found. great setting, though, for it. >> we can't say they weren't watching. they just didn't appear. that's it for the news at 5:00. thank you for your time. tonight, breaking news as we come on. the tiger on the attack, mauling a zookeeper after tackling her. >> the tiger is still next to them, still attacking. >> spectators watching in horror. the zoo immediately put on lockdown. spring slam. more than a dozen reported tornadoes. flash floods wiping out roads. our team on the ground assessing the damage following that severe weather outbreak. also tonight, mysterious disappearance. the fbi joining in on the hunt for a missing 5-year-old boy vanishing after he went to bed. investigators now classifying his home a crime scene. in politics, the deep divide among democrats running for

president in wake of the mueller report. some ramping up impeachment pressure. others urging caution. what the president is now saying. riots in paris. the intensifying clashes between police and activists. some furious that wealthy donors raised a billion dollars to rebuild notre dame when the country is battling economic inequality. dragged on the tracks. the elderly woman trying to catch a train. her hand caught in the door. how she survived. also, the parents waking up to screams as their 14-month-old is snatched by a dingo. what that father did to save his son and how the child is doing tonight. and good evening. thanks for joining us on this saturday. the horrifying incident at the topeka zoo in kansas. a male tiger mauling a zookeeper

shortly after the facility opened today as horrified zoo visitors watched. that 7-year-old big cat, you see him there, named sanjiv was seen here back in 2017 when he was first welcomed to the kansas facility. today, attacking that female zookeeper. the primary tiger handler there with many years on the job, she has been rushed to the hospital after the tiger tackled her. abc's maggie rulli starts us off. >> reporter: tonight, a tiger attack at the topeka zoo leaving staff scrambling to save one of their own. >> we have staff getting attacked by a tiger. >> reporter: that frightening 911 call coming in shortly after the zoo opened at 9:00. sanjiv, an endangered sumatran tiger and his experienced keeper together in an outdoor pen when the animal turned. the two, trapped for nearly ten agonizing minutes. >> advised staff is still in the enclosure. the tiger is still next to them, still attacking. >> reporter: the exhibit, already open to visitors, put on lockdown with the zoo's firearm response team dispatched to the scene. >> some of our guests actually witnessed this happen. >> reporter: the tiger finally

lured back inside, and that female zookeeper rushed to a local hospital, suffering lacerations and puncture wounds to the back of her head, neck and arm. >> thanks to about three heroes on our staff, this could have been a very different outcome. >> reporter: a livestream camera shows the zoo's tigers in a pen after the attack, as authorities investigate why the keeper and tiger were in the enclosure at the same time. >> there really isn't a circumstance where they should be in the same space. so there was some sort of error that occurred here. >> reporter: for now, the zoo is standing by their animal, a fixture for years who recently fathered four cubs. >> sanjiv this morning did exactly what a tiger would when something comes into its territory. there is absolutely no consideration to euthanize >> and maggie rulli joins us. we just heard there the zoo director says they are not going

to euthanize the tiger, that the tiger did nothing wrong, and making it clear there were mistakes made that led up to this accident. >> reporter: that's right, tom. the zoo made it clear that the tiger reacted exactly the way that a wild animal would react, and instead of blaming the tiger, they're now focusing their investigation on procedures that could have gone wrong at that zoo. tom? >> maggie rulli starting us off. maggie, thank you. now to the latest on that severe weather that swept across the south over the last three days. more than a dozen reported tornadoes yesterday in just five states. cleanup from damaging windstweu. on display in st. petersburg, florida, as huge chunks of road just disappear in asheville, nor state for us ton the latest on the damage. >> reporter: tonight, a closer look at the damage marng outbreak that spanned from texas all the way to the mid-atlantic.

the cleanup is now under way after a deadly storm system with torrential rains and punishing winds tore through large swaths of the country. in north carolina, heavy flooding prompting rescues like this -- first responders helping stranded residents out of their flooded neighborhood. and over in asheville, this car got stuck in the high floodwaters after more than 5 inches of rain. >> don't drown. turn around. >> reporter: this is some of the worst damage we have seen. that carport that that corvette was in, is nowhere to be seen, and thof this house was found to be in pieces across the street. but further south, these storms proved deadly. near tallahassee, a young girl house. this vacationer captured the relentless storm as it whipped through near st. pete.

