40 SWAT Officers Face Utah's Deadliest Shooter Situation | Forensic Files

set. This sniper just took a shot at an armed fugitive holding a family of five hostage in their home.
>> My family being held hostage. >> The gunman, Joseph Anthony, is a man with a purpose. He has a vendetta and
he's going on a rampage, planning to kill his ex-girlfriend and multiple other people who wronged him in the
past. Police don't know how far he's gotten on his list of targets. And if they don't capture him here, this family
could be next. >> Running across the freeway. LET ME SEE YOUR HANDS. [screaming]
>> ALL UNITS, I'M GOING TO SET CONTAINMENT. We're going to wait for the helicopter.
All units, hold your position. >> Suck in. Right. This is showtime. out. >> More police. Police. Police.
>> It's Thursday, September 9th, and the first sign that something is seriously wrong comes from an alarming 911 call.
>> 911. What is the address of your emergency? >> Uh, Leon. So, my brother, he uh he's on
the loose right now and he threatened to kill his girlfriend a couple days ago. He just showed up at my house.
>> What's your brother's name? >> Joseph Manhard. He has a firearm on him and he is armed.
>> Where is he? >> He's outside my front door right now. Um, I need the cops here ASAP.
>> I've got units on their way. Okay. >> Okay. You better hurry. >> You got to hurry though. I'm dead
serious. >> Just 24 hours earlier, Joseph Manhard kidnapped his ex-girlfriend, [music]
assaulted her, and threatened to kill her. After managing to escape, she called police, triggering an arrest
warrant for Joseph's immediate capture. Since then, Joseph vanished and police had no indication of where he might
strike next until now. With an active warrant and a report that Joseph is armed and dangerous, officers
are dispatched immediately, advancing towards the house, fully prepared for a shootout.
>> I've just talked to the homeowner. He's he said that if he didn't drive, the only place he could have went is hopped
the fence and is barricaded in that shed that Swinson's got a view on. So he said
the best way to go through is us just knock on the door. He'll let us in. We'll go through the house and clear the
shed. >> We're ready. >> All right. I got the Oh, got it. >> Bye. You want to show us where to go?
>> And where's the shed? >> Corner over there. >> You got me? >> Yeah. >> I'm going to have to go through and hit
it and come swing it out wide. >> Swing out wide and I can step in front of it. >> Okay.
Police. Anyone in there? Police. If anyone's in there, show me your hands. Come out.
>> Can't see in the box. All right. Step in. >> Okay. >> Left. Right. I'm going to
go your hands. Anyone in here? Okay. Claire. All right. You didn't make it in here.
He probably drove by one of us. >> With no sign of the suspect, Joseph remains at large. And whatever he came
here to do, he didn't finish it. So before officers leave the residence, they speak with Joseph's brother, trying
to understand why Joseph showed up and what he might do next. What he tells them reframes the entire situation.
According to his brother, Joseph didn't come here randomly. He was likely looking for his ex-girlfriend, the same
woman who escaped his kidnapping just a day earlier. The two had recently broken
up, a split that left Joseph without stable housing and increasingly angry. His brother also tells police that in
recent conversations, Joseph had been talking about tying up loose ends and ending it all. To officers, it begins to
sound like Joseph isn't just running. He may be moving with intent, driven by a personal vendetta and targeting people
he believes have wronged him. If that's true, it has never been more urgent to locate Joseph before he reaches someone
else. But it doesn't take long for those fears to be confirmed because later that
evening, police receive another alarming 911 call. >> Careful 911. >> My brother-in-law's not right now.
>> Okay. Where is he? Is he outside? >> Yes, he's outside. >> Okay. Is he knocking on the door or
what's he doing? >> He's in the front yard. They said they already have APB out on him.
>> Yes. Okay. >> Right now. >> Okay. We're on the way. Um, tell me exactly where he's at.
>> She was out front. She's walking around out front. >> He's walking around. >> Following this terrifying call for help
from Joseph's sister-in-law, officers are dispatched [music] to the home once again. But by the time they arrive,
Joseph has already vanished. This time, however, officers decide to canvas the surrounding neighborhood before leaving.
A decision that will prove critical. Nearby CCTV footage captures Joseph getting into a car and speeding away
from the property earlier in the day. [music] For the next few hours, patrol units search across the city, but the
white Hyundai remains out of sight. But over the next several hours, Joseph's decisions will force officers into one
of the most dangerous manhunts of their careers. For the next few hours, patrol units
search across the city, but the white Hyundai remains out of sight. Then, around 1:30 a.m., a lone patrol unit
spots a vehicle matching the description and immediately initiates a pursuit. 28
right now just >> as the officer begins to close the distance, he suddenly loses sight of the
car Joseph is believed to be driving. But just minutes later, as patrol units continue canvasing the area, one officer
spots Joseph's car parked on nearby train tracks. With no way of knowing whether Joseph is still inside or hiding
close by, the officer cautiously approaches the vehicle. >> He went right through.
>> Hey, I have civilians here saying that there's a car parked on the tracks at building hotel 3 on the southwest end.
Can I get a couple more of this way? >> 31 headed that way. It builds up to 76. I have visual on the
vehicle. It looks like it still might be occupied. I forget south corner of hotel.
