‘Selfless dedication’: Seven Arlington Heights police officers earn top honors for rescuing couple from armed intruder

Commending actions they called brave and selfless, Arlington Heights village and police department brass Monday night honored seven officers with the department’s highest honor for rescuing trapped residents from an armed intruder during a recent home invasion.

Mayor Jim Tinaglia and Police Chief Nick Pecora bestowed the Award of Valor on the sworn officers: Commander Andrew Flentge, Sergeant James Kryca, Officer Kevin Sullivan, Officer Christopher Macko, Officer Daniel Savas, Officer Matthew Boucek and Officer Anthony Padiyara.

“The award is reserved for instances when an officer chooses the welfare of others over their own personal safety, courageous action over hesitation, and service above self,” Pecora said.

As the chief read each name, Tinaglia placed a ribbon with medal around each officer’s neck, while two deputy police chiefs handed them a certificate and commendation bar for their uniforms.

According to Pecora’s description of the incident:

The seven officers were among the first responders to a report of a burglary in progress after 7:30 a.m. Feb. 19 on the 800 block of North Chestnut Avenue.

The two homeowners locked themselves in a second-floor bedroom and called 911 after a man wearing dark clothing and a hoodie entered the house through an open overhead garage door.

Officers Sullivan and Macko were first to arrive and enter the house, but were immediately met by gunfire.

The suspect — who had been trying to force open the bedroom door where the residents were hiding — eventually crawled down the staircase to the first floor.

Then Sullivan, Kryca and Padiyara made a tactical entry into the house and maintained position at the foyer, while Flentge, Boucek and Savas ascended the staircase, reached the homeowners, and escorted them out safely. The residents were unharmed.

The suspect tried to flee through a window at one point, but retreated back inside and held authorities at bay until the early afternoon. The 7½-hour standoff was resolved peacefully when police were able to put him in touch with one of his family members, and he surrendered.

Officials said not only are the responding officers credited with saving the lives of the homeowners, but also preventing the armed offender from escaping into the neighborhood. The standoff — prompting the establishment of a perimeter and bringing a SWAT unit, 154 officers from across the suburbs and two police dogs to the scene — led to soft lockdowns at nearby schools and the Arlington Heights Memorial Library.

Pecora invited the two residents to the awards presentation at the village board meeting Monday night, but they respectfully declined. They told him they plan to thank the officers in person soon.

“In one of the most terrifying moments of our lives, your swift action, courage and professionalism brought us to safety at the risk of your own well-being,” the residents wrote in a letter to the officers, read aloud by Pecora at the meeting. “Your selfless dedication not only protected us from harm, but also reminded us of the incredible bravery it takes to serve in law enforcement and public service.”

The valor award was recommended by a department committee with the concurrence of the police chief.

Alexander R. Pacino, 50, of Arlington Heights, was charged with home invasion and aggravated discharge of a firearm following the break-in. He is being held in jail while awaiting trial, and is due back in court Friday.