On March 16, 2016 Detective Pearce was involved in a vehicle pursuit of a wanted felon. When the pursuit ended, 2 suspects ran into a heavily wooded area west of Fort Worth. Detective Pearce chased the driver into the woods. The suspect jumped a fence and moved into tall grass. Detective Pearce jumped the fence and the suspect opened fire. The first round hit Detective Pearce in the leg shattering his femur. During the ensuing gunfight, Detective Pearce wounded the assailant but was hit 6 times. For the last shot, the suspect placed the gun to Detective Pearce’s head and fired. Other responding officers were able to engage the assailant and end the threat. Detective Pearce was triaged in the field then rushed to the hospital. He was in a coma for 13 days and the ICU for 5 weeks. His Safariland Summit IIIA armor worn in an Apex Carrier stopped one of the 9mm FMJ rounds, and his Safariland Duty Gear handcuff case stopped another 9mm round. After a 20-month recovery, Detective Pearce returned to full duty.
We welcome Detective Matt Pearce as Save #2204 to The Safariland Group Saves Club®.
