fighting those charges. wolf? >> all right, jason, thanks very much. let's dig deeper with don lemon, former prosecutor and legal analyst sunny hostin, and the former assistant director of the u.s. marshal's office, law enforcement analyst art roderick. don, yesterday, you're in the situation room 24 hours ago when the situation first broke. you said you wanted to know more about the circumstances surrounding this incident. what do you think of what we've learned over the past 24 hours? >> just exactly what i said. i wanted to learn more about what happened. more information. that is our job here. that's our duty here as journalists, to learn more information about what happened. if at -- i think we were on yesterday at three minutes to 7:00 -- if we had stopped gathering information then, we would not have known about what the chief said today, which is a third videotape. we would not have known that the officer had two other incidents that are relatable to this incident. we would not have heard from other students who were in the

classroom at the time. what i was saying yesterday is that the flow of information needs to continue for the officer, the people who were in charge of his destiny, but also for the young lady who is now charged with charges and with the family of this young lady, who need to be armed with knowledge so that they know everything, if they have to go in to court, or if they're going to fight this. that's what we need. we are a news network which provides context and information and knowledge to our viewers. knowledge is power. the more information you have, the better it is. i am glad that everyone is coming forward now so that we do now have some context as to what happened. and i hope more information comes about and the flow of information does not stop at this point. >> we've seen two videotapes. you're absolutely right, the third one, the police chief over there, the sheriff says exists. we haven't seen that yet, but he does say the sheriff, he says it shows this young 16-year-old girl actually resisting, hitting

this deputy sheriff himself. sunny, let me let you weigh in on what's going on. a student who taped the altercation shows the video, says the girl at the center of it, the 16-year-old girl, hadn't done anything wrong. wltx, one of our affiliates there, says she only took her phone out for a quick second, says she was apologetic. hearing this side of the story from someone who was inside the room, obviously, presents more context. >> it does present, certainly, more context, but it doesn't change my opinion from yesterday, which was, we didn't really need additional context to this question, wolf, and that is whether or not this officer used excessive or unreasonable force in arresting this young girl. that really is the legal question before us, and that's the legal question that the fbi is going to be looking at. that's the legal question that prosecutors are going to be looking at. that's the legal question that, quite frankly, the sheriff's office is going to be looking at -- were his actions excessive or unnecessary?

all we need for that in terms of information is the video. i think it's clear from an objective, reasonableness standard, which is what the standard is, anyone looking at this should know that that takedown that we are all seeing and have seen over and over again is excessive and unreasonable per se, just by its very nature. and i think that all the information that we're getting, additional information, really just supports my initial observation, my legal observation, which is this is an excessive takedown. >> sunny, that may indeed be the case, but even the fbi has not decided yet. the people who are actually doing the prosecution of this have not decided. it may indeed be the case what you're saying, but those people have not thoroughly investigated, they have not come to a conclusion yet. so, i don't want to rush to judgment about a conclusion of what should happen to this officer. yes, what the officer did speaks for itself, it is horrific. anyone who looks at that -- no one can say -- i hate looking at it, i hate that it repeats so

much on television. when you look at this video. but they have not decided how to deal with this and if the officer is guilty. and i just don't want to jump the gun about that and have people become emotional about something that may not play out the way that we think it should play out. >> let's bring in art roderick, our law enforcement analyst, former assistant director of the u.s. marshal's office. the way the deputy sheriff, he put his arm around this young girl's neck. even if she was protesting, even if she had may have hit him a little bit, he was a big, strong guy. he was a football coach. he taught the football players over there with weights. he was a powerful guy. was that appropriate, to put his arm around her neck, for example? >> well, i think that's yet to be determined. i agree with don that there's still more information coming in. we've got, actually, three different investigations going on. you have the south carolina law enforcement division, commonly known as s.l.e.d., that's going to do this investigation. you heard the sheriff talk about his investigation hopefully being completed by tomorrow. then you have the fbi and doj.

this is a horrible video to look at, i agree. if i put myself in that situation, and i was a uniformed police officer for several years, and i've got to tell you, as tough as that job was on the street, i can imagine what it's like in dealing with teenagers in the school setting. >> because even if she took out a cell phone, disrupted the class -- >> right. >> -- she represented no threat physically to that police officer. >> i agree with you. there doesn't -- i mean, i think -- what the difference will be here is when he places his hand on her shoulder and she does reach out and strike him, as the sheriff talked about, were his actions up to that particular point, was use the force that he used really necessary? and that's what this whole thing -- >> do you think it was? >> it doesn't look like it to me at this point, but again, i don't think we have all the information in yet. when you look at what the other students said there, there seems to be some conflicting statements as to, then why was the principal called in?

