REEL 03

In Nov. 2008 a Phoenix woman was attacked and mauled by two pit bull dogs. A passerby dialed 911 to report that a “man” was being attacked, and that the dogs had pulled off all his clothes. The 911 includes the officers arriving and shooting the dogs. Victim Carol Corona recovered with serious arm injuries.

In Nov. 2008 two women at a Palm Desert (Calif.) Toys R Us became involved in a dispute. At some point their two husbands joined the dispute, and one pulled a handgun and shot the other. Someone dialed 911 and reached the Riverside County sheriff’s comm center.

In Dec. 2008 a Fayetteville (NC) officer responded to 911 calls of hearing loud reports. Shortly after arriving, he radioed for EMS for a suspect who had been shot, and who later died.

In Dec. 2008 a Warren County (NJ) woman found her father, Arthur Seiple on the floor of his condo, and dialed 911 to report he was all bloody. During the call Berit Osborne discovered that his throat was slashed, and said he had been murdered. Rachel Atkinson, 26, has been arrested for the murder.

In Nov. 2008 a Garner (NC) woman dialed 911 to report that the family had found her toddler grandson dead inside the apartment closet of her son. The baby had been reported missing weeks earlier. The mother was arrested as a suspect. Read more here .

In Dec. 2008 a Vale (NC) resident saw a burglary at the nearby Randy Willis Grocery, called the store owner, and then dialed 911 when she saw Willis arrive and encounter the two burglars. Willis shot and killed one suspect, and his son also dialed 911 to report the shooting to Lincoln County 911 on this logging tape.

In Dec. 2008 a utility worker in Orange County (Fla.) dialed 911 after he discovered a human skull inside a plastic bag, about 1/4-mile away from the home of Caylee Anthony, a 3 year-old girl who has been missing for several months. Orange County sheriff’s deputies had already arrested her mother Casey Anthony based on circumstantial evidence in the high-profile case.

In Dec. 2008 Gloria Williams dialed 911 in West Palm Beach (Fla.) to say that her daughter’s ex-boyfriend was in violation of a restraining order by coming to their apartment, and that he was threatening them with a gun. Daughter Laronda Becker came on the phone, and within 4 minutes Reginald Johnson forced his way into the room and shot Becker to death, and then shot himself (not fatally). Listen to the timing and content of the calltaker’s questions. Read about the incident here .

In Dec. 2008 Louisville (Ken.) police stopped the car of two burglary suspects after a short chase. The suspects fled on foot–one was caught and the other fled, but doubled back to steal an LPD car. Officers chased the car for 13 minutes, eventually crossing the I-65 bridge to adjacent Jeffersonville (Ind.) and driving into the Ohio River. The suspect was shot by police as he emerged from the water with a handgun.

In Dec. 2008 a Gulfport (Fla.) convenience store was robbed by two hooded suspects, and two employees were shot in front of a trio of their children. The 11 year-old son of the store owner dialed 911 for help in this 911 call.

In Dec. 2008 Bruce Pardo dressed as Santa Claus and drove to his ex-wife’s home, knocked on the door and began shooting the occupants attending a family holiday party. He also sprayed flammable liquid from a device, setting the house on fire. Nine persons were killed, and Pardo then drove to his brother’s house and fatally shot himself. Covina PD released logging tapes of the 911 calls describing what had happened.

In Dec. 2008 a 3 year-old Raleight (NC) boy was accidentally shot as he played with his father’s handgun. Eric Hinton was jailed on involuntary manslaughter and gun charges in the death of his son Pharrell Hinton. The child’s brother dialed 911, but quickly handed the phone to Eric Hinton.

In Dec. 2008 10 year-old Anthony Akins-Bomhoff fell through the ice at a Topkea (Kan.) park pond while trying to retrieve a remote control airplane. His 7 year-old brother grabbed a cellular phone to dial 911 for help. Anthony was rescued and was successfully treated at a hospital.

In Dec. 2008 Putnam County (Fla.) sheriff’s deputies arrested Clint Horvatt for the murder of his wife-to-be. He claimed she was killed during a roadside robbery attempt, but deputies later learned he hired another man to kill his fiancé, and that he buried the couple’s wallet and purse in his back yard. They say he lied when he called 911 to report the incident and made up the information he gave to the dispatcher.