a string of dangerous tornadoes forced officials in mississippi to declare a state of emergency, the second time in less than a week that has happened. to the north, a tornado in northern virginia touched down, damaging cars and homes. and when this massive tree fell in central virginia, it left hundreds in the dark. tom, take a look at this house. the roof taken right off. we're told that nobody was inside when the storm rolled through. six reported tornadoes touched down right here in north carolina, and as you can see, the big cleanup has just begun. tom? >> thankfully nobody was in that home. all righ r that. senior meteorologist rob marciano joins us. what's the weather going to be looking like as we go into the holiday? >> we're dealing with this storm, and it's a slow mover, and it's so big, the entire east coast still having to deal with it. it's winding it down, cut off from the main flow, but you still see showers throughout detroit, boston as well, and the instability on the east coast will stick around through easter sunday. that will be nice in atlanta as you're traveling through kansas city.

breezy, and warm conditions across parts of dallas, and intermountain west, it will be rainy and showery, but dry across the pacific northwest. so right, rob. for a holiday, thanks so much. we turn now to the suburbs of chicago and a 5-year-old boy who has vanished after going to bed. search teams brought in, and the fbi is now involved. what we are learning about the case. here's abc's will reeve. >> reporter: tonight, authorities on the hunt outside chicago, saying search dogs confirm the missing 5-year-old did not leave his home on foot. that home now a crime scene. the fbi and local police have been searching for a.j. freund since he was last seen inside that residence wednesday night. a.j.'s father made a plea to reporters outside their home. >> a.j., please come home. we love you very much. >> reporter: but he initially waved off investigators. >> you come with us right now. >> i'm going to go get a phone. >> okay. >> then i'm going to come back. >> reporter: he's also hired a lawyer. his wife, joann cunningham, retaining her own attorney. >> joann came here today to stay hoping that a.j. would come back at any moment and walk through the house. >> reporter: now she's stopped cooperating as well.nngh cperat

with the police extensively yesterday we gothempssion that s may be considered a suspect. >> reporter: tom, police say they have no reason to believe that an abduction has taken place, and the family has denied any involvement in a.j.'s disappearance. there are reports that his father is now talking to investigators. tom? >> our newest correspondent, will reeve, on a very disturbing case tonight. all right, will. thank you. to politics now and the shock waves following the mueller report. revelations, democrats sharply divided on how exactly to proceed as president trump sours on the report. after his initial celebratory view. abc's white house correspondent tara palmeri reporting from west palm beach tonight where the president is spending the holiday. >> reporter: president trump spending his easter weekend firing up his political base, golfing with rush limbaugh, and unleashing on twitter. tweeting more than a dozen tweets including, the russia

hoax is dead, and then blasting special counsel robert mueller's team as trump haters, saying the report was written, quote, nastily. adding, quote, the mueller report should not have been authorized in the first place. it's a stark contrast from his initial reaction to the mueller report. >> i'm having a good day too. it was called no collusion, no obstruction. >> reporter: the president's personal lawyer rudy giuliani telling abc news trump is now, quote, frustrated by what he sees as a one-sided report. while the administration is urging democrats to move on, many are calling for more investigations. but there's a deep divide when it comes to impeachment. 2020 presidential hopeful senator elizabeth warren, the most prominent voice leading the charge to impeach. >> there are some things that are bigger than politics, so i have called on the house to initiate impeachment proceedings. [ applause ] >> reporter: but today, house speaker nancy pelosi's office urging caution in a statement, saying that congress should take it, quote, one step at a te. the report raises more questns

and concerns that we believe the american people other presidential candidates weighing in on impeachment. >> i think he may well deserve it, but my focus, since i'm not part of congress, but i am part of 2020, is to give him a decisive defeat at the ballot box. >> i think we should have the chance to ask a lot of questions and continue the investigations and see where they lead. >> i think it would be perfectly reasonable for congress to open up impeachment proceedings. >> and tara palmeri joins us now from west palm beach. i know you spoke with the president's lawyer, rudy giuliani, who is telling you their new strategy in dealing with congress will be able to fight all of the future investigations related to impeachment? >> reporter: tom, giuliani tells me they will fight, quote, every subpoena. he says it's no longer a legal battle, but a political battle with congress, and he claims that the president has already cooperated enough with special counsel robert mueller. tom? >> tara palmeri with that new reporting tonight. tara, thank you. and this programming note. tomorrow on "this week," a very big show. martha raddatz goes one-on-one with counselor to the president,

