While investigating a shooting in 2016, Mount Vernon Police Department officers attempted contact at a residence in the area when shots came from the house striking one officer in the head. Shortly after, the suspect called 911 saying he had hostages, a bomb, and that he had texted the mayor. Officers eventually learned that the suspect was a potential third-strike convicted felon looking at the possibility of life in prison. This presentation will discuss how the negotiating team found itself communicating with a subject who had little incentive to surrender, dealing with the politics of having the mayor on-scene, outside influences from the media, and working through a transition of negotiating teams.