Medal of Valor
Congratulations to Officer Jose Gomez and Officer Jesus Ceniceros for being selected for the Medal of Valor.
Congratulations to Officers Jesse Lopez, Cody Dahlen, Robert Shay, Alan Weinreb, and Lieutenant Joel Romero for being selected to receive the Distinguished Service Award for the same incident.
And finally let us all congratulate Officers Michael Jenks and Jack Cunningham for being selected to receive the Life Saving Award.
Medal of Valor
Hawthorne Police Department
Officer Jose Gomez
Officer Jesus Ceniceros
Inglewood Police Department
Officer Sean Yanez
Officer John Ausmus
Officer Eric Quintanar
Torrance Police Department
Sgt. Dave Koenig
Officer Hector Salas
Officer Claud Fierro
Officer Joseph Gietzen
Officer Derek Raymond
Officer Anthony McDonald
Distinguished Service Award
Hawthorne Police Department
Officer Jesse Lopez
Officer Cody Dahlen
Officer Robert Shay
Officer Alan Weinreb
Lieutenant Joel Romero
Torrance Police Department
Sgt. Scott Cameron
Officer Jason Sena
Officer Craig Durling
Life Saving Award
Hawthorne Police Department
Officer Michael Jenks
Officer Jack Cunningham
Hermosa Beach Police Department
Officer Richard Taylor
Palos Verdes Estates Police Department
Corporal Aaron Belda
Medal of Valor
On Sunday April 7th 2019, the City of Los Angeles hosted the 2nd Annual "Run to Remember" where Law Enforcement and First Responders from around the globe came together to answer the call to honor and celebrate the lives of fallen officers and first responders that have put their lives on the line in the course of call for duty.
The Hawthorne Police Department was one of those agencies that participated in the run to also honor fallen Hawthorne Police Officers Andrew Garton and Leonard Luna, with many officers participating in full uniform and SWAT gear. One of those officers was Dianne Carmona who proudly represented our agency by running in full uniform while proudly carrying our colors to represent our agency in the run.
MEANWHILE, back in the City of Hawthorne, Officer Dianne Carmona’s husband, Officer Jose Gomez, would be answering to a different call. Officer Gomez would be responding to a domestic violence call at the Marriott Town Place Suites. Before Officer Gomez arrived on scene, the call was upgraded to a male chasing the female while armed with a gun and almost immediately multiple calls began pouring in informing the 911 dispatcher the male had shot the female. Multiple callers reported that the male had also shot at one of the witnesses and was now chasing the female victim toward the hotel lobby where numerous other patrons were staying.
Officer Gomez was the first to arrive on scene and observed the suspect, dressed in full military fatigues, run from the hotel lobby and toward the Manhattan Gateway Shopping Center located along the Manhattan Beach beltway. The suspect ran along Rosecrans Avenue at full speed, while Officer Gomez paralleled him in his police car on the wrong side of the street. Officer Gomez, recalled the suspect was armed and had shot at the victim, relied on his police and Marine Corps military training and decided to unlock his rifle and place it in his lap while chasing the suspect in his police unit. As the suspect reached the first business, Cafe Rio, the suspect retrieved a short barreled rifle and began to shoot at Officer Gomez striking his patrol cruiser's left rear fender and left rear window, narrowly missing Officer Gomez by inches.
Officer Gomez quickly jumped out of his patrol unit, dodging a barrage of .223 rounds that the suspect was firing from a compact .223 rifle that he produced just moments before. Officer Gomez engaged the suspect by returning fire utilizing a zig-zag approach to use as much cover and concealment as they both ran southbound through the shopping center, leaving behind a trail of expended .223 casings from both the suspect and officer's rifle.
The suspect ran in a south easterly direction toward the True Religion building. As the suspect reached the west end of that property and took cover behind a black suburban, he once again engaged Officer Gomez in an exchange of gunfire from a distance of approximately 100 yards. Officer Gomez relying on the front business pillars at Cafe Rio, composed of wood and drywall, returned fire exhausting his rifle capabilities. Officer Gomez would then transition to his side arm to return fire until he exhausted its capacity.
While Officer Gomez was engaging the suspect in a gun battle, Field Training Officer Jesus Ceniceros arrived on scene to witness the bravery and exhaustive efforts by Officer Jose Gomez to subdue the suspect. Officer Ceniceros took cover behind the same pillars, limiting cover and concealment for both officers. Officer Ceniceros observed the suspect taking cover behind the black suburban and returned fire while engaging the suspect. The suspect, in his zeal to escape capture, jumped over the west wall of the True Religion building, but not before having been shot by Officer Gomez.
Before the last of 39 handgun and rifle casings struck the ground, Officer Gomez collapsed onto his back struck by a .223 round from the suspect's cowardly hands. Officer Gomez suffered a through and through rifle wound to his left thigh, leaving him motionless and exposed to the onslaught the suspect was willing and able to continue to carry on.
Hawthorne Officers Jesse Lopez, Alan Weinreb, Cody Dahlen, Robert Shay arrived on scene to witness Officer Gomez on the ground. Officer Jesse Lopez immediately began first-aid efforts by applying a tourniquet to Officers Gomez' left leg. Unable to move him and with the inability for the LA County Fire and Paramedics to enter a very fluid and volatile situation, Officers Ceniceros, Lopez and Weinreb picked up Officer Gomez and carried him to a nearby Police unit. Officer Ceniceros drove Officer Gomez to the nearby LA County Fire Department Station where LA County Fire took over medical treatment.
