Warren police officer saves child during traffic stop

A Warren police officer saved the life of a child who wasn't breathing Tuesday after conducting a traffic stop, officials said.

Warren Police Commissioner William Dwyer said the 18-month-old boy was released from the hospital and home with family.

Dwyer identified the officer as Brenden Fraser and praised him for his quick thinking and action.

"Officer Fraser’s actions on this traffic stop are nothing short of heroic," he said in a statement. "This incident shows that police work and traffic stops are not always about writing tickets or making arrests."

According to the commissioner, the incident happened at about 6 p.m. Tuesday. Fraser was conducting traffic enforcement in the 12 Mile and Schoenherr area when he spotted a Chevy Camaro speeding west on 12 Mile. Fraser estimated the vehicle was traveling 75-80 mph.

He pulled the vehicle over for a traffic stop and the driver waved his arms and flagged him to come to him.

Police said the driver was panicked and told Fraser his 18-month-old nephew, who was also in the car, was not breathing. The officer saw the baby was turning blue and his eyes were rolled to the back of his head.

Fraser picked up the child and administered several blows to his back to clear his airway. The boy spat up some liquid and started breathing again.

Additional police officers arrived and they took the baby to the hospital about a mile away on 12 Mile at Hoover. They turned the child over to staff at the emergency room.

Dwyer said Fraser’s supervisors have nominated the officer for a life-saving award from the department, "which is beyond well-deserved."

"In this case, what started off as a traffic stop for speeding resulted in Officer Fraser saving a child’s life," the commissioner said. "Officer Fraser relied on his training, communication skills, and compassion as he worked to resuscitate the child. He was also able to calm down the child’s family members who were understandably frantic over the situation."

cramirez@detroitnews.com

Twitter: @CharlesERamirez