Standing in the council chambers, Deputy Luis Cisneros was flanked by his pregnant wife and a dozen dignitaries as he received the act of valor award.
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"You always prepare for those 'What if?' situations," Cisneros told ABC7, "and you always run them in the back of your head. And when it does happen, it's good to know that you took the appropriate action."
Along with the award, the city also presented Cisneros with a 7-Eleven polo shirt.
Deputy recounts walking into 7-Eleven in Carson during armed robbery
Four suspects were taken into custody after the Jan. 13 encounter, which occurred about 12:30 a.m. at a convenience store in the 1700 block of Avalon Boulevard, near Victoria Street.
Surveillance video shows several suspects, each wearing a black hooded sweatshirt and face mask, briskly walking into the store through the front entrance and jumping over the counter. The footage later shows Cisneros walking in through the same door moments later.
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The deputy entered the 7-Eleven as the suspects were standing near the cash register, one of them pointing a gun at an employee's face. Cisneros immediately drew his firearm and spoke into the walkie-talkie clipped to his uniform. The suspects then scrambled to the back of the store.
The deputy called for backup and detained the four suspects, who were handcuffed without incident after other deputies arrived.
A sheriff's department spokesperson confirmed that Cisneros simply happened to walk into the store during the attempted robbery and was not responding to an emergency call at the time.