Medal of Valor Recognizes an Uncommon Courage

Trapped under a hail of gunfire, one wounded officer managed to put a tourniquet on her bleeding partner’s arm.

Another chased a gunman on foot for two blocks, ignoring his own injuries.

And another, who was wearing a bulletproof vest, shielded a defenseless officer with his body--and was struck by two bullets.

The LAPD officers who were involved in the North Hollywood bank shootout last year share at least one thing: an uncommon courage.

Last week Police Chief Bernard C. Parks announced that 17 of those officers will receive the Medal of Valor. They will accept the honor Wednesday in an awards ceremony at the Westin Bonaventure. Two other officers will also receive the Medal of Valor at the annual event.

The award is the highest honor the department can bestow on an officer, Parks said.

“To be awarded the Medal of Valor, an officer shall have performed an act displaying extreme courage while consciously facing imminent peril.”

In a nationally televised shootout on Feb. 28, 1997, police overcame superior firepower to kill the two bank robbers, Emil Matasareanu and Larry Eugene Phillips Jr., who were armed with automatic weapons and full body armor.

Twelve officers and eight civilians were injured.

Those honored for their actions in the North Hollywood incident are:

* Officer Don Anderson: Interrupting their training at the Police Academy near downtown Los Angeles, Anderson and other members of the SWAT team made their way through traffic to North Hollywood. There, Anderson helped rescue officers and civilians. Learning that one of the assailants was near a Jeep in the middle of the street, Anderson drove his vehicle within 35 feet of the assailant and, with his partners, exchanged fire with the gunman, who was spraying the neighborhood with an automatic weapon.

* Det. Tracey Angeles: In plainclothes, Angeles and her partner responded to an “officer needs help” radio transmission. When they arrived, gunfire coming from the front of the bank injured both detectives. Although wounded and pinned by gunfire, Angeles put a tourniquet on her partner’s arm. When a patrol car arrived to help, she put herself in the line of fire to get her partner to safety.

* Det. Vincent Bancroft Jr.: He arrived at the bank and hid behind a wall. As one of the gunmen came out of the bank spraying bullets, Bancroft returned fire. When the automatic gunfire began to penetrate the wall, the detective ran to his car and saw the second gunman by a white car at the intersection, shooting in the detectives’ direction. Bancroft again returned fire and chased the assailant, even as the man--in full body armor--drove away and kept shooting through his rear window.

* Officer Edward Brentlinger: Arriving as the gunmen left the bank, he took cover behind a concrete wall. Hearing cries for help from officers and civilians, Brentlinger left his cover twice and returned fire. Even after he was struck by gunfire and concrete fragments, he reloaded his weapon and returned fire twice more to defend others.

* Officer Anthony Cabunoc: Responding to an “officer down” call, Cabunoc saw a wounded officer lying on the street next to a van. An injured detective was also nearby. The officer urged his partner to retrieve a patrol car while he provided cover. When his partner returned with the vehicle, amid gunfire Cabunoc hoisted the injured officer by the waist and fell into the back seat of the patrol car with his colleague on top of him and quickly fled.

* Officer John Caprarelli: He arrived on the scene to find one assailant firing indiscriminately at officers. Caprarelli shot at the assailant, drawing his attention. The gunman returned fire and Caprarelli dove behind parked cars. He then watched as unsuspecting detectives in an unmarked car approached the scene. He left his cover and warned the detectives, then hid behind a utility pole and reloaded his gun while the assailant fired at him. He left his cover again and fired at the assailant.

* Det. Thomas Culotta: He arrived as the gunmen left the bank. Culotta hid behind a concrete wall and listened to the gunfire resonate through the area. In defense of other officers and civilians, Culotta fired at one assailant, who calmly reloaded his weapon and approached Culotta. An intense gun battle ensued for several seconds and Culotta continued to fire, even as he took cover behind a parked vehicle.

* Officer Edwin Dominguez: He arrived after hearing an “officer needs help” call. On a nearby street, he ordered civilians back into their homes. Without cover, he directed traffic away from the scene. He then fired at one assailant, who was shooting at other officers and civilians. He dived behind a fence, where he saw the second gunman shooting from the white car. Dominguez joined two detectives in an unmarked car and followed the white vehicle. When that assailant tried to commandeer a truck from a civilian, Dominguez left his car and fired at the gunman.

