Tampa, Florida – A distressing bodycam video shows Tampa police officers saving a young boy who was choking on a tomato.
The video, released by the Tampa Police Department on Monday, captures the tense moments as a crying father approached an officer with his son.
“He’s choking, bro. He’s choking!” the father said through tears.
Officers quickly responded by patting the boy’s back and calling for fire rescue. The father explained that his son had been eating a tomato and now “he can’t breathe.”
Police attempted to dislodge the obstruction but struggled to reach into the child’s mouth.
Keeping the child face down, officers continued to pat his back until he finally began to cry.
“He’s making noise,” one officer said. “He’s breathing.”
Another officer comforted the father, who had stepped away with his hands on his head.
“You alright, bud? Spit it out if you can, okay?” the officer holding the boy said. “There it is!”
Later, the officer lifted the child into his arms and asked, “You alright?”
“Yeah,” the boy appeared to say. When asked what it was, the officer replied gently, “It was a little tomato.”
In a Facebook post, Tampa police reminded the public that choking can be silent and urged people to call 911 if someone cannot speak or cough.
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