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He helped save a life
By LEANORA MINAI, Times Staff Writer
A deranged man was firing dozens of rifle rounds from a window, and Olson's friend -- a K9 deputy with the Pinellas County Sheriff's Office -- needed help. The incident was outside St. Petersburg city limits, so Olson didn't have to go. But he did. At the scene, Olson cut through two chain link fences and helped rescue a sheriff's corporal who had been shot twice. Last week, Olson got a standing ovation when he accepted a medal of valor from the St. Petersburg Police Department. "It's just an award," said Olson, 34, a father of two. "I'd gladly give it up if he didn't get shot." Terry Metts, the corporal, is grateful. "Olson showed that when a law enforcement officer has been shot in the line of duty, there are no boundaries that separate law enforcement agencies," said Metts, 42. Olson has always protected people, said his mother, Barbara Olson, who lives in Clearwater. "When he was little, he was Batman five years in a row," she said. A Chicago native, Olson moved to Pinellas County and joined the St. Petersburg Police Department 12 years ago. He quickly realized he wanted to be a K9 officer and was one of 24 people who applied for two coveted positions. He liked the job because K9 officers get to go to all the big stuff -- barricaded suspects, bank robberies, drug cases. "I can go anywhere in the city I want to, and most officers are confined to one little area," Olson said. That enthusiasm led him to Lealman on Oct. 7. After hearing the help call, Olson turned his police truck toward 4680 40th St. N with his partner, Hans, a German shepherd. He left Hans in the truck and walked toward the house occupied by John William Harbin, 39. "About the time I got even with his house, he opened fire," Olson said. Harbin's girlfriend, Cathy Elizabeth Gabel, was shot and lying in the front yard. Deputies didn't know whether she was dead or alive. She wasn't moving. They had to get to her. Metts, the corporal, was among four deputies who carried Gabel out of the yard. As they made their way out, gunfire erupted, and Metts dived for cover. After 20 minutes in a ditch, Metts ran for a patrol car. He was shot twice, in the left biceps and forearm. Gabel, 43, was dead. Now deputies had to get Metts. A friend of Olson's, sheriff's K9 Deputy Rick Tapia, asked for someone to join a team to go into the line of fire to rescue Metts. "Are you ready to go into this?" Tapia asked Olson. "We may get shot at." To get to Metts, they had to cut through two chain link fences. Olson, who held the bolt cutters, cut through the first fence. At the second fence, the tool snapped. Tapia handed him a Leatherman tool to finish the task. Then Tapia and two other deputies -- with bullet-proof shields -- went to Metts. Olson stayed behind, without cover. He was the handoff guy. Deputies planned to carry Metts to Olson and then Olson would carry Metts to the command post. Though he lost 6 pints of blood, Metts was able to walk, and they all ran to safety. Harbin was charged with first-degree murder and later hanged himself in jail. "There's a brotherhood among police officers, and it doesn't matter what agency you're from," said Tapia, 41. "And when I saw another K9 officer arrive from another agency, not hesitating to assist, that was a good feeling."
 © 2006 • All Rights Reserved • St. Petersburg Times
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From the Times South Pinellas desks |
