Correctional Officer

California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation

5/24/2017

Special Act Award (Gold)

On May 24, 2017, at 10:20 a.m., in the Pelican Bay State Prison outdoor exercise yard, holding approximately three hundred inmates, a one-on-one fight started. Correctional officers responded to the fight to stop the incident. While responding staff were attempting to quell the incident, approximately 130 inmates began rushing and attacking the officers. Officer Shaun Tayman ran into a large group of attacking inmates to save his fellow officers. As he responded to the incident he could see a large number of inmates running toward the officers to take part in the assault. Officer Tayman utilized force in the form of pepper spray to reach his fellow officers. At one point, Officer Tayman found himself amid a group of 10-15 inmates and noticed that one of the inmates had a state-issued baton in his hand. Knowing that the inmate had a deadly weapon, Officer Tayman, along with other officers near him, advanced on the group of inmates. The inmates eventually complied with orders and the inmate with the baton relinquished it to Officer Tayman. With no regard for his own safety, Officer Tayman’s heroic act saved the lives of fellow officers and inmates in the face of a large prison fight. The State of California takes great pride in presenting this Gold Medal of Valor to California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation Correctional Officer Shaun Tayman.