EMS guy told me this story. Barricaded EDP [emotionally disturbed person] in an apartment. Standoff lasts for hours. Finally the police decide to break the door down. First cop in gets a pot of cold water thrown in his face. After they restrain the man the cop asks why he threw cold water on him?
Man, paramedics always have some of the craziest stories. They definitely don't get paid enough for what they do and have to go through, especially in bigger cities.
When a cop tells stories about the crazy things they've seen on their job, they are usually talking about something they saw over a paramedic's shoulder.
The bucket of confetti is a warning to the breach team that they are expected. They do not have the element of surprise and the trap-setter has prepared.
If they proceed, further traps may be more lethal, and the breach team will have only themselves to blame.
This is why we should reintroduce knock-and-talk, so that law enforcement can re-establish their relationship with the public as a mutualist one.