California Attorney General's Valor Award: Arthur Peacock -Citizen Nominee, Sergeant Steven Moses, Deputy Gamielle Marshall, Deputy Thelma Ramirez, Deputy Victor Solis, Deputy Anthony Velasco, City of Bellflower, Lakewood Sheriff's Station, Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Dept.
Around noon on August 11, 2012, Lakewood Sheriff's Station deputies received a call of a structure fire, with occupants inside, in the city of Bellflower.
When the deputies arrived, they saw dense black smoke rising from the back of the house and flames shooting out from under its eaves. They heard a male voice calling for help from inside the residence. They looked through a window and saw an elderly man seated on a chair just a few feet from the door. Because the man was paralyzed, he was unable to open it.
The deputies noted the entire house was fortified with security bars. As the fire quickly spread, the deputies tried to force the security door and window open with their hands. After several attempts, they managed to pull back the security window from the south bedroom; however, the density of smoke and heat made it impossible to gain entry.
After one of the deputies arrived with breach tools, they worked feverishly to open the security door. A good Samaritan (Mr. Peacock) noted that the toxic gasses and black smoke had partially cleared from the south bedroom, where the deputies had earlier created an opening. He climbed into the house and opened the security door. The deputies quickly located the elderly resident and carried him out to safety.
The deputies and Mr. Peacock involved in this lifesaving venture put themselves at grave risk to save the life of a paralyzed, elderly man who would have surely perished without their assistance.
**** About the Awards: California Attorney General Kamala D. Harris on July 25, 2013, convened law enforcement leaders from Los Angeles and Orange counties for a regional meeting to discuss priorities and share information. As part of the meeting at LAPD HQ, Attorney General Harris presented commendation and valor awards to peace officers and citizens nominated for their efforts to protect public safety in 2012.
Forwarded by:
Sheriff's Headquarters Bureau - Newsroom
Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department
323-267-4800
Email: [email protected]
Website: http://www.lasd.org
LASD HQ Text and Emails: www.Nixle.com
http://nixle.com/lasd----hq-newsroom-shb-los-angeles-county-sheriff/
Twitter: @LASD_News http://twitter.com/#!/LASD_News
Twitter: @LASDtalk https://twitter.com/LASDTalk
Twitter: @LASDvideos https://twitter.com/LASDvideos
Twitter: @LASDesp https://twitter.com/LASDesp (Espanol)
Facebook LASD HQ: http://www.facebook.com/LosAngelesCountySheriffsDepartment
LASD Photos: http://pinterest.com/lacountysheriff/
LASD YouTube Videos: http://www.youtube.com/user/LACountySheriff/videos?view=0
Partner to prevent or report crime by contacting your local Sheriff’s station. Or if you wish to remain Anonymous, call “LA Crime Stoppers” by dialing 800-222-TIPS (8477), texting the letters TIPLA plus your tip to CRIMES (274637), or using the website http://lacrimestoppers.org
Leroy D. Baca, Sheriff
Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department
To receive more detailed, up-to-date information directly from the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department (LASD) via e-mail, register for "Nixle" alerts at www.Nixle.com or more directly at https://local.nixle.com/register/ and register for "LASD – Headquarters Newsroom (SHB), Los Angeles County Sheriff" and your local LASD station area. Or, text your zip code to 888777 to receive text alerts only. Standard text messaging rates may apply depending on your calling plan.
