootout with the two suspects. On the left is the MBTA officer, Richard Donahue, who was seriously injured. The two men, it turns out, graduated from the police academy together.
Just ahead, an exclusive interview with the suspect's father. He tells CNN why he doesn't believe his two sons are the Boston bombers.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
BLITZER: CNN's Nick Paton Walsh is in Dagestan, in Russia, where the suspect's father lives, and he spoke exclusively with him. Let's go to Nick for the very latest.
NICK PATON WALSH, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Wolf, Anzor Tsarnaev drove past his apartment here twice today, seemingly trying to avoid those waiting for him outside. The third time, he stopped, a woman got out of his car, went into the apartment to collect a bag. He waited outside, giving us an opportunity to approach him and ask him some questions.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
WALSH: CNN. I'm with CNN. I'm so sorry. We just wanted to hear your story. I know it's a very difficult time for you. We just want to give you the chance to tell people how you feel about this. We just feel -- we haven't had a chance to properly hear all you have to say about the terrible
ANZOR TSARNAEV, FATHER OF BOMBING SUSPECTS: My kids never did anything.
WALSH: Sir, your sons didn't do this? Are you going to America?
TSARNAEV: Yes, I will.
WALSH: You will forgive me, sir, I know it is a difficult time for you. I'm just trying to do my job.
TSARNAEV: Sorry.
WALSH: I understand. When is the last time you spoke to him?
TSARNAEV: Sunday morning. That's it.
WALSH: Have you been in touch with special services here? What did they have to say to you?
OK, I understand. I understand.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
WALSH: A very different man from the father yesterday, who defended his sons, now faced with pictures suggesting his second son, younger son, has, in fact, been arrested and wounded, televised globally. Angry, it seems, I think, at a situation, disbelief, continuing, I think, the denials don't stop questions from going away. Above all, a parent facing a possible question about his two sons accused of the most heinous of crimes -- Wolf?
BLITZER: Nick Paton Walsh reporting from Dagestan in Russia.
Coming up, the uncle of the suspects. First he called both of them losers. Today, he seems to have a change of heart. His emotional interview with CNN next.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
BLITZER: Welcome back. I'm Wolf Blitzer, reporting live from Boston.
The uncle of the suspects who spoke out yesterday calling them losers seemed to have a bit of a change of heart today.
He sat down with Shannon Travis in suburban Maryland. And when asked whether he would be willing to help his younger nephew, Dzhokhar now that he has been captured, he got very emotional.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
RUSLAN TSARNI, UNCLE OF BOMBING SUSPECTS: Yes. I will certainly help him. First, I'll try to help him to relieve himself, relieve himself again, maybe I'll just repeat it again and again, by seeking forgiveness from those that are suffering and anything else he would need, yes. It's just a start in life. He was child, now he's just turning into young man, but he has no idea what life is. All he's seeing is this little place in Norfolk Street. And that's pretty much it. That's it. Yes, I would help him.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BLITZER: The uncle's message to Dzhokhar, tell the authorities everything you know.
When we come back, did you know that suspect number one, the older brother, had a wife and a daughter? We have a statement from the family. That's just coming in.
And the final showdown in a suburban driveway. How police got high-tech help tracking the suspect hidden in a boat under a tarp. All of that coming up.
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