The California Highway Patrol announced that six of their officers were honored with the Special Act Award, the highest honor the state can bestow on one of its employees. These six officers were presented with the gold medal of valor for their heroic actions:
Officer Jose Benitez for rescuing an unconscious pregnant woman from her submerged vehicle in a canal outside of Kings county.
Officer Christian Lara for rescuing a driver trapped inside a burning vehicle that had crashed on interstate 8 in San Diego county.
Officers Chad Smith and Johnathan Wion for rescuing two victims from a burning private airplane wreckage.
And officers Michael Etsey and Luis Rodriguez for responding to an ambush in Santa Cruz county where deputies were under fire from a domestic terrorist.
