i'm contessa brewer. >>> war caught on camera. correspondents in the heat of battle. >> i remember hearing it, bing, bing, bing, as the bullets are hitting the side of the humvee. >> troops recording the danger they face every day. >> oh! >> my first instinct was that i just lost three soldiers and a vehicle. >> come on, fire. >> and a classified military video that stuns the world. in this hour, troops from the front lines to their front lawns. >> i think he remembers you. >> war, up close. "caught on camera: combat." hello. i'm contessa brewer. welcome to "caught on camera." u.s. troops in the wars in iraq and afghanistan have had some of the most high-tech fighting gear but they've also brought something else to the battlefield like never before. their cameras. the images captured have changed the way people back home see and hear what the troops are going through, thousands of miles away. a terrifying ied attack. >> combat patrolling at that time was hours upon hours of complete boredom punctuated by single moments of sheer te

i'm contessa brewer. that's all for this edition of "caught on camera." >>> drop the gun! >> police caught in the crosshairs. >> he was in attack mode. >>> and the tables can turn in an instant. >> okay, okay, do not. >>> they're dashboard cameras capturing real crime in realtime. >> that's when i saw a weapon coming across the back of the seat. >> moments of horror. >> i remember the back tire running over my leg. >> heroism -- >> we were able to both get in at the same time and all of a sudden, he moved. >> and poor judgment. >> the person was using his feet to try to stop the car. >> get ready for the unexpected and unbelievable captured by the law's unblinking eye. "caught on camera: dash cam diaries." >>> welcome to "caught on camera." i'm contessa brewer. there are no retakes, special effects or quick edits with police dashboard cameras, still the footage can be more compelling than any action movie. and it couldn't have gotten any more dramatic for the officers in our first video who have a violent

i'm contessa brewer. that's all for this edition of "caught on camera."

i'm contessa brewer. these days, it seems like everyone has a video camera and is eager to share their private moments online. but the video you're about to watch was never meant to be shared. it's a video that wound up as evidence only by chance. and it's a good thing. the scene it recorded is disturbing and illegal. >> you to smoke? >> no! >> i just couldn't believe somebody could do that. >> it was pretty shocking. i've seen a lot of things but that was a first for me. i couldn't believe that this would happen, especially here in pataskala. >> it's a small city in ohio about 20 miles east of columbus. the population, less than 15,000, but it suffers from an unusually high crime rate. >> you know, we get this small town feel, but we have big-town problems here. >> here. >> but even the most jaded residents here can't believe their eyes in april of 2008 when this shocking video surfaces. it shows two teens forcing a toddler to smoke marijuana. >> people were outraged about the video. they just -- nobody

i'm contessa brewer. bad behavior can sometimes seem like an epidemic, from road rage to bullying over the internet to fist fights on reality tv. our first video is a prime example of bad behavior. a mob erupts in violence, and not out of anger or frustration, but to celebrate the home team's victory. ♪ chanting [ chanting light it up ] >> mayhem in the streets of los angeles. june 2010. 19-year-old student and part-time graphic designer jun gatuna ducks into a downtown bar to watch the last moments of the nba finals. the los angeles lakers versus the boston celtics. >> i just wanted to see what was going on, see if the lakers won or not. and if they did win, i just wanted to see how the victory celebration went. >> we won, baby! >> the final score, lakers 83, celtics 79. in game seven, the lakers clinched the title, and gatuna heads toward the arena. >> the atmosphere was very energetic. a lot of people were shouting celtics suck, lakers won, lakers won. i headed to staples center because i heard from a

i'm contessa brewer.elcome to "caught on camera." once upon a time politicians were revered. after all, they have the ability to pass bills, create laws, and govern entire countries, but sometimes they're the subject of ridicule, taunted, heckled, and harassed by the public, under constant fire from their opponents, and even their own parties. this hour is all about what happens when politicians are pushed too far. >> i think it was lyndon bains johnson, the u.s. president, who said if if you want a friend in politics, get a d dog. politics is all about adversity, whether it's psychological or sometimes even physical. >> in britain, this is just how the public showed their disdain. physically. politicians are routinely subjected to egging, custard-throwing, flour-pelting, and paint hurling. >> we've been brought up in pantomime. it's perfectly harmless fun and a way of expressing irritation, anger. it's become a quite common practice to throw things that are colored, that had will cling, liquid or flour o