In Dec. 2008 LaPorte County (Ind.) prosecutor Jennifer Evans was grazed by a bullet accidentally fired while she and her husband were handling a firearm. She was struck in the head but wasn’t seriously injured. The two were retrieving guns they had hidden from a babysitter and their children when they went out for the evening. The first call is from the husband, and the second call is the dispatcher calling him back.

In Dec. 2008 a Onslow County (NC) man dialed 911 from home to say an intruder had attacked him with a knife and then struck his wife with a hammer. Sheriff’s deputies investigated the incident, but concluded that Jonathan Gould, a Marine corporal, had lied about the incident during and after the 911 call. They arrested him for assault, while his wife slowly recovered in a hospital.

In Jan. 2009 a Walton County (Fla.) man and his ex-wife were allegedly practicing their quick-draw at 3 a.m., he with a .45-cal. and she with a .38-cal. handgun. The man, Ricky Wells, 59, was shot in the head and died. Sue Wells is a suspect. During her 14-minute call, she put the phone down and wailed, as the dispatcher tried to call her back to the line.

In Jan. 2009 a Fairborn (Ohio) man dialed 911 when his girlfriend’s 2 year-old went unconscious. Fairborn dispatcher “Ward” attempted to give him CPR instructions, but the man was frantic. Juliana Berry was taken to a hospital, where she died two days later. Police are awaiting a coroner’s report before considering any charges.

In Jan. 2009 a Portage County (Ind.) woman dialed 911 when a man broke into her home, and she grabbed a gun and held him until police arrived. The man claimed to have been chased by gang members and was seeking shelter. The woman dialed 911 while holding the man on the floor until police arrive to yell, “Get down!”

In Jan. 2009 a Pierson (Fla.) 17 year-old girl, Ana Diaz, accidentally burned herself with flaming gasoline at a bonfire. She had to dial 911 herself because her relatives did not speak English. Volusia County dispatchers spoke to her for 8 minutes while EMS units responded.

In Jan. 2009 Boulder Creek (N. Calif.) resident Sarah Wildflower couldn’t make it to the hospital to have her baby, and Santa Cruz Consolidated Communications dispatcher Bill Burnett gave the father-to-be instructions on delivering the baby on the front porch of their home.

In Jan. 2009 a petroleum tank at the Silver Eagle Refinery in Woods Cross (Utah) caught fire, prompting an employee to dial 911 for help. The fire in a 10,000-gallon gasoline tank critically injured four employees.

In April 2008 Jordan Gonnering returned to his girlfriend’s Madison (Wisc.) apartment to find the door kicked in and Brittany Zimmermann shot to death. He dialed 911 for help and spoke to an unnamed Dane County dispatcher. Someone from the apartment had dialed 911 one hour earlier, and the call was cut off. But county dispatcher Rita Gahagan failed to call back the number or send police to investigate. In Jan. 2009 police released this edited logging tape of Gonnering’s call. A judge has agreed with police to keep the first call confidential, and has ordered it not be released to the media.

In Jan 2009 a US Airways A320 crashed into the Hudson River (NY) after striking a flock of geese while taking off from LaGuardia Airport (NY). All 158 persons survived, but the low flight and landing sparked several 911 calls.

In Jan. 2002 a freight train derailed in Minot (ND) at 2 a.m., sending toxic chlorine gas throughout the sleeping town. One person died and 330 were injured by the fumes. In this Democracy Now! audio Webcast, the author of a book explains how radio station ownership consolidation may have contributed to the lack of a local warning to residents. (911 audio included in the Webcast)

In Feb. 2009 a Florida man was pulled over by the Highway Patrol, but refused to display his driver’s license or registration. He ended up dialing 911, reaching the Orlando comm center, where a dispatcher transferred the call the FHP as the man yelled into the phone.

In Feb. 2009 Athens (Tenn.) businessman Jeff Beene dialed 911 when he confronted a burglary in his warehouse. Beene was holding the phone, a flashlight and rifle, and apparently ended the call after 38 seconds. Police arrived four minutes later to find him shot to death. Police chief Chuck Ziegler launched an investigation to determine who hung up–the victim or the unnamed dispatcher.

