to traffic lights, even on cell phones. and you can bet, if you're doing something wrong, something outrageous, or something illegal, someone somewhere is recording it all. that's it for this edition of "caught on camera." i'm contessa brewer. rescue workers battle to save a man teetering at the brink of niagara falls. >> said we've got to go. we've got to go get him. a daredevil attempts a stunt that goes up in flames. >> my life was in perilous danger. this guy pummels his own lawyer. and a twist in the story an investigative reporter never saw coming. >> you hear him scream to his wife, "honey, get the gun." >> videos that don't get any more shocking -- >> video shows i pushed your

kid. what are you going to do about it? >> -- or more strange -- >> i remember standing there in disbelief. >> or any more sinister. >> the puppy could have died. he could have broken the dog's neck. "caught on camera: sinister, strange, shocking." journalists are taught to stay objective, to avoid becoming part of the story. john mattes is an investigative reporter in san diego, and he's not afraid to chase down any lead. but in trying to expose a bad guy, he found himself smack in the middle of an unbelievable story. his cameraman captured some shocking video, and it was all the evidence the cops needed to throw someone in jail. >> stop that [ bleep ] camera right now. >> a confrontation between a local tv reporter and this irate woman could have ended here. >> uh! >> but it quickly escalates into a shocking assault that leaves

san diego tv reporter john mattes battered, bruised, and bleeding when her husband shows up. >> hey, joe. joe, call the police. call the police. >> the video was broadcast nationwide. >> i assume you've looked better than you look this morning. >> reporters getting beaten up in the line of duty. >> some video you just got to see. >> this vicious beating is the result of a series of reports by mattes into the affairs of this man, sam suleiman, a local landlord and developer. >> call the police. >> mattes had been reporting on suleiman's business dealings for the fox tv station, news 6, in san diego. >> for three months, i had been investigating mr. suleiman and his real estate empire, which was based on allegations of mortgage fraud. >> no fraud charges are ever filed by the san diego district attorney, but mattes continues to report on suleiman. and after his third story, mattes says he gets a frightening phone call. >> in the middle of the night, i'm going to come get you. you're an insect.

you better retract. >> mattes says threatening late-night calls to his personal cell phone become regular and frequent. >> all of the threats were directed at my reporting. all of the threats were directed at shutting me down. >> the now-notorious mauling starts while mattes is interviewing this man, b.k. phillips, for a fourth story about a pair of previous run-ins with suleiman. >> this is our house. >> phillips lives next door to one of suleiman's buildings and he says, first, they have a neighborly squabble. and on a second occasion, as phillips walks through his neighborhood back to his home on a sunday afternoon, he says suleiman crosses the line. >> suleiman shows up out of nowhere, screeched up in his car, kicked open his car door, ran out and literally was posturing like i'm going to kick your butt, i'm going to beat your ass and a bunch of other colorful expletives. >> phillips immediately calls

police to the scene, and later, gets a restraining order against suleiman. so when reporter john mattes comes to interview him, he's all too happy to share everything he knows. >> i'd basically had enough harassment from this man. john was just about to interview me when rosa barraza shows up. >> rosa barraza is suleiman's wife and she's angry. >> stop that [ bleep ] camera right now. >> out of nowhere, his wife drives up in a car from there and comes running up and starts screaming. >> why are you doing this? you didn't have enough with what you air? >> and i'm thinking, what am i doing to you? you've just invaded someone's private property. you invaded our personal space. and now, you're interfering with an interviewer. and then she proceeds to smack me with a bottle. that's not appropriate. >> i don't give a [ bleep ]. >> it doesn't end there. >> you like tijuana or ensenada? which one do you like better? >> she's asking him where on the other side of the mexican border he wants to be buried. >> i'm going to put you on the other side of the country. >> next barraza turns her attention to the cameraman. >> stop it!