i'm contessa brewer. one tiny detail to be off andin one tiny detail to be off andin a split second, a routine event can escalate into a life or death drama leaving folks to wonder what went wrong. it can happen at work or at play or as these people found out, during a leisurely day at a horse show. an official at a horse competition gets trampled by an out of control horse. may 2nd, 2001, springfield, illinois, at the arabian breed finals, they compete in a class called country pleasure driving. videographer rick is there to capture the event. >> it's a very neat class. it should look like a pleasure to drive. >> one of the riders here to compete on this day is paul hyman. >> riding a horse, you sit on top of the horse, on the saddle. and you really control the horse with your legs and with your arms. it's much easier to control them that way. when you drive, you only have reins and the horse is way up in front so you really don't control as much as when you are riding. >> the competition begins as plann

i'm contessa brewer. an estimated 40 million people suffer from phobias and one of them is clostrophobia, the fear of confined spaces. in this hour we'll bring you the stories of people trapped in some of the scariest most confined spaces possible. an airtight sink, a sinking car and an elevator. the fear of death in these situations is all too real so it is up to the rescuers putting their own lives on the line to help those in danger get out alive. it is 9:30 a.m. in thailand. a fire rages in the kitchen on the first floor of the royal hotel and quickly spreads. with 16 floors above, american rochelle stimey knows nothing about the blazing inferno below. no alarm, no phone call, no notice at all. her husband is in china away on business and she's in her hotel room with her 7-year-old daughter sona when something catches sona's eye outside their window. >> i noticed some smoke. then i noticed it was coming from straight down below the window. and then i heard people screaming. >> rochelle panicked, rushe

i'm contessa brewer. highway patrol officers know to expect the unexpected whenever they stop a vehicle. our first story pits an armed felony suspect against u.s. border patrol agents. the tense situation at the mexican border grows worse when officers make a crucial discovery about who else is in the car. a burglary suspect speeds toward the mexican border with a 1-year-old child as a hostage. >> he was holding the baby to his chest and the knife to the baby's neck. he told me they were not going to get him alive. >> one lane, 89 miles an hour. >> monday morning, april 20, 1998. a car tears down interstate 5 south of los angeles, hitting speeds up to 95 miles per hour. >> okay. they're passing eltoro now. >> as it hurdles toward the mexican border, officials there get a heads-up. >> we got a phone call probably from the california highway patrol letting us know there was a southbound pursuit. >> probably heading for the border. >> the suspect, eddie price, is fleeing from l.a. police who tried to arrest

i'm contessa brewer. welcome to "caught on camera." if you are like me from time to time you look around your home maybe dirty dishe in the sink, a pile of laundry on the floor or a big stack of papers on the counter. eventually most of us clean, fold and file our way back to at least presentable. but for hoarders clutter crosses a line from untidy to out of control. and the mess becomes a monster taking over their lives. from the outside it looks like a typical home in an ordinary suburban neighborhood. but go inside and you'll witness a shocking sight. rooms stuffed to the rafters with clutter and debris. >> it's very, very chaotic and stressful. >> in california 27-year-old jessica, who asked that her last name not be revealed, lives with her mother, an admitted hoarder. >> i would describe it as bad. it's not an environment that's comfortable to be in. >> after living on her own for more than a year, jessica moves back home to save money and help her mom with her worsening condition. the transition to such deplorable conditions tak

i'm contessa brewer. welcome to "caught on camera." from an early age we're told never to play with fire. maybe that's why we're so fascinated by people who dare to get close to the flames. our first story is about a fire breathing performer. as you'll see years of training aren't enough to avoid a terrifying accident. we want to warn you about everything in this hour, from beginning to end. don't try any of it at home. or anywhere for that matter. a fire breather performs a move she's done hundreds of times before, but this time, in the midst of her act, she sets herself ablaze. hudson, quebec, is 40 miles from the french canadian city of montreal. it's also home to a summer music festival that draws thousands. >> the hudson festival is very, very popular with the town. everybody comes out. it's a very festive atmosphere. >> the best place to watch the performances is the stage by cunningham's restaurant and bar. >> we luck out every year. we get the stage right in front of our pub. >> july 31st, 2010, i

