Sergeant

California Highway Patrol

4/12/2005

Special Act Award (Gold)

On April 12, 2005 at approximately 5:00 p.m., California Highway Patrol Sergeant Erik Quisenberry of the Willows Area CHP office was off-duty and shopping with his wife at Costco in Chico, California. Sergeant Quisenberry heard a cry for help from an office located near the check out stand where he was waiting. Thinking he was possibly going to aid in a medical situation he rushed over to help. As Sergeant Quisenberry entered a small office he noticed a man inside physically assaulting a female employee. The woman appeared to be fighting for her life. Sergeant Quisenberry saw the man strike two times towards the woman’s throat with a small knife; he also noticed the woman was already bleeding from the neck. Sergeant Quisenberry was unarmed, and without hesitation, identified himself as a peace officer and confronted the man with the knife. Sergeant Quisenberry grabbed the suspect’s hand, wrestled the man to the ground, and took the knife from him. Sergeant Quisenberry, with the aid of two other Costco employees, held the man on the ground until Chico Police Officers arrived to place the suspect in custody. Sergeant Quisenberry’s actions during this rescue were responsible for saving the life of another.