James Blouin

James Blouin helped rescue Daniel Martinez from assault, Sequim, Washington, May 19, 2022. In the early morning, an hour before sunrise, Martinez, 31, a police officer who had stopped a 34-year-old driver on a city street, was walking back toward his patrol car when the man exited his truck, ran to Martinez, and tackled him. In the course of a violent struggle spanning two-and-a-half minutes, the assailant, who was larger than Martinez, punched and kicked the officer, who called for help as he fought alone against the assailant. The assailant grasped Martinez’s handgun, and Martinez pushed him away and discharged a round that missed the assailant’s shoulder. As the attack continued, a second round discharged from the gun. Ultimately, Martinez and the assailant were tangled on the ground, with Martinez’s right hand holding the gun beneath the assailant’s body, along with the assailant’s hands. More than 200 feet away, Blouin, 50, purchaser, heard the sound of a gunshot and Martinez calling for help. Blouin approached the dark scene, and learned from Martinez that he was struggling for control of the gun. Blouin attempted to reach for the gun beneath the assailant’s torso but could not feel it. Blouin then pushed the assailant’s head down and when the assailant responded by trying to push himself up from the ground, Blouin grasped the assailant’s hands. Blouin also called for help, alerting others, including a city worker driving nearby who arrived to restrain the assailant’s legs as Blouin controlled the assailant’s hands. They received additional help from a nearby resident and a sheriff’s deputy. The assailant, who was taken into custody, subsequently was charged with the murder of his mother which had taken place shortly before the traffic stop. Martinez was hospitalized for treatment of injuries that included a torn labrum in his shoulder. A prosecutor decided Martinez was justified in firing his gun at the assailant. Blouin had minor scrapes on his hands that did not require medical attention.