* Officer Steven Gomez: As part of the SWAT team, Gomez arrived at the bank’s parking lot and rescued injured civilians and officers. Then he and other officers were directed to the Jeep on the street. As the officers approached the vehicle, Gomez noticed that the assailant was about to shoot the officers. Gomez shot at the assailant, giving his partners enough time to get out of their vehicle and return fire. Gomez also got out of the car and continued to fire.

* Det. Kevin Harley: He arrived to find officers pinned by one gunman’s automatic fire. From behind a wall, Harley fired to draw the gunman’s attention, and a gun battle ensued between the two. Harley and other officers then followed one of the gunmen, who was slowly driving away in the white car. Harley kept the gunman in sight, leaving his vehicle at one point to hide behind a parked car. Shortly afterward, he heard that the gunman was down.

* Officer Richard Massa: SWAT team member Massa arrived at the parking lot and helped rescue officers and civilians. With other officers, he also confronted the gunman who was attempting to escape in the Jeep. Massa left his vehicle and engaged the assailant in an intense firefight. He provided cover for a fellow officer whose weapon had malfunctioned. Massa also reloaded and retrieved extra ammunition from the police vehicle.

* Sgt. Israel “Sonny” Medina: He arrived as the suspect in the white car was slowly moving away from the scene. When the suspect, who was trying to leave the white car and get into the Jeep, aimed at the SWAT officers, Medina shot at him to give arriving officers time to get out of their vehicle. As the SWAT team and the gunman exchanged fire, Medina switched locations and, with other officers, shot at the assailant as he tried to reenter the Jeep from the passenger side.

* Officer Charles Perriguey: The helicopter officer and his partner watched the gun battle from above and eventually changed altitude, direction and speed to evade a hail of gunfire. Perriguey maneuvered around several news media helicopters. He also alerted the control tower at Burbank Airport to keep all air traffic out of the area.

* Officer Todd Schmitz: He arrived to find one injured officer lying near a van and a wounded detective nearby. With his partner, Schmitz made his way to the officer by the van. His partner provided cover as Schmitz, in a patrol car, helped rescue the injured officers, driving the vehicle in reverse to reach paramedics.

* Officer Conrado Torrez: Arriving as the two suspects were shooting indiscriminately, Torrez returned fire and was hit. Unaware of his injuries, he fired again as one of the assailants drove away. Then he shot at the other gunman, who was on foot. That man dropped his rifle and took out a semiautomatic pistol. Torrez again turned to the assailant in the car, chasing him on foot for two blocks. As he watched the man try to get into the Jeep, Torrez and the man exchanged fire. Torrez rolled under a police vehicle and continued firing until the assailant was down.

* Officer James Zboravan: He and two detectives arrived to face unceasing fire. Zboravan noticed that the detectives were not wearing bulletproof vests. As the gunmen turned toward the three, Zboravan, who was wearing a bulletproof vest, lay on top of one detective to protect him. Zboravan suffered two gunshot wounds. Officers helped him reach the safety of a dental office.

* Officer Richard Zielinski: When he arrived, the two gunmen had already injured civilians and officers. Zielinski fired at one of the assailants, who was walking slowly while firing his weapons. Zielinski and the gunman exchanged fire. Zielinski, noticing a colleague down, fired at the gunman again to allow that officer to get to a safer place. Zielinski also pulled another wounded officer behind a tree.

Two officers are receiving medals from another event unrelated to the North Hollywood shootout. As members of the LAPD’s Special Investigation Section, the two detectives, along with other team members, had trailed two armed men who had robbed about 40 San Fernando Valley businesses. They were about to arrest the two after a robbery when one assailant opened fire.

* Dets. Lawrence Winston and Phillip J. Wixon: When Wixon was shot in the abdomen, Winston ran about 20 feet and kept firing to draw attention away from his partner. He continued firing, but he was also hit in the abdomen. Meanwhile, Wixon kept visual contact with the gunmen and continued to fire. When he heard Winston shout that he was hit, Wixon jumped away from his vehicle, also to draw attention away from his partner and get a better tactical position. Wixon continued to shoot, killing one robber and holding the other at gunpoint until he was arrested by other detectives.