A Philadelphia police officer has been placed in a medically induced coma and is currently in stable condition after what police describe as a violent struggle with a suspect early Friday morning.
Police say the incident happened at Seventh and Loudon streets around 12:45 a.m. Friday in the Logan section of Philadelphia.
Police Officer Michael Gwynn, 34, a four-year force veteran, is being treated at Albert Einstein Medical Center.
Police are still investigating the reason that the 35th District officer stopped a vehicle to interact with the suspect in the first place. The initial 911 call came after the struggle began.
A witness told police the officer was trying to arrest a man when they got into a scuffle and the officer passed out, falling on top of the 42-year-old suspect.
Police say backup from Gwynn's colleagues is the reason he is alive at the hospital. Other officers performed CPR on Gwynn on the way to the hospital and are being credited with saving his life.
Gwynn is married with two children, and police say his family is with him now.
Despite being unconscious when backup arrived, Gwynn still had a hold of the suspect, who was taken into custody and is being treated at Temple University Hospital.
Gwynn's captain told FOX 29 he's not surprised the four-year veteran -- who has spent one year in the 35th after three years in West Philly -- didn't let go.
And Police Commissioner Charles Ramsey praised the efforts of the officers who came to Gwynn's aid.
"I really want to applaud the efforts of the officers of the 35th District who performed CPR," Ramsey said. "They literally saved his life. According to the information we have from the hospital, there was a period of time when his heart did stop beating. So, had it not been for the CPR and the quick action of the officers that put him in the … patrol car, administering CPR, getting him right to Einstein hospital, this would be a totally different scenario that we'd be describing right now."
You can watch reports from FOX 29's Omari Fleming and Stephanie Esposito in the video above.
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Police Officer Michael Gwynn
