5 Deputies Halted Machete Wielding Man In Lake Forest, Honored

LAKE FOREST, CA —Five Lake Forest deputies halted an armed terrorizing a Walmart with a machete in 2018 and were honored for their actions, Tuesday.

Deputies Anthony Garza, Robert Tomasko, Jason McLennan, Paul Chiron, and Charles Johnson responded to Walmart in Lake Forest, where a mask-wearing suspect carried a machete.

The suspect left Walmart in his vehicle, according to a department spokesperson.

"Dispatch received another call stating the same car was at another business down the street," according to OCSD. "The suspect then ignited a briefcase in the business parking lot, where it later exploded. The suspect fled to another business location on Lake Forest's west side, where he was now armed with a gun, as well as the machete. The suspect robbed the business of a glass pipe and fled the scene.

The suspect then drove his vehicle to a residential neighborhood where he parked and began walking around.
The suspect approached a man that was walking his dog and began brandishing his firearm and machete. The man immediately ran to his backyard to warn his wife.

"Unfortunately, his wife was opening the front door when he was in the backyard and the suspect confronted her," the department said in the release. "The suspect attacked his wife, causing a laceration to her head and then forced entry into the home. The suspect ran through the home, jumped over a backyard fence, and ran to the end of a cul-de-sac.

Deputy McLennan arrived and immediately confronted the suspect in the street, ordering him to drop his gun and machete. Deputies Garza, Johnson, Tomasko and Chiron came to assist.

The suspect refused all commands from deputies, and a shooting occurred. Deputies immediately secured the suspect and began life-saving measures.

"They were able to stabilize the suspect, who was taken to the hospital and survived his injuries," OCSD said.

All five were honored at this year's Medal of Valor Ceremony. They received Medals of Courage and the Medal for Lifesaving for their actions that day.

Five deputies who stopped a man wielding a machete and a gun as he made his way through Lake Forest in 2018 were among those honored at this year’s Medal of Valor ceremony. Read their story here: https://t.co/8ZV6Hvliuk pic.twitter.com/XWwN4kXA95

— OC Sheriff, CA (@OCSheriff) September" class="redactor-linkify-object">https://twitter.com/OCSheriff/... 22, 2020