San Francisco cop praised for stopping armed robbery in Oakland while off-duty

OAKLAND, Calif. (KGO) -- On Friday, police departments on both sides of the bay came together to recognize one of their own. In front of his family, friends, and colleagues, San Francisco Police Officer Riley Bandy was recognized for the quick thinking he displayed this summer while off-duty in Oakland.

"I see a guy point a rifle at a citizen and, you know, I confronted him," he said. "And when I did that, he pointed the rifle at me."

He was awarded the Silver Star Medal from Oakland police, which is the department's second highest honor for bravery.

Back in July, the San Francisco officer was unarmed and out for a jog around Lake Merritt when he saw an armed robbery in progress -- a 16-year-old boy trying to take someone's cellphone.

Bandy yelled at the suspect, trying to draw attention away from the victim.

"The suspect backed away from the victim and fled on foot while Officer Bandy pursued the suspect on foot and called 911 on his cellphone, all at the same time," said Oakland's Acting Assistant Chief David Downing.

Bandy stayed on the phone with dispatch as he followed the suspect.

And although what appeared to be a rifle was later determined to be a BB gun, it doesn't take away from the heroics of that day.

"Whether we're on duty on the clock, or off the clock, we will stand here and defend you, and put our life on the line doing it, and we have no problem doing it, we've been sworn to do that, and that's exactly what we're going to do," said SF's Interim Chief Toney Chaplin.

The recognition came as a surprise to Bandy.

"I take that stuff personally when someone tries to victimize people in my own community," he said. "And I just didn't want him to get away with it."

Bandy's commanding officers have nominated him for an SFPD Medal of Valor.