An officer with the Lac Seul Police Service is being honoured by the province after putting his life on the line to save the life of an attempted kidnapping victim.
Officer Robert Lawrance has been awarded the Ontario Medal for Police Bravery, which recognizes extraordinary courage and bravery by members of Ontario’s police services.
On November 1 of 2020, Constable Robert Lawrance received a priority call about a male suspect armed with a gun near the police station.
Officer Lawrance was informed the suspect had assaulted a female and was attempting to kidnap her at gunpoint, with the firearm held against her head.
Lawrance sprinted to the scene without regard for his own safety, charged the assailant and grabbed hold of the weapon before freeing the hostage from the suspect’s grip. He then made the arrest.
Officer Lawrance suffered minor injuries during the altercation and was treated at the local hospital.
It was later discovered the firearm was a replica, but this could not have been known by the hostage or officer Lawrance at the time.
Ontario says Lawrance’s swift actions resulted in the ‘apprehension of a violent assailant and safely ended an afternoon of terror for the innocent victim.’
Ontario’s Medal for Police Bravery was created in 1975. 21 officers and 13 firefighters were awarded medals across the province in 2022. It’s the highest honour awarded to emergency responders.