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tv   The Rachel Maddow Show  MSNBC  February 28, 2015 3:00am-4:01am PST

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fety and security are now available on apple pay. the next evolution of membership is here. improbable suspects. >> oh, my god. oh, my god. >> is and what in the world is this doing on a golf course?
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♪ caught on camera, surprise! >> hello. i'm contessa brewer. welcome to caught on camera. when it comes to skydiving, you may want excitement, but you don't want surprises. certainly not at thousands of feet in the air. but surprise is what one skydiving instructor gets not once, not twice, three times in one day, all heading strayed for the ground below. >> i should have stayed in bed definitely that day. >> oh, my god. my heart. >> adrian wildman thuma is a sky driving instructor who takes classes on tandem jumps in
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australia. january # 12 2007 he's getting ready to head up again and joking from behind the camera with his next passenger scott. ready to go? >> all set. >> did you see my left one? >> no. >> good. >> good because his last jump hadn't been perfect. that's when he got his first surprise of the day. his main parachute developed a tension line as it unfurled. >> it created it right here. >> you're always prepared for your main parachute. about every 1,000 jumps that happens. >> he cutaway the main parachute and used his reserve. >> i thought i had my bad luck fort day. >> but the day isn't over yet. less than an hour after his first parachute problem, they head up to the drop zone at
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14,000 feet. then they jump. thuma captures it on video camera attached to his left hand. >> we fall perfectly. >> at 5,000 feet he releases the main parachute. for the second jump in a row, surprise, there's a problem. again, there are tension knots in his line. after falling for 1,000 more feet, he knows he has to turn to his reserve. >> it comes up and looks like a streamer almost.
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>> i was really trying everything i could to fix the problem. >> thuma tries pulling on the brake line. but instead of loosening, the knots tighten. now less than 3,000 feet below, he pulls on the opposite brake line. that doesn't work either. >> i did everything i knew how to do and was still spinning. i was thinking this is it, you know. >> theuma instructs scott who doesn't know anything has gone wrong with the reserve to hold the brake lines to try to balance out the spin. >> to try to help me adjust the line. >> the plan works. >> it was above our heads, so i
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knew that we were in a lot better shape than what we were spinning. this was as good as it was going to get. >> but thema has no control of the parachute. they're traveling at a high rate of speed than normal. >> i thought you got to be joking. the train tracks. >> if he doesn't change the course, they will land on the train tracks or caught on the power lines alongside them. but the only way to control the parachute is to let it spin again. he decides it's worth the risk. they're now just a thousand feet above the ground with only seconds before impact. >> i managed to get it to stop spinning again within 800 feet. looked down and now we're going to land in a backyard. i didn't have much say in that. so we just sort of braced for impact.
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>> theuma and scott come crashing through the tree and take out a branch and then smack to the ground. somehow scott escapes injury. but theuma isn't as lucky. he fractured his back and hurts his tailbone. six months later he's back jumping out of planes and buildings. despite the accident that could have claimed his life. >> it was a freak occurrence. sort of treat it like that. treat it with respect, but it's not going to stop me doing what i love. coming up, a fisherman becomes shark bait. >> i didn't think i'd ever see the boat again. >> and later, danger on the road. >> it actually was coming directly through the center of my chest. >> when "caught on camera: surprise!" continues.
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a fun day out on the water suddenly turns into a surprising life and death struggle between man and shark. >> i didn't have time to take a breath. it happened so fast. i didn't know i was going in. >> august 31st, 1997, massachusetts. jimmy deambra and friends take off on a trip on an anniversary present from his wife. the group brings a video camera to record the outing. it's a perfect day to be out on the water. >> on our way there, there was no wind. the ocean was like glass. nice and smooth. >> on this day, they're fishing for blue shark. >> there it is. >> adult blue sharks can be from six to 12 feet long. and weigh up to 450 pounds. he's gone out for this powerhouse of a fish before and knows what to expect.
