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On the Job

“Right place at the right time”: Heroic Arizona officer and off-duty paramedic save unresponsive baby

APB Team Published September 10, 2023 @ 3:00 pm PDT

Mesa P.D.

A Mesa police officer and an off-duty paramedic were hailed as heroes after they came to the rescue of an unresponsive baby at a light rail station in Mesa, Arizona.

The incident, which took place on July 23, was captured on body camera and demonstrated the quick-thinking and selfless actions of Officer Shaquille Perez and the off-duty paramedic.

According to the Mesa Police Department, Officer Perez was initially responding to a situation involving a sleeping, non-compliant passenger on the light rail when he heard the frantic cries of a mother seeking help.

Perez immediately rushed to the distressed mother’s side.

“I heard screaming, so I walk over, and when I peep out this way from the other side where the train’s at, the mom comes running up to me screaming for help,” Perez recounted.

Body-worn camera footage captured the critical moments as Officer Perez took the unresponsive baby into his arms and began patting the child’s back in an effort to revive the infant.

Fortunately, an off-duty paramedic, who happened to be nearby, offered his assistance.

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

In the heartwarming video, the baby can be heard letting out a loud cry as he returned to normalcy. The retired paramedic then provided comfort and reassurance to the infant.

The Mesa Police Department, in a statement accompanying the bodycam video, praised Officer Perez for being “in the right place at the right time.”

Perez, reflecting on the experience, shared: “It’s an amazing feeling to know I was able to intervene and help potentially save that baby’s life.”

Paramedics arrived promptly on the scene to evaluate the child’s condition, ultimately confirming that the baby was safe.

While it remains unclear what had caused the baby to stop breathing, the mother informed authorities that her baby had received vaccines the day before and was feeling unwell.

Categories: On the Job Tags: light rail, Arizona, vaccine, rescue, hero, paramedic, life saving, Mesa Police Department, unresponsive baby

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