[Music] I got the victim. >> I got the victim. I got the victim. >> When chaos erupts, some officers go beyond the badge, making split-second decisions that push them to the brink. But what happens when duty demands something almost superhuman? out. Put your hand behind your back. Put your other hand behind your back. >> Here are several times when cops have had to activate superhero mode. Kicking things off with a neighborly dispute that took a sharp turn, escalating from a minor argument to a full-blown life or death standoff. >> He's lucky I didn't grab a hold of him. I didn't do nothing to you, >> Jason. Listen. I should not be in my room. >> Put the knife down right now. >> On December the 5th, 2024, at about 900 p.m., Hillsboro County officers received a phone call about a dispute between neighbors at an apartment complex at Camden Street in Tampa. The caller claimed that his neighbor had assaulted him. When the police officers arrived, they made contact with Jason Douglas Paul, who made the 911 call. As they tried to deescalate the situation, it became apparent that Paul didn't seem to be dealing with the altercation too well. His erratic behavior and unhinged statements gave the officers every reason to be on high alert. >> This people can go around here for no god reason that time. >> Yeah. You want people to crash this chair. I'm Tiff. I'm on the >> He's lucky I didn't grab a hold of him and kill him. >> I would have killed him on self-defense if I would have got a hold of him. >> Paul, relax. >> Yeah. Well, you tell him that cuz if I would have got a hold of him, I would have snapped his neck and he would have been dead. >> He was standing outside. >> Okay. All right. Cool. Do you even see what a part where they went? >> Okay. Give me a sec. All right. Paul then entered his home, locked the door, and refused to come out. As police officers tried to reason with him, they saw from the window that things had taken a turn for the absolute worst. >> No. >> Come on, Jason. >> No. >> Come on. >> No. >> Mom, do nothing to you. >> Can you let me in, please? >> I didn't do nothing to you. >> I didn't do nothing to you. >> Jason, listen up. I should not kill you. >> Relax. Hey, man. Just calm down. Okay, >> Jason. >> It's okay. >> Put the >> Put the knife down. >> You know, he's got it. He's got it. >> Seeing their worst fears come to life, the officer leaped into action in a scene straight out of a comic book with a sole mission on his mind. >> He's got it. Shoot him. >> I don't got it. They're taking me to jail. >> Put the knife down right now. >> Knife down right now. Knife down right now. >> Knife down right now. >> Put it down. [Music] >> Put the knife down right now. Put it down right now. >> Put it down right now. >> Put it down. >> You're going to [Music] >> deputies provided aid to Paul until EMS arrived and transported him to St. Joseph's Hospital where it was determined that he had passed away. His criminal record included aggravated battery with a deadly weapon and resisting an officer without violence in 2005 along with a DUI arrest in 1999. While this standoff ended in disaster, the next suspect had a different approach. Ditch the standoff and make a run for it. Too bad for him, the officer in his tail wasn't backing down. >> He's going westbound on foot. Westbound on foot. Get on the ground. Get on the ground. On May the 19th, 2024, at around 2 p.m., more police officers were alerted to a stolen vehicle on Northwest 12th and Janeway. The officers attempted to stop the driver, 20-year-old Dontavius Smith, but he had other ideas. >> We're in pursuit. We're going eastbound from Janeway 12. [Music] Okay, they're about to crash out. They just crashed out. Single vehicle at 12th Street. >> After refusing to pull over and nearly colliding with another vehicle at an intersection, the suspect crashed, kicking off his next brilliant idea. >> About to run behind the church going northbound. [Music] [Music] He's going westbound on foot. >> Unfortunately for him, there was a super cop on the scene that wasn't going to let anything stand between him and his slippery target. >> Westbound on foot. [Music] [Music] Get the dragon out. Get on the ground. [Music] Don't move. [Music] on the ground. >> Don't hit it. Don't hit it. Put your head everybody back down. >> Smith was taken to a nearby hospital for evaluation after being tased, then promptly transported to the Cleveland