Medal of Bravery

• Awarded on: March 8, 2001
• Invested on: June 22, 2001

Cst. Lawrence Ivan Hemstad, M.B.
Cst. Eric Stephen Ooms, M.B.
Cst. Sean Deighton Plater, M.B.
Cpl. William James Trudeau, M.B.
Medal of Bravery

On June 9, 1999, these four Victoria Police officers were involved in the arrest of two armed fugitives following a bank robbery turned into a high-speed chase marked by gunfire, in Victoria, British Columbia. Alerted to the holdup, Cst. Plater followed the robbers' getaway vehicle in his police cruiser while Cpl. Trudeau took up pursuit on his motorcycle. As they gained on the criminals, the passenger leaned out of the car and fired a shotgun at the officers, barely missing them. Fearing for public safety and despite bullets that struck his motorcycle, Cpl Trudeau took the lead of the high-speed chase. Ambushed in a curve by the gunmen, he was forced off the road but quickly got back on his damaged motorcycle. Ignoring injuries from the crash, he caught up with Cst. Plater and other pursuing officers as the bandits fired randomly at pedestrians. Meanwhile, Cst. Ooms, who had driven into the oncoming traffic, managed to force the robbers to stop. Despite the gun fire exchange that followed, Csts. Ooms, Plater and Hemstad and Cpl Trudeau chased the men on foot as they tried to escape through the yards of a residential area. One of the criminals was cornered by police, but the other fugitive made his way into an elderly couple's apartment and was arrested after a six-hour standoff.