Deputy U.S. marshal earns congressional badge

Brooklyn’s Patrick Lin survived shooting

January 25, 2016 By Paula Katinas Brooklyn Daily Eagle

Deputy U.S. Marshal Patrick Lin (second from left) is congratulated by U.S. Attorney Robert Capers, Hon. Carol Bagley Amon and U.S. Rep. Dan Donovan (left to right). Eagle photos by Paula Katinas

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Deputy U.S. Marshal Patrick Lin received a Purple Heart back in 2014 for his heroics in confronting an armed and dangerous child molestation suspect in a Greenwich Village smoke shop. On Friday, he learned that the federal government isn’t quite finished saluting him yet.

Lin, a Brooklyn resident, was presented with the Law Enforcement Congressional Badge of Bravery by U.S. Rep. Dan Donovan in a ceremony at the U.S. Army Garrison at Fort Hamilton.

Lin was shot in the thigh during the incident, which took place on July 28, 2014.

Now fully recovered, Lin is back on the job.

“He was shot in the thigh. He fired back, saving lives,” Donovan (R-C-Southwest Brooklyn-Staten Island) told a room full of marshals and representatives of the U.S. Department of Justice.

U.S. marshals work under the jurisdiction of the Department of Justice.

On July 28, 2014, Lin and other members of the U.S. Marshals Service New York/New Jersey Regional Fugitive Task Force were searching for a man wanted in connection with a pending child molestation case who had failed to appear in court. The suspect, Charles Mozdir, had been on the run for two years when the task force tracked him down to a smoke shop in Greenwich Village.

Upon entering the shop, task force members attempted to place Mozdir under arrest. The suspect pulled a handgun from his pocket and fired at the task force members, wounding Lin; one of his colleagues, Deputy U.S. Marshal Ryan Westfield; and NYPD detective Mario Anthony Muniz. Lin returned fire, striking the suspect 10 times.

His actions enabled the rest of the team to secure the fugitive and end the threat, Donovan said.

Mozdir was killed in the incident.

Donovan noted that while politics and international relations have many gray areas, some things are simple. “There is a difference between good and bad,” he said. Describing the role of U.S. marshals, he said, “[The marshals] chase bad guys and bring them to justice.”

Col. Joseph Davidson, commander of Fort Hamilton, said the U.S. marshals perform an important role in keeping the country safe. “We are all one team,” he said.

Donovan placed the Congressional Bravery Badge around Lin’s neck as Robert Capers, U.S. attorney for the Eastern District of New York, looked on.

“In the midst of a storm, you exhibited strength and perseverance,” Capers told Lin.

“He would never say that he’s a hero. He’s just an ordinary guy,” Capers told the audience. But with his actions in the smoke shop that day, Lin “elevated himself to hero,” the U.S. attorney said.

“I have an 8-month-old daughter. I can sleep better at night knowing Deputy Marshal Lin and the U.S. Marshals Service are out there protecting all of us,” Donovan said.

When Lin was asked if he wanted to say a few words, he deflected the praise. “I am truly honored to receive this award,” he said, adding that he felt like he was accepting the badge “on behalf of the entire team.”

Following the ceremony, Lin told the Brooklyn Eagle that his leg “feels really good” and that he is glad to be back on the job.

Lin, Westfield and Muniz were each given U.S. Marshals Service Purple Heart Awards at the federal courthouse in Downtown Brooklyn in December of 2014. Hon. Carol Bagley Amon, chief judge of the U.S. District Court of the Eastern District of New York, presided over the ceremony.

Judge Amon was on hand at Fort Hamilton on Friday to congratulate Lin.