On Tuesday, April 1, 2014 at Sheriff’s Headquarters, Los Angeles County Deputy Sheriff Daniel Reyes assigned to East Los Angeles Station was the first on-duty Deputy Sheriff to receive the highest honor from the United States Attorney General’s Office, The Law Enforcement Congressional Badge of Bravery.
Every day, federal, state, and local law enforcement officers engage in exceptional acts of bravery while in the line of duty. Often, such acts place the officers involved at personal risk of injury or result in their sustaining a physical injury. To honor these acts of bravery, Congress passed the Law Enforcement Congressional Badge of Bravery Act of 2008 (Public Law 110-298), creating the Federal Law Enforcement Congressional Badge of Bravery and the State and Local Law Enforcement Congressional Badge of Bravery. The act establishes an award to honor exceptional acts of bravery in the line of duty by federal, state, and local law enforcement officers. The medals are awarded annually by the U.S. Attorney General and are presented by the recipients' Congressional representatives.
To meet the definition of an act of bravery, nominees for the Congressional Badge of Bravery must have either:
1.Sustained a physical injury while –
•Engaged in the lawful duties of the individual, and
•Performing an act characterized as bravery by the agency head who makes the nomination, and being at personal risk; or
2.Although not injured, performed an act characterized as bravery by the agency head who makes the nomination that placed the individual at risk of serious physical injury or death.
In the early evening on January 11, 2011, while on patrol, Deputies Daniel Reyes and Mohamed Ahmed saw a white compact car parked along a red curb on Brannick Avenue. They stopped alongside and Deputy Ahmed asked the driver why she was parked there. Deputy Reyes noticed a male sitting in the front passenger seat and decided to contact him. He advised Deputy Ahmed to contact the driver while he contacted the passenger. As Deputy Reyes approached the open passenger window, he recognized the male as a local gang member. The suspect appeared nervous and began fidgeting around in his seat.
As the suspect started moving around he reached for his pants pocket and center console of the car. Deputy Reyes opened the car door and ordered the suspect to exit. As the suspect stepped out, he turned his back toward Deputy Reyes. He pushed his body backward then began to run. Deputy Reyes was able to grab the subject’s jacket and both fell to the ground near the front of the vehicle.
At that moment, Deputy Ahmed, who was seated in the police vehicle, realized that he had lost sight of Deputy Reyes. He immediately exited the car and saw Deputy Reyes on the ground struggling with the subject. He ran to assist Deputy Reyes, and was almost immediately shot and disabled by the suspect, who unbeknown to both deputies was concealing a handgun.
Deputy Reyes, believing that the suspect had just shot and killed his partner, saw the suspect turn toward him holding a handgun. He was able to grab the gun's muzzle and push it away as they both struggled over the weapon. Deputy Reyes continued to struggle with the suspect and was eventually able to twist the gun away from his body as two additional shots were fired. Deputy Reyes was ultimately able to remove his service weapon and fired two rounds killing the suspect. He was then able to call for assistance. Deputy Ahmed survived his wounds. “Deputy Danny Reyes is a true hero and deserving of this prestigious award. His actions on that fateful day will never be forgotten,” said East Los Angeles Sheriff’s Captain James P. Wolak.
Deputy Reyes was awarded the Sheriff’s Department’s highest honor, the Medal of Valor, on September 19, 2012 for his exceptional bravery and placing himself in immediate life-threatening peril by engaging an armed and dangerous suspect, with full knowledge of the risk involved. Deputy Ahmed was also honored with the Sheriff’s Department’s Purple Heart for his heroic actions while engaged with an extremely violent and armed suspect, and demonstrating leadership, strength and courage under significant hardship.
* East Los Angeles Sheriff’s Station polices the Cities of Commerce, Cudahy, and
Maywood, and the unincorporated communities of Belvedere Gardens, City Terrace, Eastmont, East Los Angeles, Saybrook Park, and Union Pacific.
East Los Angeles Sheriff’s Station
Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department
5019 E Third Street
East Los Angeles, CA 90022
(323) 264-4151
Website: http://www.EastLA.lasd.org
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