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Caught on camera: Chamblee police save man's life
FOX 5 News has obtained body camera video of a life-saving emergency. A Paulding County man is alive today after Chamblee police officers jumped in to help when they found him collapsed on the floor at his workplace.
CHAMBLEE, Ga. - Body camera video shows Chamblee police officers saving a man’s life after he collapsed while working at a Jiffy Lube in Chamblee.
What we know:
The incident happened October 30, when officers were called to the business and found the man unresponsive on the floor. Police said he had suffered a heart attack and stopped breathing, leaving him without a pulse.
Body camera video shows four Chamblee police officers rushing inside the shop and beginning lifesaving measures with guidance from 911 dispatchers.
"He completely just stopped breathing," a caller told 911.
Officers quickly determined the man had no pulse and began CPR while retrieving an automated external defibrillator from their patrol vehicle.
"I just lost a pulse, I’m going to get AED," one officer can be heard saying.
What they're saying:
Officer Dustin Bulcher said the device helped guide their response, but the situation was still challenging.
"Using that AED, it’s self-explanatory, it tells you how to do it," Bulcher said. "But under stress it’s difficult, very difficult."
Because of the physical demands of CPR, officers took turns performing chest compressions for more than 10 minutes until the man began breathing again.
"He’s breathing," an officer is heard saying on the video.
Officer Roderick Santiago described the moment when the effort paid off.
"Whew, Jesus, we did that, though," he said.
Another officer emphasized that moments like this define the job.
"We put this badge on, we put this gun on, we put this vest on and our job is bigger than just catching the bad guys," said Chamblee police officer Brandi Boddy.
Police identified the man as Pablo Santiago. He told FOX 5 he remembers very little about the emergency.
"I survived this situation," Santiago said.
What's next:
Investigators said Santiago is continuing to recover. Officers also noted that each Chamblee police patrol vehicle is equipped with an AED, which played a critical role in saving his life.
The Source: Officers Dustin Bulcher, Roderick Santiago, and Brandi Boddy spoke with FOX 5's Kevyn Stewart for this article. The Chamblee Police Department provided additional details and video.