Photos show police officer’s ice rescue in Independence

An Independence police officer, aided by Independence firefighters, on Sunday rescued a teenager who had fallen through the ice of a pond.

Brian Flavin, an Independence police officer leaving an assignment, heard a radio call about the teen.

“He took it upon himself to respond,” Independence police spokesman John Syme said of Flavin.

Flavin drove to the small lake just south of the Bass Pro Shops store in Independence, worked his way down an incline to the lake and advanced about 40 feet across the ice to the spot where the 16-year-old boy had fallen. A photo taken by an onlooker and then sent to Independence police shows Flavin on his stomach on the ice.

“He couldn’t quite reach him and he said he could hear the ice cracking beneath him,” Syme said. “So he did his best to calm the person down and told him to keep kicking.”

Independence firefighters, after donning their water rescue gear, completed the rescue. Photos posted to the Independence police Facebook page show firefighters helping the teenager up the hill from the lake.

“It was great teamwork,” Syme said. “Officer Flavin told me that from now on he will keep 50 feet of rope in his car just in case.”

The teenager received an ambulance ride to a hospital to get checked out, Syme said. He also received a ticket for trespassing. A city ordinance makes it unlawful for anyone to walk on the ice of a city park unless a posted sign directs otherwise.

“There was no such sign,” Syme said.

This story was originally published February 2, 2016 at 6:48 PM with the headline "Photos show police officer’s ice rescue in Independence."