>> she's leaving and then proceeds to batter the camera and knock the cameraman down. >> as he pulls his camera back from looking at the ground, if you listen very closely, you can hear tires screeching. suleiman shows up, and at this time, i'm thinking he's actually coming to fight with me because we've had words so many times. i got there in enough time to -- well, what i thought was enough time to keep john from getting a lot of damage, but suleiman, he fights like a badger, you know? >> i feel this hand coming across my face, and he's putting these long fingernails in my ears, trying to rip my ears off, and i can feel him trying to rip my mouth apart. the three of us were in this pile of flesh trying to grapple, but he's proceeding to shred my face. and this continues on, and i'm thinking, okay, my life is flashing. i'm thinking, well, okay, i'm going to be maimed. i'm going to lose my eyesight. but i'm going to live. then i hear him scream to his wife, "honey, get the gun."

>> a gun? it could have gotten much worse, but lucky for mattes, no gunfire. >> they were so excited about the opportunity to whack me, they forgot to bring the gun. >> by this point, a crowd was formed, and the police are on their way, called by witnesses to this very bizarre street brawl. >> stop. >> get off him. >> turn around. get on the ground. get on the ground! get on the ground! >> suleiman is a crazy person, obviously. when the sirens start getting closer and closer, you could literally see the switch in his eyes where the adrenaline must have stopped pumping, and he's like, oh, what did i just do? and he literally looked like he was chemically imbalanced at that point. >> the onlookers stand by in disbelief. >> in fact, tourists who came upon the fight scene thought that this had all been scripted, that this was some kind of hollywood production because this whole elaborate setup with the cars in the street and with his wife running around looking

for the gun. they couldn't believe that the blood flying around was anything but fake. >> but the blood and the injuries to john mattes are all too real. he's all cut up, bruised, a few broken ribs, and has to spend the night in the hospital. >> get on the ground! get on the ground! >> in court, sam suleiman, as part of a plea agreement, pleads guilty to felony assault. he's sentenced to a year in jail and three years probation. his wife pleads guilty to misdemeanor assault with a deadly weapon and is placed on three years probation. she's also ordered to do 30 hours of community service. >> john mattes, i'm going to sue the living pants out of you. >> thank you. >> john mattes is still concerned this may not be over. >> at the sentencing, the judge gave mr. suleiman an opportunity to apologize to me, and yet he turned to me and said, that man was the cause of my problems. that man is dangerous. he uses a microphone as a deadly weapon. >> mattes is thankful that b.k. phillips decided to intervene. he's also thankful the cameraman

thought better and decided not to intervene. >> he kept shooting the whole time so that when the police came, it couldn't be mr. mattes attacked me. no. the cameraman says, why don't you look at the tape. they looked at the tape, and that was it. he was gone. so the cameraman saved this situation, saved me. coming up, rescuers battle to save a man at the edge of niagara falls. >> if you go over in that particular spot, you're not going to survive. >> we thought for sure we were going to see this poor guy go right over the brink. and this man -- >> i'd rather have the prosecutor be my attorney than him. >> -- wants a new lawyer. when "caught on camera: sinister, strange, shocking" returns. ano music) ♪ fresher dentures, for the best first impression. love loud, live loud, polident. ♪

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niagara falls, the largest set of waterfalls in north

america. its beauty is mesmerizing, its power awe-inspiring. but on this day, it's the force of men, not nature, that's the biggest miracle of all. an unbelievable rescue mission to save one man who has crept dangerously close to the edge of the falls. the call comes in on march 19th, 2003, 5:08 p.m. sergeant pat moriarty is on duty. he's a 19-year veteran of the niagara falls state park police. >> our radioman yelled down the hall and said, we just got a call from the canadians. there's a man on the ice at terrapin point. >> not a safe place to be. terrapin point is a piece of land that sits as close to the falls as you can get. >> the drop from that point, at terrapin point, is over 180 feet straight down. if you go over in that particular spot, you're not going to survive. >> when moriarty arrives on the scene, it's even worse than he expected. the man is not on the icy

formation on land. he's waist deep in frigid water. >> when i saw the victim standing almost in waist-deep water right at the brink of the falls, the hair on the back of my neck went up. >> moriarty immediately calls the fire department and the helicopter rescue unit. he also calls the power company upriver and asks them to use their dam to lower the water level. within minutes, niagara firefighter gary carella arrives on the scene. >> where the victim was standing is almost impossible to fathom. it is one of the most dangerous positions that a person can put themselves in. if i was a betting man, i would bet 99.9 times out of 100 that no one could stand that close to the falls. >> carella, moriarty, and the rest of the rescue team meet to come up with a plan. they know there isn't much time. darkness is setting in, and it's only getting colder. >> our training and experience tells us we only have slight minutes to get him out of that position, or he may go into shock or even cardiac arrest due

to hypothermia. >> the decision is made to lower carella and moriarty into the water. these two men, who'd met only in passing before, know they'll need to trust each other. >> we shook hands and looked each other in the eye and i think we understood, i'm there to save your life and you're there to save mine. >> as they're lowered into the water, they both have two ropes attached to their harnesses. one ties them to a small shrub on the shore, and the other is controlled by about 20 rescuers. they will use all of their strength to keep those men from getting swept over the falls. >> the water going at such a rate and then dropping at such a distance creates this tremendous thunder. you actually feel like you're in a small earthquake, and it's just an unsettling feeling. >> looking down from the shoreline when we first hit the water, i pulled on gary's arm and pointed down. directly downriver from us, the brink of the falls along the shoreline, the water had undercut the ice.

i said to gary, if we lose our footing, we'll end up under the ice under the water, and that was the last thing i wanted to have happen. >> moriarty can't know it yet, but he would soon face his greatest fear. but for now, they inch out into the raging waters, hoping to get the man a life ring. onshore, a rescue worker finds a suicide note from the man now fighting fiercely for his life. but carella and moriarty know nothing about the note, and they're able to make contact with the victim. >> we wanted to reassure him, tell him that we're coming to get you, that we're here for you. >> he was able to yell loud enough that i can't stand here much longer. i'm cold. and he said that he's getting weaker. >> carella and moriarty can't stand there much longer either. >> we could feel our feet being pulled from under us, and we looked at each other and i said, this is going to have to be a no-go. so plan "b" kicked in at that time. >> and fortunately, plan "b"

arrives from the air. captain kevin caffery and his co-pilot hover above, trying to get a rescue basket close enough for the man to grasp. >> we made four or five attempts to get him with the rescue basket. we got pretty close to him. the problem is with the treacherous air currents, it was almost impossible to control the aircraft. >> at some point he said, i'm running out of power. we're not going to be able to do this. >> another failed attempt. the chopper returns to land so the team can come up with plan "c." and in the water, carella and moriarty know time is not on their side. >> at this time now, it's starting to get dark. gary and i were getting colder in the water because we'd been in there for a while. i know my hands were getting numb. and i was getting concerned that if we did get close enough to the victim, am i going to be able to grab onto him and hold him? our victim, who's soaking wet at this time, is telling us that he can't last much longer. what we originally thought he'd only last for a few minutes, now he's been in there over an hour. i'm very, very concerned that

we've run out of time. >> the life ring they've been tossing is repeatedly washed back to them by the strong currents. but co-pilot art litsinger suggests they get the life ring to the victim from the air. >> we're going to have to actually get fairly close and actually try to toss this ring out to somewhere where he could get ahold of it. >> i knew our biggest problem was the rotor wash from the aircraft itself, the wind speed. and i was afraid we were going to knock him over. >> but they're willing to give it a shot. >> we're probably only about a foot or two off the water. and we tried to get in close. i was trying to get art's side of the aircraft in close to him so he could throw the gentleman the ring. and as soon as we got that rotor wash next to him, we could see the guy starting to stumble. >> i was looking right at him, and he got a little disoriented, and then he got wobbly, and then he fell. >> seeing his head go under, i cringed and closed my eyes a little bit and said a little prayer and said, oh, boy, he's gone. >> can rescuers get to the man in time?

>> the danger level increased 100%. >> what was a difficult rescue is about to get even tougher. >> his legs went right over the brink. when "caught on camera: sinister, strange, shocking" returns. ♪ ♪ ♪ (vo) making the most out of every mile. that's why i got a subaru impreza. love. it's what makes a subaru, a subaru.

