knives in each hand. the only option he had to stop the threat to him and fellow officers was to use the fire arm. officer heppler shot the suspect and save himself, the other officers, and undoubtably the suspect's sister from being stabbed. for these actions they are being awarded the silver medal of valor. congratulations. [applause] > captain feeney, and lt. mak

solomon, ryan, lieu and reyes. >> good evening. as commanding officer of park station i was looking forward to

sharing with you the outstanding office actions of these officer. however, i will stand down for officer solomon. i would be remiss if i did not mention and acknowledge that this is the last medal of valor award ceremony that mark will attend as an active member of the standards as the police department. mark is retiring next friday after a 32-year career. at present mark solomon. [applause] >> please, it is not about me. it is about them. thank you. thank you. it is my distinct honor to stand before you and speak on behalf of these fine officers, sergeant

scott ryan, a albertalbert lieu and reyes. tuesday, june 7, 2011, the fbi contacted the san francisco police department robbery abatement team providing them with specific information about two incidents that occurred in irvine, california. an armed white male suspects driving a gray bmw had committed to armed bank robberies. the suspect had already proven himself dangerous and desperate when he attempted to run down responding deputy sheriffs in order to effectively escape from one of the bank robberies. using the gps, the getaway car was located in our city at one of this the park. -- beuna vista park.

the suspects gray bmw was found precisely with gps. the car was legally parked and unattended. the robbery abatement team maintain surveillance of the -- of the vehicle for hours, but no signs of activity. park station please -- plain clothes officer under the direction of sergeant scott ryan and robert lieu adnd reyes observed. they noticed until lights were on and the sun roof was opened. officer lew quickly executed a u-turn and confirmed it was occupied by the suspect. officers immediately got out of the car, drew their weapons and began giving verbal commands. they identified themselves, told a suspect he was under

arrest and ordered them to surrender. the officers instinctively trying to related on the vehicle. officer ray is move to position your their rear passenger side of the suspect's car. officer lew move to their rear of the driver's side of the vehicle parked to the left -- officer lieu. they recognize the suspects flight reaction, but officers continue to give firm, clear, commands. the suspect abruptly threw his car into reverse, accelerating rapidly from his parking space. as he reversed rapidly, the suspect smashed into the vehicle, flanking the driver's side of the bmw with sufficient force to drive that car towards officer and into the car parked next to it. he had to jump up on the back of

the car that was knocked out towards him in order to avoid being pinched between the vehicles. the suspect recklessly with the vehicle back in nearly missed the police car and start right in. the reversing past now placed officer reyes and in harm's way. officers were fearful for their lives and the lives of other officers with them, having observed the callous disregard that was already demonstrated by this desperate fugitive. he subsequently moved to the front of the b&w to avoid the rear car swing coming towards him. as reyes and other officers scrambled out of the past of the vehicle, the driver surge forward aggressively. officers retreat have forced them into a disadvantageous position. officers were encircling the

position with the middle of the passenger side to the front driver side and lieu was ahead of the bmw. he served the bmw as a battering ram. he smashed into the police car, striking it with such force that the front passenger door folded forward. ryan and lieu were now vulnerable to the militias operator. they saw him directly ahead of him as it was careening for work. he was fearful they were in imminent danger of serious bodily injury or death. however, with the suspect vehicle bearing down on partners, he was unable to fire, because their adjusted positions put them downrange and directly into line of fire. officer reyes showed

exceptional discipline and composure by recognizing this. they faced it and it danger. both officers feared for their lives. and the lives of their partners. despite this fear, the officers recognized the substantial risk of death or serious bodily injury that the escapee posed not only to them, but all other law enforcement officers he might later encounter, let alone the public at large should discontinue. in a split second of the bmw approach, they moved tactically to create safe angles of fire. having exhausted all of a reasonable means of apprehension, they fired several rounds of the driver, and as a result, the suspect was struck, in capacitive -- incapacitated and taken into custody. at the conclusion of the

encounter, sir john ryan and officer lieu maintain security on the screen -- on the scene until additional officers arrived to assist. an ambulance was immediately summoned. the suspect was transported to san francisco general hospital and later succumbed to his gunshot wounds. in the bank robbery suspect in this incident displayed an outrageous lack of concern for life, public safety, and property for what the course of the criminal rampage that began in irvine, california. he used a firearm to rob to banks in southern california, of threatening to shoot the tellers if they did not comply. gave no consideration to anyone who got in the way of his criminal ambition or effort to escape. as a direct result of his disregard for anyone who might come in to counter with his criminal endeavors, and as well as san francisco police officer lives were jeopardized.

