Seventy-five police officers, along with a few civilians, were honored Wednesday during the second Montgomery County Police awards for 2025.
Many were recognized for saving lives, solving crimes and keeping the area safe with remarkable acts of bravery. Others received awards for coming up with innovative measures to aid officers in their daily work.
The highest award, the Medal of Valor, went to Officer Eric Mercurio. He rushed to the 15th floor of an apartment building, where a person was on a balcony, threatening to leap. For six hours, Mercurio strove to stop the man from jumping.
The man eventually decided to jump, and Mercurio grabbed the man’s arm and stopped him as other officers then rushed to the balcony and pulled the man to safety.
Officer Edward Cochran received a Guardian Award for assisting at that scene.
The Guardian Award, the department’s second highest honor, also went to Sgt. Gary Guard for his efforts that ended up saving many lives during the annual Pikes Peak Race.
Officers were at the start of the race in Rockville to protect the 2,000 runners when a female driving on Rockville Pike insisted on turning left, even though the police told her she could not and cones in the road were there to close that area off.
She continued driving and screaming out her car window when another officer demanded she stop.
Realizing the woman was headed directly towards the runners, Guard jumped into his police vehicle and drove in front of her car, forcing her to stop. She was arrested and received mental health treatment.
Officer Ignatious Zakrjewski also received a Guardian Award for his efforts to calm an autistic man who was armed with a large mallet. When the man started charging at Zakrjewski, he jumped into his car. But when he noticed the man was running into a nearby school, the officer chased him and called out that he would shoot him with his taser if he didn’t drop the mallet.
The man did drop his weapon but urged the officer to kill him. Zakrjewski neither shot his taser nor his gun. The incident ended without further threatening nearby students and teachers.
“Police officers make sacrifices every day,” said Montgomery County Assistant Chief Administrative Officer Earl Stoddard.
Police Chief Marc Yamada agreed, noting the officers were honored for events that “happen on each and every day and on every shift. I am only sorry we can’t recognize” every officer.
Additional officers were awarded for stopping burglary rings, getting weapons and drugs off the streets and using clues to connect a string of crimes to the same individual.
Civilians Kristina Euell and Claudia Hernandez received a Chief’s Appreciation Award for saving a young child from running into traffic on New Hampshire Avenue in June. They quickly pulled the child to safety.
Todd Wilson was honored for his efforts in May to save a young boy in Olney whose leg was pinned under a riding mower. Wilson, a neighbor, rushed to the scene and applied a tourniquet.
The boy lost a leg but survives. Officers, who also helped at the scene, attended the boy’s fifth birthday.
Lisa Cowger and Cierra Deciutis received a Police Chief's Appreciation award Wednesday for stopping a 5 year old autistic child running toward a pond. They comforted him and called 911. @mymcmedia @mcpnews pic.twitter.com/PqyyHLPeEx
— suzanne pollak (@SuzannePollak) November 12, 2025
