SAN DIEGO (CNS) - A Port of San Diego Harbor Police officer who engaged in a shootout on March 1 outside the San Diego Convention Center will be awarded the Medal of Valor at the Board of Port Commissioners' meeting Tuesday.
Officer Cody Horn saw Daniel Quiroz, 30, commit a traffic violation near First Avenue and Harbor Drive at about 7 p.m. and followed the suspect's vehicle, pulling it over near the intersection where the shootout unfolded, according to Lt. Andra Brown of the San Diego Police Department.
The officer believed the driver was possibly impaired and asked him to exit his vehicle for further evaluation. As the driver exited his car, he produced a handgun and pointed it at the officer. Horn then exchanged gunfire with the driver. Several responding units arrived on scene and the man was taken into custody without further incident.
Quiroz has been charged in connection with the shooting. Neither the officer nor the shooter were injured, however a pedestrian in the area later reported being struck in the buttocks by a stray bullet. Police said the bystander was unharmed because the slug was deflected by an eyeglasses case he was carrying in his back pocket.
Horn has been a member of the Port of San Diego Harbor Police Department for more than three years. The Medal of Valor is the Harbor Police Department's highest decoration of bravery.
After an investigation by the San Diego Police Department and the San Diego County District Attorney's Office, Horn was cleared of any criminal liability for his actions.
