File/bodycam
7_-_MTA_415_Man_with_a_gun.webm
Summaryopenrouter/claude-sonnet-4
Transit officers respond to armed person threatening suicide, leading to 90-minute crisis negotiation ending with SWAT robot weapon removal and peaceful custody.
Body camera footage documents a transit system incident where officers responded to a man with a gun call, leading to an extended standoff. A person produced a handgun and threatened suicide, moving from a train platform to the intersection of Figueroa and Adams. Officer Hodge conducted approximately 90 minutes of crisis negotiation before SWAT used a robot to remove the weapon and take the person into custody without injury.
Narrative
This body camera transcript captures a critical incident response involving a person armed with a handgun on a transit system. The incident began when officers working overtime detail on the MTA Expo line responded to a man with a gun call affecting either the blue line or Expo line. Officer with partner from Olympic Division approached a slowing train and observed someone matching the description pacing back and forth inside a train car, with other occupants appearing terrified. The situation escalated when the person exited the train, reached into their pocket, and produced a handgun, pointing it toward their head. Officers unholstered their weapons and gave commands while the person told them to shoot him and threatened suicide, stating "I'll kill myself right now". The incident moved from the train platform to the intersection of Figueroa and Adams, where the person lay in the middle of the street with the gun to their head, continuing to request officers shoot him. Officer Hodge from Southwest Division arrived with a PA system and began extended verbal communication with the person, identified in the transcript as Mr. Lewis. Officer Hodge attempted various de-escalation techniques over approximately 1 hour and 30 minutes, including appeals to religion and humanity. The transcript includes extensive dialogue where Officer Hodge tells the person "Your life matters" and attempts to establish a connection. The incident concluded when the person fell asleep, allowing a SWAT team to deploy a robot with a magnet to remove the pistol. The person was taken into custody without further incident. The transcript includes post-incident interviews where officers describe their tactical decisions, including evacuating civilians from the train car and coordinating the beanbag deployment and crisis negotiation response.Flags
- • suicide threats recorded
- • weapon pointed at head
- • extended crisis negotiation
- • SWAT team deployment
Beats14 events · claude-key-events
- Transit officers respond to armed person threatening suicide, leading to 90-minute crisis negotiation ending with SWAT robot weapon removal and peaceful custody. Officers initially evacuate train passengers after spotting person matching description pacing in car. The individual exits the train, produces a handgun, and points it to his head while demanding officers shoot him. Multiple units respond including tactical teams with less-lethal options. Crisis negotiator Officer Hodge establishes communication and maintains dialogue for approximately 90 minutes until the person falls asleep, allowing SWAT robot to magnetically remove the weapon.
- Officers working overtime detail on MTA Expo line respond to man with gun call affecting either blue line or Expo line.
- Train slows down and officers identify someone matching the description pacing back and forth inside train car with terrified passengers visible.
- Officers order all passengers to exit train car to eliminate civilian background in potential confrontation.
- Person exits train, reaches into pocket, and produces handgun while pointing it toward his head.
- Officers draw weapons and give commands while person demands they shoot him and threatens immediate self-harm.
- Additional units arrive including tactical team with beanbag deployment capability and formulate response plan.
- Beanbag round deployed causing person to fall down stairs while still holding gun to head.
- Person stands up, flees scene, and positions himself in middle of street at Figaro and Adams with gun to head continuing to demand officers shoot him.
- Officer Hodge from Southwest Division arrives with patrol car PA system and begins verbal communication with the person identified as Mr. Lewis.
- Officer Hodge conducts crisis negotiation using religious approach and personal connection for approximately 90 minutes.
- Person eventually falls asleep during negotiation allowing tactical intervention opportunity.
- SWAT team deploys robot with magnetic attachment to remove pistol from sleeping person without incident.
- Person taken into custody peacefully with no injuries to anyone involved in the incident.
Transcript13 segments · aws/transcribe
- 00:00
Listen we have additional units coming We're gonna get you off Just walk off
- 00:09
I backpack right here You can't tell me I got a backpack Hey guys all you guys if you guys can exit exit please come out this side and and walk down the rail all the way to 23rd Make a left Walk off Hey you guys in the front car get out and start getting out towards uh the main street over there
- 00:34
I was working uh overtime detail uh MTA and I was assigned the expo line Uh with a partner from Olympic Division uh we responded to a man with a gun call that either went on the blue line or the Expo line We approached the train that was uh slowing down And me and my partner look at each other and say OK he may be on this train As we're walking up the platform the train has stopped and then uh I do notice someone matching the description Uh pacing back and forth on the train cart and you can tell the occupants in the train look Terrified I told everybody on the train car to get up and exit so now that would leave me and him in the train cart Um I just thought if it would escalate at that point I didn't want uh background of civilians inside the uh the train car At that point the male steps out of the train stands up reaches into his pocket and uh end up producing a handgun At that point he points it towards his head Obviously at that point we were we were unholstered We give him my partner gave him commands and uh he's told us to shoot him Hey sir
- 01:40
Hey hey hey hands out of your pockets Hands out of your pockets
- 01:46
Everybody get off the platform Move Get off the platform I'll kill myself right now You don't let me know what's in my bag in front of everybody
- 01:56
Just put it down
- 01:59
The central unit showed up with a with a beanbag and started deploying it We formulated a uh quick game plan uh to assist the officers who were at the scene Once we reached the officers uh we were able to see that they're giving command to a suspect who was holding the gun to his head The beanbag was in place and I gave the preparatory command so everybody would know hey be ready be back standby
- 02:24
beanbag stand by
- 02:28
I made contact with him once he fell down He slid down some stairs still holding the gun to his head Um stands up looks at us runs ends up uh all the way in Figaro and Adams lays in the middle of the street with a gun to his head telling us to shoot him Officer Hodge shows up and he he uh has a PA on his shop Uh he's assigned to Southwest and he then verbally starts communicating with the suspect Mr Lewis
- 02:56
Let me help you out
- 02:59
It's me me and you being brothers right now Let me let me help you out man
- 03:03
Your life matters Mr Lewis Your life matters man I don't want you to get hurt I don't want you to do anything silly Oh Oh Good I can see it in you I can see it when you look at me I can see it in your eyes man Every time you step up and look at me I see the goodness in you
- 03:25
God put that in both my heart and yours I utilized everything I had in my in my my bag of tricks right Like um whether it was life experiences uh on the job experiences um trying to go the religious route uh because I'm a man of God and I just wanted to try to reflect that with him and see if he anything was gonna hook with him uh it did at a certain point um but yeah I think it was about 1 hour and 30 minutes I was verbalizing with him trying to get him to put down the gun and He eventually fell asleep and uh a SWAT team came in with their robot and uh they utilized the the robot and the magnet to uh remove the pistol and took him into custody without incident so it was a success I was just happy it had a good ending happy that I think nobody was hurt that we were able to take somebody off the street that that was armed with a weapon that could have caused harm to somebody else so that's that's the most important thing Yes it was a team effort but they're the ones that are doing the work I was just lucky enough to be there to direct and make sure that everything turned out fine It is what it is I I'm getting this award I appreciate it but it was just me doing my job I think officers do this type of work uh on a daily basis I mean we're talking all our divisions traffic everybody so I feel like there's incidents like this that are occurring Uh everywhere throughout our city So I so I feel like uh there's there's a lot of other good stuff that goes unsaid that the LAPD does