Get your hand out of the [ __ ] car. Get your hand out of the car right now. >> J.R. >> When a detective spots a wanted felon during a routine traffic stop, [music] he has no idea just how desperate the man is to avoid arrest or what he is willing to do to escape. >> to fight, bro. >> Okay. It's around 10:55 a.m. on April 3rd, 2025, and an Iroquois County Sheriff's detective has just noticed a white Ford Edge with a suspended license plate at an intersection in Onarga, Illinois. As the detective approaches the vehicle, he immediately recognizes both the driver and the passenger, and he knows that the passenger, 39-year-old James Nelson, has an active felony warrant out of Iroquois County for aggravated fleeing and eluding. But as the detective speaks with him, he doesn't know how prepared James is or just how far he is willing to go to avoid this arrest. >> Roll window down, please. Thank you. Hello, I'm I'm Deputy Joshua Hertel with the Iroquois County Sheriff's Office. The reason I pulled you over is your plates on this vehicle are suspected. Yeah, they're they're suspected. And then, J.R. Nelson. >> I'm not James. >> All right, step out of the car, man. Please step out of the car. >> Really, Josh? >> Dude, it's you. Come on, dude. >> Come on, just this once let me go. >> Dude, you have a warrant. >> I don't have a warrant. Please, just this once let me go. >> Please get out of the car. >> I know I will, but >> Please >> Can I go home first and tell my mom bye? >> No. >> They're not going to let me out of this vehicle, Josh. >> No, come on. >> I promise you I will >> Come with me. >> No, you're getting out of the car right now, please. Come on, dude. >> Please, Josh. >> No, get out of the car. Come on. Don't reach, don't reach. Get your hand Get your hand out of the car. GET YOUR HAND OUT OF THE [ __ ] CAR. Get your hand out of the car right now. Get your hand out of the [ __ ] car right now. J.R. >> I got to [ __ ] fight, bro. >> Okay. Don't Hey, back the [ __ ] up. Back the [ __ ] up. >> No, man. >> I caught 31. It's J.R. Nelson. He's running. He says he has a bomb in his hand. >> Where >> know. >> Stay in the [ __ ] car. J.R., GET DOWN. [screaming] GET ON THE GROUND RIGHT NOW. J.R., DOWN, NOW. J.R., I'M GOING TO [ __ ] SHOOT YOU. YOU [ __ ] STOP RIGHT NOW. I'M GOING TO shoot you. Come on, man, PLEASE STOP. PLEASE STOP. >> I ASKED YOU POLITELY, PLEASE JUST TELL ME TO [ __ ] OFF. >> DUDE, please stop. >> I have a good day, J.R. Nelson, running off but he has a bomb in his hand. >> He's running westbound. Running on foot to his house. We're running to his house. J.R., stop. We're in the backyard of his residence on West Seminary. He just got inside of his house. He still says he has a bomb in his hand. >> Why would you do that to me? You shoot me like this? >> Come on, dude. You know you have a warrant, please stop. >> Each time James stopped during this short chase, he placed his other hand over the top of the bomb, suggesting that he was willing to detonate it. Given the seriousness of the situation, his apparent intention to cause harm, and the fact that he is now inside his mother's house, the detective can already tell this is not going to end well. Eventually, James's steps out of the residence and is taken to a safe location while he remains inside the home. By 1:48 p.m. that afternoon, the East Central Illinois Bomb Squad arrives on scene and uses a robot to enter and clear the first floor of the residence. However, when the robot attempts to enter the attic, it finds the door locked, clearly indicating that James has barricaded himself [music] inside. With James paying no attention to the units or complying with their commands, the Kane County Emergency Response Team arrives by 4:30 p.m. more than 5 hours after the standoff begins. But despite their repeated warnings and commands, they received no response from James. After attempts to enter the attic through its window fail, around 7:30 p.m. more than 8 hours into the standoff, units [music] finally decide to reach the attic by making entry through the residence's main entrance. But as they wait for the dogs to show any sign of James, they still have no idea that the bomb is not the only lethal weapon he is holding. >> Find them. Get on comms and have that robot re- orientate. Uh uh uh upstairs. Upstairs. >> Basement from Belcher. >> Find