Body Cam Footage Shows Horrifying Moment Police Taser Suicidal Man With Machete And Blowtorch As House Goes Up In Flames

Police in West Jordan, Utah, were called to the scene of a domestic disturbance on New Year’s Eve after a man, 36-year-old Brandon Morgan, threatened to kill himself and was attacking family members. The man was holding a machete and a blowtorch when police arrived and had already slit his own wrists and set a curtain in the family home ablaze. As police entered, their body cam footage captured the horrifying ordeal as they used a taser on the man and pulled him from the burning home.

The Daily Mail reports that police responded to the incident on New Year’s Eve and found Brandon Morgan standing in the middle of the family home holding a machete and blowtorch. Morgan had already set a curtain in the home on fire with the blowtorch and slit his wrists. When police arrived, the suicidal man allegedly told police to shoot him but they refused and instead used a taser on the man. As Morgan fell to the floor, police pulled his body from the burning home. The horrifying body cam footage begins as police kick in the door to the home where Morgan is standing inside.

The dramatic video footage shows the police kick in the door before finding Morgan standing near a curtain that was lit on fire with a blowtorch. He is holding a machete as police fire a taser at the man and he drops to the floor. A second officer rushes to the man’s side and kicks away the machete as the curtains burn in the background. The police officers drag the man by one arm out of the home as he lay flat on his stomach. The fire continues to roar in the background as the police make an exit through a garage.

Mug shot of West Jordan arson suspect, 36 y/o Brandon Morgan. @abc4utah #utcrime pic.twitter.com/jCXW0nNk1Q

— ABC4 Aldo (@ABC4_Aldo) January 2, 2016

After Brandon Morgan was taken outside he was handcuffed and the officer turned around and saw the house now engulfed in flames. He approached the house but realized the extent of the fire and the police officers quickly pulled Morgan away from the home. According to a Go Fund Me page setup by the family, the home was completely gutted by the fire and was considered a complete loss. The family also noted that five pets were killed in the house fire, including three dogs and two cats.

West Jordan Police Chief Doug Diamond is praising the heroic efforts of the police officers in this case, noting that they acted in accordance with not only their own safety, but the safety of the suicidal Morgan as well.

“The officers acted heroically by getting him out of the house with their lives being threatened, too, not just by the suspect, but by the fire. They were concerned for his safety.”

The family is still waiting on word as to whether the insurance will cover the loss of the home and contents noting that the policy may not cover arson.

“Because this fire was caused through an act of domestic violence that ended with the loss of the house and everything within, it is unknown whether the home owners insurance will cover any of the family’s loss. “

The West Jordan Police Department says that Morgan is being charged with aggravated arson, aggravated assault, domestic violence, and aggravated cruelty to animals. He is currently being held in Salt Lake County Jail waiting to be presented to a judge for the mentioned charges.

What do you think of the dramatic body cam footage? Do you think the police acted heroically, saving the suicidal man from the blaze?

[Image via West Jordan Police Body Cam via Youtube]