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it's march 19th, 2003. rescuers have been trying for more than an hour to save a man from falling nearly 180 feet over the edge of niagara falls to his death. from the air, rescuers are attempting to toss him a life ring. but suddenly, the man slips, and they fear they've lost him for good. >> when he first fell, he grabbed onto the rocks. and then within a few seconds, he slid back probably another two or three feet. and at that point, his legs actually went over the brink. >> but against all odds, the man is able to pull himself up on a rock. >> and then there's just jubilation. he stands up, and it's miraculous. it's an unbelievable experience to see somebody just sheer will

and drive of that person to not go over and just stand up. >> he's up, but it's not time to celebrate yet. the man's footing is still unstable. co-pilot art litsinger knows he has precious seconds to act and only he can save the man now. but spray is pelting him in the face. and so blindly, he tosses the life ring into the teeth of the swirling wind. >> fortunately, i got pretty close to him, and the current took it right across in front of his face, about two foot in front of him. >> now it's do or die for the man who has held on for so long. >> he's got it. >> he actually had to let go of what he was holding onto to get the ring. it was about a foot or two in front of him. he let go, and he grabbed the ring. we did see that his legs went right over the brink. >> on shore, rescuers start pulling the rope, plucking the man from certain death. >> i can't describe the feeling of -- for 30 seconds anyway, of feeling this relief that he finally has it.

finally, we have him. we have something connected to him. he's not on his own anymore. and we start to bring him in. >> as carella and moriarty watch their peers pull the guy to shore, the feeling of relief is short-lived. if standing feet from the edge of niagara falls isn't dangerous enough, almost unbelievably, the stakes are about to go up even higher. the man slips under that menacing ice shelf, the very thing moriarty feared most. >> upon being dragged underneath the ice flow, the danger level increased 100%. he now is on a rope that is unable to be pulled back because he goes underneath the ice. he's also being dragged by a current that is unbelievable because now it's pressurized. it's formed underneath the ice. he's almost like a water skier in a current being just straight out. >> now it's critical. so i looked at gary and said, we got to go. that's it. we got to go. we've got to go get him. >> rescuers on top of the ice cautiously give carella and

moriarty the rope they need to reach the man, who is still holding onto that life ring just a few feet from the edge of the falls. >> when we first got up to him, the water was literally running completely over his face. i could see his eyes -- he was looking up at me underwater, looking at me. it was surreal. >> i never will forget this as long as i live because his arm was outstretched. he's almost losing the ring. pat reaches under and grabs the only thing that he could, the fingers that are out of the water. and he had him just by the four fingers, and he's holding him. >> i pulled as hard as i could. i was able to get his face out of the water so he could breathe. >> he could breathe and talk. >> he just told us, let me go. he just gave up. he said, save yourselves. let me go. let me go. we more or less had some choice words for him and told him that we didn't come this far to let you go now, that all of us are going up. you've got to help us. >> carella manages to get underneath the victim and is able to slip a harness around his body. once the harness is on, he wraps

his arms and legs around the man and braces himself. >> pat yelled for them to pull, and i'll tell you what, it was the quickest ever i thought i would to go up an embankment, but it must have been the adrenaline on top because we slid out of there in a matter of seconds. >> and minutes later, sergeant moriarty is pulled to safety too. it's a chaotic scene, but now both on solid ground, the two men who just risked their lives to save another search for each other in the crowd. >> we shook hands, and we -- it was just an understanding that only people that do this can understand the feeling of gratitude and pride in the job we had just done. it was like, i can't believe we just did that. >> every time i see pat, i get that little smile and that feeling inside, and i think back to that day and i know he'll be a friend for life.

coming up, parents out of control at a kids' football game. >> i f'ing pushed your kid. what are you going to do about it? also, what kind of person would steal a puppy? >> every time it happens, i lose more and more faith in people. and what in the world is this guy thinking? a stunt gone terribly wrong when "caught on camera: sinister, strange, shocking" continues.

hi, i'm richard lui with the hour's top stories. the number of people injured when a deco lapsed a at north carolina beach house has increased to 24. five people are still in the hospital. last night, a family was on the deck posing for a picture when the deck gave way and dropped ten feet. a preliminary investigation blames deteriorating nails. less than an hour ago, pope francis arriving in ecuador. it is his first stop on a three-country tour of south america. the pope will also visit bolivia and paraguay. now back to "caught on camera."