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>> shark fishing is exciting because it's like hooking your fishing pole up to the bumper of a car trying to bring it in. it's unbelievable the strength and power of these fish. and they're beautiful. electric blue. they, like, glow in the water. >> he started shark fishing in 1991 when he was diagnosed with nonhodgkin's lymphoma. >> i was on chemo. i kind of didn't think i was going to last much longer, so i wanted to have fun. i didn't care what was going to happen to me. i was going to die anyways. >> he survived and kept on fishing. on the boat, they joke about the danger. >> don't put your hand in the water. he's going to love you. >> when we go out fishing, we were joking about how dangerous it is. and nothing ever happened. so it's easy to joke about it
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when you don't really experience it. >> where'd that shark go? >> he's not going anywhere. >> he's waiting for someone to fall off. >> just before taking a turn at the reel, deambra was joking with his friend steve. >> i said to him, steve, be careful. >> i heard about a guy who went over and they never found him. >> and we all laughed. and i was the next one up. >> deambra sets up with a harness that resembles a big leather belt. the butt of the pole sits in a cup. it hangs down between his legs. it's then attached to the harness with two clamps. >> they don't want to lose the pole because it's worth a couple thousand dollars. you're attached to the pole but you can walk around the boat. while you are fighting the fish. >> which is exactly what he begins to do when he hooks a shark who's been attracted to the boat by a tuna head in the water. immediately he notices something isn't quite right with the reel. >> it was stuck and the pole is, like, bending in half.
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i was like something is wrong with this. >> but dambra caught up in the moment, keeps fighting the shark. eventually getting him to the back of the boat for the mate to cut the line. the plan is to catch and release the fish, but the shark had other ideas. >> he took off and went straight down. >> as the shark dives, he's pulled off his feet right over the side of the boat. >> when i felt myself going over, it was like that feeling you get when you're having a nightmare and you're falling off a cliff or a bridge. i felt like when i went in the water, i was going down a black tunnel. >> as the shark drags him down, deambra tries to unhook himself from the reel. but he can't break free. seconds pass as he fights for his survival. on board his friends search the water. then suddenly the reel spins out line and he swims for the
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surface. the boat's captain and his friends try desperately to grab on to him. just when thing they have him, the shark pulls down on the line again. and that's not the only shark to worry about. >> there's four or five sharks swimming around because of the chum in the water. i was kicking them so they wouldn't bite me. >> safr a after a frightening struggle, the guys heave deambra back in the boat. he lays there exhausted. >> i almost didn't think it was real. it was like a dream i was back. i didn't think i'd see the boat again. >> despite his brush with death, it's not long before his friends start teasing him. >> i knew i should have taken an insurance policy on you. >> love it. >> not for nothing. how was the water? >> i'm laying there and now i'm
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getting angry. i can't believe this fish pulled me over. >> i'm trying to unhook the reel. >> that was great! >> back on his feet, deambra's still got the fight in him. he wants to show the shark who's boss. >> i said give me that pole. i'm taking him in now. >> with four guys now, he reels in the shark. >> and the captain's like what do you want to do? >> i said let him go. they said they'd stuff him. i said let him go. he released me, so i released him. >> i think this is something you'll never forget. >> that shark almost had italian food for dinner. >> he's taking his close call in stride. but the others on board seem to have lost their appetite for shark fishing. >> most of the guys just wanted to end the trip. they didn't want to come out on
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the deck anymore. >> deambra has now taken up fresh water fishing competing in tournaments and smaller catch. but he'd go to deeper waters if anyone would dare join him. >> if a friend of mine called me up and said let's go, i'm going. for me, i don't have any of those friends left. they're all afraid of sharks now. coming up, a drive takes a sudden turn. >> it is coming through the center of my chest. >> and look who's at the wheel of this stolen car. >> oh, my god. >> when "caught on camera: surprise!" continues. i need to look for a used car. but i just keep putting it off. it's daunting. what if i make the wrong choice? it's like, if i buy a t-shirt and then change my mind i can return it. but a car? you don't reeeaaa eeeeeaaaaaly know until you've driven it a few days. i just want to be
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mother of two wendy cobb is on her way to work in shelby, north carolina. >> i was a couple hours late going into work so traffic was lighter than usual. >> despite the light traffic, she is blocked by two trucks ahead of her playing a dangerous game. >> one would speed up and the other would slow down. they wouldn't let the other get over. >> the one truck isn't letting the other truck over. cobb takes out her iphone and goes to record the logo of the truck on the right to report the dangerous behavior to the company. the other truck has no logo. cobb's own action taking out her phone and filming the scene isn't exactly safe either. but she feels confident she's in control. >> i had the camera here and aimed toward the truck in the lane. but i was still watching the
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road in front of me. all i intended to do was get the logo on the video. i got more than i bargained for. >> then cobb sees a two by four from the side of the road come at here. >> i saw his first wheels hit it, his back wheels hit it. and it was like slow motion. i thought it's not going to hit me. >> but in a split second it does. >> the impact was amazing. amazing. it sounded like a gun shot. and then the echo which i don't know if it was real or in my mind. but it was deafening. i know that. >> the two by four hits the front hood of the van leaving a long dent, burst through the glass, and smacked into the front dash. >> it hit right here. and that's what pushed it just far enough away that it missed me. >> there was not an inch between where it hit and my arm. >> when the wood punches through the window, glass flies everywhere.
