Adrenaline Overload: Video of TN deputy panic attack on call

This section is dedicated to all issues relating to training and tactics. Commercial advertisements and solicitation for your own classes are not
permitted.

Moderators: Mustang380gal, Coordinators, Moderators

Post Reply
User avatar
evan price
Forum Janitor
Forum Janitor
Posts: 9044
Joined: Sun Jul 02, 2006 9:23 pm
Location: Westfield, Ohio

Adrenaline Overload: Video of TN deputy panic attack on call

Post by evan price »

http://www.knoxnews.com/story/news/crim ... 759465001/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

The attached video shows Sevier County (TN) Sheriff''s Deputy Justin Johnson during a call for service in a trailer park. The deputy chases and apprehends a noncompliant female who resists arrest. During the struggle Deputy Johnson claims that he saw a male step from the door of a trailer and point an object at him while yelling. Believing that he was about to be fired upon he discharges his firearm several times and calls for assistance. Several minutes later the panic attack sets in.

Fortunately for Deputy Johnson and the EMTs on scene the male subject actually had a cell phone- not a weapon- and was yelling about how the deputy was treating his girlfriend.

At one point in the episode an EMT disarms the Deputy for their own safety but returns the gun once the Deputy calms down.

I'm not a law enforcement officer nor do I have any desire to be one, but I've been in situations that were- to me at least- very dangerous. I've had to draw a weapon before in fear for my life.

Let me tell you that adrenaline dump will afterwards leave you blind, deaf, incoherent and shaking.

How do you train?

Watch the video and see what really happens.
"20% accurate as usual, Morty."

Striking down evil with the mighty sword of teamwork and the hammer of not bickering!
Carpe Noctem- we get more done after 2 am than most people do all day.
carmen fovozzo
OFCC Patron Member
OFCC Patron Member
Posts: 19032
Joined: Mon Jan 29, 2007 11:08 am
Location: NEO

Re: Adrenaline Overload: Video of TN deputy panic attack on

Post by carmen fovozzo »

Sad to see a officer in that condition....only thing I can say is I hope he finds another profession.....

I to had to draw my gun to defend myself against someone younger and bigger....I can say with all honesty I had know emotional feeling at the time....I was completely calm the whole time....it hit me a hour after it was over...
Life is full of God given coincidences..
A MEMBER OF OFCC SINCE 2004...
Thanks for shopping at Charmin Carmens
Brian D.
Posts: 16226
Joined: Mon Jul 04, 2005 8:42 pm
Location: SW Ohio

Re: Adrenaline Overload: Video of TN deputy panic attack on

Post by Brian D. »

All I see in the link are still pictures from the video, words, and too many rahsin' fahsin' advertisements. I'll try a real computer later.

Like Carmen, the couple times I had to draw, I was able to do it smoothly and was (barely) able to hold fire when the aggressive action towards me was broken off by the bad guys. In both cases I got outta Dodge quickly via automobile and stopped to do a little self assessment a few miles away. No panic, but EXTREME feeling of relief.

In emergency sevice jobs there needs to be some training that induces a certain amount of stress, to get an idea if someone just isn't going to be suited to the jobs' hazards and stressors. But no such evaluation is perfect.
Quit worrying, hide your gun well, shut up, and CARRY that handgun!

********************************************************************************
1911 and Browning Hi Power Enthusianado.
M-Quigley
Posts: 4768
Joined: Wed Jun 24, 2015 10:06 pm
Location: Western Ohio

Re: Adrenaline Overload: Video of TN deputy panic attack on

Post by M-Quigley »

Brian D. wrote:All I see in the link are still pictures from the video, words, and too many rahsin' fahsin' advertisements. I'll try a real computer later.

Like Carmen, the couple times I had to draw, I was able to do it smoothly and was (barely) able to hold fire when the aggressive action towards me was broken off by the bad guys. In both cases I got outta Dodge quickly via automobile and stopped to do a little self assessment a few miles away. No panic, but EXTREME feeling of relief.

In emergency sevice jobs there needs to be some training that induces a certain amount of stress, to get an idea if someone just isn't going to be suited to the jobs' hazards and stressors. But no such evaluation is perfect.
The Sheriff's dept. may have very well done that with his academy training, but I couldn't tell from the article how long he had been a deputy. Was this his first real life encounter of this kind? If not, could his medical condition have changed since he was hired?
Brian D.
Posts: 16226
Joined: Mon Jul 04, 2005 8:42 pm
Location: SW Ohio

Re: Adrenaline Overload: Video of TN deputy panic attack on

Post by Brian D. »

I got no answers for you, M-Q. But I was able to view the video yesterday, on a gen-u-wine desktop computer. As a former fire/EMS person, I wonder if those medics weren't on scene before it was declared safe by LE. But there are many variables which can affect that. Too many times we got dispatched to an address with the only descriptor being "injured person". Police sometimes didn't show up on those, unless we called for them.
Quit worrying, hide your gun well, shut up, and CARRY that handgun!

********************************************************************************
1911 and Browning Hi Power Enthusianado.
User avatar
DontTreadOnMe
OFCC Patron Member
OFCC Patron Member
Posts: 1750
Joined: Wed May 02, 2012 11:11 am
Location: SW Ohio

Re: Adrenaline Overload: Video of TN deputy panic attack on

Post by DontTreadOnMe »

Brian D. wrote:I got no answers for you, M-Q. But I was able to view the video yesterday, on a gen-u-wine desktop computer. As a former fire/EMS person, I wonder if those medics weren't on scene before it was declared safe by LE.
According to the link the paramedic was onsite already because a "“morbidly obese female” had fallen inside one of the homes and was complaining about {the} landlord" and the paramedic called for police because "Among the woman’s claims was that Sutton and Cody had stolen her purse."

Any thoughts on why the officer had his gun out in the first place? From the story it sounds like a welfare check / alleged purse theft. Even if someone did try to flee the scene, is that a situation allowing the officer to escalate to a deadly force response? This story sounds to me like a whole lot of excessive force by the responding officer.
M-Quigley
Posts: 4768
Joined: Wed Jun 24, 2015 10:06 pm
Location: Western Ohio

Re: Adrenaline Overload: Video of TN deputy panic attack on

Post by M-Quigley »

carmen fovozzo wrote:Sad to see a officer in that condition....only thing I can say is I hope he finds another profession.....

I to had to draw my gun to defend myself against someone younger and bigger....I can say with all honesty I had know emotional feeling at the time....I was completely calm the whole time....it hit me a hour after it was over...
Regarding the bolded, it's how I felt also in most situations, particularly if they were sudden short ones.

It seemed like back in the day my experience with stressful situations that might lead to a DGU, whether you actually fire a round or not, is that there seemed to be two different categories of situations.

The first situation is you are in condition yellow, aware but not on edge, everything's going fine and has been for a while, and then something happens to cause you to quickly go to condition red (a DGU) It seemed like some people would freeze up, I guess not believing it was really happening, or they reacted the way they were trained, without emotion being involved in it.

The second one is you are already in a tense situation, (what Cooper called condition Orange) but it doesn't rise to the level of pointing a gun at someone or shooting. For example, you're trying to secure a suspect whose resisting arrest, and the suspects family and friends are there, and you don't know what they are doing to do, you're waiting for more backup, etc. Sometimes it doesn't even involve an arrest, just a large hostile crowd. A few of those tense situations can last a long time, and the longer they last, the tenser some people get, on both sides. (like the 1980 Miami riots) One of the guards at night during that time was almost acting like Jim Belusi in the movie Animal House, when Belusi was sneaking around at night :roll:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XbRjfsHzUNI" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
Post Reply