Dr. Insanity - SWAT Team Faces Off Against An Active Shooter

Episode Date: November 20, 2025

This man is at the center of a tense standoff after threatening to kill his neighbors. This is not the first time police have dealt with this suspect, but this time things have spiraled completely out of control. Over the next 30 hours, this SWAT team will try to take down a highly unhinged man capable of ending countless lives at any moment. Subscribe for more crime content like this.. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Two officers arrive on the scene of an ordinary disturbance call. A man is threatening his neighbors. However, in just a moment, the situation will escalate into something much worse. Does he have any knives? Any knives? No. We have done. The suspect is armed.

Okay, we're going to block the main entrance right here. My neighbor is threatening me. We have it on video. We have deployed a SWAT team en route to... Step out, slow! Shut out. Move, move! On March 11, 203,

a peaceful morning descended into chaos in Steel Creek, Charlotte, as one man began a campaign of terror that has put an entire neighborhood in danger. But to understand how police got this schizophrenic man under control, we need to take a look at every tactic and technique the SWAT team used throughout the 30-hour standoff. It started at 6.45 a.m. on Saturday morning, when On Ty walked into his front garden, megaphone in hand, and threatened to kill his neighbors on Gryor Fork Drive. The clock started immediately when 911 started receiving calls from some of those neighbors. My neighbor has threatened me, tried to kill police. I have it on video. We're scared. We're scared.

Okay, and when you say he's threatening you, he's doing it in person on the phone? Yeah, phone with a megaphone. He's out in front of his yard. Charlotte, 911. I need police. I need to form communicating threats report. I'm working with PMPD crisis response team, and our neighbor is threatening us currently. Community policing crisis response team helps mediate disputes between neighbors and can often settle arguments without having to call 911. They specialize in people who have behavioral problems or those with substance abuse,

and they've been involved with Ty on no less than 13 other occasions after his threatening behavior towards his neighbors. Unfortunately, this situation is much too serious for the CMPD this time, and the police have to step in for what will be their 47th interaction with Ty. He's at the door on a megaphone yelling. Come on, get him, you're going. Here we go. Good morning. I'm doing it.

On held a warrant for his arrest. I don't know because... I'm telling you he has a warrant for his arrest. Does he have any knives? Any knives? No. They have guns. Sit the gun, half the sick...

Six revolver. Yeah. He has that? Yeah. We're going to try to get out of this range in case he shoots. You won't see us to shoot. In order to make sure the cops have the right information, they're going to need to break down the language barrier. So her daughter is soon on the phone helping to translate for the officers,

ensuring the cops can properly assess the gravity of the situation without second-guessing themselves. Who is this? My adult. Oh, hello? Hi. Hey, this officer, Miller, with Charlotte Police. We're just trying to clarify with the language barrier for your mom. But Anne has a order for his arrest to go to jail.

She's advising that he has what we can best tell is a revolver, a gun. I just want to confirm that he does have that with your mom if you can ask her if he does have a gun. All right, go ahead. She says that he does have the revolver in his room. Does he have bullets in the revolver? Is it loaded? She was trying to explain another possible weapon, and I couldn't understand what she was saying, so can you ask her if he has any other weapons?

Now the cops have a baseball bat. They know that Ty has a gun and it's loaded. They suspect he has a dog in there, and although the mother claims it won't bite, these cops can't take any chances. Ty also has a warrant out for his arrest for communicating threats in another incident, making this a criminal barricade. The difference between a criminal barricade and a non-criminal barricade is simple. A non-criminal barricade usually means a suspect isn't wanted for a crime and is often a case of a suicidal suspect. A criminal barricade means the suspect is wanted for a crime, is a possible danger to others, and needs a drastically different approach. These cops don't have access to the resources this kind of response will need, and SWAT is called in to take over this standoff. SWAT has an arsenal of armored vehicles

at their disposal, as well as riot shields, expert negotiators, and specific training to deal with this exact kind of situation. But just because SWAT has been called, doesn't mean the negotiations stop there, as police continue to try and convince Ty to hand himself in while they wait for the team to arrive. Mr. Ty, Mr. Ty, Mr. Salomeglammer Police Department, we're outside. Mr. Ty, I need you to come outside. We're not going anywhere. you to step outside with your hands up.

Ty already has a warrant out for his arrest for communicating threats in another incident. And police know he's highly strong, potentially violent, and extremely unpredictable. If they're going to talk him out of the house, they're going to have to convince him there's no danger. It would help me understand this a lot better if we were talking face-to-face. Do you, are you going to kill me? No, that I'm not. Are you going to put you in handcuffs? Yes, I will have to put you in handcuffs.

And then you're not going to let me back from my... house. You're going to take you somewhere far away. Listen, you do have a warrant. Yes. For communicating threats, okay? That's why we're here. Yes, and I can chase my identity. We have to serve that warrant, okay? That's just me. I'm not in the business of lying, okay? I don't want to lie to you.

