Waterloo Regional Police constable receives provincial medal for bravery

A Waterloo Regional Police officer has been awarded Ontario’s medal for bravery. CTV’s Krista Simpson tells us why.

A Waterloo Regional Police constable said he was just doing his job while responding to a situation that has now earned him an Ontario Medal for Police Bravery.

A bystander captured the scene that unfolded during the busy evening commute at a busy intersection in Kitchener on Feb. 5.

It started when Constable Matthew Cabral’s automated license plate recognition system flagged a vehicle near Strasburg Road and Block Line Road. The truck was registered to a suspended driver.

The driver of that truck ran a red light, police said, crashing into another car.

Cabral said there was a lot going on at that moment.

“There were pedestrians crossing the street. There were the occupants of that vehicle that was involved in the collision - they were trying to exit the vehicle. There were people outside of their vehicles yelling and screaming,” he described.

“And in that moment, I just needed to ensure that I protected those people and also ensure that the individual that I was dealing with was also protected as well.”

The man threatened Cabral and was resisting arrest.

Cabral used his conducted energy weapon, which commonly referred to as a Taser, twice, but it was not effective.

He then wrestled the man to the ground, but the man managed to get up.

The man tried to grab the officer’s gun, then went back to the truck and pulled out a hatchet.

Cabral said everything was happening too quickly for him to be scared.

He said he tried to react to the man’s behaviours, maintained distance and tried to tactically communicate.

Cabral attempted a gunpoint arrest and managed to hold the man off until other officers arrived.

The man was then arrested.

“At the end of the day, every time I respond to a call, I’m a human being first and a police officer second, and I take that same step with that situation that unfolded that day,” Cabral said.

“At the end of the day, that person I’m looking at is someone’s son, could be someone’s father, and I truly just wanted to ensure that everybody around me, including him, were safe.”

Cabral’s actions that day led his superiors, including Staff Sgt. Alison Sproule, to nominate him for an Ontario Medal for Police Bravery, which he received at a ceremony Monday, Nov. 24.

“I was incredibly proud of Matt. He responded in a very calm and courageous manner,” Sproule said.

“All of our officers are trained in de-escalation techniques, and it was clear that he was using de-escalation, and he was reassessing the situation as he went.”

“It’s a very dynamic situation and continued to evolve.”

Sproule said the award reflects not only on Cabral, but on the Waterloo Regional Police Service as a whole.

“It’s a true honor for him, and he’s very humbled by it,” Sproule said. “But it’s also a recognition for our other members because they engage in these types of dynamic situations on a regular basis. And so this recognition goes to them as well as to how they handle themselves.”

As for Cabral, he said it is surreal to be recognized for what he describes as simply doing his job.

“Once that uniform goes on, we step into the unknown and we just don’t know what we’re going to face. And I’m glad that it was captured and it did go viral because it shows the public what officers can go through on any given day.”