Don't do it, brother. Come on. You got to get out of the car. IT'S A BETTER WAY. >> On an otherwise routine patrol in Oshkosh, Wisconsin, officers initiated a traffic stop that rapidly spiraled into a life ordeath crisis. What begins as a refusal to pull over transforms into a desperate flight from police, culminating not in an escape, but in a race against time to prevent a tragedy. What follows is raw, unedited body cam footage of officers utilizing every deescalation tool at their disposal while simultaneously confronting an imminent self-inflicted lethal threat. The situation demands split-second decisions, turning the officers from pursuers into the last line of defense for a man intent on ending his own life. >> All right, give me a 103. It's going to be coming out behind me northbound on 41 approaching 46 Street inside lane. 103 on channel one. 103 on channel 1 41 and 63. >> The officer spots a vehicle matching the description of a wanted subject and attempts a routine traffic stop. When the driver refuses to yield, accelerating onto the highway, the incident immediately escalates to a felony pursuit. With heavy traffic on the horizon, the officer coordinates with dispatch, calling out his location while trying to anticipate the driver's next move. A decision that becomes dangerously unpredictable when the suspect takes an exit ramp leading directly toward a dead end. >> 1017 soul occupant driving. >> We're going to be passing 47 street right now. northbound approaching Mecca. >> Northbound approaching mecha right now. All right, he's in. Let's try to take the pit. With a suspect posing an escalating risk to public safety, the officer executes a tactical vehicle intervention, a pit maneuver at the intersection of Westbound University. The impact disables the suspect's vehicle, but rather than surrendering, the driver regains control just enough to commit a final shocking act. In a split-second decision to evade capture, the driver reverses hard, crashing through barriers and sending the car plunging into the frigid water of the nearby lake. We got a pit westbound university. Westbound University car just reversed down into the lake. Get out of the car. >> He's floating in the middle of the uh water right now, >> trying to call him out of the car. >> GET OUT OF THE CAR. >> AS water floods the cabin, the suspect fails to exit the submerged vehicle. The officer's adrenaline charge commands shift instantly. Notice the change in vocal urgency. The officer is no longer giving commands for an arrest, but desperately trying to coax the man to safety. The car is sinking, but a far more immediate threat is materializing inside the vehicle. The suspect is reaching into his jacket, ignoring commands to show his hands, and the officer immediately recognizes the deadly implication. >> He's reaching into his uh into his jacket. GET OUT OF THE CAR NOW. >> Signal zero. Signal zero. Got a gun to his head. Let's go ahead and block off all westbound traffic. University Parkway. >> Don't do it, bro. Come on. You got to get out of the car. After prolonged attempts to verbally deescalate, the suspect reportedly makes a furtive movement that officers interpret as an immediate threat to their safety, resulting in shots fired. The body cam captures the jarring silence that momentarily follows the gunfire. The suspect is struck, but the danger is not over. As tactical units and rescue teams await a clear approach, the armed suspect remains conscious. A grim standoff continuing while the vehicle sits disabled in the water. >> Shots fired. Looks like suspect is uh hit. >> Let's get rescue [screaming] 51 1018. >> A rescue team begins staging to extract the man from the water immediately. The officers on the shoreline maintain their cover, balancing life-saving medical response with officer safety. In the background, you can hear bystander reactions to the dramatic scene unfolding on University Parkway. A heavy law enforcement presence now sealing off the area. The immediate tactical priority shifts from a shooting investigation to a critical medical rescue operation. While this standoff plays out on the shoreline, it's important to understand the officer's initial probable cause for the stop. The encrypted radio traffic regarding HS off the door and canvasing hotels on University suggests the suspect was potentially linked to a serious felony investigation that preceded the chase. The suspect's extreme reaction choosing a submerged grave over a jail cell hints at the weight of the consequences he was attempting to flee. A reality that would only be fully uncovered by detectives after the incident. >> Westbound University. >> [ __ ] >> [ __ ] It's on the [ __ ] water. >> Get out OF THE CAR. GET OUT OF THE CAR RIGHT NOW. >> GET OUT OF THE CAR. >> GET OUT OF THE CAR. >> He's floating IN THE >> GET OUT OF THE CAR RIGHT NOW. >> Trying to call. >> Get out of the car right now. Exit the vehicle. >> He's reaching into his uh >> back up a little bit. Back up a little bit. >> Get out of the CAR RIGHT NOW, MAN. >> HE'S GUN TO HIS HEAD. GUN TO HIS HEAD. >> STOP IT. Don't do it. Don't do it, man. Come on. >> Go ahead and block off all >> Come on, man. Don't do it. >> Don't do it, brother. Come on. You got to get out of the car. It's a better way THAN shot fired. In fact, the suspect is uh suspect. Let's go check their hotels off the north trail. >> Be advised, MSO's watch one's not available either. 