kellyanne conway and house intelligence committee chair, adam schiff. we move overseas now to the tense clashes in paris. new violent protests spring up for a 23rd saturday after a period of united mourning following the disastrous fire at notre dame. the billion dollars in donations raised for that historic landmark intensifying activist complaints. abc's david wright reports from paris. >> reporter: after a week of unity and calm, paris erupted today, with a return of the angry protests that have rocked this city just about every saturday for the past six months. the "gilets jaunes," or yellow vestur tode th ma n sy' ary t movedo ickly tob they set dozens of motorcycles on fire.

emergency workers racing to put out the flames. the protesters demand the government improve their cost of living. french police in riot gear, mobilized by the thousands to stop them in their tracks with tear gas and overwhelming force. today alone, nearly 200 arrests. french president emmanuel macron had been scheduled to address the protests and concerns in a primetime speech monday. that speech, abruptly canceled when the fire broke out. it's now been rescheduled for this coming thursday, tom. >> david wright with those developments out of paris. thank you. next to the grim anniversary back here at home. 20 years ago today, the columbine high school massacre. memories seared in the nation's mind of teenagers with their hands up, barely escaping after two seniors launched a violent planned attack killing 12 students and a teacher. a number of memorials and vigils

this weekend. many of the survivors now with children of their own. here's abc's clayton sandell. remembering the 12 students and 1 teacher murdered 20 years ago today at columbine high. >> on april 20, 1999, the forces of evil did not win. >> darkness cannot win. evil never has the last word. death does not have the last word. >> reporter: the day etched in history. when two students opened fire inside their school, a horror playing out on live tv. >> fellow or former students t believed who rushed the schools and opened fire. >> reporter: columbine was not the first school shooting, but it marked a violent new era of deadly tragedy. virginia tech, sandy hook, parkland and others. an abc news investigation found columbine may have inspired more than 50 school attacks, plots or threats. just this week, police say an 18-year-old florida high school

senior who bought a shotgun, forcing more than 100 schools to shut down, had a columbine infatuation. in 1999, sean graves was shot six times. >> i need to do more physical therapy before i'll know if i'll walk. >> reporter: now he fears for his own kids. >> now that i'm a parent, i can't physically protect my daughter, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, 365. >> reporter: at columbine police were criticized for not moving in faster. today, officers are trained to confront the shooters immediately. >> suspect down. >> the first day of class of a new school year, new semester, i'll walk in and be like, "okay, where are the exits? where is the best place to hide if something happens?" >> reporter: the day also forever changing the way kids, parents and schools think about safety. >> no doubt a dark turning points for our country, and clayton, so powerful to hear from those survivors 20 years later, and we know that at the high school, the survivors and the students have tried to make this day more than just about the tragedy. >> reporter: that's right, tom.

they call it a day of service. we saw hundreds of students, teachers and faculty picking up rakes and shovels, taking on dozens of community projects all to do a little bit of good, and just a few minutes ago, the current principal here at columbine told a memorial service crowd that columbine is not only a model of resiliency. it is thriving. tom? >> clayton sandell for us tonight. clayton, thank you. there is much more ahead on "world news tonight" this saturday. dragged on the tracks. an elderly woman trying to catch the train, pulled from the platform, and carried off. how did this happen? also tonight, parents waking up to their child screaming, snatched by wild dingoes. the father springing into actios of thousands of dollars worth of jewelry in seconds flat. stay with us. ay with us. ♪

