DPS honors heroic actions, bravery at October commission meeting

The Texas Public Safety Commission and Texas Department of Public Safety (DPS) Director Steven McCraw recognized several Texans at its commission meeting held last week at DPS Headquarters in Austin.

The commissioners and McCraw presented one director’s citation, one director’s award, five lifesaving awards and one other special recognition.

“It is a privilege to be able to honor the exceptional dedication and courage displayed by these outstanding members of our department and community,” McCraw said.

“Their commitment to public safety and service exemplifies the highest standard of excellence,” he added. “They truly understand the importance of safety in our communities and across our state.”

As it turns out, one of those awards presented — the director’s citation, the highest of the honors presented that day — involved a man whose actions help save an elderly Lavaca County woman after she became a hostage inside her own, when an armed fugitive shoved his way inside her home and held lawmen at bay for several hours before he was finally stopped by a single shot from a sniper’s rifle.

This is their story.

Yoakum Police Department officers attempted to conduct a traffic stop on Sunday, Jan. 23, 2022, but rather than pull over, the suspect vehicle sped away, launching a high-speed chase that Hallettsville police officers finally ended with the successful deployment of a spike strip some 10 miles from Yoakum, just past the intersection U.S. 77 Alternate and U.S. 90 Alternate.

It was the second time that weekend the suspect had attempted to elude lawmen, the first occurring in Cuero the day before when officers attempted to serve an arrest warrant at the man’s home.

According to reports on the case back in 2022, while officers were making their approach at the front of the man’s home to serve that felony arrest warrant, the suspect was lighting out the back afoot, evading officers in that town for long enough to later circle back around his house, where he collected his vehicle and promptly left town.

Officers suspected he might’ve traveled to nearby Yoakum where he was known to have family, so Cuero police put out an alert to have Yoakum officers on the lookout for his vehicle. Yoakum PD located his vehicle where they said it would be, a short while later, and commenced the traffic stop procedures.

For a moment, it appeared he might go quietly in Yoakum, but that moment soon passed, and chase was on.

Even after officers disabled his vehicle, the suspect wasn’t done running yet. In fact, before his car came to a complete stop, he had already exited his vehicle and was crossing the highway, where in a single bound, he leapt the barb-wire fence and ran toward the cover of some hefty pecans set along a typically dry creek bottom.

It was there that officers say the man produced a handgun and began waving it in the officers’ direction, firing what they would later report as the first of several rounds he fired at lawmen that day.

Eventually, the suspect made his way to house set a fair distance from the road and forced his way into the front door past its homeowner, a grandmother in her 90s.

Once inside the man forced the woman upstairs at gunpoint, whereupon he raised windows, kicked out screens and commenced to destroying as much of the woman’s house as he could manage, all while taking the narcotics he’d brought with him and firing his pistol out the window every so often, whenever he spotted a first responder out in the open, who steadily gathered around the scene throughout that after.

Not long after the standoff began, Sheriff Micah Harmon, among the first of the second-wave officers to arrive that day, had put in a call to the Texas Department of Public Safety requesting thjeir assistance in a situation that grew more and more tense wit each passing moment.

Staff Sgt. Mina Gadelkarim, of McAllen, a member of the Texas Rangers Special Operations Group (SOG) was one of the DPS officers who responded to Harmon’s request for aid that day.

He met with other members of the SOG, forming a truly impressive line of high-speed driving that arrived from Shiner along U.S. 90 Alternate, turning in near synchronized precision onto County Road 182, where that kicked into high gear to approach that same property where the suspect was holed up from the backside.

Gadelkarim, who is also a SWAT precision marksman, took his rifle and set up a position near the home where he could see the suspect through an open window.

By then, the suspect was grabbing the elderly woman he’d been holding hostage for hours already and pushing her against the windows of the room, effectively using her as human shield, as he moved about, always holding on to her shoulders and pointing his pistol at her head. 

Gadelkarim closely monitored the suspect’s every move through the scope of his rifle and as soon as he had a clear shot on the man, Gadelkarim took it, firing a single through the window that instantly neutralized the suspect, ending a tense, hours-long standoff and hostage situation and ultimate saving the woman’s life.

In recognition of his steadfast response during a life-threatening hostage situation, DPS Director Steven Mcraw awarded Gadelkarim the Director’s Citation, thehighest honor given by the agency.

But nothing moved him quite as much as the surprise visit he was paid by the former hostage herself, who attended the Austin ceremony on Thursday with her family, because she said she never got to properly thank him for all he done for her, something she promptly righted immediately after Staff Sgt. Gadelkarim was presented his award.

