Meath-born US police officer praised for takedown of gunman

A Meath-born US police officer has been commended for bravery after he helped disarm a suspect with a loaded firearm on a San Francisco street. For his heroics, Officer Patrick Brady (45) is also to be awarded the title of San Francisco Police Officer of the Year on 7th April next at a Lions Club International ceremony in the city. Officer Brady, who grew up in Dunboyne, and colleague, Officer Robert Wong, were recently dispatched to the popular tourist area of Sutro Park to investigate a report of a man walking in the area with a cup of coffee in one hand and a gun in the other. After a brief search of the area, both policemen found the man but could see the handle of a handgun protruding from his trousers pocket. With their own weapons drawn, Officers Brady and Wong approached the suspect and disarmed him. They found the .45 calibre semi-automatic weapon he was carrying was fully loaded with a round in the chamber and the safety switch off. They discovered an additional 100 rounds of ammunition in the pockets of the man's cargo pants. Patrick said he has been involved in a number of dangerous incidents since becoming a police officer, the scariest of which occurred in 2006. "It was my first 'lights and sirens' to a major incident. I was with my training officer, Chris Schaeffer, when we heard a call come out about a hit-and-run," he recalled. "As we were on our way to that scene, two more hit-and-run calls came out describing the same suspect and vehicle. Our object was now to stop and arrest the driver of the vehicle. "How we tracked the driver's route was by the citizens at locations where someone had been run over, pointing at the direction of flight of the suspect vehicle - a total of 14 crime scenes. We were literally following the trail of bodies in the street. "The end of the incident was at California Street and Spruce Street. The suspect took a wrong turn and left himself no escape route. I assisted Officer Manuel Solano in getting the suspect out of the car and on the ground." To read the full story see this week's Meath Chronicle.