St. Paul police recognize civilians for saving lives, assisting police in emergencies

Megan and Ryan Fraser were craving greasy fast food the morning after their wedding in 2014, so they pulled into a Burger King drive-through and ordered some cheeseburgers.

Megan watched a man walk out of the restaurant on St. Paul's East Side and sit down in a bus shelter, where he immediately slumped over. Ryan, an emergency medical technician at Regions Hospital, jumped out of the car and performed CPR on the man, who had no pulse, as Megan called 911.

"It's the first thing we did as a married couple," Ryan said. "It feels pretty cool."

The couple's actions that day earned them a Chief's Award Monday from St. Paul police, which recognized one other person with the same award and gave two civilians a Chief's Award for Valor.

"All were honorable, and all were compassionate," Chief Thomas Smith said of the recipients.

Megan and Ryan were marred in Hastings on June 6, 2014. They spent the night in a hotel there and were returning to their home in St. Paul the next morning when they stopped at the Burger King on E. 7th Street near Maria Avenue about 10 a.m.

Megan alerted Ryan to the medical emergency. He drove their vehicle through the lane, jumped out and pulled the approximately 170-pound man out onto the sidewalk.

"He was completely blue and he wasn't breathing," Ryan recalled Monday.

Ryan was certified as an EMT in 2008, and began working as one in 2011. He'd seen his share of medical emergencies, but this time, he didn't have an EMT partner, an ambulance or medical tools.

"This was flip-flops, shorts and a T-shirt," Ryan said of his attire that day.

He performed CPR for about five minutes until the man spit up fluid and started breathing.

"It was all unreal," Megan said.

Police and paramedics soon arrived and took the man, who had not regained consciousness, to the hospital.

"Your quick actions likely saved this individual's life," Smith said to the Frasers before placing medallions around their necks. "When he woke at the hospital, he was so thankful for the individuals who came to his aid. The compassion and teamwork you displayed are indeed commendable."

The Frasers said the decade they've known each other and their careers — Megan works in corporate security — helped them work together seamlessly that day.

"We didn't really have to talk" to each other, Megan said.

The man, who Ryan believes was in his mid-20s, survived. The Frasers, who haven't seen him since the incident, and police said they didn't know what caused his medical emergency.

St. Paul police also presented a Chief's Award to Josh Whaley, who came to the aid of a motorcyclist on May 29, 2014. Whaley heard the crash, grabbed his medical kit and placed a tourniquet around the motorcyclist's badly bleeding leg.

"Your quick decision to help this individual prevented him from any further blood loss, possibly saving his life," Smith said. "You had a choice, and you chose to get involved, and it made all the difference."

Smith gave out the Chief's Award for Valor to two individuals: Joseph Garrison was recognized for providing cover for a police officer on Nov. 17, 2013. Sgt. Jeremy Ryan was investigating a burglary in Garrison's neighborhood and began pursuing a suspect. Police said the suspect pointed a handgun at Ryan, who fired his gun and wounded the suspect.

Garrison heard the commotion, stepped out of his house with a shotgun and acted as a lookout for Ryan until other officers arrived.

"You willingly complied to cover him, bringing some sense of relief to Sgt. Ryan," Smith said.

The chief also recognized Karla Harris with the same award for using a police radio to call for help when a 330-pound, 6-foot-4 suspect wrestled with Sgt. Jim Gray inside the SuperAmerica where she was working at the time.

The man grabbed for Gray's gun, and the two began spinning like "a Texas tornado around the store, knocking stuff off the shelves," Gray recalled Monday.

Harris left the safety of the glass-enclosed cashier area and used Gray's radio to call for help.

"They were on the floor rolling," Harris said of the struggle.

Two other officers arrived and helped Gray subdue the man. Smith said Harris' actions prevented Gray from being shot or further assaulted in the "very violent and dangerous attack.

"I'll be eternally grateful to her for helping me out," Gray said.

Chao Xiong • 612-270-4708

Twitter: @ChaoStrib