In Feb. 2009 north Sarasota (Fla.) mother Melissa Booth dialed 911 from her cellular phone, and gave her address as “Highland Avenue,” when in fact she was on “Highland Street.” Sarasota County sheriff’s dispatcher Kari Halpin sent emergency units to the “Street” address, which is in the city of Englewood, nearly 27 miles away from the mother’s home. The baby suffered a suspected heart problem and died.

In Jan. 2009 two fishermen on the Great Salt Lake (Utah) capsized their boat, sending them into the freezing water. One man dialed 911, and Utah Highway Patrol dispatcher Kathy Jo Hall talked to him for an hour, pinpointing his location and reassuring both men that help was on the way. (logging tape snippets only)

In Feb. 2009 a woman and her husband were murder in Wilmington (NC), and the woman’s adult son was identified as a suspect. A Wilmington police dispatcher talked to a tipster who knew the location of suspect Gerard Altman, while the second caller was a woman who was an acquaintance of Altman, and returned to her apartment to find him asleep inside. Read more here .

In Feb. 2009 four year-old David Mathers dialed 911 from his Bay Point (Contra Costa County, Calif.) home to report his mother was ill. In fact, Katie Mathers fainted from an allergic reaction to medicine, and struck her head on the floor tile, knocking her out. A county fire dispatcher stayed on the line with David while EMS units responded.

In Feb. 2009 Jean Fortune, 66, dialed 911 from a Boynton Beach (Fla.) Burger King to complain about his food order–he had ordered lemonade, but the clerk told him they were out of lemonade, and offered him Coke instead.

In Oct. 2008 a Beaumont (Tex.) woman was being held hostage, and dialed 911 under the pretext of calling her employer. BPD dispatcher Lynne Kadilis fielded the call and realized the woman was under duress. Kadilis received the comm center’s Dispatcher of the Year (2008) award for her handling of the incident (call snippet).

In Feb. 2009 a 13 year-old Campbell County (Virg.) youth slipped on this ice while hunting, and his .243-cal. rifle discharged, striking and killing his 10 year-old friend. During a 12-minute call, the boy tells the dispatcher what happened, and the tragedy is obvious in his voice.

In Feb. 2009 a man dialed 911 from the Westfield Annapolis Mall to say he saw suspicious activity inside a car in the parking lot–possibly sexual activity. An officer arrived, recognized the vehicle as belonging to county executive John Leopold, and dispo’d the call as “unfounded.” Controversy followed after the press learned of the incident and the logging tapes of the 911 call and radio traffic.

In Feb. 2009 a five-year old girl was apparently kidnapped from Putnam County (Fla.). The father’s girlfriend Misty Croslin dialed 911 when she found Haleigh Cummings missing from the home at 3 a.m., followed by a callback to her father, Ronald Cummings.

In Jan. 2008 bed-ridden Brenda Orr dialed 911 when she awoke to find her be on fire. Her call rang for several seconds unanswered at the Buck County (Penn.) comm center, and the dispatcher who answered then asked to put her on hold. But Orr told him, “911 emergency,” and gave her address. By the time firefighters arrived, the house was on fire and Orr was found dead beside the bed. Two dispatchers were disciplined over the incident. Read the county’s official statement and listen to audio of the press conference here .

In Oct. 2007 a group of youths beat and robbed visitors to Schiller Park in Columbus (Ohio), prompting a 911 call from one of the victims. Police surrounded the area, and with the help of a helicopter located the youths and arrested them. Read more here .

The Wisconsin State Journal newspaper posted a collection of critical incidents handled by four Dane County dispatchers during 2008.

In Feb. 2009 a woman in Stamford (Conn.) was attacked and seriously injured by a pet chimpanzee who lived with a 70 year-old woman. During the attack, owner Sandra Herold armed herself with a butcher knife to attack the animal, but then dialed 911 and told the dispatcher that police should kill the chimp. Police arrived, and when the chimp attempted to enter one of the patrol cars where an officer had sought refuge, the officer shot and killed the chimp. (tape of 911 call and radio traffic)

In Feb. 2009 a US Airways A320 Airbus landed in the Hudson River (NYC) after hitting geese during a take-off. Listen to the FDNY radio channels recorded by a scannerist in 15-minute blocks.