Knoxville Mayor Bill Haslam and Police Chief Sterling Owen named Knoxville Police Department Officers Amanda Bunch, Tim Riddle, and John Stevens the Officers of the Month for April. Officer Bunch and Officer Stevens have been with the department since January 2007 while Officer Riddle has been a member since October 2004.
Chief Owen said that on April 15, 2010, at approximately 1:41 p.m., Officers Bunch, Riddle and Stevens responded to a possible home invasion in the 2100 block of Chicago Avenue. The complainant advised that the neighbor had been forced back into her residence at gunpoint by three suspects. The three officers quickly surrounded the house. One of the suspects noticed the officers which caused them to panic and run back and forth inside the house from the front door to the rear door. The victim, who had been forced to kneel on the floor in the living room while the suspects ransacked the house, was able to make it to the front door of the house where she stepped out onto the porch.
Chief Owen said, "Officer Bunch acted quickly by putting herself in extreme danger to grab the victim from the porch and remove her to a position of safety. The three suspects then attempted to flee the house from the front door, but retreated after seeing the officers."
Two of the suspects were captured by Officers Riddle and Stevens as they attempted to flee the house through the rear door. The third was flushed out of the house and placed into custody.
All three suspects were charged with Aggravated Robbery, Aggravated Burglary, Especially Aggravated Kidnapping, and Possession of a Firearm during the commission of a felony offense.
Chief Owen said, "The quick thinking and actions of these officers removed these dangerous suspects and their weapons from our streets."
Mayor Haslam said, "We commend these officers' outstanding efforts to make our city a safer place to live."
Suspects:
Larry Alston, DOB 4-24-85
Joshua Webb, DOB 6-7-85
Kris Young, DOB 10-31-89
Weapons Recovered:
Ruger .357 Revolver with 6 rounds
High Point 9 mm, loaded
Stevens 20 gauge shotgun / illegal dueto shortened barrel
Click here to view a listing of previous KPD award winners.