I don't want to steer you in the wrong direction, all right? The trouble that you're in is very minor, okay? It's not a big deal. By reassuring him that he won't be hurt if he surrenders, the negotiator can try to prevent the situation escalating, or even turning violent. During negotiations like these, police will try to de-escalate the situation and keep the suspect as calm as possible. But in this case, Ty seems so unhinged that there's no way they can make him see reason. If things deteriorate any further, it's possible Ty might make good on his threats, and this situation could turn deadly. Nobody wants to kill you. I promise you that. I do not want to hold you.

you and no officer out here wants to hurt you. That I can promise you. Nobody wants to harm you and we don't want you to harm yourself, all right? This is war, dude. You've got my door. This is not war. No, we do not want you to hurt yourself. It seems peaceful negotiations aren't working, as no matter what the negotiator tries, tie just won't cooperate. Become very consistent that he will not leave that home.

It's just circles, circle, circles, man. Like, it's, uh, it always, yeah, it always circles back around to I'm going to kill myself or you're going to kill me, period. I'm not coming out of this house. I'm going to die today. With Ty armed, barricaded in his house and threatening to kill people, the police need to keep him calm and de-escalate the situation until backup arrives. Shortly afterwards, the SWAT team finally arrives at the same. scene to bring this standoff to an end. Hey, get your fucking people ready to have a plan.

Do you want to try to push the robot up, see if I can get over stuff? The SWAT team finally at the scene, they can get a better look at their surroundings by sending in robots and drones, but they first need to find the best place to gain entry into the house, which in this case is right through the front door. Or I will call you. I just need you to answer your phone. This is very important. Nobody is here to hurt you.

We are only here to help. Your mother is worried about you. We are here to make sure that you get the help you need. By breaching the door, the SWAT team is trying to see inside the house. If Ty isn't willing to negotiate, then SWAT may have to force their way inside and face Ty in his own home. But this just agitates Ty further, and he closes the door in defiance. Once again, SWAT has no idea what's waiting for them inside,

so they decide to break down the door again, only this time they intend to rip it right off its hinges. Although this has made it easier for SWAT to enter the house, the negotiator's job is about to get even harder, as breaching the door has only agitated Ty further, and this standoff is threatening to spiral out of control. control. You are stronger. You are stronger than that.

You are stronger than that. You control the voice. You control the voice. Listen, I have faith that you can control that voice, okay? Okay, then let me do it. It's not. I just going to shoot myself and get this voice out of my head. No, don't let that voice win.

voice win. I have no control over my mind, dude. I'm telling y'all, I'm under my control for death. You are stronger than that, okay? You can do it, and we can't help you. This could be some kind of manic episode, Ty is experiencing, as he's definitely not of sound mind, especially when he's talking about voices controlling him. He's angry that his mother's front door has been destroyed, and the cops know they've made him mad. Their priority is to try and de-escalate the situation, so they try and convince him. and they'll fix the door after he hands himself in. But Ty's reaction is not what the cops were hoping for.

I spent an hour telling you that was going to happen. The door can easily be fixed. We are poor. It's only being my mother. Who's going to take care of your mother if you harm yourself? I can give your mother a number to our risk management, and our risk management can help fix the door, okay? And we all know that, I think of myself, but you can be.

No. That's why I'm acting like a idiot. Nobody's hurting. Nobody said you're acting like an idiot. Listen. Well, you've had like an idiot. You broke in my door. So I'm eating myself.

And I told you we were going to do it. He hang up on you. We're now five hours into this standoff and the house is completely surrounded. On the sidelines, police are trying to obtain an involuntary commitment order. These are issued to individuals who are experiencing mental health problems. that impair their ability to reason. This would be the third time on Ty has been issued with an involuntary commitment order. But despite how serious the situation is, they still can't enter the house without a search warrant.

This is often a long process, but in this case, it only took a couple of hours after convincing a judge the warrant was absolutely necessary to help bring this standoff to an end. So now, eight hours into this standoff, and with the search warrant in hand, SWAT started their meticulous operation to clear any obstacles from their path. A process they call tactical breaching. Tactical breaching is more than just breaking down windows and doors as it allows easy access to the house and allows police to see inside the house. But it's still not safe for the officers to enter the house, as Ty is still hiding and armed with a gun. There's only one way to see inside the house without putting lives at risk by using the latest technology to their advantage.

like drones and robots. All right, well, we're sending a robot in up the steps if you can. You can't get around all the time. I'm in the living room, because I had to go through the garage. Okay, all right, sir. Well, hopefully he'll get the drone up. So this is what the living room looks like. Police robots have been around for decades, but are limited to low ground.

With Thai hiding upstairs, police need to utilize one of the newer members of the team, the drone. First developed for military purposes, drones have become increasing. increasingly more popular with police departments all across America, just like here in Charlotte. I'm doing what I can to push my way through. Robots in the laundry room. A lot of junk though, trying to push this stuff out of the way. Drones can reach places where it's just like walking around.

