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Porterville honors first responders and Monache High staff for May 19 critical incident response
Summary
City council recognized Porterville Police, Fire, Imperial Ambulance and Monache High School staff — and presented a lifesaving award to teacher Robert Sundry — for actions during a May 19 attack on a student.
Porterville city officials publicly recognized local law enforcement, fire, ambulance crews and Monache High School staff for their response to a May 19 critical incident in which a student was attacked with a large knife.
Chief Costello described the sequence: according to the city’s account, a suspect entered a classroom unannounced and attacked a student with a large knife, causing a significant injury. Teacher Robert Sundry charged the attacker with a chair, stopping the attack and allowing other educators and first responders to render life-saving aid. Officers soon located and arrested a suspect near Henderson and Prospect Street; detectives continued the investigation and submitted materials to the District Attorney’s Office for prosecution.
At the council meeting the Porterville Police Department, the Porterville Fire Department and Imperial Ambulance were asked forward and their personnel named and acknowledged, including Lieutenant Orlando Ortiz, Detective Nathan Bray, Detective Alejandro Curas and a list of patrol and investigative staff; the transcript also named multiple fire personnel and the ambulance paramedic and EMT. City officials presented certificates of appreciation to school staff who assisted in securing the campus and providing medical care, and presented Robert Sundry with a lifesaving plaque and other recognitions to the Rodriguez family, who were described as the family of the student who was injured.
Chief Costello (as recorded in the meeting) said the quick actions of teachers, school staff and first responders “greatly assisted in the quick apprehension of this suspect.” The transcript notes that public safety resources were stretched that day because an unrelated critical incident occurred simultaneously elsewhere in the city.
Family members and school staff spoke from the podium. A member of the Rodriguez family described being grateful for the police and school response and said she felt supported by investigators and first responders as the prosecution process proceeds. The city said it will continue to support the family and provide information about the prosecutorial steps. No further operational details about the investigation or the suspect’s identity were disclosed in the council meeting.