SIDEBAR

Also honored in Austin last week

Others receiving awards at the Austin DPS headquarters last week included:

• Trooper Paul Bickerstaff, of Henderson, who responded to a call of a vehicle forced off the roadway into high water caused by Tropical Storm Beryl on July 8, 2024, and along with Rusk County Fire Marshal Patrick Dooley, using swift water rescue gear, both entered the water and, with the assistance of other firefighters working with them in concert, the two were able to locate and save the stranded motorist some 50-60 yards from the roadway in a heavily wooded area where he car had gone beneath the fast moving waters.

In recognition of their courageous response to a life-threatening situation resulting in the saving of a life, Trooper Paul Bickerstaff was awarded the Lifesaving Award and Marshal Patrick Dooley was awarded the Director’s Award.

• Trooper Billy Castro, of Goliad, was dispatched to a disturbance call to Weesatche on July 12, 2024, where he encountered a very intoxicated woman who had severely cut her arm and was losing lots of blood. Trooper Castro immediately applied a tourniquet to the subject’s arm to stop the bleeding and continued reassuring her to keep her calm until EMS arrived. It was later determined that she severed her artery, which required surgery.

In recognition of his quick and effective response to a life-threatening situation resulting in the saving of a life, Trooper Billy Castro was awarded the Lifesaving Award.

• Trooper Armando Hernandez Jr., of Laredo, responded to an active vehicle chase of a suspected human smuggler on March 6, 2024. During the pursuit, two men were ejected from the suspect vehicle as it rolled over and crashed after spikes were deployed. The driver then fled the vehicle on foot. Trooper Hernandez quickly caught him and then returned to the crash site to check on the two men who were ejected. Trooper Hernandez realized he was the only Spanish speaker on the scene who could effectively communicate with them. One subject was bleeding from his leg because of a compound fracture, and Trooper Hernandez successfully applied a tourniquet to control the bleeding. He then served as an interpreter for EMS to conduct a proper medical assessment, and the subject was taken to a local hospital for further treatment.

In recognition of his significant and decisive response to a life-threatening situation resulting in the saving of a life, Trooper Armando Hernandez Jr. was awarded the Lifesaving Award.

• Trooper Steven Olivares, of Laredo, saw an ambulance with its emergency lights and sirens activated on April 16, 2024, and as it attempted a left turn, it collided with a semi-truck. Trooper Olivares responded, placing his patrol unit in a position to block traffic and protect the two paramedics inside the ambulance from a potential secondary crash. Trooper Olivares checked the condition of the ambulance’s driver, then moved his attention to the passenger who was halfway out of her seat with a deep laceration to her right arm, which was bleeding profusely. Trooper Olivares immediately removed the tourniquet from his duty belt and applied it to her arm, stopping further loss of blood. He then continued his medical assessment, remaining at her side until medical air support arrived.

In recognition of his life-saving response, Trooper Steven Olivares was awarded the Lifesaving Award.

• Cpl. Brandon Tidmore, of Aspermont, was in his patrol unit working Operation Lone Star in the El Paso area on May 30, 2024, when he observed members of the National Guard gathering on a bridge with their attention toward the river below. As Tidmore exited his vehicle, he heard a female subject screaming from the water as she was swept downriver and unable to get traction to reach the steep concrete edges of the river. Tidmore quickly grabbed his swift water throw bag and threw it over the fence for her to grab. Noticing the woman could not hold on, he drove along the edge of the fence to get ahead of the woman moving downstream. After three failed attempts to reach her with the throw bag, Tidmore added heavy rocks into the bag. The added weight allowed the woman to successfully grab onto the rescue device, which allowed Tidmore and a National Guard soldier to pull her to safety.

In recognition of his quick thinking and determined efforts to save a life, Cpl. Brandon Tidmore was awarded the Lifesaving Award.

• The DPS Honor Guard and Drill Team developed and implemented a drill routine of remarkable precision, discipline and creativity last year. They competed at the Steve Young Honor Guard Tribute & Exhibition which takes place during Police Week in the nation’s capital. The Drill Team’s hard work and commitment to excellence earned them first place among all competing states.

In 2024, the team again showcased their talent in Washington, DC with a new and innovative routine, this time earning them third place. The team’s success at these national competitions has brought great honor to the state of Texas as an inspiration to their fellow officers and the communities they protect.

In recognition of their hard work and dedication, the Honor Guard and Drill Team — including Lt. Wade Schooley, of Austin; Sgts. Bill Robles, of Brownfield, Bryan McCandless, of Lubbock, and Eliot Torres, of El Paso; and Troopers Jacob Schroeder, of Waco, Alonzo Nunez, of Waxahachie, Robert Jackson, of Refugio, and Antony Alvarado-Moncada, of Belton — is awarded a Unit Citation.