Policing drags officers into the awful ends of humanity, where they usually meet unhinged criminals who don't think, don't fear, and above else, don't care. Here are several moments when cops have had to go toe-to-toe against the deadliest criminals. Starting with a disturbing moment when officers stepped in to stop Gomez from finishing off two women, only for him to make one more bad decision that BECAME HIS LAST. >> [screaming] >> ON MAY THE 7TH, 2020, AT 3:29 a.m., deputies out of the Westco Substation were sent to an apartment complex on the 900 block of 16th Street for a domestic violence call. Not long after, two officers arrived at the address hoping for a quick wrap-up. But the second they reached the door, the pressure inside was almost touchable. Want to come forward with a knife. Is she bleeding? She's bleeding. Stakes medically. Put the knife down. Put the knife down. No. Put the knife down. Drop it. Put it down. Put it down. This doesn't need to happen, man. This doesn't need to happen. Just put it down. Put the knife down. Put Put the knife down. Just put the knife down, man. Put the knife. Put it down. Put it down. Do not take another step. Put it down. Put it down. Put it down. It's not needed. We don't need to do this. Just put the knife down, dude. We can get through this. Just put it down. Just put it down. Just put it down now. We could get through this, man. Stay down, ma'am. Stay down. Stay down. Ma'am, stay down on the ground. PUT THE KNIFE DOWN. DO not take another step. Put the knife down. We can make it through this. Don't do this. Put the knife down. Do not take another step. Talk about this. Put it down. We got to get medical aid to this lady. Put the knife down, okay? No, we can't do that. It's not worth it. It's not, man. We could get through this. We could get through this, man. Don't do this. No. Put it down. It doesn't need to go this route, man. It doesn't need to It doesn't need to happen this way, man. There's no need for it. We could get through this. Come on, man. Put the knife down. Put it down. Put down the knife. Just put it down, man. We could do this. Don't do this. Come on. You got kids, right? You got kids? Do you have a kid? Say yes or no, man. All right, don't do this to your kids, man. Don't do this. We can get through this. Just don't take another step, man. Okay? Look. No, it's okay. We're going to get through this. We're going to get through this. It's okay. It's okay. Put the knife down for your kids. Do this for your kids, please. Okay? We could get through this. No. We can get through this. We can get through this. For your kids. He may have backed off, but the blade never left his hand. And with every command he ignored, it felt less like he had stopped and more like he was either picking his next target or stalling to decide what came next. What's your name? It's for your kids. Put the knife down. We don't need to do this. We don't need to do this. We don't. No, you're not in too deep. We can get through this. Don't do this to your kids. Do not do this to your kids. They don't need to see this. They don't need to do this, okay? Put it down. Put it down. Put the knife down now. We don't want to do this. No. Put it down. Do not take another step. Get down, ma'am. Get down, lady. Get down. Don't do this, dude. Don't do this to me. Drop the knife. Don't do this to me. Don't do this. Get inside. Get out the door, ma'am. Get outside. Gomez's injuries [music] resulted in his passing. The two women in the background were transported to the hospital and ultimately recovered. Gomez was a lost cause, but he had nothing on 40-year-old Justin, a veteran who brought a katana to a welfare check and was ready to use it on the officers. That choice didn't age well. Put that down. Okay. Put that down. Don't come at me with that. Don't come at me with that. Come on, man. You don't want to do this. On May the 5th, 2020, officers rushed in after several [music] frantic calls about a man waving a samurai sword outside his apartment. And instead of the harmless prank that they were hoping for, they walked straight into something much darker. Justin. Put that down. Okay. Put that down. Put that down. Justin. Can you do me a favor and put that sword down? Why are you so upset, Justin? Hey, just Sorry. Hooked up with the Captain Charles. >> Justin. Why are you so upset, Justin? Okay. Why are you upset today, Justin? I'm trying to understand. I want to talk to you. I want to get you some help. The man was 40-year-old Justin Shaolin. He took his katana way too seriously, proving that some midlife crises come with sharper edges than others. While cutting through nothing might harm no one, a katana against a police badge hardly ends as imagined. Don't come at me with that. Don't come at me with that, Justin. Come on, man. You don't want to do this. Eventually, Justin succumbed to his injuries. Justin seemed disturbed, but he was nothing compared to 23-year-old Devon Lewis, a self-proclaimed descendant of the Greek gods. He waved a katana at cops and quickly learned that a katana could only stop a bullet in the movie. We're here to see what's going on. All right, it's not every day that somebody's out at a at a hotel waving a you know, a a katana. Yeah, leave it there, dude. You can do it. I'm telling you right now. Don't don't On Saturday, February the 24th, 2024, just after 10:00 p.m., Pima County Sheriff's Department got a distress call from a hotel at 4855 South Palo Verde Road reporting a disturbing the peace incident. First time, how can I help you? Hello, I work over here at the Days Inn, and I just have customers complaining that there's a guest here that's waving around a sword and screaming. What is the address? 