BAKERSFIELD, Calif. (KERO) — Bakersfield parole officer Luis Cardenas stopped a shooter at the East Hills Walmart in 2020. Nearly three years later, he has been awarded the highest medal that law enforcement can receive.
Luis Cardenas showed courage in the face of danger when he commanded a shooter to stand down, potentially saving the lives of many. That day changed his life, a day which he is now being recognized for.
“Even from the onset from hearingthe gunshots, I immediately recognized that to be a weapon,” explained Cardenas.
Cardenas was conducting a parolee check for a client that wasn't even his and came upon the dangerous situation on Dec 28, 2020.
“There was a lot of screaming," said Cardenas. "There were people yelling, calling for their kids or calling each other to to leave.”
As others were running in the opposite direction, Cardenas went inside of the Walmart.
“After pushing through a crowd that was trying to exit, I was able to locate the individual with the help of an employee," said Cardenas. "He matched the description perfectly and I notified dispatch 'I have one matching the description at gunpoint, standby'.”
“I gave him commands, which he hesitated initially but once he saw that I wasn’t gonna go anywhere and I was approaching him at gunpoint, he complied with my commands to put his hands up,” he continued.
That day left Cardenas a hero. Now, the California Governor's Office is honoring him.
The Gold Star Medal of Valor is the highest state award for a public safety officer. It now hangs around Cardenas’s neck, something he says he never thought about.
“No, you don’t really think about that," said Cardenas. "You do your job. You focus on what your obligation is: keeping the citizens of California safe and Bakersfield.”
Cardenas says that any chance to show a positive side of public safety is a chance he will take.
“We work in an environment where there’s currently a lot of politics involved in law-enforcement and there’s a lot of negativity coming from some aspects of the community, so to be able to do something good, something that shows a good side of what can happen when somebody does the right thing,” explained Cardenas.
The California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitations calls Cardenas’s actions on that day "an example of his commitment to the community" and says that the community needs "more people like" him.
