7 San Diegans lauded as heroes with Citizens of Courage Awards

The San Diego County District Attorney's Office honored seven local residents Monday for acts of bravery.

The Citizens of Courage Awards, held annually by the office during National Crime Victims' Rights Week, recognizes local victims and witnesses who display courage in the face of danger. The honorees were recognized on Monday at an event at Liberty Station.

The honorees are "regular, everyday people that become heroes," San Diego County district attorney Summer Stephan said. "Not because they signed up to be, but because they're put in a circumstance that calls for them to act."

The 2025 honorees recognized during Monday's 35th annual awards ceremony were:

Robert Moore, an off-duty security guard who pulled a child from a bullet-riddled, burning vehicle in Spring Valley.

The D.A.'s Office said Moore was on his way to work when he witnessed bullets strike a car parked outside a liquor store on Bancroft Drive on April 24, 2021.

Moore ran to the vehicle and pulled a 4-year-old girl from the car, which was erupting into flames. The girl was not struck by the gunfire, but her mother, 40-year-old Karmen Anderson, was shot.

Moore was also credited with rushing Anderson to the hospital, though she died of her injuries two days later.

Jammerieo Austin was convicted of first-degree murder in the killing and sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole.

Deputy District Attorney Kerry Conway said, "Where others fled when they saw a shooting transpire in front of them, Mr. Moore answered the call of a woman in need and a family in need."

Four people who assisted a California Highway Patrol officer who was attacked and shot on Interstate 8 in Mission Valley

Officer Antonio "Tony" Pacheco was shot in the leg on April 27, 2022, after responding to a vehicle that had crashed into the center divider of the freeway. The D.A.'s Office said the vehicle's driver, Yuhao Du, lunged for Pacheco's gun and the gun discharged in the struggle while it was still holstered.

Several civilians stopped to help the lawman, including Francisco Sesma, who subdued Du.

The D.A.'s Office said Hunter Nemeth, an off-duty nurse stopped and rendered medical aid to Pacheco by applying pressure to his wounded leg, while James Carver assisted Nemeth in fashioning a makeshift tourniquet.

Loay Yousif called 911 and also helped Pacheco make a phone call to his wife.

Du later pleaded guilty to charges of attempted murder and attempting to take a firearm from a peace officer performing his duties. He was sentenced last year to nearly 23 years in state prison.

Deputy District Attorney Shane Waller applauded the good Samaritans for helping while faced with a person who was "willing to fight an armed individual and try to kill them in broad daylight, and they still stopped."

Jenna Brians, who alerted police when her ex-husband kidnapped their daughters and went out searching for him after he detailed plans to kill the girls and himself

The D.A.'s Office said Brians received text messages from her ex, Robert Brians, who indicated he was planning to drive off a cliff in his truck while their twin 2-year-old daughters were inside. One message he sent read, "The girls are going to Heaven and I'm going to Hell to wait for you."

She drove out searching for him, while pleading for him to spare the girls' lives. Robert Brians later drove off Sunset Cliffs into the waters below, but he and the girls survived the crash, according to the D.A.'s Office.

Robert Brians was sentenced last year to 31 years in state prison after pleading guilty to charges that include attempted murder and kidnapping.

Deputy District Attorney Franciesca Balerio said Jenna Brians "beautifully balanced being a mother and a victim, (and) a critical witness, which is extremely difficult to do."

Erin Wilkerson, a human trafficking victim who testified against her trafficker and shares her story publicly in order to help other victims escape their situations.

The D.A.'s Office said Wilkerson was arrested in 2019 during a human trafficking raid at a local hotel, and though she said she did not initially see herself as a victim, she was eventually able to move on from her old life.

Now, she speaks about her experiences with law enforcement, sex buyers and women in correctional facilities, according to the D.A.'s Office.

Wilkerson said, "If they take one thing from when they hear me speak, I hope it's that humanity is key and it's not hard to treat someone like a human."

"No matter how many bad actors there are out there, there are more good people," DA Stephen said.