SHERIFF GIVES MEDALS FOR SELFLESS COURAGE.

Byline: Carol Rock Staff Writer

One thwarted a carjacking attempt, one pulled a woman from a burning car, and the third saved a cop who crashed his motorcycle on a forest road.

All three are sheriff's deputies headquartered in north Los Angeles County who received medals Wednesday from Sheriff Lee Baca.

The Medal of Valor, which is the Sheriff's Department's highest honor, was awarded to Deputy Allen Dollens, headquartered in Lancaster, for his courage under gunfire in the carjacking attempt.

Dollens and a partner, Deputy Michael Kneiriem, were working in an Operation Safe Streets gang detail in Compton on Jan. 28, 2003, and on patrol when they saw a woman screaming for help. Two men had pushed the woman out of her parked sport utility vehicle, with her 2- month-old baby in her arms, and were trying to take the SUV with two other children still in it, authorities said.

The armed carjackers jumped from the SUV and fled into the adjacent neighborhood with the deputies in hot pursuit, although facing gunfire, authorities said. Both would-be carjackers were mortally wounded in a subsequent gunbattle.

Deputy Jose M. Ovalle from the North County Correctional Facility in Castaic and Reserve Deputy Raul Centeno of the Lancaster station each received a Meritorious Conduct Award for coming to the rescue of a traffic-accident victim.

Ovalle was driving home from working overnight at the jail when he saw a fireball erupt on the opposite side of the Golden State Freeway. He stopped and ran over to a burning car where a woman was inside with her hair already in flames. He broke a window, reached into the flames and pulled the woman to safety.

He was honored as a hero who placed himself in danger to save another.

Centeno, assigned to the Lancaster station, was praised for rescuing a Los Angeles police officer who crashed his motorcycle on Angeles Forest Highway. Heading home after a long shift, Centeno saw the officer lose control over the bike and get thrown over the embankment. The officer lay motionless about 40 feet down. The bike, still running, skidded farther down.

Centeno hiked down into the canyon and carried the officer, who had a broken ankle, up the steep embankment. Centeno hiked back down the canyon and turned off the the motorcycle, then hiked back to the road and drove the officer to a local hospital.

Other Medal of Valor honorees included Sgts. Eugene Leslie and Raymond Roth, as well as Deputies Kneiriem, Carlos Bowers, Michael Cofield, Jeffrey Knox and Tracy River. Other Meritorious Conduct Award recognition went to Sgt. Thomas Shannon and Deputies Ricardo Pedroza and Jesus Rojas.

Carol Rock, [phone]

carol.rock(at)dailynews.com