In 1977, Man Takes Millionaire’s Son Hostage on Live TV to Expose a $5 Million Scam

In Indianapolis in 1977, Tony is driving his car and telling people off for getting in the way. When he reaches his destination, he stops the car and accidentally breaks the key. Then he grabs a box and enters the Meridian Mortgage Company. He gets upset when he sees there's a new receptionist and says he has a meeting with the company owner ML Hall. The receptionist tells him to sit and wait for a moment. Seconds later, the receptionist gets a call. She informs Tony that there's been a scheduling error and ML is on vacation right now. In Florida, ML is currently being very rude to the waiter. Tony complains to the receptionist, but he's interrupted by ML's son Richard who says Tony can have the meeting with him instead. After Richard offers his sympathies for Tony's injured arm, he takes him to ML's office. Tony makes sure to close the door before pulling out some plans from the box. Richard opens them and is confused by the drawing of a weapon. At the same time, Tony pulls out a revolver and drops his bandage, revealing that his arm is fine. He wants the world to know that this company has scammed him, so he installs a dead man's wire around Richard's neck. This wire is connected to a shotgun that will kill him if he moves too much or tries to escape. At that moment a window cleaner appears outside and Tony tenses, but Richard assures him he can't see them because the windows are one way. Then Tony makes Richard call 911. He takes over the phone and even gives the operator his full name before explaining that the Hall family ruined his life. The conversation is interrupted when the secretary knocks on the door, but Richard sends her away. Tony gives the operator the company address and says the Hall family scammed him for 5 million dollars four years ago. He calls loan companies the biggest devils there are and hangs up. Soon the police surround the building and an employee asks all clients to leave. Tony's plan is to go home, but since his keys broke he announces they're instead taking Richard's car, which is parked two blocks away. They take the stairs and find a guard, who steps away when Tony threatens to shoot Richard. In the lobby they find several police officers, but they also move to let them pass without anyone getting hurt. On the street, the rest of the cops stare at a safe distance and carefully follow them down the street. A priest approaches Tony to try to change his mind using religious quotes, but Tony insults him and keeps walking. Meanwhile Detective Michael is called as backup. He's surprised to hear Tony's name since he recognizes him as the awkward guy from the bar. Michael soon finds Tony and Richard and approaches them with a friendly attitude, trying to convince Tony to let go. At the same time, a news van tries to reach the scene but it's blocked by a police car. An officer comes out with his gun out so Michael has to yell at them to make him put it away. The reporters in the van now start recording everything. Tony slips on the snowy street and almost kills Richard but recovers just in time. Suddenly a car on the street crashes into a snow mound, and Tony gets tired of losing time. He forces an officer to give him a pair of handcuffs and puts them on Richard's wrist before telling the cops where he's going, even telling them to follow him. He then leaves in a police car by making Richard drive. Reporter Linda calls her producer and informs him that her team will follow Tony too. Several police cars follow the duo as they drive across town. Tony has to be careful when he moves because he pulls at Richard's neck and the car moves along. When they arrive at Tony's home, he tries using the car's intercom but he keeps pressing the wrong buttons, so Michael has to guide him. Michael tells him that his men are already inside, however Tony calls out his lie, explaining he booby-trapped the place with explosives. He demands that the police let him go to his apartment and tells them to get a higher up because this is serious. The reporters arrive just in time to record Tony taking Richard into the building and yelling at any cop who pulls out a gun. When the duo takes the stairs inside, recorded through the windows. In the apartment, Tony locks the door and sits Richard on a specific chair. He ties him up and connects the wire to a contraption on the table, letting the shotgun rest on a pile of books so the dead man's switch is still effective. After turning on the radio, Tony holds a glass against Richard to make him drink, saying he's a good host. He reveals that he tested the contraption for weeks and it works perfectly. Outside, other residents run out of the building while Linda reports everything for TV. Michael forces her to move behind the barricade, explaining they're evacuating the area. As Chief Gallagher arrives at the scene, Tony notices snipers appearing on neighboring roofs. He immediately yells at them, saying that he'll activate his explosives if they try anything. After seeing his building on the news, Tony yells at Richard because the company destroyed his development plans. Then Gallagher calls the house, so Tony puts the phone up to let him hear him yell at Richard. The company put so much interest in the loan that it left Tony in debt, and then ML bought the land that he was planning to use to help poor people. Tony tells Gallagher that he wants a written agreement from the company and the county clerk's office that will forgive his debt and compensate him financially. He also wants to walk out as a free man and an apology from ML. He hangs up before Gallagher can reply. When