this person was told to get out of the classroom by not only the teacher, but also by the principal. and then the law enforcement officer was called in to do one thing, and that was to remove her out of the classroom. >> yeah, and the sheriff -- >> wolf, can i -- >> hold on, sunny, because the sheriff himself, the county sheriff says it may have been better, with hindsight, to take all the other kids out of that classroom, let that student, if she didn't want to leave, stay there, and then maybe have a little conversation with her without all the other students present. go ahead, sunny. >> and that's the thing. you know, when you look at this situation, we've been advocating -- or at least i have for some time -- for body cameras on police officers, to for dash cam on all police cars, because we want to be able to see what happened. well, in this case, we can see what happened. and i think it's really fascinating to me that so many people are saying, we need more information, we need, you know, what we're seeing, our eyes must be deceiving us. well, guess what? from a legal perspective, i think it's very clear that this

officer used force that was unnecessary and excessive. i don't know what other evidence one would need to make any sort of different, you know, conclusion. so, again, it's fascinating to me that we're hearing over and over again that we need more information. well, the information is right before your very eyes. >> all right, stand by, because we have a lot more to discuss. president obama today weighing in on some of these sensitive issues himself, the relationship between police, local police, communities that they serve. much more with our panel right after this. whatever you're doing, plan well and enjoy life... ♪ or, as we say at unitedhealthcare insurance company, go long. consider an aarp medicare supplement insurance plan insured by unitedhealthcare insurance company... go long.

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president obama's wading into the controversy over the so-called ferguson effect. he's questioning whether increased scrutiny of police in the wake of the unrest in ferguson, missouri, has had an impact on law enforcement across the country as the fbi director, james comey, has suggested. our senior white house correspondent, jim acosta, is joining us. jim, the president spoke about this before a crowd of law enforcement officials today. tell our viewers what he said. >> reporter: that's right, wolf, today president obama warned against cherry-picking data, aas he called it, to show that there's a so-called ferguson effect on policing. that sure sounded like a response to complaints from top law enforcement across the country as well as comments made

by his own fbi director. with concerns growing among top law enforcement officials that clashes between police in minority communities are having a chilling effect on officers on patrol, and perhaps fueling a spike in higher crime -- ♪ -- president obama called on all sides to work together to avoid the next ferguson. >> i've talked to enough chiefs and beat cops around the country to know you care about these issues, you want to do the right thing. >> reporter: standing before the international association of chiefs of police, the president also blamed the messenger. >> i reject any narrative that seeks to divide police and communities that they serve. i reject a story line that says, when it comes to public safety, there's an us and a them. a narrative that too often gets served up to us by news stations

seeking ratings or tweets seeking retweets or political candidates seeking some attention. >> reporter: tell that to fbi director james comey, who has wondered aloud in recent days -- >> black lives matter! >> reporter: -- whether social media scrutiny of law enforcement and black lives matter protests, after high-profile cases of alleged police brutality -- >> we can't breathe. >> reporter: -- are making cops thinks twice before doing their jobs. that reluctance, comey suggested, could lead to more crime. >> i do have a strong sense that some part of the explanation is a chill wind that has blown through law enforcement over the last year, and that wind is surely changing behavior. >> reporter: while the president said he wants more evidence -- >> what we can't do is cherry-pick data or use anecdotal evidence to drive policy. >> reporter: top white house officials are making it clear they disagree with comey. >> the available evidence at this point does not support the notion that law enforcement officers around the country are

shying away from fulfilling their responsibilities. >> reporter: but the former head of the president's own 21st-century policing task force told cnn the fbi director may have a point. >> i don't think we're at odds with the director's comments. we just don't know what's taking place right now. certainly, there could be some officers that have been impacted that way and a little reluctant to be proactive out there on the street. >> now, the white house says there's no better place than chicago for the president to address this issue, but consider what former white house chief of staff and now chicago mayor, rahm emanuel, recently said about his own city's police force. he reportedly said the intense scrutiny of law enforcement has his officers in the "fetal position." so, they're feeling it there as well, wolf. >> very strong words from the mayor, rahm emanuel. jim acosta, thanks very much. let's bring back our panel. don lemon, we know the president in his speech today also pushing for an overhaul of the u.s. criminal justice system. he's sort of walking a fine line. i know he had a very detailed,