there anything more innocent, fun, than kids playing sports? they flight love of the game and between the lines of the playing field, they can learn respect, responsibilities, rules, all valuable life lessons. so, what happens when a huge fight breaks out? the grownups calm things down, right? well, what if it's the adults who are out of control? [ cheering ] a roar of the crowd. the pop of the pads. it's friday night in western texas and it's intense. but far, very far from those famous friday night lights, on a saturday morning here in stockton, california. these boys play for the love of the game. and they know how to hit pretty hard, too.

it's less than a minute to go in the game when the referee blows the whistle on number 58, 13-year-old brian woods of the stockton bears. that's late hit. seconds later, a friendly game of football turns into an all-out brawl. 36-year-old corey pettero, an assistant coach is seen on home video charging onto the field. his son is the one on the receiving end of the late hit. to everyone's horror, pettero finds woods and knocks the teenage boy to the ground. >> the sidelines, the kickoff, so offense was coming out. and i wasn't, like, expecting it, caught me off guard. >> you don't run into the field and take actions into your own hand and hit a child. that's what the referees are there for, to call the penalties and the game moves on. >> brian's mom can't believe what she is seeing. >> next thing i know, people running on to the field, people fighting, cry trying to break it up, kids crying, just a big

chaos. >> when the dust settles, the map who started it all, 36-year-old father and assistant coach, is nowhere to be found. >> i saw that the coach jumped over a fence and there was like a car waiting for him. >> that day after the incident, he turned himself into stockton police when he learned they were looking for him. >> scott smith is a reporter who covered the case for the "stockton record." >> arrested initially on felony child abuse charges in which bring potentially a state prison sentence. >> he has no prison record. as part of a plea deal, charges are reduced to a misdemeanor, inflicting injury on a child. he is sentenced to 45 days of community service and instruck theed to taken a anger management class. >> hell. no >> i really wasn't pushing the issue with jail and court and all that. you know, 'cause things happen. people get upset. i was really looking for an apology. >> the apology never comes. but denise and her son are trying to put the whole ordeal

behind them. >> i just have to teach my son to move on and do what makes him happy. we can't get lett that get the best of us. >> brian is moving on, trying to out for his high school football team. >> continue to play, make that all fall behind. down the road from stockton, in southern california, another shocking piece of amateur video. parents out of control at a kids' football game. just before this raucous scene is caught on camera, 12, 13 and 14-year-old boys were playing football. the peco rivera quarterback drops back for a long pass, but a downey razorback makes a nice play, intercepting the ball and racing down the sideline. and after the play, a little extracurricular activity. watch, as a very upset peco player says something to his coach and points toward the stands. then, seconds later, an

unbelievable brawl breaks out between parents, spilling out of the bleachers and on to the field. renee gamboa is the mother of the boy who just said something to his coach. she thinks a parent of a player on the opposing team pushed her son and she is mad. >> i turned around to the people in the bleachers and i said i want to know what parent pushed my kid. and the man with the blue jersey stood up and said i f-ing pushed your kid, what are you going to do about it? >> the man in the blue jersey is this guy, who after the exchange with gamboa is being visibly kick and beaten. his name, desi u.n. tubbs. tubbs says he never made those threatening comments to renee gamboa and as for pushing her son, couldn't have been him. >> i wasn't even on the field. i was in the stands. >> after a short confrontation with gamboa's husband, tubbs soon finds himself out of the stands in the middle of a vicious melee. >> they knocked me down to the ground and some guy starts hitting me.

well, i -- i focused on him and i get on top of him and i was able to get a couple of punches in, but then i was pulled off of him, kicked, beaten, stomped, everything. he even tried to pull my pants down. >> the men seen on the tape doing most of the kicking, stomping and beating are these two brothers, gino and joe siracco. after cops get ahold of the foot plunge a the brothers find themself in real trouble. they are arrested on felony assault charges and both bleed no contest. joe is sentenced to five years and gino to two. peco rivera coach tony gonzalez has a hard time explaining to his team just what their parents were thinking. >> a shame. our kids were very upset. they feel that some -- innocence taken away from them. this is a game of -- a football game. they are 14-year-old, 13-year-olds and 12-year-olds. coming up, a man robs a bank with a bomb strapped to his

