POLICE HEROISM AWARD
Leticia Gamboa
Officer, Long Beach Police Department
Brian Tuliau
Sergeant, Long Beach Police Department
On January 8, 2010, officers responded to a call regarding a female screaming that she had been stabbed and that someone wanted to kill her kids.
Sergeant Brian Tuliau and Officer Leticia Gamboa arrived on scene and heard a female yelling hysterically. They came into contact with Beatriz Madriz. Her shirt was covered in blood and she was yelling, “He’s killing my son! He stabbed my kids!” while pointing toward Apartment #2. When Sergeant Tuliau directed his attention toward the apartment, he saw a male subject, Peniamina Tomasi, looking out the door and directly at him. Tomasi slammed the door shut. The officers could see blood smeared on the bottom half of the door and a blood trail that led out the front door.
To ensure there were no further victims inside and at tremendous risk to their own safety, the officers immediately forced entry into the apartment. As Sergeant Tuliau kicked the apartment door open, Tomasi partially blocked the door from opening all the way. Sergeant Tuliau and Officer Gamboa were able to force their way into the apartment. After they gave him verbal orders at gunpoint, Tomasi reluctantly complied and was taken into custody.
Inside the apartment, Sergeant Tuliau and Officer Gamboa saw a male child, Felix Sandoval, face down, incapacitated and covered in blood. Another male child, 6-year-old Brandon Tomas, stood behind the door. While Officer Gamboa tended to Sandoval, Sergeant Tuliau grabbed Tomas and removed him from the apartment. Sergeant Tuliau gave Brandon to the next-door neighbor for his safety and returned to the apartment.
While Sergeant Tuliau was handcuffing suspect Tomasi and securing Brandon with a neighbor, Officer Gamboa checked Sandoval for his carotid vitals and found none. As Officer Gamboa requested paramedics to respond, Officers Alejandro Cazares, Andrew Calderon and Matthew George arrived. Without hesitation and clearly seeing that Sandoval was in grave condition, these officers immediately began cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) efforts in order to save the young boy’s life. They continued their lifesaving efforts until relieved by Long Beach Fire Department paramedics. Victim Sandoval was then rushed to the hospital.
Moments after the first officers arrived, Officer Joshua Brearley found Madriz standing in the courtyard of the complex and screaming, “My son! My son!” Officer Brearley could see that she had blood on her hands and arms and that she was bleeding heavily from three to four stab wounds on her back. Officer Brearley had Madriz sit down and applied pressure to her stab wounds. Long Beach Fire Department paramedics arrived and rushed Madriz to the hospital.
Sergeant Tuliau and Officer Gamboa placed their own personal safety at risk as they forced their way into the apartment. Although Sandoval succumbed to his injuries, Sergeant Tuliau and Office Gamboa’s valiant efforts quite possibly saved the life of the other boy, Brandon. They took these actions with determination and with intentions that uphold a police officer’s most noble sense of duty: to protect and save lives.
Under the most distressing of conditions, Officers Gamboa Calderon, Cazares and George gave Sandoval CPR in an attempt to save the young boy’s life. In the face of a distraught and critically injured mother, Office Brearley gave aid, comfort and assurance that help was coming. Officer Brearley’s compassion, empathy and duty in this instance are traits to emulate and traits that epitomize the finest traditions in the law enforcement profession.
These officers are to be commended for their individual actions in the face of a high-risk and extremely tragic incident.
