Cop Begs for Her Life After Unexpected Encounter With Killer

In today’s body camera video, we’re reporting on the case of Kenneth Martell and educating the public on proper police procedures.

Not a big deal I just have to make sure you know you don’t have any warrants or anything which I’m sure you don’t once I confirm that you’ll be on your way no big deal 4596 No if you stop I’ll leave I’ll leave okay let go when a routine vehicle check goes arai an unlucky policewoman finds herself face to face with an officer’s worst nightmare at 5:00 a.m. on Thursday July 26th 2018 Lake County Illinois police officer Brianna tadesco is on a routine patrol around the small village

Of Lakemore she notices hidden down a secluded Gravel Road on the side of a golf course A peculiar stopped vehicle with its headlights off as she approaches to investigate she makes sure to alert nearby officers of her whereabouts per protocol this early in the morning before before the crack of

Dawn her brain is likely operating on autopilot hello 8511 it’s going to be occupied by one mail we see the officer blinding the man with her flashlight which gives her an advantage however she should instruct him to turn his vehicle off she should also ask that he remove his keys from

The ignition and step out of the vehicle hi good how are you what are you doing pars back here while okay where are you coming from how long have you been here okay where are you headed oh West I just got off the okay how would you find this

Place what AC oh that’s pretty that’s pretty weird do you happen to have a driver’s license on you that I could see you don’t have a driver’s license no not on you do you have anything with your name on it what about your vehicle registration anything with your name on

It I think something wrong no no but you’re parked on private property right now it’s suspicious that you’re back here this it doesn’t normally happen you’re sleeping so I needed to check out you make sure that you are all right um but I do need to identify who you are

The man looks sleepy and disoriented his movements sluggish and words badly slurred while his safety is still on the Forefront of Officer tedesco’s mind it’s also highly suspicious for cars to be so deliberately hidden because of this officer tadesco shouldn’t allow the suspect to be moving around freely and

She should be keeping a close eye on his hands she should ask if he has any weapons on him or in his vehicle and again she should inst instruct him to turn off his car you didn’t do anything wrong I just need to make sure that you’re okay I’m change dun but I

Don’t got change you know I’ve been on the road okay not a big deal I just have to make sure you know you don’t have any warrants or anything which I’m sure you don’t once I confirm that you’ll be on your way no big deal d n k i n j

James last part D N okay I am and out of what state do you have a driver’s license Pennsylvania 8511 I have a name and date of birth out of Pennsylvania last name is going to be Duncan while officer Tesco Waits For the record check to come back she can’t

Shake the feeling that something isn’t quite right here did you spit out your window last night feel a little dirty there like you threw up or something she checks the ETA of her partner officer Anthony Lono who’s having trouble finding the location passing temper we’re just after the tow

Houses we’re pulled off to the side on some of them like we kind of hidden turns out there’s a bit of a problem with this James Duncan story we’re no record for either Illinois or Pennsylvania all right so you said your name was James right so how come they

Can’t find you out of Pennsylvania they’re not finding it’s uh driver’s license record for James Duncan the officer now realizes there’s a serious issue unfortunately the suspect has likely heard the dispatcher’s update as well this would be a good time to get the man out of the

Vehicle and to do a pat down to ensure he doesn’t have any weapons on him she could potentially detain him and cuff him while she awaits back up if nothing else she should at least order the man to keep his hands in plain sight such as

On a steering wheel do you have anything in the vehicle with your name on it 4596 If you stop I’ll leave I’ll leave okay let go let go no no no please don’t shoot me pleasee at this point a single shot is fired and the suspect is fatally wounded footage of the terrifying incident has been redacted 8521 supect oh my God Anthony 21 shots fired he had two

Guns all right cover me step to the Side res started St all right I’m calling for just 11 and 21 information on that vehic looks like it’s connected to a homicide it’s unfortunate that this Revelation that the vehicle is connected to a homicide didn’t come sooner 104 if you go ahead and make notifications Command force please noic to

Command the ID was really a scrap of paper a distraction meant to catch officer Tesco offg guard before she was ambushed but by a miracle officer Tedesco was saved at the last moment when officer Lo aono heard officer tedesco’s radio traffic about the false name he increased his speed to get to

The location when he arrived and heard his partner screaming aloud he sprinted over Gunn drawn seeing the suspect brandishing two revolvers he opened fire and put a single round through the windshield the suspect is now slumped back in the driver’s seat threat neutralized but then another reality

Sinks in our suspect in custody we have one male with a gunshot wounded the head pumped with adrenaline the officer secure the scene disarmed the firearms and quickly call for backup if there’s a chance they can save the suspect’s life they have to try their best

I pulled I I heard screaming and I wasn’t I was trying I didn’t know if it was you if it I was trying to grab my radio to scream 10:32 and he grabbed my arm and I was like I’ll leave he was like okay then let go my gun and I was

Like no I can’t do that was he sleeping or yeah I’m pretty sure he’s drunk because he had that look on his face yeah but he’s got beer in the back an no bottle right there you right right I’m a little scared like I’m waiting for him to pop back up seeing as

How the officer still fears for her safety she could have handcuffed the man it would be best not to touch or unload the weapons in the vehicle as their evidence however adrenaline is very high and it’s easy to say what should have been done in hindsight I don’t know what