Richard complains about the tight handcuffs, Tony apologizes and promises he'll get him on a call with his family later. Around the country, people are learning the details from the news. Tony had a piece of land that he wanted to develop into a shopping center, but the mortgage company took him to other sites instead of recommending the site he had. This was on purpose to buy time and make him pay off the Eventually Richard gets to talk to his wife, and Tony sends her an apology. As soon as they hang up, Gallagher calls again and tells Tony that his brother is on the way. Then he passes the phone to Prosecutor George, who informs him that they've prepared a statement that absolves his debt and asks him to turn on Channel 9. On TV, the company's head of finances apologizes to Tony for what happened. While Tony is distracted, Richard slowly moves some paper on the table to bring the revolver closer. After the apology speech is done, Tony yells at Gallagher because he doesn't want some employee to talk for the company, he wants an apology from ML himself. He hangs up and takes the revolver from the table. Desperate for people to hear his side of the story, Tony calls the radio. The famous DJ Fred has finished his show and is about to leave, but he immediately returns to his seat when he hears that the kidnapper from the news is on the line. Fred talks to Tony and explains that the conversation is being recorded because they'll need to consult the proper authorities before putting him on the show. Tony goes on a rant about the situation, saying he's always been poor but it never bothered him because he worked hard. He claims that the Hall family ruined his life, and the damage they caused is enough to make a man want to kill. Fred stops the recording and promises to play it tomorrow morning if they get authorization. Tony is grateful and apologizes for cursing before he hangs up. Moments later, the police are listening to the tape. They ask Fred to talk about Tony tomorrow on the radio to buy them time until the FBI takes over the situation. In the apartment, Richard says he needs to use the bathroom so Tony takes him there. After Richard has relieved himself, Tony drops him in the tub and wishes him good night. Then he leaves and locks the door. The next morning, Fred plays the tape on the radio. Reporters start interviewing Tony's friends and everyone says he's a reasonable man. Soon the feds join the cops outside the building. Tony checks on Richard and offers him donuts, but Richard isn't hungry. On the news, they show the arrival of the army bomb squad and say that the agents are trying to find a way inside without setting off the booby traps. A furious Tony rushes to the building and tells them to leave, but they won't listen. Then Tony calls Fred and starts complaining about the police's dirty tricks, demanding a live press conference on national television. While Fred's wife picks up the other phone to spy on the conversation, Tony tells Fred that he likes him and hangs up. Meanwhile, George and the cops talk to Patrick, an FBI profiler. They tell him that Tony comes from a big family, who were tough people and made him tough in return. He's known to be a good friend but also a bad enemy, and he doesn't have links to organized crime. They think Tony is mad and out of control now. However, after looking at the pictures, Patrick concludes that Tony has quite the attention to detail and he wants to maintain control. He writes on the board all the things Tony is feeling. Angry, betrayed, disrespected, and humiliated. All this together results in a poop show, so Patrick thinks it's about giving him respect. In the apartment, Tony ties Richard to the chair again and rants about the system. When Richard points out that he could have jumped for the revolver many times yet he didn't, Tony points it at Richard's face and dares him to do it. Moments later, Gallagher calls Tony and tells him he has ML on the other line, but before apologizing he wants to hear his son's voice. Tony passes the phone to Richard and the cops let him talk to ML, who claims that he and his wife are very worried about Richard but they're actually still relaxing on their vacation. Richard asks if this has a solution, so ML tells him to let the lawyers solve it. However when Richard asks about the apology, ML refuses to give it, saying he won't apologize for how all businesses work. He doesn't want to ruin the company's name or admit guilt for something he didn't do. Richard starts losing his patience so Tony takes the phone and starts arguing with ML, who still refuses to apologize. When Tony threatens to shoot Richard, ML says he'll mourn his son and regret the day Tony stepped into his company. Then he hangs up. ML's wife has a breakdown because of her husband's attitude, and Tony feels so bad for Richard that he offers him a cigarette. Hours pass without other news from the police or the FBI. Tony calls the radio again and says he's worried about Richard's family because he doesn't want them to suffer because of this. In the evening, the phone rings and Tony quickly answers, only to hear a young strange voice. Giggles are heard in the background and Tony realizes he's being pranked by teenagers, so he hangs up. Richard says they should rest, but Tony refuses to do so until this is over. Outside, Linda meets Tony's brother Jimmy, who isn't happy about the way reporters have been talking about Tony. Linda offers him to appear on TV to share his side of the story. In front of the camera, Jimmy tells the public that Tony isn't a thief or a desperado like they're painting him to be. He's not asking for money just because, he