0
0
A Florida police department is honoring a teenager for his role in saving the life of the cop who arrested him.
Jamal Rutledge, 17, was sitting with his hands cuffed behind his back in a booking area of the Fort Lauderdale Police Department last September when Officer Franklin Foulks keeled over.
Surveillance footage shows the young man, who was suspected of violating juvenile probation, walk over to the locked door of the security fence and start kicking it, yelling to alert other officers that Foulks was in distress.
“The teen is being recognized with doing the right thing when presented with a challenging circumstance,” Detective DeAnna Greenlaw said in an interview with Yahoo News.
After hearing the noise, Sgt. Todd Bunin saw Foulks semiconscious on the floor, clutching his chest, so he alerted police dispatch to send the city’s fire rescue department.
Bunin, understanding that time was of the essence, removed Foulks’ police gear and cut off his shirt. Two other officers, Robert Norvis and Raymond Ketchmark, overheard Bunin’s radio transmissions and rushed to the scene to help.
Norvis administered CPR and Ketchmark used a defibrillator to electronically stimulate the officer’s heart.
Fire rescue workers arrived and brought Foulks to the Broward Health Medical Center, where staff attributed his survival largely to the actions of Rutledge and the other officers.
Greenlaw declined to comment on the specifics of Foulks’ “medical episode” but said he is doing well.
“He’s on light duty and expected to get to full duty by end of month,” she said.
Rutledge, who was on probation for alleged criminal mischief and burglary, was taken into custody for violating that probation and his home detention, authorities said.
Fort Lauderdale police declined to comment on the specifics of his September arrest because he is a minor and that information is protected under the state’s “Sunshine” law.
Greenlaw did, however, note that Rutledge has been arrested multiple times since September.
{youtube}cNLVO0QSbn8{/youtube}
Facebook Comments