When facing a scary or difficult situation, many teenagers instinctively look for their parents or wish they were there to help and comfort them.
Fortunately for 16-year-old Tenia Hill, this is exactly what happened when she found herself in a life-or-death situation.
Hill was working at a McDonald’s in New Orleans when an armed woman entered the fast-food restaurant.
The woman then robbed the store and forced Hill and the rest of the staff into the freezer.
The hairy situation was caught on CCTV.
Hill had her phone with her and immediately called 911.
Guess who answered her call? Her mother, Teri Clark.
Clark works as an assistant operations manager at the Orleans Parish Communications District, and she happened to take her daughter’s call that night.
She was scheduled to be off, but she decided to stay late and help out the staff.
That night was when Hill’s call came in.
When Hill called, Clark asked her which McDonald’s she was located in. Hill exclaimed, “It’s me Tenia, on Claiborne, Mama, help!”
Although Clark was in a state of shock to hear her daughter on the other end of the line, she kept calm and helped Hill keep calm as well.
“Mama, please hurry up. She got a gun,” Hill told her mom over the phone.
Clark reassured her that they were going to hurry and that help was coming.
Hill also informed her that she was inside the freezer.
When Clark heard they were in the freezer, she broke down, and tears started streaming down her face.
However, she stayed professional.
She kept her daughter on the phone and still did her job to the best of her abilities.
“I was really scared because I never would have imagined at my first job I would be getting robbed, let alone having a gun pointed at me,” Hill told WDSU News.
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Hill relayed enough information to her mom about the incident, and the police were dispatched.
When NOPD was on scene at the McDonald’s, Clark also went to the store to ensure her daughter was okay.
Fortunately, Hill and the other staff members were unhurt.
“I was very worried because I didn’t want my mom to have to bury her youngest child. I could have lost my life, but she saved my life. I was very happy,” Hill also said.
After this scary situation, Clark was back to work the next day.
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“If I could clone Teri, I would. I just remind everybody that there are people under the headset that have feelings and emotions. We are committed to your safety, believe it or not, 365 days of the year,” Tyrell Morris, OPCD Director, told WDSU News.
Clark has worked for the OPCD for the last 24 years, and it was the first time she received a call from a family member.
Memorably, it came from her youngest child.
Thankfully, Hill made it through the harrowing incident unscathed.
Today, Clark wants people to know that if they ever call 911, they must answer all the questions of the operator, just like her daughter did.
Having as much information as possible helps her and the police do their job as best as they can.
In this case, all’s well, that end’s well.
Fortunately, for Hill, her mom did an excellent job combining her role as a mother and as a 911 call-taker.
Clark was able to gather as much information as possible and also comfort her child at the same time.
Although the suspect is still at large, everyone involved in the situation made it out unhurt.
We’re so happy that Clark was there for Hill when she needed her most.
Watch the video of the armed robbery below!
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