CORYELL COUNTY, Texas — A traffic stop early Tuesday morning involving a father rushing his sick baby to the hospital has sparked a wave of online attention after videos of the incident were posted on Facebook.
Anthony Warren, who was stopped by a Coryell County Sheriff’s Office (CCSO) deputy around 4 a.m. on South Highway 36 near Fort Cavazos, shared the encounter in three videos on his page (watch the videos below).
Warren explained in his post that his daughter, born three months premature and suffering from chronic lung disease, was in respiratory distress.
“She’s been throwing up and gagging, and her chest is sucking in,” Warren can be heard telling the deputy in one of the recordings.
The deputy pulled Warren over for reportedly driving 86 mph in a 50 mph zone. According to Warren, the deputy called for an ambulance, but it never arrived.
“He yelled at me and told me we need EMS service and an ambulance and said he called for one,” Warren said in one of the videos. “Thirty minutes later, he tells me there’s an issue and they’re not going to be able to make it, so I can go ahead and go after giving me a citation for going 30 over.”
The exchange between Warren and the deputy, as captured in the videos, grew tense as they reviewed the citation:
Deputy: “There is no part in this situation that justifies you, literally, doing 36 miles over the posted speed limit. You’re lucky you’re not going to jail for child endangerment...”
Warren: “Child endangerment for trying to get my kid to the hospital?”
Deputy: “You were doing 36 miles over the posted speed limit at night, yeah absolutely, 100%.”
By 5 p.m., CCSO released a statement on Facebook addressing the incident.
“The Coryell County Sheriff’s Office is aware of the postings and videos on social media involving a traffic stop conducted by one of our deputies… We are currently investigating the situation and reviewing all available information. Because this is an open internal investigation, and there are charges currently pending with the court system involving the complainant, it would be inappropriate for us to comment on this situation at this time.”
Warren later updated his followers to share that his daughter was stabilized after receiving oxygen at the hospital.
“We got here in time and she was able to get the oxygen she needed to breathe,” he said. “Definitely would’ve been better to get here sooner.”
Watch the videos below: