Sheriff Robert Luna honors deputies and officers at Valor Awards ceremony

Los Angeles County Sheriff Robert Luna presided over a ceremony on Thursday, Nov. 2, to honor deputies and other law-enforcement personnel for acts of heroism and bravery.

The 2023 Valor Awards Ceremony took place at the Bob Hope Patriotic Hall.

Among the honorees were Deputies Claudia Apolinar and Emmanuel Perez-Perez of the Sheriff’s Transit Services Bureau.

In September 2020, they were patrolling the Metro Blue Line Station in Compton when they were ambushed by an armed male suspect in “an unprovoked attack that left them both critically injured,” a sheriff’s statement said.

“Throughout this harrowing ordeal, these deputies’ actions were nothing short of heroic,” the sheriff’s statement said.

“They knowingly disregarded personal safety to protect not only their own lives but also the lives of the public. Their fearless decisiveness and exceptional courage in the face of danger were truly remarkable.”

Also honored were retired sheriff’s Det. David Finn of the Santa Clarita Station. On the morning of Nov. 14, 2019, Finn, who was off duty, drove his girlfriend’s son to Saugus High School, where a tragic shooting was unfolding in which a student killed two others before killing himself.

“While on the phone with his partner, he saw students fleeing in panic,” a sheriff’s statement said. “Despite the personal risk, Detective Finn’s selfless act in this chaotic situation, prioritizing the welfare of others, is an extraordinary display of bravery, placing himself in immediate life-threatening danger.”

More than a dozen other deputies were also honored, along with one officer each from the Los Angeles, Whittier and Inglewood police departments.