CHULA VISTA, Calif. (KGTV) -- A Chula Vista Police officer was honored with a Medal of Valor and Purple Heart from the Chula Vista Police Department Thursday morning after being stabbed while on duty in 2017.
Officer David Sachs was honored with a Medal of Valor for his “extraordinary bravery and willingness to protect the lives of others, without regard for his own safety” the department said. He was also awarded a Purple Heart for his injuries while on duty.
On September 19 of 2017, Officer Sachs along with Officer Leo Banales and Chaplain Wes Anderson responded to a home on Monterey Avenue after receiving a report that a man’s neighbor threw a large piece of concrete over his fence, injuring the victim.
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When officers arrived, the victim pointed out the suspect’s house. After knocking on the door, the suspect’s mother answered and invited the officers in.
Police say, though they didn’t know at the time, the suspect, described as a 6-foot-tall man in his late 20s, was suffering from emotional or psychological distress.
After stepping into the home’s kitchen, the suspect started attacking Sachs with a knife, stabbing him multiple times in the face, head and arm.
Police say Sachs was able to knock the suspect to the ground while yelling “Knife! Knife! Knife!” to his partners.
The suspect then lunged at Banales with a knife before he and Anderson went outside. According to police, Sachs drew his weapon and told the suspect to drop the knife before the suspect blocked the exit and attacked him again with the knife.
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Police say Sachs then moved the suspect’s mother behind him for safety and shot the suspect. The suspect collapsed in the dining room after being struck.
After hearing the shots, Anderson went back to the home’s front door to help. After more officers arrived, medical aid was given to the hospital who was taken to the hospital where he later died.
Sachs was stabbed six times. Following seven months of recovery, he returned to full-duty and is still serving today.
The department released the following statement in a news release Thursday:
“The threat became deadly for Officer Sachs that fateful night. We are very happy to have him back. We are also thankful that he and his wife, herself a Chula Vista Police Officer, are here today and sharing his story. Officer Sach’s story is an example of the risks that every officer takes to serve their community – with bravery, professionalism and honor. Officer Sach’s story is a reminder of these risks, and of the heroic job that police officers do in circumstances both common and rare. His actions to protect himself and others also serve as a shining example to citizens and officers everywhere."
Matt Boone spoke with Officer Sachs about the day he was stabbed. Watch the interview tonight on 10News at 6.
