Newly released bodycam footage captures the intense moments when a Martin County Sheriff’s Office (MCSO) SWAT team member disarmed a bank robbery suspect by shooting a knife out of his hand, ending a tense standoff.
The incident unfolded after 50-year-old Reginald Bernard Daniels attempted to rob a Seacoast Bank in Hobe Sound. Daniels then barricaded himself inside a nearby boarding house, leading to a standoff with deputies. He later confessed that he was hoping for a “suicide-by-cop” scenario.
For over an hour, Daniels refused to surrender, waving a large knife in and out of a bedroom doorway. The bodycam footage shows a SWAT member positioned with a rifle, while another member below him is armed with a less-lethal weapon.
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The team waited for the opportune moment, then fired the less-lethal round, dislodging the knife from Daniels’ hand.
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Once disarmed, Daniels emerged from the room and surrendered without further incident. He was arrested and charged with attempted armed robbery and aggravated assault.
“Not all situations can or will end with this type of outcome; however, the work done by the detectives, deputies, and the Martin County Sheriff’s SWAT Team in this instance should be commended,” the Sheriff’s Office said in a statement.
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