Metro honors officers for acts of courage

Metro Sgt. Tabitha Baker in a video recounted how she almost died when a former professional boxer hit her repeatedly and tried taking her gun during an arrest last year.

About 600 people erupted into applause Friday when she was introduced and went on stage to receive a Purple Heart from Clark County Sheriff Joe Lombardo during the third annual Best of the Badge award ceremony.

When the ex-boxer tried to flee during the June 1, 2014, incident, Baker was able to “muster the strength” to follow the man and call out his location so he could be arrested.

Baker was one of 40 officers honored at the Red Rock Resort for saving lives, risking their own and withstanding “some of the most dramatic events of law enforcement.”

The incidents included two fire rescues, a “hazmat scare” and multiple officer-involved shootings, including one last summer in which two Metro officers and a bystander were killed in the east valley by an armed married couple.

Two empty seats were reserved for those officers, Alyn Beck and Igor Soldo, with two uniform hats marking their places.

Prior to receiving a Medal of Valor, officer John Bethard recounted what happened the day Beck and Soldo were killed. The award was a “great honor” but also brought back a lot of sad memories, he said.

Bethard was part of a rear-entry team that entered a Wal-Mart during the active shooter situation. The only thing going through his mind was the job and the training officers receive for such situations, he said.

Bethard said that he wants people to know that officers are more than just the uniform. “It’s a job that we do, but once we’re done working, and when we’re working, we’re human beings.”

After the 15-minute shootout, he said, the adrenaline comes down, reality sets in, and officers are just “hoping to make it out alive to go see (their) family.”

Lombardo before the event said that the gala “is not just about the officers themselves but also their families.” He announced that 10 students and Metro family members would receive $5,000 scholarships through the newly established Alyn Beck and Igor Soldo Memorial Scholarship Fund.

Attendees of the ceremony, which also serves as a fundraiser for the scholarship fund, embraced each other while a Metro color guard with bagpipes made its way to the stage.

Contact Ricardo Torres at rtorres@reviewjournal.com and 702-383-0381. Find him on Twitter: @rickytwrites.