Meanwhile at the shooting scene, Sgt. Joel Romero, Officer Dahlen, Officer Shay, two federal uniformed agents and a Manhattan Beach Police Officer converged toward the True Religion building to track and neutralize the continued threat by the suspect. This team would travel approximately 100 yards in an open parking lot without any cover or concealment toward the black suburban parked along the True Religion building where the suspect made his last known cowardly stand. Unbeknownst to the advancing team, the suspect had jumped over the True Religion wall that contained an approximately 20 foot drop to the underground parking lot where he injured his knees after having sustained a gunshot wound to his back. As this take-down team made their way to the building in question, the 911 dispatcher broadcast additional information that the suspect had managed to run toward the Town Place Suites hotel lobby.
Realizing that this situation had gone from bad to worse as the suspect had now made his way into the hotel, efforts to re-assemble a search/ arrest teams was now more evident. Officers remained in place setting up containments to track the suspect, preserve existing crime scenes, and locate the missing and unaccounted domestic violence victim and to secure and maintain an effective containment around the listed critical scenes.
The suspect, who was a former US Marine, managed to hide in a small alcove of the underground parking structure where he maintained great cover and concealment for any unsuspecting officer that made their way into the parking lot. The suspect would remain lying in wait while the manhunt continued.
Sgt. Joel Romeo and Officer Dahlen immediately coordinated the command post where police and fire would once again converge to another major incident. From here, the coordination of multiple agencies, SWAT teams, fire and rescue would coordinate the efforts to locate and arrest the suspect, and identify and provide assistance to any other unknown victims. It was during these efforts that Officer Shay broadcast that the suspect had alerted the nearby officers that he was hurt. The suspect was now surrendering at this point and he positioned himself out in plain view for responding Manhattan Beach SWAT Officers to take him into custody. Once secure, the suspect's weapon was also recovered.
The remaining efforts witnessed what once again showcased a tremendous response where coordinated efforts by police, fire and other first responders put their lives on the line to assure the safety and protection of citizens first in each community. Officers and various SWAT Teams, including the entourage of Hawthorne Police Officers monitoring the call from the Run to Remember also came to our aid as did US officers from US Customs Police.
April 7, 2019 began as a celebration by our global community to remember the brave acts by first responders who have sacrificed it all in the line of duty, with Officer Dianne Carmona leading the way with representing the Hawthorne Police Department. Meanwhile, her husband, Officer Jose Gomez, drenched in blood, would lead his agency, the Hawthorne Police Department, in what will remain another significant personal sacrifice for duty and community. For the Hawthorne Police Department, the courageous actions of the officers involved, will forever mark an ingrained testimony of heroism, civic responsibility and courage.
Lieutenant Joel Romero
Life Saving Award
At 2338 hours, Officers responded to 14437 S Chadron Avenue #23 on a rescue call with reports of a 40-year-old female choking. The call came from a frantic 16-year-old female that was alone in the house with the choking victim. Before any of the officers arrived, the dispatcher provided us with additional information that they could now hear several members yelling in the background that were trying to unsuccessfully dislodge the foreign object from the victim's airway.
Officer Jenks arrived on scene and immediately broadcast that the female was not breathing, was pulseless and that he was going to initiate chest compressions. At first, officer Jenks began with the use of the Heimlich maneuver, which was unsuccessful.
After updating additional police emergency personnel of the victim's status, Officer Jenks began 4 rounds of chest compressions. Officer Jack Cunningham, focused on information obtained from Officer Jenks realized that it may be necessary to perform additional medical/ first aid approaches and brought with him an AED device.
Officer Cunningham took over chest compression, while Officer Jenks applied the chest pads for the AED and Officer Cunningham followed up with the delivery of a single shock. Still lifeless, both Officer Jenks and Cunningham began coordinated chest compressions when they observed that a foreign item was dislodged from the victim's airway. Officer Cunningham and Officer Jenks rolled the victim on her side to assist in the clearing of the objects from her airway. Despite the item being dislodged, the victim still remained lifeless.
Once the item was cleared, the officers still could not locate a pulse and noticed that the victim was still not breathing. Once again, both officers continued with coordinate chest compressions. After several minutes, Officer Jenks noticed that the victim's chest was rising on its own and noticed that the victim had a pulse; but with very labored breathing. Officer Jenks continued to assist the victim with mild chest compressions until the victim moved into a fetal position holding her stomach area. The Victim was able to dislodge additional foreign objects on her own once she regained consciousness and began to cough.
LA County Fire Station 21 paramedics arrived on scene and took over further first aid treatment to the victim and ultimately transported the victim to Little Company of Mary Hospital for observation. All of the officers cleared the scene as this was a medical call that was now deferred to LA County Fire.
At approximately 1230 Hours, I received a telephone call from LA County Fire Station 21 -Paramedic Alex Rodriguez who wanted to commend Officers Jenks and Cunningham for the efforts and actions at this incident. I asked Paramedic Rodriguez for an update on what the officers had done and he summoned it up with a few words; "This lady died and they brought her back to life". He added that had it not been for the actions of these two officers, the victim would not have survived.
The choice of words Paramedic Rodriguez used to describe the incident puts the officers' actions into clear perspective for me and sheds light on the ever-growing plethora of police responsibilities aimed at preserving life.
Both Hawthorne Police Officers Jenks and Cunningham, relying on prior Tactical Medical and First Aid CPR training, are to be credited for saving the life of 40-year-old Tanesha Yates. I am glad to that see that training and their willingness to go over and beyond traditional police services, give credit to the image of the Hawthorne Police Department, even more so it gives me great pride to have both of these officers exemplify this level of pride and care for human dignity while on my watch. This incident can best be described as, "Heroic".
Lieutenant Joel Romero