Crime & Safety

Herndon Officer Honored By VA Police Chiefs For Heroic Actions

A Herndon police officer received the Award of Valor recently from the Virginia Association of Chiefs of Police for heroic actions in 2019.

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Pfc. Stephen Phelps of the Herndon Police Department (left) received the VACP's Award of Valor at the group's Aug. 23 meeting in Williamsburg. He's shown here with Herndon Police Chief Maggie DeBoard, who is also the VACP president.
Pfc. Stephen Phelps of the Herndon Police Department (left) received the VACP's Award of Valor at the group's Aug. 23 meeting in Williamsburg. He's shown here with Herndon Police Chief Maggie DeBoard, who is also the VACP president. (Erin Schrad/VACP)

HERNDON, VA — A Herndon police officer was recently honored by the Virginia Association of Chiefs of Police & Foundation (VACP) for the heroic efforts he demonstrated in apprehending two suspects involved in a 2019 armed robbery, according to a VACP blog post.

Pfc. Stephen Phelps was sitting in his police cruiser in town on Sept. 2, 2019, when he heard a woman screaming that she had been robbed. Seeing two men running past his cruiser, Phelps began chasing the men, shouting at them to stop.

One of the men pulled out a handgun and shot at Phelps, who kept pursuing the two men in middle of the road, and returned fire with his service weapon. All the while, he continued yelling at them to stop and drop the handgun.

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The second man began to show signs that he was having trouble staying on his feet, even as he was running away. Phelps used his Taser against him with no effect.

Hearing the gunfire, two off-duty officers from Washington, DC's Metropolitan Police Department and a Fairfax County Fire and Rescue medic who were in the area responded to the scene to help Phelps. Eventually, they tackled the suspect and brought him to the ground.

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Related: Herndon Police Chief DeBoard Recognized By Virginia Police Chiefs

The suspect who had fired at Phelps was later apprehended by Virginia State Police troopers less than a mile away as he tried to carjack a vehicle at gunpoint.

Police later determined the suspects were linked to other robberies and sexual assaults in Fairfax County and in Montgomery County, Maryland. The suspect who shot at Phelps was also indicted for attempted capital murder on a police officer.

In recognition of Phelps' efforts in pursuing the two suspects at great personal risk, VACP presented him with the Award for Valor on Aug. 23 at the group's annual meeting in Williamsburg.

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