>> that phone is officer whit's lifeline, but before whit can make the call, thomas maneuvers behind him to take control, and that's when the fight takes a potentially deadly turn. >> he definitely did try to go for the gun. >> but the gun is not in the holster. >> mr. thomas thought that officer whit still had his weapon. >> earlier that night whit brought thomas in through the station's secure sally port. >> prior to bringing him into the booking area, he removed his handgun and put it in the gun locker. but thomas did not see the officer put his gun away, which is why he continues to go after it, forcing whit to turn and defend himself. the violence escalates. >> it was an all out fight. there were punches. there were elbows. there was a lot of wrestling going on. to me, it looked like he was hit full force. >> officer whit isn't able to call for help, but dislodging the receiver gets the attention of the dispatcher. >> dispatcher tina thompson saw officer whit on the camera, and he was kind of hunched over. lunged over. she thought he was having some