Medals of Valor - Bayview Ceasefire Team

A few weeks ago, I blogged on Captain Daniel McDonagh's receiving a Medal of Valor for his response to a fatal shooting at the Metreon Theater. The below, excerpted from Captain John Loftus' remarks, are the events which also earned members of Bayview Station's Ceasfire Team Medals of Valor.

On August 2, 2007, just after 6:30 PM, Officers Reggie Scott, Jason Kirchner, and Jerry Lyons, all members of the Bayview Ceasefire Team, saw a silver Honda sedan, occupied by two males, turn from Garlington Court onto LaSalle Avenue. The officers observed that there were no license plates displayed on the vehicle. As the vehicle passed, in the opposite direction, the two men inside looked toward the officers, with an expression of shock.

The officers knew that it was common practice for gang members to remove their vehicle license plates – it prevents identification by witnesses when committing acts of violence. As Officer Lyons made a U-Turn, the Honda sped up and fled the area at a high speed. The officers gave chase, but were unable to keep up with the suspects’ vehicle. They called an emergency broadcast and advised dispatch and responding units of the pursuit. Moments later, the sound of screeching tires drew the officer’s attention to Bell Court, where they located the suspect vehicle, stopped.

As he approached the vehicle, Officer Scott observed the passenger struggling with something on the seat. The passenger quickly abandoned his attempt to remove the item and fled on foot with the driver. As Officers Scott and Kirchner pursued on foot, Officer Lyons used the patrol vehicle to circle around, attempting to cut off the suspect. While chasing the suspects, Officers Scott and Kirchner noticed that the driver kept his hands hidden in front of his body as he ran.

As Officer Scott closed in on the driver, he suddenly turned, pointing a machine pistol, equipped with an extended magazine, at the officers. From less than ten yards away, Officer Scott clearly saw the weapon and announced the danger. Without immediate cover, Officer Scott drew his pistol and fired two rounds at the suspect, striking the ground in front of the suspect. The suspect ran, discarding the machine pistol over a nearby fence.

The suspects continued running from the officers and shed their jackets, to alter their appearance. Unfortunately, the suspects were lost in the area. Officer Scott recovered the machine pistol, and Officers Kirchner and Lyons returned to the abandoned vehicle, where they found an assault rifle, equipped with a scope and loaded 40 round magazine. This was the object that the passenger was attempting to retrieve. The Ceasefire Team and Gang Task Force, in coordination, later captured the suspects.

Officers Reggie Scott and Jason Kirchner are being recognized for their keen observations, diligent pursuit of dangerous suspects, and outstanding courage. Bravely intercepting two heavily-armed gang members, these remarkable officers undoubtedly prevented additional carnage. They are well-deserving of commendation.

KVR

Medal of Valor - Captain Daniel McDonagh

Officers Yukio Oshita, Scott Biggs, Kevin O’Leary and Daniel Kroos – the officers who responded to the tiger incident at the San Francisco Zoo – received Gold Medals of Valor before the Police Commission this past Wednesday. Theirs was an act of tremendous courage and I again offer the words of their Captain, Paul Chignell: “These officers responded with alacrity to a horrific event (and) risked their lives without qualification.”

Importantly, the Commission presented nine other medals of valor – for acts ranging from the intrepid pursuit of armed killers, to selflessly entering a burning building to save a life. Over the next couple of weeks, I’ll be posting on their extraordinairy stories. We’ll kick this off today, with Captain Daniel McDonough, commanding officer of Southern Station. The below is excerpted from Commander John Murphy's remarks at the ceremony.

The men and women of the San Francisco Police Department perform extraordinary acts every day. Whether they make it to the front pages of the Chronicle and Examiner or not, they deserve our recognition and thanks.

Captain Daniel McDonagh is being awarded the Silver Medal of Valor for his heroic acts following the shooting death of a young man at the Metreon Theater. On November 11, 2007, two young men were involved in a verbal altercation near the snack concession inside the theater complex. The suspect drew a semi-automatic pistol from his person and opened fire, striking the victim several times. During the ensuing chaos, the suspect made his escape.

Captain McDonagh, on-duty outside the Moscone Center, heard the radio broadcast regarding the shooting and immediately directed his attention to the Metreon. He saw an individual running toward him with a firearm in his left hand. Captain McDonagh immediately realized that he was about to confront the “shooter” from the Metreon Theater. He drew his firearm and ordered the suspect to drop his weapon.

