California Highway Patrol Officer

California Highway Patrol

4/7/2011

Special Act Award (Gold)

On April 7, 2011, at approximately 5:35 p.m., California Highway Patrol Officer Jacob Moniz encountered a man walking on the right shoulder of the busy eastbound Interstate 10 in West Covina. Using the patrol vehicle’s public address system, Officer Moniz instructed the man to stop. The man stopped initially and then walked into the far right lane. Officer Moniz left his vehicle, walked to the right shoulder, and gave the man several clear instructions to come back to the right shoulder. The man seemed to comply by taking a few steps towards the Officer, then he suddenly turned and ran straight into traffic. Without hesitation, Officer Moniz ran after the man, grabbed the back of his clothing, and prevented him from running directly into the path of a passing big rig. Upon questioning, the man revealed he intended to commit suicide.