Life Saving Incident

On the night of June 15, 2016, Sergeant Jesus Garcia and another officer heard a traffic collision occur about a block from their location. As the officers looked toward the direction of the accident, they saw that a motorcycle had been involved in an accident and had burst into flames. Sergeant Garcia broadcast the incident to nearby units and quickly drove to assist the people involved. He arrived on scene to find both the motorcycle and the motorcyclist were lying in the street fully engulfed in flames that reached approximately 20 feet in height. Sergeant Garcia ran toward the motorcyclist in an attempt to pull him away from the fiery wreckage, but it was too difficult because of the intensity of the flames. Fully aware of the danger he was facing, he ran towards the burning wreckage, grabbed hold of the motorcyclist’s legs, and pulled him to safety. In doing so, Sergeant Garcia sustained first degree burns to his hands and face. Sergeant Garcia and other officers who arrived on the scene removed the motorcyclist’s smoldering clothing and backpack, cleared his airway, and assisted him with his breathing until the Los Angeles Fire Department arrived. For performing an act displaying extreme courage while consciously facing imminent peril, Sergeant Jesus Garcia was awarded the Medal of Valor.