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>> there were glass shards in my girl's car seat. i remember watching the glass sink around me. it was like snow. even the next day when i would shake my hair, glass would fall out. >> after the impact, cobb is so stunned she can't even scream. >> i remember my chest hurting and i remember shaking. it was all i could do to wipe the glass off my phone to do it because my fingers were shaking so hard. >> cobb mostly unscathed from the accident pulls over to the side of the road, stops the recording and dials 911. when the first police officer arrives at the scene, she plays the video that just happened. >> he said you realize you almost filmed your own death. >> what frightens cobb the most is not what did happen, but what could have happened. >> 95% of the time when i leave home i have at least one child with me. my 8-year-old now that he's big enough he likes to sit in the front.
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had i not just taken him to school he would have been right there when it happened. the fact nobody was in the passenger seat is a miracle. >> critics complained it only happened because she was busy filming when she should have been paying attention to the road. >> it was no different than someone taking a drink or smoking a cigarette or things people do. it happened so fast that i don't think there was any reaction at all that would have changed anything. not for the better, i mean, it could have gone worse. for what it was, i was really lucky. a car thief falls right into a police trap when she takes off in a bait car. >> she decided she was going to take a car that day and picked ours. >> come on, open up the door. keep the hands visible. >> but it's the suspect who catches the police by surprise. >> i was a little taken back on the operator of the vehicle. totally out of the norm.
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>> july 28th, 2008. arlington, texas. detective jesse minton of the arlington police department auto and theft unit is alerted that a bait car has been broken into. bait cars rigged with cameras and gps tracking equipment are used by police departments nationwide to catch thieves in an area where it's a problem. >> we pick a car that looks like cars that are most stolen. we lock the doors remotely. record everything inside with video cameras and microphones. then we deploy them to a place where we have a crime problem or persons stealing cars in the area. we're basically fishing with the bait. >> the bait car, a red chrysler sebring is stolen just down the road from the station. an alert is triggered.
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when the doors opened. >> once that is received, all i know is it's moving 20 miles an hour west on division street. >> the bait car is headed towards james greenwell. then a patrol officer with the department. and when the suspect drives by greenwell's cruiser, the officer is surprised to see who's behind the wheel. >> as it goes by i see who was in it. i was shocked. the suspect was an elderly female. totally out of the norm for an auto theft suspect or somebody taking a bait vehicle. i was double checking my facts to make sure that was the right car. >> seen in this video from the bait car, the suspect enters the car and after finding the keys left lying on the seat and placing her shopping cart in the back drives off. greenwell follows behind her and when she peers back in the window, it's a moment of mutual confusion. >> she turned and saw me. we made eye contact.