Drones can reach places people can't and give police a bird's-eye view of the upstairs of the house without a single officer being put in harm's way. It also shows how quickly a situation can go from quiet to dangerous in the blink of an eye. I could try to push it through the front door, but I can't promise anything. That drone has just been destroyed, but now police know exactly which room he's hiding out in. After a second drone is destroyed, Tyi suddenly appears at the front door of the house and he's armed with a handgun. What he might not realize is he's in the targets of several sharpshooters, who are scattered around the area with various views of the house, ready to

fire if Ty presents a threat to them, their fellow officers, or anyone else in the area. I was trying to put the door back up, it looks like, gun in his left hand. Shot out. Shot out. He went back up the steps. That was just a warning shot. After one of the sharpshooters perceived Ty to be a genuine threat, but the warning shot did its job, and Ty retreated back into the house.

After he returned upstairs, he called 9-1-1, initially claiming he'd been shot. It turns out he was lying. But during the same call, he told police he was no longer on Ty and had become Lucifer. I saw the police shot a person because he was holding a gun, reporting at the police. And the police shot him. He's dead. I didn't make a police report. Okay, well, where are you at so we can make that report? I'm in heaven. Oh, okay.

I'm a goal. Yeah, my name is Lucifer. This was one of four different personalities he's taken on over the course of this standoff. And in order to keep him talking, police will play along and, call him Lucifer, but any hopes that they have of ending this standoff before nightfall are slipping away as negotiations come to a standstill. This is Lucifer, can I help you? Lucifer? Yeah. This is Hong.

You okay? I know you all, yeah. I'm an angel of God. I'm gonna help you, Lucifer. Okay. I want to help you, Lucifer. Where are you? I'm so super strong.

He's dead. He went to stand, call you all for help. Time may be in need of the kind of medical help that these cops can't give him, but that doesn't make the situation any less dangerous. It's now 10 hours into this standoff, and the tactical breaching continues. Two vehicles in the driveway are removed to prevent the suspect from making a quick getaway, and more windows are breached around the house as the standoff goes into the night, where Ty continues with his bizarre exchanges with negotiators.

Stop talking to me. Okay? I don't talk to the penalty. Yeah, stand by. He's got the window open kind of looking out towards my direction. On the medical. You are doing this is illegal. I have the right to practice religion.

Leave me alone. This incident has now been going on for over 13 hours. And tactical breaching has removed most of the doors and windows. Negotiations continued into the next. continued into the next morning, but they couldn't get tied to give himself up. So SWAT turned to their arsenal of other tactics to continue the effort to bring this standoff to an end peacefully, including the smoke grenade. All right.

Move. Smoke how the web past throw was that? Smoke grenades can help create a visual barrier and disorient a suspect. The sudden, sharp sensory overload can lower the suspect's will to resist and encourage him to surrender peacefully. But the SWAT team isn't done yet and decides to enter the house to cut the power off. Very good? Yep.

All right, move, shelf. This tactic serves two purposes. Firstly, it solves some of these safety concerns, as electrical equipment and lights will be deactivated to prevent accidental fires or explosions, especially when the suspect has firearms. With the house now a complete wreck, a small fire could prove disastrous and engulf the whole house in minutes. Cutting the power also adds psychological pressure.

As removing electrical equipment the suspect may be using, could leave them feeling isolated and alone, especially during the night. But despite their best efforts, Ty refused to leave the house at all, and it was starting to look like this standoff might never end. But then, at 1.18 p.m., an hour after they cut the power, Ty was seen coming downstairs. This is the moment SWAT tried to bring this standoff to an end, with the help of OC powder chemical munition, better known as tear gas.

The effects of tear gas on the body include an unbearable burning sensation in your eyes, nose, and on your skin. This is exactly the kind of experience that was with, waiting for Ty if he went back upstairs, where they've just fired it. For the first time since this 30-hour standoff began, this prompted Ty to come out of the house and confront SWAT face-to-face. Police will always try to achieve a peaceful resolution in cases like these, but, as they have been for the last two days, they'll be ready to shoot if Ty opens fire. I got you! I got you, I promise. You're good, come on. Yeah, stay on the phone! You can stay on the phone, come to us, come on.

No, no, no, come on, you're good. Come on. Come on, Sarah. I got you. Come on to me. Just be careful. You're good. Come on. Yep. Keep, come on. You keep walking. You're good. Bring the dog with you. Come on. Oh, we're not, brother. Come on. Yeah, your dog's good. Come on. Okay. Yep. Hey, I'll take over a verbal see you can make a call on the other side. Keep coming to us. We're not going to shoot you. You keep coming to us. You're doing good. All right, keep walking towards us. Keep your hands ready. You're good. You're good. We see your dog. We see your phone. You're good, Auntie. Keep walking towards us, brother. You're doing good. Can we move? He's facing away. Banging and move. Move, move.

Get out of where! I'm coming. I'm coming. I'll come in. I'll come in. I'll keep my dog, please. I'll come in. That's the handgun he'd been concealing in his clothing and could. have been used at any moment. This is a perfect example of a SWAT team who did everything by the book and achieved their goal of a peaceful arrest. It may have taken 30 hours for this to end, but by choosing the right moment, they brought this neighborhood's ordeal to an end with only one bullet fired and zero casualties.