carefully prepared speech. he's calling policing issues in urban areas deeply troubling. what actions do you think he needs to take? >> i think he needs to continue to do exactly what he's doing, and i think he needs to go in even harder. i thought his speech today was brilliant, and he was very natural in saying that, you know, people aren't -- african-americans aren't making these things up. he said that over the past couple of days. and today he said, you know, similar things. but i think that he needs to, while he has the executive power, while he is the chief executive, he needs to figure out what to do next and how he can make a difference. i'm not the president of the united states. i don't know exactly what powers he has as a president to make a difference, but i think he needs to continue on the vain that he is now. and one more thing. the last commissioner that spoke in jim acosta's piece, i also think that we need to listen to what he is saying about, you know, whether it's rahm emanuel or what comey is saying, not that it's right for police

officers to be doing that, to be backing off their jobs, if that is, indeed, happening, but if it is happening, we need to listen and figure out how we all come together and make this better, how to make law enforcement want to be proactive again and how to address those people who are, indeed, are angry out there in streets and the community because they feel they are being brutalized by police officers. >> as know, the sense some police officers are reluctant to get out of their cars because everybody has a cell phone. the video will be out there. >> if you look at what many officers are saying, they aren't saying they are backing off their job. quite the contrary. i think the white house made that clear. if it is true that they are concerned about doing their jobs because there is now more transparency because of videotapes and cell phones, that concerns me because bottom line is if you are an officer given the amount of power officers are given, you shouldn't be

reluctant to do your job because someone is watching. officers for quite some time the law provided that officers acting in a public place can be videotaped. this is nothing new. perhaps the amount of cell phones we have out there now is certainly different. but it isn't new that officers can be videotaped. i'm very dismayed that officers are saying because people are watching, they can't do their jobs. guess what? if you're doing your job appropriately, you don't care if someone is watching. >> button this up for is. >> there is a difference between proactive policing. whether it's responding to 911 calls or witnessing a crime occurring, responding to a call for help, it's the proactive part i think is taking a major hit here. that's the part that we have to get back on track. >> art, thanks very much.

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there are the videos that have everyone talking. tonight kyra phillips will introduce you to the ordinary people who did extraordinary things that a cnn special report "videos gone fiviral 2."

an incredible rescue by a hero who dressed the part. >> reporter: durham, north carolina, a windy stretch of road notorious for speeding. >> i heard the explosion and knew it was a bad car accident immediately. >> reporter: two cars collide head-on. three people are trapped. lucky for these neighbors, army capital steve is there to help. >> the car was upside down and smoke was building. i reached inside because he was hanging from the seat belt. >> he reaches down and yanks him out because the car is on its side. we carry him down the road. >> reporter: steve drags the second person to safety. the jaws of life rescues the third. a heroic act indeed. it's what steve is wearing that triggers this internet

sensation. why do you think this video went viral? >> because of the t-shirt. >> reporter: not because you actually saved people from burning cars? you think it's the t-shirt? >> the t-shirt. >> reporter: he was wearing a capital america t-shirt. >> it was just a funny coincidence. can't make it up. >> it is the perfect story. kyra, this is amazing. you've got a lot of these that are unbelievable videos you collected for tonight's special. >> reporter: i'll tell you what, i love the captain. he was so humble and marvel loves him. they sent him action figures, t-shirts, bumper stickers. he's got a room full of captain america gear. on a serious note he can't wear the t-shirt. he hasn't been able to put it on since because he thinks about the victims and they are still

recovering. he keeps in touch with them to this day. >> there are others in tonight's special, other people had an impact on you, right? >> big-time. sarah kudd. this will give you chills. she was going for one of the most elite badges in the army, the expert field medical badge and had to do an excrutiating 12-mile march. she barely makes it to the end. but what happens those last 50 feet are remarkable. her interview is incredible. i'll meet her and get the behind the scenes story of this video. >> we can rely on you, kyra. looking forward to watching this special later tonight. >> thanks, wolf. >> join kyra, "video gone viral 2" here on cnn, 9:00 p.m. eastern. check it out. you can always follow us on twitter. tweet me @wolf blitzer.

be sure to join us right here tomorrow in "the situation room." thanks for watching. i'm wolf blitzer in "the situation room." erin burnett "out front" starts right now. >> ben carson is number one for the first time knocking trump for the top spot in a nationwide poll. we'll hear trump's reaction. >> about-face. the defense secretary says america won't pull back from ground combat in syria even though president obama said combat was off the table. we have an exclusive report from the front lines. you'll see who is telling american war planes where to strike and you will be stunned. >> does it depend on the angle? an officer yanking a female student from her desk. let's go "out front." good evening, i'm erin burnett. out front tonight, ben carson numberne