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>> no. oh, my god. >> i could see her making motions. she was talking to herself. obviously i didn't know what she was saying. maybe she was shocked that the police were so quick because i was that it was her in the vehicle. >> when he flashes his lights, the vehicle pulls over. >> vehicle pulled over on the shoulder. we pulled behind it in basically textbook fashion. i gave her verbal commands. for the most part she obeyed commands. >> let me see your hands. open up the door. keep your hands visible. stay right there. turn around. face the other way.
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>> bags backup arrives. >> got her secure. >> now walk backwards. >> turn around. come on back. walk back to me. walk back to me. >> backup arrives, and the officers surround the car. >> call out to the vehicle, nobody else responds. you always anticipate if there's one suspect, there's another. >> but in this case the suspect acted alone. officer greenwell transports the senior citizen to booking and she doesn't go quietly. >> she was mad at whoever left the keys in the car and for us arresting her. she called me an agent of the devil. and it wasn't her fault. it was whoever left the keys out there. we should be arrested that person and not her. >> but the evidence is clear. the suspect 69-year-old sandra turner, can't deny what's captured on the bait car camera. she's convicted of unauthorized use of a vehicle and is sentenced to 24 months probation. the car snatcher is their oldest on record. and she's one suspect the officers involved won't soon forget. >> i never in my wildest dreams
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anticipated a 69-year-old woman taking the -- stealing a vehicle. coming up, another day another bait car and another unsuspected twist. when "caught on camera: surprise!" continues. ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ great rates for great rides. geico motorcycle see how much you could save. start the interview with a firm handshake. firm, but not too firm. make eye contact...smile. ay,no! don't do that! try new head & shoulders instant relief. it has tea tree and peppermint that cools on contact.
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hi. frances rivera. with hours to go before homeland security shutdown the senate friday passed a one-week funding bill to keep the department running. that in turn until monday afternoon. the house fold suit a short time later voting overwhelmingly in favor of the bill. additional voting on long return funding is expected to take place next week. however, speaker boehner's office is denying a bill that he and nancy pelosi cut a deal for
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homeland funding. welcome back to "caught on camera." i'm contessa brewer. just like our last video, a thief is caught on camera inside a bait car. but this time the suspect makes a mad dash for freedom. and leads police and a television news crew through an 18 hole golf course. but i bet you never saw this kind of drive-by on a golf course. may 5th, 2008. las vegas. metro police have placed an unlocked bait car in the parking lot of the angel park golf club to lure car thieves who've been targeting the area. it's early in the morning but someone's already bitten. the car thief finds the keys in the center console of the cadillac escalade, gets into the driver's seat and takes off. checking to make sure he isn't being followed. but unbeknownst to him, authorities are tracking his movements. and they're not the only ones.
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high overhead, the crew in the action news camera is making their morning rounds. monitoring the police scanner and roads for any stories. and boy, do they find one. when aerial photographer jason harvey hears news, he perks up. it's the police broadcasting the bait car description and general location. harvey relays the information to pilot paul hollenbeck who flies to the scene. >> we thought we'll go. because you can never tell. >> the suspect starts driving the wrong way down a multi-lane road. and the police who have full control of the vehicle decide they need to shut it down quick. >> control 267, turn that car off now. >> i got him. there he is. >> about that time we saw the vehicle. >> with the car stopped and the doors automatically locked, the suspect knows he's in trouble. but he's going to try and make a run for it.
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>> somehow after banging on the locked door with what appears to be a laptop computer, the suspect makes his escape. but he doesn't get far. hollenbeck and harvey track the suspect as he runs from the car and hops a fence on to angel golf course. >> i start talking to the producer. get us on air. we got a guy running on the golf course just jumped out of a stolen car. >> as soon as he got over the fence, they started to break in. >> what have you got? >> we've got a car here that just fled a bait car. he tried to steal a vehicle. he's trying to run away from police who just responded to the location of the vehicle. >> hollenbeck continues to narrate the event. then as they were trying to cut away to the studio -- >> this will get him going.
