Risk Management
Officers ' quick actions saved life of woman
On May 31, officers responded to the 1500 block of Airoso Boulevard for a structure fire. The 911 caller reported her adult daughter was trying to set the house on fire and had attacked her.
Upon arrival, officers found the residence fully engulfed and discovered the daughter had set her mother’ s room on fire in an apparent attempt to take her mother’ s life. The victim initially attempted to put the fire out herself with a fire extinguisher but was again attacked by her daughter. The mother then retreated deeper into the residence and locked herself in the bathroom to call 911.
Master Officer Mitchel Miller
Officer Eric Theriault
When Master Officer Mitchel Miller, Officer Eric Theriault, Officer Stephen Kraviec and Officer Morgan Green arrived on scene, they found the daughter at the front entry of the residence where smoke was pouring out. Officers attempted to secure the suspect when she actively resisted and flailed about. Once secured in handcuffs, Officers Kraviec and Green attempted restrain her and escort her to a patrol vehicle. The suspect continued to actively resist and fight officers. As the suspect was escorted to the ground, her body weight fell onto Officer Green, causing a significant knee injury to the officer.
While Officers Kraviec and Green were dealing with the suspect, Officer Miller made announcements into the residence to check for any other occupants. Hearing nothing from the interior, Officers Miller and Theriault entered the home to conduct a search for potential victims. Braving the smoke-filled home, noting visibility was drastically reduced to less than 6 feet, the officers canvassed the interior looking for any victims. As they neared the master bedroom( which was fully engulfed in flames), Officer Theriault breached the door and entered the room. Finding the mother located in the bathroom, officers then guided the victim back through the burning house and to the safety of the driveway.
Officer Officer
Stephen Kraviec
Morgan Green
Officers Miller and Kraviec then returned to the residence, entering to look for any additional subjects inside the burning structure. The additional search did not yield any other subjects inside. The fire department later arrived and extinguished the fire.
Once the scene was secured, Officer Green was transported to the hospital for treatment of her leg injury caused while arresting the arson suspect. Officer Theriault was additionally transported to the hospital as a precautionary measure due to smoke inhalation while rescuing the victim.
Had the officers’ quick actions not been taken or were delayed waiting for the fire department, the incident could have resulted in the death of the victim. Their selfless actions resulted in two officers sustaining minor injuries yet saved the life of the victim and secured the arrest of the suspect.
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