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Police Officer, Retired Paramedic Save Baby's Life With Timely Intervention

September 4, 2023

A police officer and retired paramedic were in the right place at the right time to save a baby who had stopped breathing.

Credit: City of Mesa Police Department / Facebook

Mesa Police Officer Shaquille Perez was dealing with a sleeping, non-compliant passenger on the light rail on July 23 when a screaming mother caught his attention, the Mesa Police Department said in a release.

Perez's body-cam footage shows him take an unresponsive baby from the distressed mother. He immediately turns the child over and begins patting the child's back.

As Perez worked on the child, a man who told him he was a retired paramedic offered to help.

"He took the baby from my arms, and we put him in the backseat of the squad car under some A/C, and baby was breathing," Perez said.

The baby can be heard on video giving a loud cry while in the arms of the retired paramedic.

"It's an amazing feeling to know I was able to intervene and help potentially save that baby's life," Perez said.

Watch the video below.

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