SHAKER HEIGHTS, Ohio (WSVN) — Body cameras captured two officers in Shaker Heights, Ohio rushing to save a choking baby girl.
Officers Ryan Sidders and Alex Oklander initially thought they were helping a disabled car when they responded to the scene Tuesday.
“We pulled up behind the car, we saw a female exit the car and frantically run to the passenger side rear of the vehicle and appeared to be in some sort of distress,” Sidders said.
However, when they realized the the woman’s 2-month-old daughter was choking, they jumped into action.
“The baby had what seemed to be milk or something coming out of her mouth and or nose,” Oklander said. “That’s when we administered the back thrusts.”
After multiple efforts, the officers were able to free the baby’s airway.
The mother, Tamica Pruitte, said she was more than thankful for the officer’s help.
“It felt scary because what if a car could have hit us, or I can’t pull over quick enough for us to, you know, reach her,” she said.
However, the officers said they were just doing their job and they simply were in the right place at the right time.
“Having kids, you never want that to happen to any person let alone a child that can’t do anything about it,” Oklander said.
“We could have very easily backed up an officer on a different side of the city and we might have been there two or three minutes later, and when somebody is not breathing, two or three minutes is life or death,” Oklander said.
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