Officer Richard Reynolds and his partner Officer Eric Hammelton had handled a domestic dispute before, but never one that involved a baby being threatened.
When the two were dispatched last April to an apartment in Silver Spring, they found the 5-month-old’s father brandishing a large butcher knife with a woman in the room.
The officers ordered the 24-year-old man to drop the weapon. Instead, he ran into a nearby bedroom with his two sons — the other a 3-year-old — and locked the door. When Reynolds and Hammelton kicked in the door after him, they found a frightening sight.
“Normally we wouldn’t go right into the room in that situation,” Reynolds said, “but we really didn’t have a choice because of the kids.”
The man was holding the knife over his 5-month-old son’s chest. When the officers again implored him to put it down, he pointed it to his neck and threatened to commit suicide. After a few tense moments, Hammelton pulled out his Taser gun and struck him in the chest.
“It was out of the ordinary and yet these officers conducted themselves professionally and followed their training for a peaceful resolution,” Captain Paul Starks said.
The Montgomery County Chamber of Commerce recently recognized the officers at an annual public safety ceremony. The men received a Silver Valor Award for their “act of bravery involving great personal risk beyond the call of duty.”
Fifteen other police officers and firefighters were given Gold, Silver and Bronze Valor awards at the chamber’s most well-attended ceremony yet. Sen. Ben Cardin and Rep. Chris Van Hollen, both Maryland Democrats, came out to thank the men.
“I just think it’s special because you know this is the one day of the year where the entire community can step up to say thank you to what these individuals do each and every day for all of us, and that’s to have a safer place to live, work and play,” said Steve Robins, chairman of the event and former chairman of the chamber.
