Charges Dropped in Biker Swarm
BALDWIN: Let's go to Washington. House Majority Leader Eric Cantor speaking right now outside the Capitol.</s>REP. ERIC CANTOR (R), MAJORITY LEADER: It is a shame that folks in this country who come to Washington to be able to see these memorials can't. They should all be able to enjoy these treasures of our country in peace. That's exactly our message to Harry Reid and the Senate, to our Democratic colleagues and to the president. We ought to be working as hard as we can to open up the government in all the areas that we agree on. No one disagrees that these memorials should be open. No one disagrees that we shouldn't be funding the NIH. No one -- no one disagrees that we should be helping our veterans and the kinds of services that they need. Those are the kinds of bills that we're going to be bringing to the floor of the House, and we hope that our Democratic colleagues will stop with the games and join us in trying to relieve the pain that is being inflicted on federal employees and on the people of this country due to the shutdown. And perhaps maybe there is a silver lining, that in all of this, when you're talking about the World War II Memorials and the other kinds of war memorials that we have here, perhaps the American people can look to see the great work that the Honor Fight organization is affording our veterans so that hopefully we, too, can join with them in wanting to see our veterans enjoying these memorials in peace.</s>REP. CATHY MCMORRIS RODGERS (R), REPUBLICAN CONFERENCE CHAIRWOMAN: Every week, thousands of people travel to our nation's capital. Americans sometimes will save for a long time to be able to make this trip. In addition, we have veterans, World War II veterans, that we're losing every day, that the Honor Flight organization specifically has made a commitment to having them come and see this special monument that was built for them. And yet today they will be greeted with a barricade. That is unacceptable. There's no reason that these monuments shouldn't be open. Open to Americans, open to these veterans. We agree that this is an important bill. This is important legislation that we can pass, Republicans and Democrats. The only reason they're being greeted with barricades is because the Senate right now refuses to negotiation. And it all starts - we've got - we've got to start talking. We've got to come to the table. We've got to start negotiating because all across the country, Americans are being impacted. There's 800,000 right now who are living without a paycheck, others that are being greeted by closed doors from government offices all across this country, again, because the Senate and the Democrats in the Senate refuse to negotiate. We've got to - we've got to start talking. We've got to come to the table and do what's good and right for America. And it all starts with us, at least opening up a dialogue, an important dialogue, with the Senate that right now is missing.</s>BALDWIN: House Republican leaders speaking there. We heard moments ago, in the same spot, from House Democratic leaders. Both saying essentially we want to negotiate. Well, speaking of coming to the table, we can tell you in just about two, three hours from now, leaders from both chambers, both parties, will be meeting with the president at the White House, 5:30 p.m. Eastern Time. And you heard House Majority Leader Eric Cantor specifically referencing that World War II Memorial in our nation's capital, as you see the veterans, they moved those barriers out with their own two hands yesterday. And we can report today that more than 100 other vets were able to visit the memorial despite this government shutdown. Several senators accompanied these veterans who were taking part in the Honor Flight program. The Interior Department tweeted this. Let me read it for you. "The Honor Flights are being granted access to the World War II Memorial to conduct First Amendment activities in accordance with NPS regulations." So they are able to go in there. We're going to take you back to Washington here in a moment, but first charges dropped against one of the suspects arrested in last Sunday's biker attack in New York City. Allen Edwards (ph) had turned himself in to authorities yesterday and was initially facing a multitude of charges, including reckless endangerment, criminal mischief. But today prosecutors say they are no longer investigating him. Edwards was believed to be among the bikers caught on that videotape chasing down that SUV driver. I know you've seen this. We played this for you yesterday. You see this swarm of bikers here in this Range Rover, this black Range Rover, all beginning here on the West Side Highway. Minutes after the driver ran over several of those bikers who had surrounded him. He has his wife, his two-year-old in the car. And then you see here, at one point one of the bikers is bashing his helmet into the truck's window. Second biker remains charged in this case. Police say they are looking for other suspects. One of the injured bikers had both legs broken and is now -- his family is calling for justice.</s>YOLANDA SANTIAGO, EDWIN MIESES' MOTHER: All his ribs, fractured. His lungs are so badly bruised that he's still on the ventilator.</s>DAYANA MIESES, EDWIN MIESES' WIFE: My husband got off his bike to help the guy. And whatever he did, he got scared, he went -- peeled off and he paralyzed my husband on the way.</s>BALDWIN: New York authorities say they are still investigating. No charges have been filed, though, against that SUV driver, but that incident is sparking heated debate about these so-called motorcycle gangs, biker clubs. They're popping up all over the country. But how can you tell which ones are just clubs and which ones are not? Let's bring in my next guest, Terry Katz, a former lieutenant in the Maryland State Police. And I know you have investigated, what, 1,000 or so of these motorcycle gangs with a group that currently oversees and investigates these outlaw motorcycle gangs. So, Terry, this gang in particular in New York, they were called Hollywood Stunts. But in general, who are these bikers?</s>TERRY KATZ, V.P., INTL. OUTLAW MOTORCYCLE GANG INVESTIGATIONS ASSN.: In this case, they're not a documented gang that I'm familiar with. But in motorcycle gangs, which we call outlaw motorcycle gangs, it's their behavior. When they're a criminal and do criminal acts, that defines what they are as opposed to what they dress like.</s>BALDWIN: So when we talk about criminal acts, and from what I've read about this particular group, you know, in the past, it's not -- they're not violent, with this as an exception, that they - that they are a stunt group.</s>KATZ: Right. They're not necessarily going to engage in violence, except when they view one of their members as being attacked, and then you see a violent response. And that's typical of outlaw motorcycle gangs and organizations that are like that.</s>BALDWIN: Criticism that I have read, Terry, is that New Yorkers are very angry. They say that the police commissioner, Ray Kelly, and police aren't doing enough. I mean, I read that Commissioner Kelly, though, that they were aware, there have been arrests. Do you think that that's a fair criticism? Is it tough to prosecute these bikers?