just wants what is owed to him. In the apartment, Richard is back in the tub and ends up praying. Tony practices with the revolver while watching action movies on TV. In the middle of the night, Richard wakes up when he hears gunshots and Tony screaming. He manages to climb out of the tub only to collapse, so he yells for help. Tony appears at the door covered in blood and screams, but at that moment Richard wakes up from this nightmare still in the tub. The next day, Richard is back in the chair. Tony asks if he has any pets and they discuss the perfect life Richard had thanks to his father's fortune. Richard explains that he grew up with money but it wasn't a perfect childhood because ML was never a loving father. When they discuss mothers, Tony says he'll miss his and changes the subject. He plays some music and dances around the apartment. Meanwhile Fred gets tons of calls on the radio talking about Tony. Some women ask if he's single, neighbors say he's a good person, and random people call him a hero for fighting the system. Patrick informs the cops that he's made a deal with the networks to broadcast a press conference since he wants Tony to believe he has an audience. Gallagher explains that if things go wrong, he'll pull out his handkerchief as a signal and Michael will have to get Tony's shotgun. Then Gallagher will shoot Tony down. The description of how the bullet will get to the brain makes a lawyer throw up. After Tony learns that he'll get his press conference, he excitedly washes up in the bathroom. The cops soon prepare the equipment and the reporters immediately surround it. George appears in front of the cameras to read an official document, confirming that prosecutors have granted Tony full immunity from prosecution. Tony watches the broadcast with a big smile and tells Richard that soon the whole country will know his family is the worst. Outside, the cops finish setting up some equipment and Jimmy calls Tony to tell him everything is ready. When Tony turns on the TV, he gets irritated because John Wayne is on a special event and he can't compete with him. Michael then knocks on the door and Richard begs Tony to free him, saying he's learned his lesson and promising to change company policies. However Tony reattaches the dead man's wire anyway and starts dragging Richard toward the door. Richard freaks out and only stops when Tony threatens to shoot him. In the corridor, Michael acts as the duo's escort and Tony is given a document with a statement from the company. Soon they reach the cameras and Tony says he wants to be on all national channels, claiming he has friends all over the country and calling himself a hero. After making sure that Fred and Jimmy are there too, Tony makes Richard read the document. Since Richard is too afraid and keeps stumbling over the words, Tony takes the document back and reads it himself after asking for a drink. The document admits that the company tricked Tony, and he interrupts the reading to celebrate this, ranting about the system and how it takes advantage of poor people. When Gallagher is about to pull his handkerchief, Tony reads the next line which says that ML takes responsibility for everything. Everyone stares in shock as Tony cries in happiness and announces he'll frame this part. Then Tony thanks Fred for giving him a chance to tell everyone his side of the story and apologizes to Richard's family for the trouble. In the hotel, ML mocks Tony for crying and says his son is superior for staying calm. When Tony walks away with Richard, the broadcast ends. The prosecutors give Tony some documents to sign to finish the deal, and Michael takes Tony's revolver. Now the cops are allowed to finally remove the wire from Richard, who keeps thinking about his nightmare. Tony fires the shotgun at the ceiling to prove it was loaded, and the cops take the chance to tackle him and arrest him. This makes Tony freak out and he insults Jimmy for betraying him. Outside, everyone hears the shot and most civilians start running, but reporters surround George, who assures them that Richard is alive and Tony only shot to prove a point. While the reporters are busy with George, Richard is escorted to a dark corner so he can reunite with his wife. The couple is taken away in an ambulance. Tony is escorted to a police car while all the reporters record him. Patrick thanks him for his cooperation but Tony keeps insulting everyone for lying about his immunity. Eight months later, Tony's trial finally comes to an end and all national channels are broadcasting it. The jury finds Tony not guilty by reason of insanity, and he laughs as he hugs his lawyer and Jimmy. In the back, Richard and Michael are disappointed. When Tony leaves the building, Linda records him saying that he's not crazy. Then she interviews Richard, who says it's a sad day for justice and claims his company has values. Hundreds of people are waiting for Tony outside, calling him a hero. Many years later Tony and Richard see each other in a bakery. They share a look without saying anything before Tony leaves. This is based on a real story. Tony was sentenced to a mental facility and after two years, he was eligible for release. However he refused to sign the papers because it required voluntary psychiatric treatment and he claimed he didn't need it. So he ended up spending another eight years there. After the incident, Richard became an alcoholic and his company declared bankruptcy. When Richard heard about dying in 2005, he said he finally didn't have to listen to his mouth anymore. Make sure to subscribe and turn on notifications so you can watch more videos like this. Thanks for watching.