VIDEO: Police officer saves choking infant at Walmart
By Evan Sery
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STERLING HEIGHTS, Michigan (WXYZ) — A Sterling Heights police officer is being praised as a hero after saving a 5-month-old baby’s life at a local Walmart earlier this month.
Officer Edwar Talia, who has been with the Sterling Heights Police Department for seven years, was working special detail on the night of November 1 when he received an emergency call that would test his recently renewed CPR training.
“David 90, we have a child choking, report to customer service, so I rushed in there,” Talia said.
At 8:30 p.m., Talia sprinted to what he described as a scene straight from a nightmare. Baby Jameson’s mother, Bayley Simon, was nursing her son when the infant suddenly went blue and limp.
“He was like a wet noodle, there was nothing there, no movement nothing,” Simon said.
Talia, who had been re-certified in CPR training just one week prior to the incident, immediately began applying life-saving measures. He performed several back blows on the infant, being careful not to use too much force.
“I’m not going too hard, just enough to where I could feel it on the other side of my hand, obviously I don’t want to hit him too hard,” Talia said.
After several back blows, Jameson’s airway cleared and he took a deep breath. The baby then started having hiccups, which Talia recognized as a positive sign.
“I know once the baby gets hiccups, they need to burp so I grabbed baby Jameson put him over my shoulder started patting his back and he actually fell asleep on me,” Talia said.
Simon expressed her gratitude for both the bystanders who comforted her during the terrifying ordeal and Officer Talia, who gave her son another chance at life.
“I’m not necessarily sure I would still have my son,” Simon said.
For Talia, the incident represented the true meaning of his oath to serve and protect.
“We pride ourselves on serving and protecting but that day especially that was full on protection mode,” Talia said. “I just wanted to make sure baby Jameson went home alive.”
The officer called the experience both a first and hopefully a last in his seven-year career with the department.
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