4855 South Palo Verde Road. And what is your name? Where is the male at? Um he's around the other side of the building on the bottom floor. He's in room 116. He just didn't listen when we told him to stop, and we just So, is he in the room doing this, or is he out in the room doing this? He's outside [music] like just right outside of his room just like screaming waving a sword. Okay. Do you know if he's white, black, Hispanic, Native American? Uh he's white. And about how old? I I would say maybe 30. What color shirt? Uh red jacket. What color pants or shorts? Um I want to say maybe black or gray. Oh, he's wearing he's wearing shorts, gray shorts. Gray shorts, okay. And we weren't going to kick him out. We just wanted him to stop, but he wasn't listening to us. Uh nobody's with him, are they? No, he is by himself. All right, I've got deputies. They'll be there shortly, okay? All righty, thank you so much. >> You're welcome. Bye-bye. It wasn't long before officers got there and found a really disturbed samurai wannabe. Not the costume party kind, but the kind you definitely [music] don't want charging at you. Like put it like put it down like lay it on the ground or Yeah. We just We got a call us Yeah, saying that you're screaming and waving the the sword and stuff. What's that? I swear I'm not screaming. No, that's fine. I mean, I didn't hear you scream when I pulled up. That's just what the call is is referencing. Listen to me, officers. Uh you going to listen to me, dog? Oh, yeah. What's going on? >> Yes, what's going on, dude? Huh? I'm trying to achieve greatness in the katana. It's not allowed in the United States. Well, I mean, we got people calling. I mean, I'm not telling you not to achieve that. What I'm saying is >> I am a hell of responsible. Unless somebody comes at me and is willing to kill me, I'm not willing to kill you. And that's how it should be. I agree 100%. But what we're trying to understand is No, I mean, that's not the case, man. Like I said, we're here to see what's going on. All right, it's not every day that somebody's out at a at a hotel waving a you know, a a katana. You know what I mean? You're what? I'm related to Dion assist. So so So what are you doing? I'm practicing my way with the katana so I can become better at combat. You Are you not able to do that in in the comfort of your room? Yeah, leave it there, dude. You can do it. I'm telling you right now. Don't don't In the end, Lewis was pronounced dead at the scene. Next up is a welfare check that almost turned to a nationwide headline after an officer walked into a retirement home full of scared elderly folk and one lunatic swinging a chainsaw [music] like he was about to make confetti out of anything that moved. >> Oh my god. HEY, DROP IT. DROP IT. DROP IT. DROP IT. YOU GOING TO GET TASED. YOU GOING TO GET TASED. I JUST DIDN'T WANT HIM ATTACKING and hurting anyone else here, poor I I'm I'm done. On December the 1st, 2024, just a few minutes before 9:00 a.m., a man called 911 from 5th Avenue in St. Charles, Illinois with a complaint so bizarre that it sounded like it was ripped straight out of a low-budget horror movie. >> All right, I'm calling to report a a guy who is not right in the head. He's got a chainsaw cutting down a really big tree. Does it look like he's part of like a landscaping crew or anything? No no no no no. This this man is disturbed. Now he's walking away from the tree. He's walking towards River Glen. Okay, so he he was holding a chainsaw and cutting down a tree? Yeah, he appears to be having some sort of mental episode. He just took off his shirt. >> Does it appear that he's under the influence of anything? I would say he's he's having some sort of problem. Uh-oh, he's opening the front door of the place. God, I hope that place is locked. The first officer walked into River Glen of St. Charles silently praying that dispatch got a prank call. And instead, it was a guy with a chainsaw and a home full of elderly residents. One look and he knew that this wasn't paperwork and go. This was live broadcast territory. Hey, what's going on with this this guy? Hey, can you hold this door open? More police are coming. The nightmare was officially live. The officer went looking for the chainsaw maniac in the hallway only for dispatch to hit him with another frantic update because apparently things weren't chaotic enough already. 