County Jail. In the end, he was charged with possession of a stolen vehicle, attempting to elude a police officer, and resisting arrest. Next up, a burglar sets his sights on more than just valuables, but he never anticipated facing off against a cop straight out of an action movie. Put your hand behind your back. Put your other hand behind your back. >> On October the 16th, 2018, Temper police officers responded to a break-in at a residence. They arrived to find the suspect casually dressed in the victim's clothes. But instead of surrendering, he made his next big mistake, doubling down on the first one. The suspects picked the worst possible officer to try and outrun. After a flawlessly executed parkour move by this superhuman cop, he had one last chance to surrender. But instead, he made yet another mistake. One that he'd soon regret. [Music] Put your hand behind your back. Put your other hand behind your back. >> You got it. >> The officer found some more evidence in the victim's home and he was charged with unlawful entry into a structure with intent to commit a felony. While this burglar ran straight into the arms of justice, the next case was a race against something far deadlier. >> Is she downstairs or upstairs? >> Ma'am. >> Yeah, I'm right here. >> Where you at? Come to the right. >> It's too hot. >> On January the 4th, 2017, an officer received a call about an apartment engulfed in smoke. The fire started when 66-year-old Cynthia Demerit, who was recovering from surgery, fell asleep with a lit cigarette, igniting her chair. With a disability and an oxygen tank fueling the flames, she and her furry companion were trapped inside her bedroom, making a dire situation even worse. The officer arrived at the smoke fil scene and immediately sprang into action. With time running out and two lives hanging in the balance, he could only hope he'd reach them before it was too late. >> Yeah, I know. Where is Where's Is she downstairs or >> downstairs? Where's the Is she in that window? >> She in that window. Watch out. >> She's in there >> now. Yeah, I'm right here. >> Oh, where you at? >> I'm right here. >> Come here, dog. Get out. >> The officers quickly located the dog near the window, but Cynthia was another story. They could hear her, but she was nowhere in sight. With oxygen depleting fast, it became a desperate race against time. One where the odds were stacked against the disabled elder. >> Can you walk? >> Yeah. Walk to me. I can't see you. Walk, Harry. >> Walk to me. >> I don't know. >> With thick black smoke blotting out all light, Cynthia struggled to find her way out. But the quickthinking officers devised a simple yet brilliant plan. >> I can't. >> Okay. >> Come to the light. Reach out to me. Can >> you see her? >> Come to the light. >> But it seemed even that wasn't enough. But rather than back down, they leapt closer to the suffocating and hot fumes, doubling the risk. >> Come to the light. >> It's too hot. >> Okay, I made that line. You got her sister. >> Come. Come. >> Give me a hand. >> Give me a little. >> Oh, Granny. Help me. Homie. Homie. Homie. >> I got you. >> I got you. I got you. >> In the house. >> Anyone else in? I got the dog. Where's the husband? There he is. >> Is anyone else in the house besides that and the dog? >> No. >> Okay. >> There's a yellow dog. >> Yeah, he's out. >> Third county. She's out. >> Yeah, I think that's it. >> Yeah. >> Is Is anyone else there? >> See if anybody was up there. They didn't answer. We knocked on all the doors. >> Are you the manager? >> She's the manager. >> Three days later, both officers were granted life-saving awards for their heroic efforts. While one rescue unfolded in thick smoke, the next was a battle against an unstoppable inferno where every second could mean life or death. And my truck is on fire. Get me out of here. >> I'm not going to leave him in there. >> Get him out. >> Yeah. >> On November the 13th, 2024, a frantic man, later identified as Randy, called 911, reporting that his accelerator was stuck and he couldn't slow down. To avoid endangering officers, he made the split-second decision to crash his truck into a bridge. As the call taker worked to keep him calm and talking, responders raced to the scene where the vehicle was already engulfed in flames and on the verge of a catastrophic explosion. >> Oh my god. >> You wrecked your truck. >> Oh my god. I can't. My truck is on fire. My truck is on fire. >> Okay. Can you get out of it? No. >> All right, just stay calm. Where are you at now? >> My to >> Can you get out of it? >> No, I can't. >> Where are you? I'm at 270 and 71 and my truck is on. Get me out of here. 71 stop. [ __ ] Be careful. Hey, be careful. Be careful. All right, you got to back up. [Applause] >> At this point, the car was a ticking bomb, and the officers were risking everything to save Ry's life. With the explosion imminent and the heat unbearable, they pressed on undaunted, as if forged from steel for one final daring act. A little passenger tried to open the door over here. You still on the driver's side? >> Are you still in here, Randy? [Applause] >> Hey, I'm not going to leave him in there. Hey, Randy. Randy, can you get out this way? Randy, come this way. Come this way. Over here. Grab my hand. Grab my hand. Grab my hand. Got it. Randy. >> A female officer's last ditch effort to save Randy was a success. But with a burning car and an injured man unable to move, the danger was far from over. I got pull back 24 >> driver. Is your hand burnt? >> Get the shirt off of them. >> It's still learning. >> Stay away from that truck. Come on. >> You keep burnt your hands. 20. >> That's not bad. Bad. Come on, Randy. Stay with me, man. >> Oh, [ __ ] >> All right, let's go. Let's go. Let's go. >> Take that shirt off of him. >> Let's go. All right, that's enough. That's enough. That's enough driving. >> Stop pulling. Stop pulling >> because you got back. >> Hold on. Take this off. >> No, it's going to hurt. I'm sorry. I'm sorry. >> I'm trying. >> Stay with me. Okay. It's a minor burn. >> All right. >> Hey, >> Wes. [ __ ] phenomenal. >> Yeah. >> Good job. >> Shake. Step back. Step back. >> You're good. Hey. Hey. Relax. Relax. Relax. Relax. Relax. Okay. >> Okay. >> Thank you. Thank you so much. >> We have it. >> All right. Cuz listen, he's got back. Randy survived the accident, all thanks to the heroic efforts of Officer Gloria West and other officers at the scene. Next up, a daring rescue gives way to a deadly shootout where a desperate suspect trapped with no way out chose bullets over surrender. [Music] >> Get back. >> Get the victim. I got the victim. >> I got the victim. I got the victim. >> On November the 13th, 2023, detectives arrived at Horn and Broadway Road in Messa to rescue a kidnapping victim trapped inside a vehicle with two men, 45-year-old Renee Calderon and 43-year-old Wyatt Edge, who are also suspects in an armed robbery weeks earlier. As the vehicle pulled into a parking lot, one of the men stepped into a nearby restaurant, giving the detectives their moment to move in. [Music] But like a corded animal, Calderon wasn't going to give up without thrashing violently. [ __ ] Where's the crossfire? Where's the crossfire? >> Watch out. Watch out. >> Get back. >> Get the victim. >> Calderon, in a desperate bid to escape his fate, opened fire on the detectives in a rapid exchange of bullets. But he might as well have been shooting blanks because the officers stood their ground unfazed. All he was doing was stalling the inevitable. I'm going to patch your side. [Music] >> How's our victim? >> Get him. Where's our victim? >> The detectives finally overwhelmed him, but in a final act of defiance, he kept his gun raised and ignored a lawful order. surrounded with nowhere to run. He had just made his last mistake. >> I got you. I got you. >> Okay, he [ __ ] moves. He's getting it again. You got a vest on. >> Don't move. >> Copy. He's moving. >> Stand by. >> Get that. >> Don't get that good if you can. Meanwhile, another detective had a clear view of someone slipping away from the target vehicle. Wasting no time, he left out of his car and sprang into action. >> I got victim. I got victim. I got victim. I got the victim. I got the victim. I got the victim. >> Thank you guys. Thank you so much. [Music] >> Oh my god. Thank you, man. >> Calderon passed away at the scene while the other detectives wasted no time storming the restaurant to take Edge into custody. Next is a burglar who had no idea his every move was being watched. While he ransacked the home, the real trouble was already on its way, headed straight for him. >> I don't know [ __ ] you. Stop. [ __ ] [ __ ] on October the 9th, 2024, officers responded to Biscane Drive Northwest in reference to a residential burglary. The burglar later identified as 33-year-old Kenneth Wack, ransacked the apartment, unaware that his actions hadn't gone unnoticed. He had unknowingly lit a powder keg of trouble, and the explosion was imminent. Heat. Heat. 2206. >> Show me 31R radio. I got one black mouth running. Get out of [Music] >> I got it. I don't [ __ ] move. Stop. >> Armed with his description, the trained officer had no trouble tracking him down. Kenneth, suddenly realizing he was kneede in trouble, tried to slip away. But against officers like these, it was far too late. >> Stop [ __ ] moving. Cross my cross. >> I'm on the ground. I'm on the ground. Get that off. >> I'm on the ground. Give me a hand. Put your hand behind your back then. >> Other one. >> Turn your mouth. >> Same. Grab that other arm. >> I got this. >> All right. Come on. Move over. >> Put your right hand behind your back. >> I'm trying to see you on my back. >> No, I'm not that tight. There you go. >> All right. [Music] Jump face. >> Elsewhere, the police uncovered some things Kenneth had stolen and tried to conceal. >> My up here. The magazine's over here. Just clear it uh so I can make sure it don't help >> victim. He's a victim. >> That's EC9s. That's fine. [Laughter] >> All the way down here. >> You don't know how much I appreciate you guys. Kenneth was charged with burglary, firstdegree, criminal trespass/damage to property, possession of a firearm during the commission of a felony, and obstruction of law enforcement officers. While this case involved a burglar after mere valuables, the next thief took something far more priceless, sparking a relentless hunt with no chance of escape. >> Show me your [ __ ] hands. Show me your [ __ ] hands. Get on the ground. >> Fight me. Don't fight me. Get off. Don't fight me. [Music] You okay? >> Yes. >> You okay? >> Yes. >> Yeah. We're going to take you We're going to take you to your mom. You're okay. You're okay. >> My mom. >> On April the 4th, 2022, Atlanta police responded to a frantic call from a mother whose car had just been stolen with her 9-year-old child still inside. She had briefly stepped away, leaving the engine running when a man later identified as Darius White, seized the opportunity, jumping in and speeding off. Unfortunately for the thief, the police had a way to track him, turning his getaway into a ticking clock he had no chance of beating. >> The radio they tracking the car to South Gordon and hold on standby. So check the area South Gordon and West Me. the aircraft that location. It's right there. I'm going to go look. I want to go ahead. Look around and Evan Street. >> I got the car. Peoples and RDA. [Music] information. >> Go, go, go, go. >> Give me the air. Peoples northbound towards Oak Street. GSB is behind him. GSB pit. GSB pit. Show me your [ __ ] hands. Show me your [ __ ] hands. Get the [ __ ] out the car. Get the ball in the [ __ ] door. >> With his reckless stunt, he unknowingly challenged the Atlanta officers who had zero patience for games. Too bad he didn't get the memo and tried playing the victim. But he was about to learn the hard way that even heroes have their bad sides. >> Open the [ __ ] door. >> You trying to kill us? You're trying to kill us. >> Oh my gosh. Yes. You trying to kill us? >> Oh my gosh. You trying to kill me? Why would y'all do that, man? >> No. Get off. Please don't. Please don't. Don't beat me up, man. Listen. Don't get on. Don't Don't fight me, man. Don't fight me. Stop. Don't fight me. Stop. Don't fight me. >> Please. Please. >> Don't work. We >> still appreciate that. Thank you. [Applause] >> He hit us. >> He hit us. >> I don't know how to actually He us [Applause] >> He hit us. He's >> trying to kill us. He hit us. That's messed up. >> Thanks for your help. Appreciate you coming over, sir. No problem. That's what we're here for. [Applause] >> He hit us. That's messed up. >> Radio supervisor out on the 21. Next, they turned their attention to his young victim, hoping he had made it through unscathed. >> She see >> you did a good job. You did a good job, man. >> You did a good job. You did a good job. >> Excuse me. You okay? >> Yes. >> You okay? >> Yes. >> Yeah. We're going to take you We're going to take you to your mom. You're all right. You're okay. You're okay. >> My mom caught you. >> Yeah. Yeah, she did. Okay. >> Excuse me. >> Excuse me. Now, >> the child thankfully suffered no injuries and was reunited with his mother while Mr. White was charged with kidnapping, cruelty, and theft by taking.