A police officer and a bystander’s quick actions to save an unconscious baby under the blistering Arizona sun qualify them as true American heroes.
Mesa Police Department Officer Shaquille Perez was responding to a disruptive light rail passenger July 23 when a frightened mother suddenly approached him for help, the department wrote in an Aug. 30 Twitter post.
Police body camera footage shows the visibly desperate mother handing her unconscious baby to Officer Perez, who quickly alerted the radio and began lifesaving actions. A bystander soon approached, identifying himself as a former paramedic and offering to help.
The pair went to the police car, taking advantage of the air conditioning as the baby began breathing again, the video shows.
A Mesa Police Officer was dealing with a sleeping, non complaint passenger on the light-rail. Suddenly, a distressed mother brought her baby to him because he had stopped breathing. Here’s Axon footage of the incident. #TheMesaWay #leadersinpublicsafety #police @CITYOFMESA pic.twitter.com/J68jSR1HZI
— Mesa Police Dept. (@MesaPD) August 30, 2023
Paramedics soon arrived for a more extensive evaluation, and the Mesa Police Department confirmed the baby’s safety. (RELATED: Off-Duty Police Officer Saves Baby’s Life)
“It is an amazing feeling to know that I was able to intervene and help and, you know, potentially save that baby’s life,” Officer Perez reflected.
Tampa police officers took similar measures to prevent a potentially fatal incident in August by rescuing a baby from a hot, stolen car. A heroic family dog saved another baby with breathing trouble in 2021.