the suspect complete disregard for the public put a great risk any person who might inadvertently cross his path, should he escape from the park. searchers got ryan, rubin reyes recognize the danger. even when faced with serious bodily injury or death, these officers remain steadfast and determined to protect not only themselves and one another, but the public at large from the disregard of the fleeing fugitive. sir john ryan, officer lou andrelieu and reyes , when confd with a violent situation, they responded with no were the bravery and poise.

they were fully responsible to the danger, but to the rapidly- devolving life-threatening circumstances that unfolded as a result of them trying to apprehend him. based upon this information, i have no choice but to put the men for a medal of valor. to " c.s. lewis, coverage is not simply one of the virtues, but the form of every virtue of the testing point, something these officers were tested with. to our command staff, ladies and gentlemen, i present to you the recipients of the silver medal of valor, sergeant scott ryan, and officer reuben reyes. [applause] offic>> we are at the part of te

ceremony now where we will present the gold medal of valor, the highest award given from the sentences go police department. tonight we have six, an unprecedented number.

i would like captain ann mannix, and officer minkel, everson, griffin and tursi. >> can we do this separately? there are two separate incidents. but go in your order. -- >> let's go in your order. >> tonight it is my honor to present to you the heroic acts of officer joseph everson and officer minkel. wednesday, october 13, 2011, there were patrolling together as the violent reduction unit they have been assigned in

uniform and driving a large unit. they were driving along pulled street when they ran the license plate of a car in front of them. the registration sticker display showed 2012, indicating car registration. their onboard computer results showing the registration expired in 2009. noting the discrepancy, the officer decided to pull the car over to investigate. as they activated the licensed siren, the car turned east and exhilarated at a higher rate of speed. suddenly the car with the driver in the front passenger pulled over just west of oregon, appearing to heat for the traffic stop. -- to he'd for the traffic stop. just as they were exiting the car for the traffic stop, the driver of the stopped vehicle abruptly took off running. he ran east along bush street and turned south on larkin

street, running in the middle of traffic. not knowing what they had, the officers a housimmediately gaind chase on foot. officers minkel and everson are gaining on a suspect when suddenly he turned and fired multiple shots from a handgun he had hidden in his possession. the officers debated around by movement in her incubating on this subject. at great risk to their own lives, these officers continue their pursuit of the now known violent subject and prepared to return fire. officer everson exercise a considerable amount of restraint as there were numerous pedestrians. he did not in gauge the suspect. officer minkel had a clear range

of fire and engaged in two rounds of fire. fearing for his partner's it did, he ordered the loan front passenger tuesday and the suspect vehicle and ran to assist. not knowing what to expect when he rounded the corner, he continued toward the danger, and ultimately ended up providing cover as officers moved into reductioa safe area. the suspect had a mind set he was not going back to prison, as he was a bird strike ended it with a long history of incarceration. even stated to the passenger he was not going to be caught. 32 caliber handgun he fired until empty of the officers had been stolen in a san francisco burglary a week prior in currently wanted on two outstanding felony warrants, including a burglary warrant from the south bay were 20 tons

were stolen. these officers made a traffic stop that turned into a life verses death situation. the fact that the suspect ran from the car and officers gave chase, not knowing what they had was not necessarily braid, it was their job. to continue the pursuit of the suspect showed an act of bravery and courage beyond active -- call of duty. they continue the pursuit of a deadly violent offender. they weighed the risks to their lives and others as they continue to move and ultimately engage the suspect in the battle. officer ever send could have fired upon the moving suspect it chose not to risk the collateral damage. officer minkel, having a clear window of virus, precisely return to rounds, neutralizing that threat to them and the public in general. based on the actions of these officers on that fateful day,

officer thomas minkel and everson will be awarded the gold medal of valor, the highest department medal of honor. [applause]

>> again, it is my honor to present you the heroic acts of officer patrick prevent and michael jersey -- patrick giffin and tursi. there were called to an apartment the man who is threatening to kill those who stood in his way. he was a former tenant. he was gone before officers arrived that day. later, friday, june 24, officers were called to the same apartment building after it was reported someone had fired an assault rifle. no suspect was present, but it

was determined an assault rifle had been fired into the sidewalk. the officer was signed -- they were assigned as members of the street crime unit. they developed information that led to the identification of the weapons owner who had an extensive criminal history. they continued their relentless investigation into this event and identified the criminal, determining an additional possible home address and weapons. on the early morning hours of wednesday, june 29, officer griffin received a phone call that provided of potential location for the now-wanted subject. officer griffin contacted a supervisor and partner. after working a leak investigation the night before, these dedicated officers return to work after just a few hours' rest in an effort to locate and arrests a dangerous criminal. and they met at the station in order to set up surveillance on the suspect in question.

