US Marshals Assistant Chief James Tapp called it a miracle that none of the officers’ firearms discharged when they plummeted to the ground.
The dramatic collapse occurred on July 21 in Randolph County, Missouri, when a federal task force of four deputy US Marshals and five Randolph County sheriff’s deputies swarmed the second-floor deck of Jacob Alexander Munoz’s home. The wooden deck suddenly detached from the structure and gave way, sending the heavily armed team crashing several feet down and trapping them beneath a pile of beams.
Five of the nine officers who fell were hospitalized with broken bones, torn muscles, and concussions, according to authorities. Fellow law enforcement members rushed into the rubble to pull their colleagues to safety. All nine managed to avoid more serious injuries, and no civilians were hurt in the incident.
“When I saw that video and at the scene saw the length of decking that had collapsed, it’s a miracle they weren’t more seriously injured,” Steven Lewis, the US marshal for the Eastern District of Missouri, said.
Tapp emphasized the professionalism of the team under extreme circumstances. “The fact that they hit the ground in two seconds and there was no accidental discharge of any firearms — that shows the training and discipline of the task force officers and deputies that were involved,” he said.
The federal task force had been carrying out a multiweek enforcement operation called Operation Adam’s Watch, named in honor of Adam Walsh, 6, who was abducted and murdered in Florida in 1981. That morning, the crew of US Marshals and local police had 30 warrants for convicted sex offenders who failed to register their addresses.
Munoz, 26, was among those targeted. He had been convicted for child pornography possession and had stopped reporting to his parole officer. He turned out not to be in the apartment at the time of the collapse, but later surrendered to authorities.
In the viral moment captured on bodycam footage obtained by NBC News, the officers are seen standing on the deck before it abruptly gives way beneath them. The clip shows the entire structure detaching from the home and collapsing in a heap, with officers tumbling into the debris below. The dramatic footage quickly spread online, drawing attention to the dangers faced by law enforcement during routine warrant services.
Munoz was taken into custody after surrendering to authorities following the incident.