We'll click vehicle might be abandoned. If we can start getting the containment close in and then I can start my dog.
The car turns out to be empty and there's no sign of Joseph anywhere nearby. By abandoning the vehicle here,
Joseph appears to have given officers an advantage. He is now on foot without transportation. Police finally have a
chance to corner him. But that window closes almost immediately as just 20 minutes later, Joseph makes his next
move. >> 911. >> Yeah, this is the utility trailer. I just had a lady walk in the front door,
said her car was stolen and she was shot at. >> What kind of car? >> Blood on her.
>> We're We're in the area looking for this guy. Could she tell you quick what kind
of car? >> Over here. >> What kind of car? >> Kia Optima. >> As dispatch gathers details from the
call, patrol units across the area are alerted to be on the lookout for a stolen white Kia Optima taken at
gunpoint. At the same time, one patrol unit is sent to the scene of the carjacking to speak directly with the
victim, where they'll learn just how close Joseph is to committing his first murder.
>> Do you mind if I talk to you for a second, ma'am? >> Okay. Do you mind just telling me what
happened? >> Um, so I was sitting in my car and he was like, "Hey, do you have a cigarette
or no?" He asked me if I had a lighter, sorry. [music] And I was like, "Yeah." And I only
rolled down my window like this far and I handed him my lighter and then he was handing it back to me and then he just
shoved his arm in my window and I just started rolling it up and I started screaming and he was like, "I have a
[ __ ] gun." And then he pulled it out and I just kept rolling out the window trying to scream and then he just shot
it out the window and then I just opened the door and I see [ __ ] have it. Have
it. And then I just got out and ran. >> Okay, >> by this point it's clear Joseph has lost
control [music] and this woman is lucky to be alive. But that might not be the case for whoever crosses his path next.
Because just minutes later, around 2:00 a.m., a patrol unit spots the stolen car
speeding down the highway heading toward Utah County. As soon as the pursuit begins, Joseph starts swerving across
lanes, forcing other drivers to react and putting innocent lives directly in danger.
southbound right now. >> With Joseph refusing to slow down, it's only a matter of time before someone
gets hurt. So, to bring the pursuit to an end, an officer approaching from the opposite side of the highway pulls over
and prepares to deploy spike strips. At highway speeds, there's no margin for error. The spikes have to go down
seconds before Joseph reaches them. Too early and he'll see them in time to swerve around and put innocent lives at
even greater risk. Good spikes. Good spikes. Southbound Shepherd need >> running across the freeway. He's running
across the freeway. He's in the northbound lanes. He's in the northbound lanes. Red jacket, LET ME SEE YOUR
HANDS. HE'S uh he's hopping the fence. He's over the fence now. He's over the fence now. Now we need units to
frontage. >> He's on frontage now. On frontage is going to housing complex over here
by a a white like fence is about to hop. He's hopping it into someone's backyard.
>> After abandoning his car, Joseph runs towards a residential area surrounded by
homes where families are asleep inside. Knowing how dangerous and unpredictable Joseph is, officers now have to cut
through the busy highway and move quickly to find him before anyone else is put at risk.
No, he he's behind that picket fence right there. Whatever address that is. I don't know what the hell that is, but
he's behind that. Negative shotage toward that >> 202 come out that way >> over this vinyl right here. That's where
you went in this backyard. >> I copy, sir. I will be headed our direction shortly.
>> Where are you? >> You hop this one right here. >> All units, I'm going to set containment.
We're going to wait for the helicopter. All units, hold your position. Don't go walking around.
>> With Joseph disappearing into a residential area, the situation becomes far more unpredictable. By now, more
than 30 officers are flooding the scene. And without coordination, every decision
risks putting innocent families in danger. This is when Sergeant Sheldon arrives and takes control.
>> You guys, >> stand by. I'm setting containment. All right. Sorry, bro. I don't have all the
information cuz we switched us last minute. Okay. So, what do you guys got? >> So, he already shot someone in the free
port center. >> Um, it's probably going to take like half an hour for that bird to go.
>> He hopped over that fence right there. >> Which fence? >> That one right there.
>> After a quick brief, Sergeant Sheldon forms a plan to flush out Joseph. First,
a helicopter is called in to scan the neighborhood from above. Second, a tactical operations center is
established near Joseph's last known location to coordinate [music] every unit in real time. And third, officers
set up a wide containment zone covering more than a square mile with units positioned throughout the neighborhood
to cut off any possible escape routes. But just as the plan goes into motion, officers are abruptly interrupted by a
sharp sound in the distance. Not sure if that's where they came from. >> Right where Preston's at. That's where
the shots came from. It was one single shot. >> Preston, are you okay? Hold your
position. I'm sending a unit around to you. Go to >> We're going to get if we can get someone
over here to the north of 2025 North Front containment. Y >> I'll set containment. You guys come up
with a plan to systematically search this. >> Okay. The gunshot confirms one thing
immediately. Joseph is still in the area. But what officers don't realize yet is that the shot wasn't random. It
was Joseph forcing his way into a nearby home. And in the next few hours, the situation will escalate in ways officers
aren't prepared for. But before we get to that, sometimes the scariest horror stories happen in your own head. Like