911 Ma'am, are the police inside with him? Yes, uh there's one officer. There's one officer. Hey hey hey. Hey, drop the taser. Drop the taser. All right, drop the Drop it. Drop it. Drop it. Drop it. On the ground. On the ground. On the ground. GET BACK. GET BACK. GET BACK. GET BACK. HEY, DROP. HEY. HEY. Step it up. Hey, drop the chainsaw. Drop the taser. One at taser point. HEY, DROP IT. DROP IT. DROP IT. DROP IT. I GOT ONE AT TASER POINT. STEP IT UP. We'll be in the front lobby. Drop the Drop it. Drop it. STEP IT UP. STEP IT UP. THE HALLWAY WAS PACKED WITH ELDERLY residents who couldn't just run for safety. The invader, who was later identified as Daniel S. Delara, looked dead set on getting that chainsaw roaring. The officer now had seconds to decide between risking lives or taking control because in a situation like this, better safe than sorry stops being a saying and becomes a rule. WHAT'S MY DROP IT. TASER POINT. HEY. HEY. HE'S RIGHT HERE. HE'S RIGHT HERE. >> [clears throat] >> COME ON. GET HIM OUT. COME HERE. GUYS, UPSTAIRS. UPSTAIRS. HEY. YOU GOING TO GET TASED. YOU GOING TO GET TASED. >> [screaming] >> DANIEL HAD TURNED THIS once peaceful senior home into a full-blown chaos zone. He sprinted through the hallways revving that chainsaw like a man auditioning for a horror film. And every move he made kept officers from getting a clean shot. But their lives were in danger and they needed to do something about it. And from a cursory look at the now heated situation, only one party was going to live to tell the tale. >> [snorts] >> What's up? Move your Sorry. Okay. All right. >> [sighs] >> All right. You're good. You good? Hey, hey, Steve, get out of here. Come on, buddy. Come here. Come here. I got you. >> [panting and sighs] >> Go help. I think I'm okay. I don't >> Hold on. Hold on. You guys okay? Yeah, we're good. Yeah. We're good. Did you get shot? I got a med pack in my bag. Okay. Did he get shot? Yeah. I think he shot you with what? A handgun or a chainsaw or something? A saw. All right. Yeah, he's still up. >> Stay there. Stay in your room. Hurt right. I'm sorry, I can't help you. It's okay. It's okay. You're good. You're good. You're good. >> good. Steve, you're good. It's a Is the officer still shooting? >> Yes. Yes. He stopped. I did. Okay. I shot him for it. All right. He had the chainsaw. He was wielding it and all over the place. He was coming right at me. All right. I'm I'm out. Daniel's rampage came to a dead stop after two well-placed rounds dropped him where he was. Not exactly the grand [music] finale he imagined, but that's the price you pay for bringing a chainsaw into a retirement home for unholy purposes. I want you to go to your home, please. >> He He ran into me with the chainsaw here, but I I don't know. He's cutting for it, you know. Turn. I want you to turn around. Walk around. Attention all staff, the facility is locked down. Nobody in, nobody out. Please keep the residents in your rooms. There's people all around. Old people all around. He's got this chainsaw. Now, again, it's not running. I don't give He's got a chainsaw. He is crazy. And this thing And he hit me with it. He cut this guy with it. So, he's around these people and I shot him. Okay. Crazy. Okay. Take a seat. We're going to get I'm going to get a medic with you guys. You're getting a medic. We're going to have you go to a hospital. Yeah. Yeah. Dom, I'm going to have you stay with him. Okay? Just stay by him, Steve. I I just didn't want him attacking and hurting anyone else here, Paul. I I'm I'm done. In the end, Daniel Escalara was rushed to the Delnor Hospital. He was pronounced deceased shortly after arriving at 9:37 a.m. Toxicology later confirmed other substances in his system. As for why he chose that retirement home or who he kept calling his lady, no one could say for sure. Daniel got what he deserved, just like Saman, a random man who pulled up beside an officer on a traffic stop with a hatchet in hand, looking like Halloween but with diabolical intentions. Who are you? He tried attacking me with a hatchet. You good? He tried attacking me, dude. Take a breath. He pulled up beside me. He came at me with a hatchet, man. >> Is this his car? Yeah. On June the 3rd, 2022 around 11:00 a.m., Officer Frank Tonkovich pulled over a vehicle for a routine traffic violation. But beneath the calm and serene environment lurked a moment that would not only surprise him, but also haunt him for the rest of his career. Yeah. So, you're going to have I'm going to call your mom while you wait for your text from dad. Say, "Mom, I have a stop." Maybe she does know. I can try. How old are you? I'm 17. I'm sure your mom would Hey. Oh, sorry. Can I help you? Hey. Hey. Um I'm pulled over right now. Do we by chance have a a more current insurance card? I texted dad, but just want to make sure that you might know cuz you're there at home. Where are you? Um we're on McDonald and Balboa. And then I blew a stop sign. You