Lake Forest Park Police Cpl. Paul Armbrust and officer Brian Kokesh were awarded Distinguished Service Medals and Sgt. Dave Claeys was awarded a Medal of Valor for how they handled a sword swinging Lake Forest Park resident who pulled a gun on them in March 2002.
Kokesh was also awarded with the Meritorious Service Medal and his partner, officer Pete Lazarou was recognized with the Unit Citation Award for their work in interrupting a child rape that was in progress in May.
Lake Forest Park Police Chief Dennis Peterson awarded the medals to his staff at the February 13 Lake Forest Park City Council Meeting.
“Since I’ve been here in Lake Forest Park I couldn’t be prouder of my men and women,” Peterson said.
Just after noon on March 6, 2002 Donald Daniels, a 19-year-old Lake Forest Park man was walking down the 3200 block of Northeast 198th Place swinging a sword. When approached by police and ordered to drop the sword, he swung it at the officers, said Peterson, then pulled out what police thought was a handgun and aimed it at the police. It later turned out to be a BB gun. The officers fired several shots, wounding the man who was given medical aid and transported to Harborview Medical Center.
“With serious risk to physical safety, these officers were placed into high risk situation, and Sgt. Claeys took the brunt of it, saving his partner’s lives,” said Peterson.
On May 8, 2002 off-duty Lake Forest Police officer Brian Kokesh was riding home on his police motorcycle when he saw what looked like bare legs of a person lying in the grass just north of Ruger Bog, near the 2500 block of Ballinger Way in Shoreline. Kokesh’s partner, officer Pete Lazarou came by and both of them thought they had a murder scene on their hands.
“Brian saw the body and goes to check it out and finds a male raping a five-year-old boy,” said chief Peterson. “There is no doubt that this saved the small boy from further injury or death.”
The officers arrested a 14-year-old boy who was booked into the King County Youth Center and the five-year-old boy was transported to Harborview Medical Center.
Peterson also awarded the Top Gun Award to Cpl. Jason Becker for highest shooting marks, Letters of Commendation to officer Mike Harden and Sgt. Curt Evans for their work on the city’s mapping system. Employee of the Year was awarded to Com. Scott Drown.
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