CRAIG T. KOJIMA / CKOJIMA@STARBULLETIN.COM Deputy Chief Robert Au, left, congratulated officers Johnny Agoo, center, and Ervine Kaulia after they received bronze medals for valor yesterday.

Police department
presents officers awards

---

By Nelson Daranciang
ndaranciang@starbulletin.com

Two Honolulu police officers received the department's third-highest award yesterday for pulling a man from his burning car earlier this year.

Chief Lee Donohue presented Johnny Agoo and Ervine Kaulia the Bronze Medal of Valor for their actions on Jan. 21. A third officer, Tay Deering, was also to receive a Bronze Medal but was not present at yesterday's ceremonies.

Agoo was on his way to work at the Wahiawa Police Station when he saw two cars on Kamehameha Highway that appeared to have collided. After ordering the driver of one of the cars to drive to a safe distance, he began yelling at the other driver to get out of his car because it was on fire. Deering, who was also on his way to work, also tried to persuade the driver to get out of the car.

The 39-year-old man had rolled up all of his car's windows, locked the doors and was reading a magazine.

Kaulia, who was on duty, arrived and emptied three fire extinguishers in an unsuccessful attempt to put out the fire.

Deering broke a rear window and unlocked the driver's door, then he and Agoo wrestled the man out of the burning car before flames fully engulfed it.

The driver was not injured but was taken to Queen's Medical Center for psychiatric evaluation. He is facing criminal property damage charges for allegedly ramming his car into two other vehicles that morning.

Two other officers received awards yesterday for pulling a distraught woman off an H-1 freeway overpass in Pearl City last Oct. 1. Donohue presented officer Ronald Jacobs the Bronze Medal of Valor and officer Marlo Romualdo a Certificate of Merit.