neck. >> i'm not like. >> is he in on the sinister plot or an unwilling participant? and -- >> okay. brian's preparing for the -- >> a daredevil plays with fire, when "caught on camera:sin nestor, strange, shocking" returns. nestor, strange, shocking" returns. e nestor, strange, shocking" returns. nestor, strange, shocking" returns. a your i nestor, strange, shocking" returns. yr car.s nestor, strange, shocking" returns. you tht nestor, strange, shocking" returns. e nestor, strange, shocking" returns. seind tosinisternestor shocking" returns. estor, stran shocking" returns. stor, strang" returns. returns. or, strange, shocking" returns. r, strange, shocking" returns. returns. so you and your passengers can breathe happy. mmmmmm yoplait! ♪ oh! good news everybody! there is now 25% less sugar in yoplait original.

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about you three sinister puppy thefts. >> we keep them in baby cribs, better for the puppy, come in to see the puppieses, they can pet the puppies, there's a lot of human interaction. >> but unfortunately, what's better for the puppies may not always be what's best for the store. >> because the puppies are out in the open for people to be able to play with them and touch them and hold them, we've had a number of thefts. these dogs can cost anywhere from 500 to $2500. but it's not the loss of revenue that bothers cindy most about puppy theft. >> a man walked in the store, stopped and looked a that the puppy and he reaches through the hole and pulls the puppy out by its neck. puts the puppy under his shirt and walks out the door. it was devastating that he could handle a puppy that way. the puppy could have guide he would have broken the dog's neck. >> cindy quickly releases the tape local media and says thanks to viewer tip, the puppy is recovered in good health. the bow wow bandit is arrest and

pleads guilty to grand theft. this next canine theft is more of a team effort. >> three young girls came into the store, walked around the store together for a few minutes. one girl opened the purse, the third put it in the purse, the third gave her jacket to the girl who had the stolen puppy and help herd steal the puppy. >> suddenly, as the thieves make their get away, it appears this woman has a change of heart. after her two friends exit the store, the girl with the stolen puppy in her purse strangely puts the dog back. but what seems like a stroke of luck for one pup turns out to be bad news for another little guy. >> she did steal a different puppy instead, she took the puppy out of that purse, put the puppy back and chose a different puppy. >> again, cindy releases the theft video to local media and again, the puppy is returned, unharmed. only the girl who carries the puppy in her purse is arrested. cindy darrow has more than a dozen security cameras in her

store and she wants would-be thieves to take notice. >> we have cameras. we have signs that tell you we have cameras. we are not hiding the fact. i just don't understand why people continue to steal knowing that that day, they are going to be on the news. >> but cameras won't stop everyone. these thefts can happen in the blink of an eye, like this one. watch as this woman asks an employee questions about a chihuahua. >> one of my employees that actually had been helping her to step away for maybe 15 or 20 seconds. in that short amount of time, she reached into the crib, shoved the puppy underneath her jacket and walked out the door. >> because of her good video evidence, cindy gets the puppy snatcher arrest and charged with grand theft. despite her good intentions and against her wishes, she may soon have to put those innocent puppies behind bars, too.

>> every time it happens, i lose more and more faith in people. i really don't want to put the dogs behind glass or in cages, but if this epidemic continues, i'm going to have no choice. 911, what's your emergency? >> yes, i'm calling about that bank robbery at pnc bank. >> august 28, 2003, a bizarre robbery is report ted pnc bank in erie, pennsylvania. >> yeah, what happened? >> the guy just walked out with a -- i don't know how much cash in a bag. he had a bomb or something wrapped around his neck. >> minutes later, the suspect is arrest and handcuffed. but strangely, he is not hauled off to jail. instead, what happens next leaves a police force and an entire town scratching their heads in utter disbelief. the bank robber is brian wells,

a pizza delivery man. strapped to his neck and shoulders is a bomb, attached with a crude looking metal collar that locks. state police corner wells, barely 100 yards from the bank, in the parking lot of an eyeglass center. as employee dina mcphee watches. >> cuffed him and then he must have said something about a bomb or something that he had something on him because then he -- the police officers preceded in running in different directions. >> as the area is evacuated, cameraman dan holland holds his position. he has his lens trained on the scene where wells is trying to convince the police he was forced to rob the bank by someone else, the same person who put the bomb around his neck. >> the man was strangely calm. he was just kind of sitting there and i mean, i know if i would have had a bomb on my neck, i would have probably been

