SPRINGFIELD — A man who helped city police arrest a robbery suspect late last year is being given an award from the Carnegie Hero Fund Commission.
The award, announced Monday, is given to civilians in the U.S. or Canada “who risk death or serious physical injury to an extraordinary degree saving or attempting to save the lives of others,” the commission’s website says. Perez is one of 65 people this year to receive the prize, according to Jewels Phraner, a spokesperson for the commission.
In addition to a medal, the designation comes with a $7,500 award, according to Phraner. Andrew Carnegie established the award after a mine explosion outside Pittsburgh in 1904, according to the organization.
In late December 2022, Perez was driving by a police officer struggling to arrest Joseph Gonzalez, 41, who police suspected robbed a MetroPCS store. The suspect grabbed the officer’s gun and fired it twice, hitting himself and Perez’s sweatshirt. Other officers arrived, and Gonzalez was arrested, according to police.
Springfield police honored Perez in an event last year.
“Instead of keep driving, ignoring it or recording it, he sees an officer in distress and asks that officer if they need help,” Police Superintendent Cheryl C. Clapprood said last year. “The officer asked for help, and Mr. Perez did not hesitate.”
Perez said at the event last year he didn’t think long before he got involved in the scuffle.
“I noticed she was in distress and a little assistance was needed, so my first reaction was to jump out of my truck and help out. I didn’t think about the consequences. … It was just, ‘Help out.’”
Gonzalez is still facing criminal charges, including armed robbery, in an open case in Hampden County Superior Court.