got it? No, I saw it. Nice. I'm lost. No, no. Yeah, that's the uh All right. You can take a picture and send it to me. The officer was busy with his traffic [music] investigation and had done nothing to provoke the new person at the scene, but 28-year-old Edward Saman soon proved that evil deeds need no invitation when the heart is willing. Who are you? Base, I've just been attacked. There's just shots fired. Shots fired. Don't move. Don't move. Shots fired. Shots fired. Don't move. Don't move. Don't move. Don't fire. Oh my god. Holy Stay in YOUR CAR, MAN. DON'T MOVE. Don't move. He's down, Base. Send a medic. Send a medic. He tried attacking me with a hatchet. Who do I call, Aurora? No, he's down, Base. I They got him at gunpoint. He's been shot. Stay in your car, young man. Don't move. He escaped with a tale that still [music] didn't feel real. But the scene was far from settled as more officers arrived trying to make some sense of the chaos. Come here. He stopped here. He >> [clears throat] >> came out with the hatchet, dude. Oh my god. Oh my god. Roll over onto your stomach. Roll over onto your stomach now. Roll over onto Hold up. Step up. Step up. Oh my god. Step up here. Right over his head. Holy cow, man. You okay, man? Are you okay? Just stay right there, all right? Relax. Oh my god. I was on a traffic stop. He pulled up and Oh my god. Sit him up. Sit him up. Yeah, you're good. You're good. He's got blood. I can't see anything. I don't know about you. It happened so fast. Is he shot? Yeah. Oh, yeah. Yeah? Yes. Yes. All right. He came at me. Just leave us here, man. He came at me with a hatchet. Okay. Where was he shot at? I don't know. I don't know. I don't know. He had me at gunpoint. He's in I don't know. You good? You good? Yeah. Take a breath. Take a breath. He pulled up beside me. He came at me with the hatchet, man. Is this his car? Yeah. Right here. Okay. Okay. Holy What? You got somebody up there? >> Oh my god. Are you Where Where are you Are you good? >> Yeah, I'm good, dude. I think Back up, dude. Okay. Take a Oh my god. Reports showed that the officer fired six shots. Saman was hit five times and later passed on. We've watched officers go toe-to-toe with the unhinged before, but none of them walked the razor's edge quite like Officer Peter Liu, the man who went in for a welfare check and almost walked out without his head. How are you? Oh, Jesus Christ. BACK UP. NO. OH, YEAH. BACK UP. BACK UP. OH, YEAH. OH, YEAH. HEY, MAN. I'm going to ask you to do it. PLEASE BACK UP. BACK UP. STOP. ON MONDAY, SEPTEMBER THE 16th at around 10:17 a.m., an officer went to a home on the 11,800 block of Sunrise Valley Drive in Reston for a welfare check. Never expecting that his own welfare would soon be in question. >> [snorts] >> I mean I'm off to leave. It looked harmless when 33-year-old Sydney Wilson slipped back inside, but her return proved that she wasn't calling off. She went inside to perfect her schemes that took the officer off guard. How are you? Oh Jesus Christ. OFFICER, BACK UP. NO. OH YEAH. BACK UP. BACK UP. OH YEAH. OH YEAH. HEY MAN, I got to ask you what you're doing. Please back up. Oh yeah. Back up. Back up. BACK UP. BACK UP. NO SHOOTING. 501 Bravo. Single one. Shots fired. What is your location? 322 Apartment 322 11830 Sunrise Sunrise Valley >> [sighs] >> Start medic, please. >> [panting] >> The suspect's Suspect's down. I need medical, too. Units are en route. Officer 11 heart of her chest now. Shots 11 Bravo, show me your hands now. Shots. 501 Bravo. 501 Bravo. Are you all in the apartment still? No, I'm in the hallway. Got it. [ __ ] Are you okay? 501 Bravo, I need a med kit, please. They're en route. The immediate danger was neutralized, but a new threat took its place. Time. The officer and Sydney weren't fighting each other anymore. They were both fighting the same enemy. The slow, merciless tick of the clock. Every second felt heavier. Every breath borrowed. All they could do was wait, praying that someone would kick through that door before the silence turned permanent. Are you okay? I'm just laying here. Sir, are you okay? Are you okay? Okay. Do you have any other injuries? I don't I don't know. I don't know. Was that the knife she had? Okay. I see you're not cut anywhere. Where is she shot? Multiple times? I don't know. Top of the torso. I don't know if she shot me. I might shot her in the head. I don't know if she did. >> [music] >> You good? I was I still might have a cut somewhere in the head. You good? You okay? I was I just laying here. Okay. Do you have an injury to your head? I think she cut me in the head. I'm sorry? I think she cut me in the head. She cut you in the head? Yeah. Okay. We're going to get you to where the rescue is here in just a second, okay? Sydney was transported to the hospital, but she was already out of time, and the doctor determined that she had passed away at the hospital. The officer, on the other hand, was treated for non-life-threatening injuries and was expected to make a full recovery.