Hazelwood Police Officer Recognized for Takedown During QuikTrip Robbery

Storming into a building where a known robbery is taking place is not an easy task. Not even when you are a police officer.

But for Hazelwood police officer Douglas Barber, the action wasn't given a second thought, and he was recently honored for his heroism.

Chief Carl Wolf presented Barber with a Distinguished Service Citation of Valor at a recent Hazelwood City Council meeting.

On October 10, 2011, Barber was responding to the at the North Lindbergh .

According to the Hazelwood Police Department, while in route to the crime scene, Barber was advised that the suspect had a store employee on the floor and was holding a shotgun.

When he arrived, Barber met up with another police officer who had taken up a position in front of the store. He observed that the suspect did have a double-barreled shotgun in his possession and was aiming it at the store clerk, according to police.

Barber, fearing for the employee’s safety, entered the store and confronted the suspect, ordering him to drop the weapon. The suspect complied and was taken into police custody.

A committee was compiled to further investigate the case to determine if Barber's actions met the criteria for being awarded the Distinguished Service Citation of Valor. 

Did you see this robbery occur? What was the scene like?