Officer

California Highway Patrol

9/12/2004

Special Act Award (Gold)

On September 12, 2004, California Highway Patrol Officer Kevin H. Berg, performed an act of heroism at great risk to his personal safety when he rescued a woman trapped inside her vehicle while being attacked by a dog. At approximately 7:45 p.m., off-duty Officer Berg arrived at the Safeway grocery store in Fort Bragg with his wife to shop for groceries. While standing outside the grocery store Officer Berg heard an unusual screaming sound coming from within a car parked in the parking lot. The noise from the car continued as the car’s horn sounded in a continuous, unusual manner. Officer Berg moved toward the car and saw the victim sprawled on the driver’s floorboard and front seat with her right arm clutched in the jaws of a dog. He also observed a female occupant in the right front passenger seat and safely removed her from the car. The victim’s arm was badly mutilated and she appeared to be in shock and unable to continue resisting the dog’s attack. Officer Berg yelled at a Safeway employee to call 911 as he entered the vehicle through the rear hatch. He made a couple of unsuccessful attempts to distract the dog before grabbing hold of the dog’s leash and pulling the dog off of the victim. Officer Berg was able to hold the dog against the rear seat of the vehicle until Fort Bragg Police Officers arrived and rendered aid to the victim and Officer Berg. Suddenly, the dog turned and began to leap over the rear seat toward Officer Berg. A Fort Bragg police officer pepper sprayed the dog and utilized an electrical tazer to stop the attack and allow Officer Berg time to exit the vehicle. The victim was stabilized at Fort Bragg’s Coast Hospital and then airlifted to Stanford Medical Center where doctors were successful in saving her severely mutilated right arm.