Last October, an off-duty cop came across a mugging in progress in the Bronx. Police officer Ivan Marcano decided to intervene and stop the muggers from robbing a cabdriver. He was shot in the chest, so his girlfriend wanted to drive him to the hospital—but on the way, Marcano spotted the suspects' car so he got out and pursued them. And even though he was covering his chest wound with his left hand, he managed to kill one of the suspects with his service gun in his right hand—and Marcano is left-handed. Yesterday, Marcano and the two other police officers who helped capture the other suspect were honored yesterday by the The National Association of Police Organizations and White House.
President Obama even mentioned Marcano's heroics during his speech—and noted that Marcano's girlfriend, Hilda Miolan, also deserved a round of applause:
Miolan, who was also at the ceremony, told the Daily News, "I thought it was really cool. I was a little shy and embarrassed but I got into it," adding, “It brought back a lot of memories from the incident, but other than that, the outcome has been great." Here's video of Marcano pursuing the suspects—it's like something out of a movie!
MOS involved shooting 46pct from Gothamist on Vimeo.
Marcano, who was promoted to detective after the shooting, received the Top Cop Award for stopping the armed robbery while Detective Terrence Munnelly and Detective Steven Smith received Top Cop Awards for their investigation which led to the apprehension of the other suspects. Police Commissioner Ray Kelly said, "Through sheer bravery and exceptional police work, they stopped armed and dangerous criminals from posing a further threat to the public. Their actions reflect proudly on every member of the New York City Police Department."