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>> the determined suspect hops in a golf cart and takes off at full speed. >> now we're going to be chasing this guy in a golf cart. so we'll keep an eye on this and see exactly what happens. i don't know how far they're going to get with that. >> the anchors at the news desks takes their best shots at the absurdity. >> that's another penalty. >> he's not the smartest club in the bag. >> as the suspect continues to weave across the manicured green, the eyes in the sky spot someone hot on his tail. >> we got somebody in pursuit on him in another golf cart. >> this gets better and better. >> yeah. there it is. he's a worker. he's going to chase him down. >> golf course employee john howard is opening the restrooms by the fourth hole when a
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coworker flags him down. >> my cart, my cart. i looked up. he was going like this. my cart, he stole my cart. i looked over and the guy was right there taking off in the cart. so i ran and jumped in mine and went after him. >> howard pursues the thief as he heads toward a tunnel that will take him under a roadway and onto another section of course. it's a high speed golf cart pursuit. well, as high speed as it gets for golf carts. overhead, the chopper swings around to get a better angle on the continuing action. >> got around to where we could see the cart. but it was empty. now we started looking. >> howard is looking too. >> i parked my cart behind his and got out, grabbed a ball marker fixer to go after him. i couldn't see him. he was hiding. >> the thief's taking a little rest under a nearby bush. >> then once he saw me still coming after him, he jumped up and ran up the hill. >> howard is trailing the suspect who seems to be running out of steam as he heads toward a fence separating the course
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from a busy road. >> i almost had him and he jumped over the fence. that fence was eight feet high and i wasn't going over it. >> howard gives up his chase. although the suspect is exhausted, he runs on. right on to summerland parkway risking life and limb. he makes it across. but waiting for him on the other side, officers from the las vegas metro police. >> he's face down on the ground giving himself up after his horrendous pursuit in a car and also in a golf cart. this is awesome stuff this morning. >> he's happy to be arrested at this point. >> i'll tell you what. he's tired. >> it's a disappointing day on the links for the 25-year-old suspect larry stidum. he pleads guilty to grand larceny auto and is sentenced to eight years in prison. for hollenbeck and harvey, it's an interesting morning in the
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skies of las vegas. >> steal a bait car and hop over a fence into the golf course and steal a golf cart. it's not something you hear about or read about every single day. coming up, a surprising fall from the sky. >> it's going to blow up! >> and a bounce house filled with children goes airborne. >> my god. >> when "caught on camera: surprise!" continues. i already feel like we're the most connected but i think this solo date will seal the deal. sure! i offer multi-car, safe driver, and so many other discounts that people think i'm a big deal. and boy, are they right. ladies, i can share hundreds in savings with all of you! just visit progressive.com today. but right now, it's choosing time. ooh! we have a winner. all: what? [chuckles] he's supposed to pick one of us. this is a joke, right? that was the whole point of us being here.
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>> racers ready! >> it's may 9th, 2011. the second day of the buffalo bill down hill race. a long board competition at lookout mountain just above golden, colorado. skateboarders come from near and far for a chance to race down lariette leap road at high rates of speed. a helicopter is hovering above the course preparing to cover the final feet of the race. todd comes for a day hike but is captivated by the race and joins the crowd of spectators lining the twisting road. shooting the riders speeding buy when the helicopter arrives on
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scene. >> first he game right over our heads along the road. i was filming him a bit because the helicopter was there. everybody is cheering getting that. and a couple more of the racers starting coming down. >> other spectators also catch video of the helicopter swiftly losing altitude and drifting towards the road. >> it looks like the tried to land. >> he clips a tree and crashes on a slope. part of its tail snaps off. >> the rotor was hitting the ground as it tipped forward. there was bark and wood around it. was the rotor going to come flying off or pieces? you're so close that you'd never see it coming. >> jillet and the others run for their lives afraid it was going to explode. but what about the three people inside the aircraft? >> the way it landed on the side of the hill and going forward,
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the first thing i thought was people would have hit the windshield. >> film maker jeremiah whitlock is behind the camera inside the chopper as it goes down. >> i felt that slight sinking feeling in our stomach as you go over top of the hill fast in your car. or the top of a roller coaster. >> after following the racers from a distance from the start of the course, whitlock wants to get in closer before the last series of turns before the finish line. >> the helicopter was moving to cover them better. >> he is focused on the racers below, not the position of the helicopter. >> that's when the helicopter started to lose power. we started dropping quick. that's when the rotors starting clipping the top of the tree. i didn't really have time to think. i just held on to my camera until we hit. >> the impact is surprisingly