them. >> Is the robot picking anything up? Any indication through the robot? >> He was in upstairs. Upstairs. Police with K9, make yourself known. Find them. >> That's the entry team. The light on up there. That is up. >> Find them. >> He's getting tied up in the long line. Make sure we have that spear with it up there. We have that spear tool with it. >> Perfect behind you. All right, this is what we're going to do because it's getting tied up and he's trying to pull it in. I'm going to call him back down. I'm going to let him go. And I'm going to bring him back up there. Awful line. See if he can fix this. Downstairs. Here. Here. >> So on this side right here, there's a Lazy Boy chair and then like a big screen TV. And then there's like that dresser thing sitting sideways in front of like that plastic wall. So if he was sitting in the recliner, you know, where cuz that side over there's stapled up. It's secured. >> We need to hyper-focus on what's behind us. >> Find him. >> Finally, with the unit getting more confirmation of James's presence in the attic, they decide to move upstairs. But finding him and getting him to comply is going to be a whole other challenge. >> clear to go ahead and make entry up there? >> Up. >> You got half? >> I got >> All right, I got half. >> She's got left here with the robot and we'll go right. Hey, make sure shields you peel out. You wanted to go this way every time first. >> All right, talk. Are we clear to move? >> We're pretty clear. Everybody good right now? >> Yep. All right. We'll be moving. >> Take your time. >> Money up, money's left here. And it's light out. It doesn't go through. It doesn't plastic. >> Yep. There's a board. All right. I'm going to get I'm going to stop here. >> Okay. >> And then >> You guys >> Check ceilings as we're looking. >> I got it. I think we pause here. >> What's the other side look like? >> What's the other side look like? >> It's an open and similar plastic. >> Okay. >> The attic is larger and James could be hiding in any corner, armed and waiting to attack. As officers work to cover every corner of the attic in search of James, one of them will soon spot him in the most unexpected area. >> Hey guys, we can make entry on this side. >> Gun forward. >> Okay. >> Okay, well, I'll just hold this then. >> All right. >> Actually, I'm going to back up. >> Yep. >> Are you staying here with them? >> Yep, I'll stay here with Scuba. >> Oh, you know what? Here, that's >> What about that insulation? >> This is it, right here. >> That Yep. >> Right there. >> Stand by. >> Maybe. Maybe. >> No, that goes outside. That's the roof. >> No, there's a dormer on that, ain't it? >> No. >> No? >> I don't think so. I'm thinking that insulation that one bat that's inside out. Can you pull that? Let me get up next to you, Scuba. No. So, maybe there's a piece of plywood that goes all the way through. All right, Scuba, you want to back out? Let's back up. Back out here. Shields. >> I see her on the left. Peel off a little bit. >> I got her. Hold on. Hold on. >> I'm waiting for you. >> Blind them. Blind them. >> K9 >> Blind them. Jason, you're blinded. >> Blind them. Blind them. No. >> PUT YOUR HANDS UP. >> OW! OW! HE BIT MY DICK. OW! OW! STOP, DYLAN. OW! STOP, DYLAN. STOP, DYLAN. >> I GOT COVER. I GOT COVER. >> I GOT HANDS. SCUBA >> STAND BY. >> STOP, DYLAN. >> I GOT LIGHT. I GOT THE LIGHT. >> OW! WALK OUT. WALK OUT. >> I GOT HANDS. DOES ANYBODY NEED HANDS? >> I got hands also. Do you need hands also? >> Yep. >> Hold your spot. >> You can have someone down at the end. Have somebody at the level two. Level two. DOORWAY. >> MIKE! >> HERE. >> HE SHOVED SOMETHING IN HIS PANTS. >> GOT a giant pair of scissors. >> Got one. >> Tasers up. >> [laughter] >> Tasers up. >> Stand by. >> Is this light freezing him? Can you see his >> No, it's not. >> Let me see your hands. Get over here. >> Maybe we could pull that plastic from the other side. >> Heads up. Coming through with shield. I'm going to drag this out of the way. >> Next. >> Come on, Fido. Come over here. >> BITE ME IN THE BACK AGAIN. >> I GOT IT. I GOT >> YEAH. COME OUT. >> I WAS ASLEEP. >> COME OUT. COME OUT. COME OUT. COME OUT. >> GET HIM. GET HIM. >> GET THOSE SCISSORS AWAY. >> I GOT THE SCISSORS. I GOT THE I GOT HIS LEFT ARM HIS RIGHT ARM. All right. >> I got a light. >> Get in there, Nate. >> Get him up. He's all right