San Mateo Police Officer

Other

11/25/2008

Public Safety Officer Medal of Valor

"On November 25, 2008, at roughly 9:30 a.m., numerous San Mateo police officers were dispatched to a residential robbery in progress. Sergeant Dave Peruzzaro, one of the first to arrive, approached the front door and saw the male suspect walking down a hallway in the residence carrying a handgun. It was determined that the 24-year-old female resident and her two children, ages three years and one year, were being held against their will by the armed suspect. The victim spoke with negotiators over a cellular telephone and stated the suspect was trying to break down the door to the bedroom. She told negotiators that she was going to drop her two children from the bedroom window to safety. An armored rescue vehicle was driven to the scene to attempt the rescue of the victim and her children. Sergeant Peruzzaro climbed onto the exposed roof of the armored rescue vehicle and it was driven to a position directly below the bedroom window. Sergeant Peruzzaro placed himself in a precarious and defenseless position in order to accept the children from the victim. Sergeant Peruzzaro leaned toward the window frame and placed both his hands against the building. The mother of the children handed Sergeant Peruzzaro the first child who was quickly and safely passed on to other officers on the ground. As the second child was handed to Sergeant Peruzzaro, the suspect fired 10 rounds through a wall into the room where the victim was standing. Three rounds struck the victim while four struck the frame around the window where Sergeant Peruzzaro was accepting the last child. As the bullets tore through the bedroom walls, Sergeant Peruzzaro kept his grasp on the child, but lost his ability to support himself and fell to the ground from the roof of the armored rescue vehicle. As Sergeant Peruzzaro fell, he placed his arms around the child and twisted his own body to protect the child. Sergeant Peruzzaro, stunned by the fall, got to his feet and ran with the child to safety, believing he was shot due to a burning pain in his upper body. Ultimately, upon medical examination, Sergeant Peruzzaro was determined not to have been struck by a bullet. Tragically, the mother of the two children was fatally wounded by the suspect. The suspect was also located, deceased from a self-inflicted gunshot wound."