they responded to the location at 7:00. officer griffin, the driver, droves through the rear garage area of the identified property. as the approach the garage as the rear, and get a slowly opened. the men saw a car pulling up to the exit, and immediately recognize the driver as the subject they were seeking. knowing his propensity for violence and the fact that he had numerous weapons, griffin and tursi made a quick decision to park the police carxgñ?ñ? to prevent the exit. they knew they put them selves at risk. officer tursi exited the car and drove his handgun. he then moved to an area of limited coverage north of the gate. simultaneously, officer griffin exited the car and tactfully

moved to the tree line south of the gate. while moving to cover, officer tursi saw the suspect moving to his we stand. he then quickly pointed a handgun toward officer griffin. officer tursi yelled gun. the return fire to stop the deadly threat. the suspect appeared to a bid struck as he stopped firing and continue to drive away from officers. the suspect drove across all lanes and struck parked cars. it took a position of cover, not knowing the suspect had been injured by returned fire. when additional units arrived, it was discovered the suspect had been seriously injured and was found unconscious. officers rendered aide, called for an ambulance, and retrieve the hand and the suspect had used. tonight officers patrick grant and michael tursi are being

recognized for their efforts. they are being awarded the gold medal of valor. [applause] >> captain paul chignell, along

with officers tastings ahastingd lopez. >> good evening to you all. my pleasure to introduce richard hastings and that lopez. -- matt lopez. saturday, july 16, 2011, officer richard hastings and asked matt lopez were on duty and in uniform. their primary assignment was to be on a fixed post detail on the imminence of a railway platform on third street between oakdale

avenue and plu avenue. this platform and the surrounding areas are notorious for high incidence of robberies, aggravated assaults, indiscriminate shootings, gang activity, illegal firearm possession, as well as a multitude of quality of life cripes. the bayview station has dedicated a high-level police resources to this area, particularly to a recent rash of robberies on and adjacent to the platform. well on the platform, officers tastings and lopez contacted the subject later identified as kenneth harding jr.. he was on the railway vehicle. the officers determined the suspect was riding without benefit obtained. the officers escorted the subject off of the vehicle without incident and requested he sit down on one of the benches nearby. mr. harding complied with that

request well officer lopez conducted a standard warrant record check. as he heard officers radio transmission, he suddenly leapt to his feet and started to run east across third street into the crowded plaza with officers and foot pursuit. suddenly, and from a distance of 10 feet from the pursuing officers, harding a ride of the northern part of the plaza and reached his right hand under his left arm and then fired several rounds from his handgun at both of the officers. the officers immediately engaged in a firefight with the suspect. he then it fell to the ground, suffering a gunshot wounds. officers approached the suspect to taken into custody and render medical aid. numerous responding officers arrived on the scene and observed the officers surrounded by a mob, many of whom were

screaming and provoking hostility towards officers. as they attempted to secure the time seen -- crime scene, the mom became increasingly provocative with the threats directed towards officers. ultimately officers from four police stations and the tactical unit arrived to clear the plaza of the mall. in the aftermath of the shooting, it was determine the suspect was of recidivist criminal who was wanted in seattle, washington, for the murder of young, pregnant woman just one week before. this inference is the police department delayed -- delineates the criteria that must be met for an officer of the san francisco police department to be awarded the medal of valor. that includes outstanding bravery beyond that expected in a line of duty, or failure to take such action would not justify censure. with the rest of life actually

existed and officer had time to evaluate the risk, and where the objective is of the sufficient importance to the risk, and lastly and most importantly, where the officer accomplish the objective. on july 16, 2011, officer richard hastings and matthew lopez the kill each and every requested criteria for the medal of valor. they exemplified bravery of the highest level. in doing their duty and deterred by the fact that their lives were in imminent peril. they engaged in a gunbattle with a career criminal who was engaged with the ones in respect for public life and wanted to escape to not be held accountable for a vicious murder. san francisco police officers know at any time and anywhere they need to put their lives on the line to do their duty to stop a criminal. july 16, 2011, officer richard hastings and mathew lopez put

their lives on the line and did their duty. for that, they're being awarded the most prestigious award, the gold medal of valor. [applause]