The police officer who on Memorial Day chased down a robbery suspect in Kalihi and prevented him from jumping from a freeway overpass has been awarded the Honolulu Police Department’s highest award — the Bronze Medal of Valor.

Police Chief Louis Kea-loha made the presentation Wednesday to Cpl. Edward Tabanera at a quarterly awards ceremony at Ala Moana Beach Park’s McCoy Pavilion. In addition, presentations were made for the Bronze Medal of Merit, Employee of the Quarter and Unit of the Quarter, and certificates of merit.

Receiving certificates for their participation in the May 30 H-1 freeway incident were Cpl. Robert Frank II and Officers Joseph Faumuina, John Anthony Funtanilla, Mason Jordan and Daniel Walls. All are assigned to the Kalihi district.

The six officers responded to a report of an assault at a Kalihi mini-mart, which was later classified as a second-degree murder case. When the officers arrived at Aloha Island Mart, 2314 N. School St., they found the victim, 48-year-old Riley Meade, unresponsive on the ground.

A witness told the officers that a possible suspect had fled on foot. While checking the area, Tabanera saw a man matching the suspect’s description and pursued him on foot to the H-1 Gulick Avenue overpass. There, 19-year-old Rimoni Pologa- Seiuli climbed over the railing and threatened to jump onto the freeway.

Frank, Faumuina, Funta- nilla, Jordan and Walls arrived at the scene and surrounded the teen, pleading with him for an hour. When he attempted to jump, Tabanera managed to grab his leg and the other officers quickly converged to help pull the 200-pound suspect back onto the sidewalk.

A police affidavit filed in District Court after Pologa-Seiuli was arrested said that while on the overpass, Pologa-Seiuli told Tabanera, “It’s over for me, I ain’t going back to jail.” He added, “Tell my daughter that I love her.”

The Medical Examiner’s Office has said Meade died when his heart suddenly stopped during a violent physical struggle, and hypertension and hardening of the arteries contributed to his death.

Also at the ceremony, HPD’s Bronze Medal of Merit was awarded to Lt. Yiu Kay Chan, who is assigned to the Kapolei-Waianae district, for overseeing the planning, construction and opening of the new Waianae Police Station.

Lt. Ben Moszkowicz, Sgts. Jason Allen and High Shin Lin, Cpl. Joseph Tabarejo Jr. and Robyn Gonsalves also received certificates for assisting in the dedication and opening ceremony of the Waianae station. More than 250 people attended the event, including Mayor Kirk Caldwell, students from Waianae High School and community members.

Five officers were awarded certificates of merit for preventing a distraught man and woman who threatened to harm themselves in separate incidents in March and May.

Sgt. Antonio Perry Jr. and Officers Shawn Fujimoto, Rolando Lopez and Melvin Vargas were called to the 10th floor of a parking structure in Waikiki in March where a man standing on a cement wall was threatening to jump. Fujimoto talked to the man for about an hour, and when the man requested a bottle of water Lopez saw an opportunity and quickly grabbed the man’s leg, pulling him off the pillar. The other officers helped bring him to safety.

And in May, Officer William Daubner of the Narcotics and Vice Division was off duty and at home when he heard a commotion, went outside, and saw a woman run toward the H-1 freeway overpass and climb over the guardrail. Daubner approached the crying female and listened to her while she talked about her problems and persuaded her to climb back over the guardrail.

Other honorees were:

>> The Criminal Investigation Division’s Domestic Violence Detail, which was named Unit of the Quarter after investigating 290 complaints of misdemeanor and felony domestic violence. Of those cases, 87 individuals were arrested.

>> Officer Joseph Hanawahine was named Employee of the Quarter. As an acting detective in the Domestic Violence Detail, he was assigned to 51 domestic violence cases. Of those cases, 30 individuals were arrested, and the Prosecutor’s Office accepted 14 felony charges.

>> Daniel Netz of the Communications Division received a certificate of merit for assisting a distraught man in April. After calling twice, the man asked Netz to send the police and arrest him because he wanted to cause harm to someone. Netz stayed on the line with the caller to gather information to provide to responding officers, who were able to locate the man without incident.

>> Michelle Oki of the Vehicle Maintenance Section received a certificate of merit for assisting an unconscious man in June. Oki was at home and heard someone calling for help, and went to her neighbor’s house where she saw an unconscious man on the floor. Oki began performing CPR until paramedics took over. The victim’s doctor credited Oki’s quick actions in saving the man’s life, police said.