Two Mount Vernon police officers were among several Fairfax County officials receiving awards last week.
Fairfax County Police Detective Abbas A. Tabatabaie and Detective Donald R. Bateman received medals during the 24th annual Fairfax County Chamber of Commerce Valor Awards ceremony held in McLean.
The pair were honored for an incident they handled in the county last year. According to official reports, Tabatabaie was taking a phone call from a resident. The resident was concerned about her daughter's estranged boyfriend and was preparing to file a stalking complaint against the man. As they spoke on the phone, Tabatabaie heard the boyfriend break into the apartment. He called 911 and proceeded to the apartment with Detective Donald Bateman. The Public Safety Communications dispatcher called for additional backup for the detectives.
Arriving at the apartment, a woman could be heard screaming for help inside the building. Tabatabaie kicked open the front door of the apartment building. Bateman spotted a woman with a toddler in the hallway and escorted them to safety. Following the voices they proceeded down the hallway. Shots rang out, hitting the walls around the detectives. Both men took cover near the entrance to the apartment and called for additional backup.
The woman was still screaming for help inside the apartment. The detectives called for her to come out. She appeared near the front door. She had been shot in the head shoulder and hand. Tabatabaie told the woman to come to him. She could not see so he left the cover of his position and went to the woman to guide her to safety. She was transported to the hospital and recovered from her wounds.
The estranged boyfriend was found dead in the apartment from self-inflicted gun shot wounds