A 13-year-old boy who protected his home and little sister from an intruder was honoured Thursday alongside brave Vancouver police officers who went above and beyond the call of duty.
Cory Wong was babysitting his nine-year-old sister at home in the Killarney neighbourhood when a stranger started knocking on the front door in Sept. 2013.
The kids tried to ignore him, but the man moved around the house and started pounding on the back door as well.
“That’s when we got scared and turned off the TV and started phoning my mom,” Cory said.
Before the kids knew it, the intruder had climbed the side of the home and was crawling through a second floor window. Without thinking, Cory, then only 12 years old, sprang into action.
Using only the phone in his hand, the 5’2” tall boy weighing roughly 80 pounds fought the man off.
“I rushed to him and just smashed him in the head many times, right near the eye,” he said.
The phone batteries spilled onto the floor and the burglar tumbled down into a hedge. He fled, leaving a baseball cap at the scene.
When police arrived minutes later, they found the children armed with sticks to fend off further attacks.
For his efforts, Cory was handed a Certificate of Merit at the Celebrating Excellence in Policing ceremony.
“For showing courage well beyond his years and bravely protecting his sister, Cory Wong is awarded the Vancouver Police Board’s highest award for civilian bravery,” said Paul Patterson, senior director of public affairs.
The burglar’s baseball cap provided valuable DNA evidence, Patterson added.
Several police officers also received honours, including two who saved an injured toddler from a man with a knife and others who rescued newborn babies being smothered by their mentally ill mother.
The VPD Counter Exploitation Program was also awarded for its multi-year investigation into an operation forcing young girls and women into prostitution. The probe led to B.C.’s first-ever human trafficking charge.