in a panic mode. >> as witnesses and media look on, wells talks out loud about the bomb to anyone who will listen. >> i got to go to the truck. >> for 20 tense minutes, police keep their distance, waiting for the bomb squad to arrive. in obvious distress, wells pleads with police as the clock ticks. >> he seemed to be having a conversation with the police, just very -- very eerie stuff. >> media crews are warned to move back. >> state police are urging us to move our location because if this bomb goes off and there's shrapnel, we can get hit, but i think we are safe. >> a few seconds later, time runs out. [ explosion ] the bomb explodes. the footage too gruesome to show. police react instinctively, running closer with guns drawn. but brian wells is dead. >> it was pretty much a shock.

i remember standing there for a few seconds in disbelief, not thinking anything like this could have ever happened. >> local news stations go live. >> we want to interrupt regular programming to bring you the latest on a breaking story. >> wells' death leaves more questions than answers. the 46-year-old deliveryman, a long-time employee of "mamma mia!'s" pizzeria lived in this modest rented home with his cats. his friends and co-workers are stunned. >> how did this happen? brian did not do this. there's -- i mean, this is so far out of character. he -- this is against everything that he believed in. >> the bizarre case baffles law enforcement. did he act alone? was he part of a conspiracy? or was he telling the truth? >> if he was doing this just on his own, why did he use a live bomb? >> the fbi launches an investigation. they retrace wells' steps.

he left "mamma mia!'s" to deliver two pizzas to an address that only adds to the mystery. >> we visited the site that afternoon, evening, to where he made the delivery and that delivery was down a dirt road and at the end of a dirt road was a radio tower. and that's all that was there. >> the next time he is seen is in the bank, demanding $250,000 with a bomb strapped to his neck. >> it's gonna go off. >> this is the first time we have ever seen anything like this, where somebody has actually put a live bomb around them and alleged that other people have told them to do this and then, the bomb has actually gone off and killed them. >> with so many unanswered questions, the fbi announces a $50,000 reward. but the case remains unsolved for four years. then, in 2007, federal prosecutors announce indictments against two local people. they say wells was not an innocent victim, but, instead,

almost unbelievably, in on the plan, at least in the beginning. >> it may be that his role transitioned from that of the planning stages to being an unwilling participant. >> the indictments say this woman, 58-year-old marjorie deal armstrong -- >> i'm being railroaded. >> apparently planned the robbery with the other person charged, kenneth barnes. prosecutors say armstrong needed cash to pay barnes to murder her father so they enlisted wells, the pizza deliveryman, to rob the bank. prosecutors say armstrong and barnes even watched wells rob the bank from a safe distance. wells' relatives insist he had nothing to do with this strange and complicated plot. >> did he not know any of these people. that's why they had to lure him to the pizza -- to the towers to plant the bomb on him. >> prosecutors say well does have alerted someone before robbing the bank. and they don't know if wells ever knew the bomb was real.

kenneth barnes pleaded guilty to two felony charges and is sentenced to 45 years but his sentence is cut in half in exchange for testimony against . up. ahead. fry. sinister, strange, shocking" continues. his motorcycle insurance to geico. there's no shame in saving money.

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it's february 4, 2008. peter hateburg is in a kentucky courtroom on burglary charges and he thinks he deserves a better lawyer. >> ain't doing this.

>> i'm telling you, this ain't working. i can have -- i would rather have the prosecutor be my attorney than him. he -- he probably give me a better trial. >> when the judge says no, what happens next can only be described as shocking. >> i just hit him. i mean, i just -- just went into a rage and, you know, didn't really realize what i was doing until i, like, i was on the ground when they grabbed me. >> i've had some bruising in the face, some swelling. i had a cut on my cheek. >> doug crickmer is the lawyer you senate video. >> they took me to the hospital after it occurred, ran a ct scan, checked me over and came out okay. >> he has been a public defender for ten years. and despite being slugged by his own client, he isn't angry. >> well, i think mr. hateburg was just frustrated, been in jail for some time. looking the some significant

jail time if he is convicted. he has got some new charges coming at him. he has got some anger management issues. i think he just snapped. >> the incident winds up costing hateburg, ends up six months of jail in contempt of court n an interesting twist, he gets his wish when he heads back to court to face his original burglary charges, he is pinted a new lawyer. a stunt goes horribly awwhh in sydney, australia. a daredevil lights himself on fire and rides a bicycle off this roof onto these mattresses. >> about to watch brian con cannon do a bit of a stunt and this is his preparation, just his -- that's his landing pad.