The suspect began to lift his firearm toward Captain McDonagh. Due to the pandemonium nearby, there was still a large crowd of patrons exiting the Metreon. Captain McDonagh, full-knowing the danger he was in, opted not to shoot at the suspect. Seeing Captain McDonagh positioned at the ready, the suspect fled the area. Captain McDonagh broadcast that he was in foot pursuit of the armed suspect.

Unbeknownst to Captain McDonagh, the suspect discarded his firearm at the corner of Fourth and Mission. He then attempted to evade arrest by entering Bloomingdale’s and mingling with shoppers. Captain McDonagh continued his pursuit and made eye contact with the suspect, who subsequently bolted through the store. Plainclothes officers from Southern Station, responding to the emergency broadcast, captured the suspect as he burst out of the store exit – Captain McDonagh still in pursuit.

The victim died from the gunshot wounds inflicted by the suspect. The suspect was positively identified as the killer and his firearm was recovered nearby. The suspect subsequently confessed to killing the victim because, as he angrily asserted, the victim was too slow getting on the escalator inside the theater.

Captain McDonagh manifested outstanding bravery, full-knowing that he was confronting a gunman who had just opened fire in a crowded theater with wanton disregard for human life. For his actions, Captain McDonagh is being awarded the Silver Medal of Valor.

KVR

SFPD Officers to Receive Medal of Valor at Police Commision Hearing on February 4

On March 18, 2008, in a public ceremony at City Hall, Mayor Newsom commended the men and women of the SFPD and SFFD for their courageous response, on Christmas Eve, 2007, to the tragedy at the San Francisco Zoo. If you recall, a Siberian tiger escaped from its enclosure, killing one man and severely mauling another. As their commanding Captain stated, shortly after the incident, “These officers responded with alacrity to a horrific event (and) risked their lives without qualification.”

SFPD Officers Yukio Oshita, Scott Biggs, Kevin O’Leary and Daniel Kroos are being awarded medals of valor before the Police Commission on February 4. I invite you all to attend.

Here is a summary of the events that occured at the Zoo on the evening of December 25, 2007.

On December 25, 2007, at 5:08 PM, the SFPD was notified that a tiger had escaped from its enclosure at the San Francisco Zoo, that a person was injured and bleeding, and, consequently, that the Zoo had been "locked down." Officers Daniel Kroos, Kevin O’Leary, Yukio Oshita, and Scott Biggs responded. They were informed that there could be more than one tiger on the loose. The officers were operating at dusk, in a dimly lit area, and in an environment of general pandemonium.

As paramedics arrived at the Zoo and Lieutenant Michael Favetti took command, Officers Biggs and Oshita encountered a Zoo employee and were shown a man, prone and lifeless, near the tiger exhibit. The victim was bleeding profusely from the neck area and had obviously been mauled by an escaped tiger. The officers were joined by a number of emergency medical personnel and an armed Zoo employee. They were then informed that a tiger had been spotted 100 ft. to the northeast and that there was another victim at the Terrace Café.

Officers Biggs and Oshita led the caravan of paramedics and the Zoo employee to the Terrace Café, where they located the second victim, lying on the ground and bleeding throughout his upper body and head. Next to the victim was an escaped 350 pound Siberian tiger. The victim was crying “Help me, help me.” The officers were 35 yards from the victim and tiger. Officers Daniel Kroos and Kevin O’Leary, who had entered the Zoo from a different entrance, and had been evacuating employees, then arrived on scene in their patrol vehicle.

The tiger looked directly at Officers Oshita and Biggs, then looked at Officers O’Leary and Kroos, and then again looked at Oshita and Biggs, before pouncing on the victim and savagely mauling him about the head. The victim screamed horrifically, whereupon the Zoo employee started yelling, “Kill the tiger, kill the tiger, Oh God kill the tiger.” Officers Biggs and Oshita, much closer to the tiger than the rest, screamed and yelled, trying to distract the tiger. The officers could not fire their weapons at the tiger for fear that the victim would be struck by gunfire.

The tiger stopped its attack, then moved in the direction of Officers Oshita and Biggs, before directing all of its attention at Officer Oshita. The tiger began to advance, in a hastened lope, from a distance of 35 yards. When the tiger got within 20 yards of Officer Oshita, he fired three times, striking the tiger, though it kept advancing. Officer Daniel Kroos, from a distance of 30 yards, but at a different vantage point, fired nine rounds, and Officer Kevin O’Leary, who was near Officer Kroos, fired two more. The tiger had obviously been hit, but continued advancing. Officer Oshita jumped into his radio car and fired two more rounds from inside the vehicle, at which point the tiger veered away from the radio car and fell to the ground. The time was 5:27 PM.