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gentle, but they're not out of danger. fuel is leaking and the fear is it could blow any minute. >> i was worried something was going to catch on fire. >> the pilot instructs everyone to stay in the aircraft until the row rotors stop spinning. but one comes out. luckily he isn't hurt. whitlock stays put while continuing to roll. until the pilot says it's safe to get out. >> emergency workers stationed at the end of the race course are on the scene within seconds. >> is someone in there? >> amazingly they were all fine without a scratch. >> not a scratch on us. >> whitlock brushes himself off and starts shooting again. >> i wanted to shoot the helicopter i just came down to maybe give myself a bit of a buffer. >> the fire department quickly
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secures the scene and the leaking fuel is controlled. whitlock is grateful to the pilot whose quick thinking, he says, averted a more serious situation. >> we were coming down right on top of the road where there was a lot of spectators on the road. he put it down on the hill where he did. if he hadn't of done that, there would have been a lot of people hurt. >> this was whitlock's first time in a helicopter and certainly a memorable trip. despite the close call, he says, he'd fly again. >> i have my one get out of jail free card. i think statistically i should be good. a giant inflatable slide goes airborne at a children's soccer tournament. >> oh, my god. >> and frantic parents rush toward the scene. >> it was just chaos. >> it's june 4th, 2011, in the town of oceanside, new york.
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the teams of the soccer club are playing the last games of the season. just past noon, screams can be heard coming from one end of the large field. >> uh-oh. >> jean is filming her daughters when she turns to capture a scene unfolding. a gust of wind has flipped a slide and two bounce houses into the air. they're now tumbling across the field. >> the slide really took off. >> it went through the crowd of people. >> the slide goes airborne again. >> oh, my god. >> before crashing back down. >> stay here. >> they had been tethered to the ground with happy children jumping and sliding. >> the initial reaction was get there. you could see it rolling and it wasn't stopping. >> michael mazako heads towards
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the tumbling slide. with several other parents, grabs it. >> it took a lot of them to keep it from moving again. >> one of the bounce houses is still rolling. parents continue to descend on the scene. and after securing all three inflatables open up the velcro or cut in the material. whatever they have to do to deflate the giant balloons and get to the trapped children. >> everybody worked together to get it down to make sure everyone was safe. >> in all 13 people on the ground and inside the bounce houses are hurt. one woman seriously with head and spinal injuries. but remarkably, most of the children escaped are relatively minor injuries. like the rope burn on laura's neck. >> the rope dragged me over. then it finally got off. >> it's a scary end to what started as a joyous celebration. coming up, a robbery interrupted. >> he went ahead and decided to rob the store with a cop behind him. >> and these people think
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"caught on camera." there's a surprise in store for a police officer and a suspect. when the officer unwittingly interrupts a robbery. >> the first two seconds was what's he doing? he can't be doing this right in front of me. >> dayton, ohio. december 16th, 2010. shortly before 6:00 a.m., police officer joshua campbell walks into this walgreens pharmacy following up on a reported robbery that happened just hours earlier. >> we had the tape we were going to get for evidence? >> as seen in footage, officer campbell waits patiently to collect the video from the cashier who appears to be ringing up a customer. but seconds later it's clear to the officer that this is a robbery in progress. >> as soon as i had turned around and looked at the teller and i saw her put her hands up, back up, take off running. >> officer campbell can't believe what he's seeing. the suspect seemingly oblivious
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to the officer standing inches away reaches over grabbing money from the register. officer campbell approaches guns drawn. he tells the suspect to get on the ground. >> he says he didn't do anything. that nothing is wrong. i'm still telling him get on the ground. >> but the suspect isn't about to give up. >> i tried grabbing his left wrist trying to sling him to the ground. he was able to duck that, basically. and remained standing up. >> with his weapon drawn, campbell only has one hand to work with as he tries to subdue the suspect who's pulling away from the officer toward the door. campbell's able to hold the suspect away with his left arm just long enough to holster his gun. >> put both on the collar of his jacket. and with all my might force him on the ground, threw him down. >> when the two hit the ground campbell radios for assistance. >> i'm able to get on the radio say i'm at the walgreens, i'm fighting one. that's about all i could get out. >> then the brazen suspect lands several punches to the side of his head. the suspect again makes a run for the door but campbell reaches out and grabs at him. this time as the two have at it right in front of the open door, officer campbell can feel the suspect pulling on his holster. >> i could feel him tugging at my gun.
