Two Officers Take on Nun Chuck-Wielding Criminal

By Amy Lester, NEWS 9

OKLAHOMA CITY -- Two Oklahoma City police officers were honored last week for their heroic acts.

Sgt. Chris Lambert and Sgt. Chuck Holloway were awarded Medals of Valor from the police department last Friday for their courage in responding to a domestic disturbance call last year.

The woman who called for help met them outside, and told them about her boyfriend.

"He told her if the police showed up, we were going to have to shoot him," Sgt. Lambert said.

Lambert and Holloway also learned the boyfriend was armed with nun chucks. When they tried to talk to the boyfriend, James Pruiett, took off out the back door and grabbed his girlfriend.

"We're pointing our weapons at him, and he sees that he's got the chucks wrapped around her throat and he's basically using her as a shield," Lambert said. "This whole time he's screaming, 'I know who you are. Shoot me, just shoot me.'"

The girlfriend was freed just as Pruiett tried to go back into the apartment, where children were sleeping.

"That's when I decided to grab him around the head area, back of the neck and we moved into the apartment," Sgt. Holloway said.

The situation only intensified.

"He started to swing his nun chucks and hit me a few times or several times," Holloway said. "I know he hit me in the head a couple times."

Sgt. Lambert tried to help his fellow officer.

"I only remember getting hit once and I can feel the gush of warm blood coming down the side of my face and neck," Lambert said.

Holloway was able to get out of the scuffle and Lambert made a quick decision.

"I fired nine times, striking him nine times," Lambert said.

"That gunfire sure sounded very close to my head area," Holloway said.

James Pruiett survived the shooting, and is now serving 20 years in jail.

"He sits in a wheelchair all day now," Lambert said. "All he had to do to prevent it was just do what he was told and none of it would have happened."

Neither officer said he considers himself a hero even though both are receiving awards for their valor.

"It's nice to be recognized for the job that we do, but I don't consider myself any extraordinary officer," Lambert said.