i'm contessa brewer. they are everywhere -- on websites like youtube, embedded in blogs, even in your e-mail. and chances are you've watched them and maybe even forwarded on one or two along to someone else. the videos you're about to see were all popular. some are funny. some are poignant. all amazing clips. but they may have left you wondering, are they real or are they fake? ♪ >> wait, did someone just spray paint graffiti on air force one? >> in this video, a couple of guys essentially climb a fence, elude the secret service, run up to air force one and put a graffiti tag on air force one while this is all being videotaped. >> you're like, wait a minute, are they going to do something to air force one? you're like, what is going on here? this is crazy. >> did someone really break into andrews air force base and spray paint, or tag, the president's plane? >> i think people really want to believe it's true. >> the video hit the internet in 2006 and quickly became a sensation. >> the first reaction is al

i'm contessa brewer. welcome to an msnbc event. when we first launched this series, we knew the explosion a in personal video cameras would mean a big jump in the stories caught on camera. but little did we know how quickly we would reach our 100th episode. that's right, 100 shows filled with stunning video and the stories behind those pictures. as we reached this milestone, we decided to bring you this special look at the most memorable, most incredible stories we found. buckle up and hold on. this is going to be one heck of a ride. starting with some extremely close calls. when lives are on the line, a matter of seconds, inches and a little luck can be the difference between tragedy and triumph. these five close calls will make your heart race. >> a woman on the verge of drowning gets help from above. august 20th, 2003. in las vegas, nevada, a woman is driving when she meets a flash flood head on. >> water is so powerful, she has no control of where her vehicle is going. it's going wherever the water is

i'm contessa brewer. that's all for this edition of "caught on camera." >>> at any time, in any place. >> i couldn't believe that that was happening. >> disaster can happen when mother nature and man collide. from raging floodwaters, she was alone, screaming for help. >> to devastating earthquakes. unexpected, extreme and breathtaking moments that reveal the wonder and power of nature. caught on camera: what on earth? rescue workers race to save a woman who has been trapped beneath a collapsed building for 48 hours. january 12th, 2010. just before 5:00 p.m., a historic 7.0 magnitude earthquake strikes the caribbean island nation of haiti. in just 35 seconds most of the capital city of port-au-prince lies in ruins. surrounding areas are flattened. >> what happened in haiti was beyond anything i've ever seen. >> the disaster is compounded by the fact that haiti, one of the world's most impoverished countries has a vulnerable infrastructure and poorly conducted buildings. strong aftershocks further traumatiz

i'm contessa brewer. that's it for this edition of "caught on camera. >>> everything can change in an instant. >> outside i could see the trees kind of coming up towards the wing. >> forcing people into extraordinary situations. >> i put my arms out and said catch her, don't miss. >> when survival hangs in the balance. >> it was more action than i'd seen. >> shocking -- >> translator: his hands were bleeding, but he wouldn't stop digging. >> unexpected -- >> i felt like at one point i was questioning were there any dolphins left to respond to. >> and death defying moments. >> you touch that that would be a fatality. >> which reveal how unpredictable life would be. >> didn't know she was there. when she popped her head up, i was getting a little concerned. >>> from a stranded yacht, a desperate call for help. >> he just happened to be in the wrong place at the wrong time. >> but when the rescuers themselves get in trouble, even more lives hang in the balance. >> this is life or death for them. they don't g

i'm contessa brewer. that's it for this edition of "caught on camera." >>> unexplained images that captivate and perplex. >> the alien in the film i saw looked like it had been very badly injured. >> an eerie evening in a junk yard. >> the thing was out here just twirling around in midair. >> it or she is looking for something. >> and formations that seem to appear out of thin air. >> it's amazing. >> it's very mysterious. we don't know what it is. >> in this episode, film and video that many believe provide evidence of mythical creatures on land -- >> here's the proof. here's proof that bigfoot exists. >> -- sea -- >> something just shot across this bay as if a torpedo went through. >> -- and in the sky. >> it was a massive span. over a mile wide. >>> cameras can capture what the human eye can miss. >> the thing was out here just twirling around up in midair. >> even after watching this video over and over, you may still wonder what you're looking at. >> when we're dealing with a film of a ghost, we're d