Carnegie Medal For Heroism Given To Bel Air Man Who Fought Home Intruder

BEL AIR, MD — A Bel Air man has been tapped to receive a Carnegie Medal for Heroism after he tackled an armed suspect during a home invasion.

The incident happened April 10 at a home on Highland Road. Erica E. Paff, 44, walked into the enclosed breezeway of her home where a 31-year-old man wearing all black clothes and a ski mask confronted her with a gun. The suspect pointed the revolver at Paff and ordered her to turn around. He then placed the gun about an inch from the back of her head, according to the Carnegie Medal Hero Fund.

Meanwhile, Paff's fiance, Michael Clark, 54, was stepping out of the shower at the other end of the house when he heard her scream. He wrapped a towel around himself and headed toward the sound. He was five feet from the kitchen door when he saw Paff through a window in the kitchen door with the gun pointed at her head, according to the Carnegie Hero Fund Commission.

Clark swung open the door, charged at the assailant and reached for the gun with his left arm extended as he drove his right shoulder into him. Both Clark and the assailant tumbled through an exterior door onto the patio in the backyard. The assailant scrambled to his feet and as he began to run away, he turned and fired a single shot in the direction of Paff and Clark. The bullet struck Paff in the backside as the assailant fled the scene. Clark helped Paff back inside before he ran to his bedroom and retrieved a pistol. Clark then ran out of the house and searched for the assailant for several minutes before returning inside.

Law enforcement, using a drone, located the suspect nearby about 15 minutes after he had fled the scene. The suspect, Joshua Brewster of Cecil County, was apprehended while trying to hide at the Harford Senior Housing complex. Paff suffered a graze wound and recovered, according to the Carnegie Hero Fund Commission.

The Carnegie Medal is North America’s highest honor for civilian heroism and is awarded to recipients across the U.S. and Canada who "enter extreme danger while saving or attempting to save the lives of others."