BETHESDA, Md. — Sgt. Patrick Kepp had just ended a shift with the Montgomery County Police Department and was looking for a place to sleep for a few hours before going back on duty, when he heard a familiar story go out over dispatch radio. A green Challenger had been repeatedly spotted speeding down Interstate 270, darting in and out of traffic, and just generally driving very erratically.
Kepp said he'd had run-ins before with the driver of a green Challenger, and suspected it could be the same person. So, despite being off-duty, and only having a few hours to rest before he needed to report to a security detail in D.C. at 6 a.m., he felt compelled to get involved -- a decision Kepp will never forget.
Just before 4 a.m. on Oct. 18, Kepp joined his fellow officers in pursuit of the Challenger, and was deploying "stop sticks" when the driver hit him going 110 mph. Prosecutors say the crash was intentional. Kepp was rushed to the hospital in critical condition, but ultimately had both his legs amputated. He credits the first officers on scene, who applied tourniquets, with saving his life.
When asked whether he regrets his decision to help off the clock, he emphatically shakes his head and answers with a resounding "no."
"He's off the road," Kepp said, adding later that "service" is simply in his nature, and not something you can turn on and off.
It's been nearly nine weeks since the crash, and in that time, Kepp has been discharged from UMD Medical Center Shock Trauma and transported to Walter Reed Medical Center where he is undergoing intense physical therapy.
Now, he wants to talk about his future in law enforcement. In no uncertain terms, Kepp made it clear he intends to return to the police force, on patrol, as soon as he can.
"I didn’t join to sit behind a desk and push papers," Sgt. Kepp said. "I want to be back out, in charge of the alcohol unit, making stops, locking up drunk drivers. I’ll be back. There’s nothing the prosthetic legs will prevent me from doing."
While Kepp admitted to having occasional anger at the situation he's in, he said that emotion does not serve him, and he attributes his recovery thus far to having very clearly defined goals. Beyond being back at work, Kepp also wants to get back to officiating football, which he previously did at the college level.
"While there are a lot of opportunities to think negatively, or dwell on it, I'm just working to push to the next step, whether that was getting to the next surgery, getting out of shock trauma, and now I'm focused on getting out of 'in patient' care [at Walter Reed] and after that, who knows," Kepp said.
He added that he hopes anyone hearing his story that is going through their own struggles would find their a positive outlook to help them navigate through.
Sgt. Kepp is not a military veteran. He said the only way he's able to receive treatment at Walter Reed is through a waiver initiated by Rep. David Trone (D - MD). Kepp says Trone reached out to his family the night he was hit.
The man who police say hit Kepp, 19-year-old Frederick Raphael Mayorga, was arrested and charged with attempted first-degree murder. He is well known to MCPD as someone who tries to bait officers into chasing him. Kepp had previously arrested Mayorga for driving 135 mph on I-270. Mayorga is still in jail and being held without bond until trial.
WATCH NEXT: Officer who had legs amputated met with applause, police escort as he moves to Walter Reed Medical Center
With the help of a wheelchair, Sgt. Patrick Kepp left the hospital as a crowd of friends, family and other police officers applauded him.