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parents waking up to the sound . abc's julia macfarlane has the story. >> reporter: tonight, an extraordinary escape for one baby in australia. a family holiday at a beach famous for tourists turning into a harrowing nightmare as wild dingoes broke into their camper van, dragging their 14-month-old outside. the baby's cries waking the parents. the father running outside to fight off the wild animals who had mauled his son. >> he was apparently grabbed around the back of the neck area and dragged away. so if it wasn't for the parents and their quick thinking and fighting off the dingoes, he probably would have had more severe injuries. >> reporter: the baby, suffering a fractured skull and deep cuts on his head and neck, airlifted to queensland children's hospital in brisbane for treatment. his parents say he is in a stable condition after surgery. while rare, dingo attacks do

happen down under, including a deadly encounter in 1980 that inspired the feature film "a cry in the dark" starring meryl streep. >> the dingo took my baby! >> reporter: tom, fraser island in australia attracts tourists from around the world, but there is a worrying trend. this the third small child by dingoes this year. tom? >> glad that father was able to get to his son. julia, thank you. when we come back, the hollywood director's medical emergency tonight. what his family is now revealing. plus, the violent arrest caught on camera. police officers throwing a teenager to the ground, slamming his head against the pavement. tonight, outrage from his family and what the mayor is now calling for. pay as much for insurance... as not safe drivers! ah! that was a stunt driver. that's why esurance has this drivesense® app. the safer you drive, the more you save. don't worry, i'm not using my phone and talking to a camera while driving... i'm being towed. by the way, i'm actually a safe driver. i'm just pretending to be a not safe driver.

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elderly woman walking up to catch the train, the doors closing in when her hand gets stuck. the train begins to move, dragging her into the tracks. that woman survived the fall, but no further word on her condition tonight. two thieves on a smash and grab spree in a georgia mall, apparently pretending to be customers when one man whipping out a hammer, shattering glass display cases, filled with diamond rings and ransacking those trays, making off with $200,000 worth of jewelry. all in under 30 seconds, authorities now on the hunt for those two men. and warm well wishes pouring in tonight for jon singleton. the director's family saying he suffered a stroke this week while already in the hospital. known for "boys in the hood", and "2 fast 2 furious." we certainly wish him a speedy recovery. and when we come back, small gifts pouring in by the thousands. hundreds of thousands, even fa. it aca i ll everye about your family history. my pie chart showed that i'm from all over europe,

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dame, but on the eve of easter, a miracle rising from the ashes, for tragedy in louisiana. >> reporter: this week when the fire of notre dame resulted in unprecedented response and more than a billion dollars in pledge donations, many back here at home began wondering out loud and online, why the same response wasn't happening for those three black churches in louisiana set on fire by an alleged arsonist. >> we suffered, but i think it has a cause, a higher cause. >> reporter: that's pastor gerald tucson from mt. pleasant church. his congregation like the other two were forced to worship elsewhere as they struggled to rebuild. church leaders set up a gofundme account, and then a social media

campaign started, thanks in part to writer yashar ali, highly active on twitter and sending the campir to rebual, nation more than $2 million, and it's still growing. >> what has happened this week, it has encouraged me to know that i'm not left out, and i'm not cast aside. there are some good old-fashioned, valued people in this united states, and i love the word united. >> reporter: the details are all still being worked out, but pastor tucson says he knows the church will rise from the ashes. >> to bring everybody together like that, it has to be a miracle. >> reporter: tonight on the eve of easter, the pastor telling us the outreach has reinforced his faith even more. ♪ >> when i was told the church was burning, i said, god is going to have the last say in let chchavme and he'ok

>> and thanks to all those who thanks so much for three, two, . >> 7 news at six. lighting up on hippie hill how thousands people celebrated another year of marijuana legalization. >> while winds take down the trees and power lines that and the change in the forecast in time for easter sunday. >> a woman caught tossing a bag of knew born pup innies in dumpster at coachella. a good samaritan staved them. >> abc 7 news at 6:00 starts now. >> live where you live this is abc 7 news. smoke filled the air this year's 420 celebration, a long-time tradition at hippie hill in golden gate park. thanks juror joining i'm eric tomasz. >> i'm dioncoronell barnard is

the annual smokeout details. >> dion and eric this event has ame out today to nce the 1970s. light up, smoke out. >> three, two, one, happy 420! >> as the clock struck 4:20, thousands of joints were lit. a cloud of smoke rose from robin williams meadow in hippie hill. but make no mistake, the party started long before this. >> shout out to everybody, happy 4/20. >> they were rocking and rolling. joints mostly. at this annual 420 pot fest. >> you got to go ahead and get high and role up and do it. >> a time to smoke up and praise the gods of cannabis. >> i.ik