that's his son over there. >> it's a family event. >> 26th of october. >> the voice you shear one of his kids, who films and narrates the action. >> so going to set himself on fire on just the edge there of the building. on a motorbike, on that ramp, throat motor bike off and land on those pads. >> kin cannon builds this crude ramp out of milk crates and place it is on the roof of a public restaurant facility. don't worry, he's filled a garbage can with water that he will use to douse the flames. >> i had all the necessary safety clothing. >> the stunt doesn't seem to make much sense, but brian says he has performed several successful fire stunts before. this time, he doesn't take all the precautions he needs. >> wasn't 100% prepared. i didn't go to enough trouble to organize a safety crew there. a few people didn't turn up and

i went ahead, stupidly. >> tell us what you're doing. put me off, i got to think and i can't. >> i'm not interviewing you, just showing the preparation. >> please. >> as he prepares for the stunt, a small crowd gathers. and a couple of unexpected guests arrive, too. >> okay. well, brian's preparing for the jump and we have some company here here. the police have arrived. the landing pad. >> brian says he panics. >> the police pulled up and started watching, i knew it was a matter of time before they were going to can the stunt. >> so he hurries, faster than he originally planned. now, doused in gasoline, he lights himself on fire. >> i think -- oh, my god. [ cheering ] >> and away he goes. a loud thump. brian lands just short of his

intended target, the mattresses, falling from a height of nearly 30 feet. ouch. >> put out my wrist. i broke both bones straight away and hit face first, broke my nose, i popped a tooth out. got a big flash of -- flash of light. thank god it didn't knock me out. >> dazed, confuse and on fire, he stumbles around, looking for the trash can of water. as precious seconds tick away, what was supposed to be a friend's stunt turns gravely serious. >> my life was in perilous danger. and i better do something quick here, otherwise, i am going to burn and fry. >> he says his broken wrist makes it impossible for him to lift the trash can and pour water on himself. >> when he started to get burned and started going through. >> no one seems to know what to do finally, possibly seconds from death, he lays down as one

of the police officers who stopped earlier to see what was going on comes to his aid and goes for that can of water. >> picked it up and doused the man that was on fire out and called for an ambulance to attend. helped save his life. [ applause ] >> when it appears brian is okay, the crowd laughs and applauds. he is alive, but in serious need of medical attention. >> he is alive. >> but police are not amused by the situation. >> this is a serious and dangerous stunt and it's one that we do not encourage. >> wrist at the moment. you feel burned anywhere, mate? >> singed from my hair. >> just hop in the ambulance, will you? >> he spends three days in the hospital. >> brian, i will catch up with you soon, all right? >> all right. >> see ya. >> see ya.

>> he set himself on fire and did a stunt. say bye bye, brian. >> see ya, trina. >> police beside not to charge brian with anything, but the incident makes him ask himself, what was i thinking? >> no way on earth would i attempt anything similar or remote to that stunt. that was just crazy. >> but brian says he isn't giving up entirely on his passion of lighting himself on fire or his hopes of becoming a professional stuntman. >> every stunt, every bit of experience you get, you learn from. >> basically fire. >> i was more organized and precautionary, i might be a lot more recognized for my skills. >> brian kin cannon sees himself as one of the most extreme daredevils in the world and despite the danger, he says he won't stop pursuing his dream of becoming a professional stuntman. oh, and he says he has fixed the flaw in the stunt that nearly

killed him. he hasn't stopped lighting himself on fire, but these days, he combines it with another passion of his, cliff diving. that way he will always be able to find the water. that's all for this edition of "caught on camera." i'm contessa brewer.