Police Heroism Award
Jon Tomer
Orange County Sheriff’s Department
December 30, 2007, early Sunday morning, Aliso Viejo Deputies Jon Tomer and Owen Hall were working their assigned shifts in the city. Lake Forest Deputy Adam Koliha was also working in the Aliso Viejo on overtime. All three deputies responded to an anonymous report of a man and woman fighting in an apartment building.
When the deputies arrived, they heard sounds of a struggle coming from inside an apartment, so they knocked on the door and identified themselves. They received no response and continued to hear struggling noises coming from inside the apartment. The deputies opened the unlocked front door and heard a woman calling for help from inside another room in the apartment. The door to that room was locked, so Deputy Hall attempted to force entry by kicking the door.
After his first attempt failed, the door was suddenly opened by a man holding a knife. Behind the man the deputies could see a woman curled up in the corner of the room, bleeding from the mouth.
Without warning the man charged at Deputy Tomer. As Deputy Tomer put up his arm to protect himself, Deputies Hall and Koliha discharged their tasers. Unfortunately, the tasers had no effect and the man stabbed Deputy Tomer in his right arm, opening a deep, five inch laceration on his forearm. Despite the wound to his arm, Deputy Tomer was able to draw his weapon and fire two shots, striking the man in the torso. The man eventually succumbed to his wounds at the hospital.
Deputy Tamer’s quick actions, even under stress and having been wounded, was able to prevent additional harm to himself, the other deputies and prevented the woman from being sexually assaulted and possibly saved her from being murdered. Deputy Tomer is awarded the Golden Badge Foundation’s Police Heroism Award.
