William S. Strom
California Highway Patrol Officer
California Highway Patrol
3/28/2009
Special Act Award (Gold)
On March 28, 2009, California Highway Patrol Sergeant Jack Rice, Officer William S. Strom and Officer Joseph A. Zagorski, saved a man’s life by stopping an in-progress suicide. Officers Strom and Zagorski were the first to arrive on scene at the Cook Street overpass of the westbound lanes of Interstate 10 in Riverside County. They found a distraught man who was seated on the rail of the overpass. They began speaking with the man and distracting him.
Sergeant Rice arrived and quietly approached the man from the opposite side of Officers Strom and Zagorski. He waited for the right moment and when the opportunity presented itself, grabbed the man around his upper body. The man violently resisted in an attempt to get away from Sergeant Rice, nearly causing both of them to fall onto the westbound lanes of I-10. Officers Strom and Zagorski ran to assist Sergeant Rice with the struggling man. Officer Zagorski quickly assessed that they needed more leverage to pull the man to safety and wrapped his left leg around the right front tire of the man’s vehicle and extended his reach to attempt to pull all of them towards safety. After a brief struggle, which came precariously close to all parties falling onto the freeway lanes below, the sergeant, both officers and the suicidal man were pulled and fell backwards onto the safety of the overpass area. The man was taken into custody and turned over to Riverside County Sheriff deputies. The actions of Sergeant Rice and Officers Strom and Zagorski prevented major injuries or death to the distraught man.
Sergeant Rice arrived and quietly approached the man from the opposite side of Officers Strom and Zagorski. He waited for the right moment and when the opportunity presented itself, grabbed the man around his upper body. The man violently resisted in an attempt to get away from Sergeant Rice, nearly causing both of them to fall onto the westbound lanes of I-10. Officers Strom and Zagorski ran to assist Sergeant Rice with the struggling man. Officer Zagorski quickly assessed that they needed more leverage to pull the man to safety and wrapped his left leg around the right front tire of the man’s vehicle and extended his reach to attempt to pull all of them towards safety. After a brief struggle, which came precariously close to all parties falling onto the freeway lanes below, the sergeant, both officers and the suicidal man were pulled and fell backwards onto the safety of the overpass area. The man was taken into custody and turned over to Riverside County Sheriff deputies. The actions of Sergeant Rice and Officers Strom and Zagorski prevented major injuries or death to the distraught man.