here. >> Cut him up. Cut him up. I got his arm. I got his arm. >> to find him. Give me a second. >> Get medical to the front. We're going to be coming out with one. >> All right. Stop pulling that trigger. >> I'm not. >> He's good. >> I'm not. >> All right. Recovery. Get in the recovery. Come on. >> All right. >> Hey, we got to get him Anybody got a litter in their backpack? >> I got one in my back. I got a litter in my back. >> Let's try to get him up. >> he's breathing. He's breathing. He's breathing. Slide him this way. Give me his arm. >> I I got no leverage here. >> All right, hold on. >> I got him. Pull him up. Just pull him back. >> ALL RIGHT. ALL RIGHT, PETE. CARRY HIM UP OVER THERE. >> Let's cross his legs and get him downstairs. Let's get him in the litter. >> My backpack, I got a litter. >> You got one? >> Yep, it's in my back. >> I got it. I got it. >> Here, roll to your side. >> Is he coming to? >> Yeah. >> James, are you with us? >> Doc, can you roll his legs? >> Yep. >> Pull him over on this side. >> Yep. >> Good. >> All right, we're going to have to carry him on this. >> On this side, right? >> Keep him breathing. >> Yep. >> James, we got you. >> We want to pick it up if we can. Adjust it once he's >> You guys ready? >> Yep. >> Up on three. 1 2 3 up. >> Russ, you go down first. >> Take your time. >> The front's going to get really heavy. The front's going to get really heavy. >> That's fine. >> Logan, you got to have to grab both handles. >> Yep. >> The other one's right around his shoulder there. >> We're good. >> Up up up. >> Get his foot in there. >> Grab his leg. Grab his leg. >> Move. Move quick. >> You might have to un-cuff Cuff him up front. >> Un-cuff him. Change it to the front. >> Go ahead and roll him. Put that arm straight up by his head, by his ear, Mitch. >> Roll him. >> Roll. Pull pull out same time. 3 2 1, litter out. >> He's coming to. >> Copy him up. >> He's coming to. >> Good luck. >> Middle belt. >> He hit He's been tased. He has a probe in his head and shoulder. >> With James in custody, the immediate threat may be over, but as the detective and other officers return to the attic for a secondary search, they make discoveries that reveal just how dangerous the situation really was. >> Where was he at? >> Way in the back. >> He's all the way in the back. >> There's a whole another room back there. >> I was sleeping. >> Is that what you said? >> Yeah. >> Convenient. >> Yeah, it's a good spot to sleep. >> Can you get to the other side or not? >> Maybe. >> Apart from finding the bomb James had been carrying that morning, along with a multicolored lighter, both in close proximity to where James was found, the detective and responding units also discovered a red toolbox containing 147 rounds of ammunition, a rifle, 240 rounds of 9-mm ammunition, 19 rounds of 12-gauge ammunition, one round of .40 caliber ammunition, 1.50 BMG round, and 40 rounds of .22 caliber powder hammer loads. Upon inspection, the bomb squad confirmed that the device did contain explosive materials and had metal projectiles inside it, similar to the items found in the red toolbox. It was a lucky coincidence that despite being this heavily armed, James had actually [music] fallen asleep when the units made their entry into the attic. James received medical clearance after being treated, and during a jail call with his mother, he confirmed that he had fallen asleep and was woken up when the canine bit him. He also admitted that he knew police were using drones, had stepped downstairs to get a drink, and [music] then retreated to the attic when he noticed all the units outside. James then questioned his mother about who had revealed his hiding spot to police and admitted [music] that he was about to snap when officers began making announcements, adding that he was going to tell them he wasn't afraid of [ __ ] Ultimately, James Nelson was charged with felony possession of an unregistered destructive device, aggravating fleeing and eluding, possession of explosives or incendiary devices, aggravated battery of a peace officer. Eventually, he was sentenced to 5 years in federal prison followed by 3 years of probation upon release. Don't just watch, represent. Visit codebluecam.com to grab hoodies, shirts, [music] hats, mugs, and more. Every item helps support the channel and keep stories like this coming your way.