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i basically pushed him on the ground, and that's what we got outside. >> outside and partially out of view of the cameras, officer campbell and the suspect continue to struggle. >> got, like, my knees and my torso and everything on his body. he's flailing. he's got his hands on my holster. >> within seconds, two employees rush to his aid. >> they were able to grab him by the legs, help me get control of him. >> when police backup arrives, another officer helps cuff the suspect. 55-year-old donald cotton. cotton is later charged with robbery, aggravated robbery, and assault on an officer. he is sentenced to two four-year terms to be served concurrently. for officer campbell, walking in on a robbery is one surprise for the storybooks. >> the crazier thing about it is i thought he saw me and yet he still went ahead and decided to rob the store with a cop behind him. and finally, caught on camera.
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these people in cookville, tennessee, think they've hit the jackpot winning a laptop computer. but they're in for quite a surprise when they come to claim their prize. it's july 12th, 2003. and the dekalb and putnam county sheriff departments have come up with a creative way of getting people with outstanding warrants to give themselves up. >> as sheriff i was looking for innovative ways to do my business. every sheriff's department in the country has numerous warrants that are outstanding. people become difficult to find. >> the inspiration, a fake giveaway used by the federal marshal service years ago. >> we sent out letters to someone telling them they won a
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laptop computer and they would need to show up, claim their laptop computer. >> these people have been call -- conning us for all these years, it's time to con them. >> they made a new business cbi computers. as cameras roll, detective powell runs through the details. >> we've already got customers outside waiting to be arrested. the way that the operation is designed is in the location we'll have two to three cbi employees at this point. >> the office is staffed with members of local law enforcement acting as cbi employees. once the officers confirm the identity of the person coming to claim their prize, another employee leads them to the room where they think they'll be picking up their new laptop. >> when the lucky winners pass through this door, they're greeted by uniformed officers
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ready to place them under arrest. surprise. >> they come through the door, you'd see them and it was like all right i won. and sometimes the color just drained from their faces. it was, like, oh my gosh i have be had. they were all very surprised. >> some people are bewildered by the overwhelming show of force. >> i don't know what's going on. >> you're under arrest. >> i understand that part. but i mean, what outstanding warrant? >> many more are just confused. >> what'd i do? i don't have a clue what it could be. >> for this woman, excitement at winning a big prize quickly turns to shock as plastic handcuffs are tightened around her wrists. and this couldn't have happened to her on the worst day.
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>> she was actually on her way to her sister's wedding and she told us she was going to give her the laptop as a wedding gift. >> i was going to my sister's wedding today. >> by the time she was processed and appeared for the judge, she did not make it to the wedding. so that one was probably the saddest. >> more than 650 letters were sent out. and in the end, 70 arrests were made. >> we got about 10 to 15% of the people we were looking for. which was a bit disappointing. i would have liked to have gotten them all. >> all of these laptop winners later have their day in court where the guilt or innocence is determined. >> any time you can clear old warrants out, it's a good day. >> they didn't see it coming. but thanks to the cameras, we did. i'm contessa brewer. that's all for this edition of "caught on camera."
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eleventh hour. congress funds the department of homeland security just before the deadline but there's a huge catch. why it's not nearly over. a cold spell again to grip parts of the country. where exactly it will hit and how long it will last ahead. the passing of a television icon. leonard nimoy and the role that changed his life >> cheers and jeers. we'll tell you who got the best reception and the worst.