3D is in the area. Sure. 54. We'll hit the hotels on University. >> All right. Give me a 103. It's going to be coming out behind me northbound on 41 approaching 46 Street. All units 10. >> All units 103 on channel one. 103 on channel one. 41 and 6. >> Advis your unit. >> 17. Soul occupant driving. >> Advis your unit. >> We're going to be passing 47th Street right now. >> Dispatch. northbound approaching Mecca. >> Northbound approaching Mecca. >> Hey, pull out right now. Thank you. >> Get on the floor. Get out of the car right now. >> Get out of the car. >> Get out of the car. >> He's floating in the middle of the uh right now. >> Trying to call him out of the car. >> Get out OF THE CAR RIGHT NOW. >> Head to the reach. >> He's reaching into his uh back RIGHT NOW. Gun to his head. Gun to his head. >> Stop it. Don't do it. Don't do it, man. Come on. >> Let's go ahead and block off all >> Come on, man. Don't do it. >> Don't do it, bro. Come on. You got to go down the car. It's a better way. In the chaotic aftermath, you hear officers trying to manage a volatile scene with conflicting priorities. They must neutralize the threat of the gun, prevent the suspect from drowning, and control a perimeter of civilians and non-tactical personnel. The specific phrase, "Not you, not you," illustrates a dangerous blur of bodies on the shore where officers are forced to designate a single marksman to focus on the threat while others direct traffic, retrieve gear, and prepare to administer immediate first aid the second they can safely approach the water line. >> Oh, good. Okay. >> Oh, why' you do that? Right. >> GET IN FRONT OF HIM. GET IN FRONT OF HIM. NO, NO, NO. NOT YOU. Not you. Not you. All right, just trying to take a pit. Lights. Light sirens. >> We got a pit westbound university down the lake. the car. Get out of the car right now. >> Get out of the car. Get out of the car. >> Get out of the car right now. >> Get out OF THE CAR RIGHT NOW. >> Exit the vehicle. >> He's reaching into his uh back. Back up a little bit. >> Get out of the car RIGHT NOW. >> HE'S gun to his head. GUN TO HIS HEAD. >> STOP IT. Don't do it. Don't do it, man. Come on. >> Let's go ahead and block off all westbound traffic. >> Don't do it, bro. Come on. You got to get out of the car. It's a better way. SHOTS FIRED. SHOTS FIRED. SHOTS FIRED. I don't know. I'm very drunk right now. >> Oh, good. Got him. Okay. Oh, why did you do that? Right. >> GET IN FRONT OF HIM. GET IN FRONT OF HIM. NO, NO, NO. NOT YOU. Not you. Not you. >> Let's try to take the pit. >> Lights. Light sirens. >> We got a pit. Westbound University. >> West University. >> Pull. Pull. Pull. Pull up. PULL. Get on the gun. Get on the gun. GET OUT OF THE CAR. >> GET OUT OF THE CAR RIGHT NOW. >> GET OUT OF THE CAR. >> GET OUT OF THE CAR. >> He's floating in the back. GET OUT OF THE CAR RIGHT NOW. >> RIGHT now trying to call. >> Get out of the car right now. >> Exit the vehicle. >> He's reaching into his uh >> Well, I just Hey, back up a little bit. Back up a little bit. >> Get out of the car RIGHT NOW. >> HE'S GOT A GUN. GUN. >> HE'S GUN TO HIS HEAD. GUN TO HIS HEAD. >> STOP IT. Don't do it. >> Don't do it, man. Come on. >> Let's go ahead and block off all >> Come on, man. Don't do it. >> Don't do it, brother. Come on. You got to get out of the car. It's a better way. A significant update breaks the tension on the comms. The suspect is alive and moving but remains armed. This specific detail, still got the gun, extends the standoff. The officers cannot simply rush in for a rescue. They must execute a tactical extraction against a wounded but non-compliant armed individual. It is a testament to the complexity of crisis response where the desire to save a life must be carefully balanced against the very real presence of a firearm. Still alive. Still alive. HE'S STILL MOVING. STILL GOT THE GUN. This harrowing footage from the Oshkosh Police Department highlights the psychological toll of high-speed pursuits that end in life-threatening crisis. While the suspect survived the initial shooting, the investigation into both the precipitating felony and the officer involved use of force will be meticulously reviewed under state protocols. This incident serves as a stark look at the split-second impossible decisions officers face when a suspect chooses a path of self-destruction rather than surrender. If you or someone you know is struggling with a mental health crisis, resources are linked in the description below. For more deep dive breakdowns of critical police footage, subscribe and turn on notifications.