Would have happened if he didn’t get there I like looked down I was looking at that paper and then I I heard him reaching for something in the in the door and all I saw is the Barrel in my face and so I grabbed it with both hands

To try to push it down and then he started grabbing for the second gun and that’s when I was like please don’t shoot me because I couldn’t let go of his gun to get mine he had the gun in my head okay are you okay I’m good I’m a

Little like but I’m okay okay he would have shot the my off here comes the ambulance both officers are understandably in shock from the encounter the ambulance has arrived and the medical team has brought up to speed on the horrifying encounter that has just occurred doesn’t look like he’s

Still breathing does he self-inflicted no not self-inflicted you guys didn’t do it no we did he was armed with two guns you guys yes it was us he was armed with two two pistols you guys yeah subject is deceased officers take stock of the Carnage judging by the

Contents of the man’s silver Kia clothes beer and various other personal items it appears that he’d been living out of the car for a while the deceased man’s vehicle contained various weapons including multiple firearms and a crossbow while the suspect’s life came to an end on that day in 2018 responding

Officers managed to narrowly escape with their own lives intact then comes a wave of shocking Bombshells no one could have predicted confirmed there is a full warrant for that subject for murder for homicide out of Pennsylvania the vehicle was wanted out of meville Pennsylvania that says it was supposed to be occupied

By Kenneth Edwin maral the deceased man in the car is or was 36-year-old Kenneth Martell from Pennsylvania with a history of public drunkenness and petty crime but petty crime doesn’t exactly cause someone to flee and travel hundreds of miles across state lines no Kenneth Martell was wanted for the heinous crime

A first-degree murder just days prior on July 23rd back in Pennsylvania Kenneth had invaded the countryside home of retired 88-year-old lawyer Theodore Garver once inside in a random unprovoked act Kenneth tied robbed and brutally stabbed him to death then reportedly Kenneth abducted his own mother and her boyfriend at gunpoint and

Forced them to dispose of the body at a nearby Pond Kenneth took off in his silver Kia the same car that Pennsylvania authorities had placed on alert following the gruesome murder and the same car in which he now lays reclined and lifeless with a bullet hole through the head according to the police

Reports Martell had been abusing illegal narcotics including including methamphetamine and had made paranoid statements to friends and family that the cops were going to kill him over a drug bust he told them he wasn’t going down without a fight along with the weapons and personal items investigators found court documents bellbond

Documentation and a criminal summon sheet in the name of Kenneth Martell as well as stolen property and ID cards of the victim Theodore Garver realizing that the officers just ended a Countrywide Manhunt a congratulations is an order connected to a homicide H connect to homicide good job you heard

Full extradition out of yeah homicide but this fact is hardly consolation both officers are traumatized by the events visibly shaky and trembling you right man you Shing up little shooking up officer to Desco saw her own life flash before her eyes and is lucky to be alive

You’re doing okay though I’m I’m okay okay you’re not injured physically no I mean I’m my arm is sore from rubbed against the door but I’m okay okay yeah no I’m good ready to go the home this is unrelated I slipped in the mud

Um you okay I’m okay all right I I’m a therapist I’m okay okay Officer tadesco is quite stoic she sustained more than just a wet mud stain both officers give their preliminary reports to their Chief Deputy then have their vitals checked by medical being in a near-death scenario

Can Spike blood pressure levels or lead to severe shock even hours after the fact 128 over 74 not too bad no respirations uh 22 right now what was that me you’re breathing a little faster than you probably would be normally so he was wanted for murder huh yeah the

Pennsylvania out of Pennsylvania never know what you’re going to come across right yeah little little little up yeah I I don’t know how to describe it give me adrenaline yeah I kind of feel like I I should be more shooken up than I am I guess right now a little indifferent

Maybe I I don’t know how to describe it as the crime scene winds down officer Tedesco is grateful towards her trustworthy partner I’m glad I had my use of horse with me or close me yeah thanks guys I appreciate it is it rir if I kiss you right now that

Escalated quickly very well we’re proud of you once again we really are proud of you oh man did a great job once again you I’m never doing anything without Anthony again well that’s how important partners are got a great partner yeah so at the time following the horrific

Events of July 26 the attorney’s office declared that both officers acted in self-defense and that they acted reasonably and appropriately according to the Lake County coroner at the time of death Kenneth had amphetamine methamphetamine and THC in his system despite the heroics of the moment the traumatic Aftershock persisted for

Officer Tesco symptoms of pt SD set in rapidly after 6 weeks of leave she returned to Street Patrol only to find loud noises and Solitude triggering when her requests for shorter shifts and more accommodations were denied she found herself fired leaving the force in 2022 she then sued the Lakemore police

Department and the chief of police for discrimination and retaliation her grievance includes allegations of harassment she accuses fellow officers of telling her to put on her big girl pants and sometimes failing to respond to her calls for back up while on patrol more than 4 years after the incident

Banna Tedesco is seeking her job back but she’s also studying psychology hoping to someday provide a voice for police officers struggling with mental health despite the crippling impacts of that Day in 2018 we can all be grateful that Kenneth Martell is off the streets and unable to do any more harm