disturbing thoughts you don't want but can't stop replaying. thoughts like, "You're going to cheat on your partner
and ruin everything." [music] Or, "That memory doesn't feel clear. What if I did
something terrible and forgot?" These thoughts can feel so real and threatening that you start behaving in
lifealtering ways to try to make them go away. Maybe you spend hours [music] trying to figure out what these thoughts
mean or constantly seek reassurance that you're not a bad person, but the thoughts just get more persistent. If
this sounds familiar, you might be experiencing OCD. Contrary to what many people think, OCD isn't about being neat
or organized, real OCD [music] involves distressing, intrusive thoughts and behaviors you do to try to relieve the
distress. OCD can be debilitating, but it's highly treatable [music] with the right kind of specialized therapy. And
that's where NOCD comes in. NOCD is the world's largest [music] OCD treatment provider with licensed therapists who
specialize in ERP therapy, the most effective treatment for OCD. Sessions are 100% virtual. They accept most major
insurance plans and they provide support between sessions when it matters most. To learn more, go to nocd.com and book a
free call. That's ncd.com. Approximately an hour after the gunshot was fired, the helicopter finally
arrives and begins a full aerial sweep of the neighborhood. But Joseph is nowhere to be seen. On the ground,
officers spread out searching for Joseph and cautiously prepare for an ambush. >> Uh, 4Runner.
>> Gotcha. Contact the homeowners already. >> Bountiful police. Hi, Battlefield Police. Did you guys get
>> Oh, sorry. We're just looking for somebody in the area. Um, your home is secure. Didn't
notice anything suspicious. Okay. He's going to have white male, red shirt. You see someone like that, give us a call.
>> Okay. >> Um, if you find them or see them or anything, give us a call 911. >> Okay.
>> All right. Thank you. >> Thank you. So, maybe you're good. It's fine. Just make sure you lock your door.
>> Who in the hell is this guy with us? He's >> driving me crazy. After more than 2
hours of knocking on doors and checking backyards, there's no sign of the suspect. Joseph's absence becomes
increasingly unsettling, and Sergeant Sheldon quickly recognizes what it likely means. If Star 9 can't find him,
we have a totally different situation, right? Cuz he potentially could be any one of these houses. He could be taking
people hostage. He could have broken in and it's unoccupied, right? So, we have all of this [ __ ] that we're going to
have to filter through. Um, and that's going to have to take >> How many houses are we looking at?
>> Resources. >> Uh, I would estimate eight on this side, 6 to 10 on this side. >> At this point, Sergeant Sheldon and his
team are forced to consider multiple scenarios, including a barricaded suspect holding hostages inside. But
they won't have to weigh those possibilities for long because one phone call is about to answer that question
for them. >> 911. What's your emergency? My my family is being held hostage. >> Immediately after this, officers spread
out and quickly locate the caller nearby, Chris Samuelson, a father who managed to escape the house just moments
earlier. What he tells them is chilling. Inside the home, his wife, two daughters, and his daughter's boyfriend
are still being held at gunpoint, and Joseph is inside with them. With this new escalation, Sergeant Sheldon knows
this is now beyond the scope of a standard response and prepares to bring in specialized tactical support.
>> All units, priority traffic. All units, priority traffic. We have information
from a citizen leaving a house. >> Oh jeez. >> All bountiful, return to talk. All
powerful swarm return to talk. >> Victim's wife, daughter, and daughter's boyfriend are all on the couch. Suspect
was sitting in a chair just behind the couch. >> Daughter has another daughter that was
sleep is sleeping downstairs that should be waking up in the next couple of minutes. Suspect gain access to the
house through an unlocked window in the basement. After SWAT teams arrive and are quickly
briefed on the situation, they begin coordinating their next steps, preparing to establish containment and open
negotiations with Joseph. But before a plan can fully take shape, someone is spotted exiting the back door of the
Samuelson home. >> Say female one side. John. >> Miraculously, the daughter who'd been
sleeping in the basement somehow managed to slip outside without Joseph ever noticing. And without realizing it,
Joseph's hostage count is now down to three. With that update, commanding officers begin reassessing the situation
in real time. They review everything Joseph has done over the past 36 hours and determine that he has shown a
complete disregard for human life and willingness to escalate when under pressure. Based on that assessment,
commanders make a critical decision. SWAT teams are authorized to use deadly force if a clear opportunity presents
itself. From this point [music] forward, the priority is clear. Protect the hostages at any cost.
>> Dial the [ __ ] in. Right. This is showtime. >> Okay. Dial it in. Make sure we are
squared away. Some cities in a press shut out. Do it again. So, we're throwing a bang as soon as the
door gets open. >> Okay, >> suspect. >> I don't know where we're going yet. Hold
on. >> Don't be by or do I need left? >> Everybody see this? Right facing east. Garage is on the right. That's where the
man door is going to be. That's going to be our secondary. Okay. Front door opens
in. This is the living room we got set up. This is the kitchen area. Okay, everybody.
>> Wrong side on that. >> Yep. Wrong side of that. on this side. >> All right, fell bre. We're going to
practice to the right behind the stairs. >> Wait, if daughter snuck out window, that
