PORTLAND, Tenn. (WKRN) — An entire shift of first responders at the Portland Police Department are being hailed as heroes after they revived a choking toddler.
Surveillance footage from the department on April 26, around 11 am, shows a red car pulling into the parking lot, and a woman getting out and grabbing a child before running into the lobby.
The woman was distressed and could be heard frantically pleading for help. "Help! My baby my baby's choking!"
From an inside surveillance camera, secretaries yell for help while opening the door and allowing the mother inside.
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A group of half a dozen uniformed officers in an adjoining room rushed to the mother who thrust the limp little boy, about 2 years old, into the arms of a police officer.
You can hear the woman say, "He's choking, help him!"
Dramatic body cam footage shows Officer Dylan Ladd, a 2-year veteran, begin performing the Heimlich Maneuver attempting to dislodge the chicken nugget from the child's throat.
"We saw an almost lifeless baby that wasn't breathing we knew we had to do something fast," Ladd said.
All the while, the mother's cries on the surveillance camera can be heard, pleading "Please please please."
After several moments, Animal Control Officer Jamie Weekley took over. She described what was going through her mind at that moment. "It's my job. I have done it many times."
When pressed, Weekley added she is a mother and worked on a bus previously. "I am a mom and used to work on the back of a bus so it is not the first time for me."
Weekley said the child was sick and this may have contributed to the little boy choking. She said the child was blue, not crying, and nonreactive.
While the two officers worked to save the child, moments remained tense. Then, the sound that was music to everyone's ears, the child cries.
Video shows the mother swooping and grabbing her baby. She was thankful and relieved.
Portland Police Chief Jason Williams said he is proud of his officers and the training they put to good use.
"I am super proud of the job they did. The lesson here, you can never let your guard down. Sometimes you get called to the chaos. And sometimes the chaos comes to you. So even here in a secure building, you never know what is coming in the front door so I applaud their readiness and just their ability to adapt to a changing environment."
Chief Williams told News 2, commendations have already been placed in the officers' files.