Officer Andy Hensing was awarded the Federal Way Police Department’s Medal of Distinguished Service, the department’s second highest honor for officers and personnel.

Hensing was the responding officer to a Secret Service request for assistance in August, regarding the threats made by Federal Way resident Anton Caluori against President Barack Obama.

Police Chief Brian Wilson shared some details of that day, and the actions of Hensing that resulted in the safe apprehension of Caluori.

“He was on duty for the day shift, when he gets a request for assistance from the Secret Service to check on a threat against President Obama,” Wilson said during the city council’s Sept. 18 meeting. “Andy made contact with the Secret Service agent, and got the name of the individual, and the circumstances in terms of the email communication. “

Wilson said Hensing took a few extra steps to gather as much intelligence on Caluori as possible before proceeding to Caluori’s residence at the Panther Ridge apartment complex in Federal Way.

“Andy…went through our records system to do a full check to see if there was any history on this person, any criminal history. And there was nothing,” Wilson said. “They go to the apartment complex, and (Hensing) knows the manager of the apartment complex so he goes and talks to the manager. (Hensing) got a description, got information that (Caluori) lives with his mother. He took steps to find out as much information as he could.”

Wilson described the tense moments leading up to Hensing and the Secret Service agent making contact with Caluori.

“He goes to the door, knocks, there’s no answer. There’s some preliminary checking, he identifies himself as a police officer. They come back to the door, and as that door opens, Hensing and the Secret Service agent are confronted by an individual who has a bandolier across his chest with shotgun shells, a pistol grip shotgun in his right hand, and he raises that up to the officer as the door opens,” Wilson said. “Andy Hensing, without hesitation, grabbed that shotgun and got this guy down on the ground with the Secret Service agent.”

“I’m convinced that (Hensing) saved this suspect’s life, as well as his own, and that of the Secret Service agent,” Wilson added.

On Aug. 21, Caluori sent an email to the FBI, in which he threatened the president’s life, and also indicated he’d go on a violent rampage if not stopped by law enforcement.

A short excerpt is as follows:

I will kill the president!!!!! “I” Don’t give a [expletive]… But You Know That!!!

“i” BETTER GET YOUR AUDIENCE OR THIS [expletive] HITS THE [expletive] FAN REAL FAST… YOUR WORLD WILL CHANGE FOREVER…

You Have

7 days… get me to Alcatraz now… you can’t afford to call my bluff…

Cop killing spree… just over the hill (sic)

Outside of the aforementioned shotgun, Caluori also had another firearm in his possession at the time of the arrest. Charging documents say Caluori also informed the responding agents that his apartment was full of things “that go boom”. That statement led to an intensive search of Caluori’s apartment by FWPD’s bomb squad, but no explosives were discovered.

Caluori is still being held at the Federal Detention Center in Sea-Tac, He faces up to five years in prison for his threat against the president, and up to 20 years for assaulting a federal agent.