means the bottom window is open, right? >> This is the fastest way to get this fast.
>> It's the fastest way. We have a flashbang. We're going to reset his loop and come in. Let's keep practicing.
Wherever he's at in this room, you guys are going to [ __ ] >> two banks. >> Two banks.
>> Want to do two bangs? >> No, one bank. >> Just one. >> Just one bank. >> With deadly force authorized, a
coordinated plan is put into motion. one designed to end the threat and extract the hostages safely. A sniper will be
positioned nearby, ready to take Joseph out if he's exposed, and a clear shot presents itself. At the same time,
negotiators will make contact with Joseph, work to slow him down, gain compliance, and convince him to release
the hostages, and surrender peacefully. If that fails, they have one secondary objective. Get Joseph to step outside
because if he does, even briefly, it could create the opening the sniper needs. With three innocent lives at
risk, there's no room for error. One wrong move and everything ends tragically. We're good. Thanks, man.
The officer assigned as the sniper is Jared Tadahara, a long-erving police officer who moved from patrol and street
crime work into a specialized SWAT sniper role. After arriving on scene, Tadhara conducts a quick tactical
assessment and moves into a nearby house facing the Samson home. From here, he has a clear view of the backside of the
house, a position that allows observation without being easily visible to the suspect and provides a safe
distance to avoid interfering with perimeter officers. But Tadihara isn't working alone. Every sniper has a
spotter, a second officer responsible for range calculations, wind assessments, and most critically,
confirming that the shot is clear before Tadihara pulls the trigger. Across the street, negotiations continue. For the
past 3 hours, officers have been trying to reason with Joseph, urging him to surrender and release the hostages. But
Joseph refuses. He won't let anyone go and threatens to kill the entire family if officers attempt to force entry. With
three people at fatal risk, a precise sniper shot becomes the only way to end the standoff before it turns deadly. But
before officer Tadhara gets that opportunity, he receives crucial information that makes things a lot more
risky. >> Difference in suspect. Suspect appears to have shorter wider mouth. Okay. Slightly rounded face.
must actually go to the same thing. >> Unfortunately for Tatahara, the situation just became far more
complicated. One of the hostages inside is a male who closely resembles Joseph. One wrong shot and an innocent person
could be killed. With that in mind, Tadhara shifts his position to a different house across the street. He
needs an angle facing the front door of the Samson's home. The shot at this distance travels roughly 75 to 100 ft
and takes less than a second from decision to impact. At the same time, negotiators reassess their approach.
What's been alarming them throughout the standoff is that Joseph hasn't made any
traditional demands. He didn't ask for money, car, or safe passage. Instead, he's simply refusing to let anyone go.
That behavior begins to make sense once investigators provide more insight into Joseph's condition. According to them,
his mental state has been deteriorating for hours. He's been heavily using drugs
for days. His thinking is no longer rational or strategic, and his behavior is increasingly volatile. Most
concerning of all, Joseph isn't releasing the hostages or surrendering. His endgame appears to be killing people
he blames for all his problems, then forcing police to kill him or take his own life. Because of this assessment,
SWAT officers remain positioned far back to avoid provoking him. Negotiators then
ask Joseph to step outside the front door with the hostages to prove they're still alive. If he does, it will give
Tadhara a clear view and [music] a chance to take the shot. It takes time, but Joseph eventually agrees to walk to
the front door with the hostages while warning he'll shoot them if officers make any aggressive moves.
After 2 days of chasing Joseph, officers finally have a chance to bring his violent rampage to an end. With the SWAT
team nearby staged for immediate entry, Officer Tadihara prepares to take the shot. He stabilizes his rifle using a
bipod, a small stand attached to the gun, then lies prone, steadies his [music] aim, and slows down his
breathing. A few seconds pass, and then the front door begins to open. Out. Go, go, go.
Out. Out. Go. Go. Go. Go go go go go. >> I think we're good right now. >> Unless they start calling somebody this
door. This one. This door. One more. One more. One more. >> Police. Police. Police. Holy.
>> Got you. We got him. We got him. We got him. >> Hands up. Hands up, bro. >> I mean, I don't know. Maybe a piece of
his skull hit me or something. I don't know. You're good. You're good. >> You sure?
>> Yeah. You're good. Let me see. Let me see. >> Maybe a piece of his skull hit me. Can I
hit Something hit me? Can I point? Something hit me. Right. I see. I see. >> What do you see?
>> He's okay. He's okay. >> Grab him. Grab him. Okay. You okay? You got anything?
>> She's shaking. >> Yep. [laughter] I got you. I got you. Just hold on to me. Hold on to me. I got
you. >> Don't get me over. Okay, >> you're safe. You are safe. >> After more than 6 hours trapped inside
with an armed, unstable man, the entire family survives, an outcome that just minutes earlier felt far from
guaranteed. [music] At the front door, Joseph Manhard lies critically wounded. Paramedics rush him to the hospital, but
[music] despite life-saving efforts, he's later pronounced dead. Investigators later determined that
Joseph's actions were driven by a rapid collapse. His failed relationship and heavy drug use pushed him into
increasingly violent and reckless behavior. By the end, he wasn't trying to escape or survive. He was acting like
someone who had nothing left to lose.

If you're struggling with OCD or unrelenting intrusive thoughts, NOCD can help. Book a free 15 minute call to get started: https://learn.nocd.com/insanity

--- This sniper just took a shot at an armed fugitive holding a family of 5 hostage in their home.

The gunman, Joseph Anthony Manhard, is a man with a purpose. He has a vendetta, and he’s going on a rampage - planning to kill his ex-girlfriend and multiple other people who wronged him in the past.

Police don’t know how far he’s gotten on his list of targets, and if they don’t capture him here, this family could be next. ---

This video was made for educational purposes only. The video is presented to provide genuine footage of police incidents to promote transparency in government while providing educational, informative and newsworthy content allowing viewers to examine and assess public safety material. This is a fact-checked documentary using authoritative sources. The individuals shown in this video have not been convicted of any crime and are legally presumed innocent unless proven otherwise in a court of law. This material is intended solely for educational and informational purposes and represents personal analysis and commentary. Nothing presented should be interpreted as legal counsel, and the observations provided may not include all circumstances or reflect the final charges in each case. This video features real police-related footage shared to support public awareness and government transparency. The content is designed to inform and educate viewers on public safety matters and is presented as a documentary relying on verified and credible sources. All materials used were lawfully obtained through public records requests and are available to the public. The footage is utilized strictly for journalistic, documentary, and educational purposes under the Fair Use doctrine outlined in Section 107 of the U.S. Copyright Act.**

Brief Summary

A police manhunt for Joseph Manhard escalates to a hostage situation, ending with a dramatic rescue and his death.

Key points

A Family in Danger. A sniper takes a shot at a fugitive holding a family hostage.
The Vendetta Unfolds. Joseph Anthony is on a rampage, targeting those who wronged him.
Escalating Tensions. A chilling 911 call reveals a family is being held hostage by Joseph.
The Sniper's Dilemma. With three lives at risk, Officer Tadhara must make a precise shot to save them.
Hostage Situation Escalates. Joseph refuses to surrender, threatening to kill hostages if police intervene.
A Narrow Escape. After a tense standoff, the family is rescued, but Joseph is critically wounded.

Episode highlights

Episode quotes

This is showtime.

0:52WatchJan 23, 2026

Tension

85/ 100High tension

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