Saving a baby’s life isn’t typically on the agenda for a day in the life of an Atlanta SWAT officer.
But that’s how Officer Robert Oden spent his afternoon while on patrol along Martin Luther King Corridor last week.
“S.W.A.T officers are typically involved in dangerous situations, challenging details, riots, and other potentially volatile incidents,” the City of Atlanta Police Department said on Facebook. “Giving CPR to a 4-month-old baby, is not a routine part of a SWAT officer’s day but that is exactly what happened in this incident.”
It was about 12:30 p.m. when Oden spotted a car driving down MLK flashing its hazards and blaring its car horn.
“There were two cars. They kind of sped past me. They were honking their horns, you know, you could tell there was something going on,” Oden told Inside Edition.
Oden followed the vehicle after it parked at the fire station. That’s when a woman ran out of the car frantically toward Oden with her baby in her arms.
“He’s not responding,” she screamed. “Oh my God.”
The woman handed Oden her limp 4-month-old, and Oden called dispatch. He immediately placed the child on the grass and started performing CPR on the child.
“Honestly, there was really no signs of life that I could tell,” Oden said.
Oden could not detect a pulse.
He started using his fingers to perform chest compressions, switching off by using his thumbs and periodically giving the child the breath of life.
The baby’s mother is panicked as Oden tells bystanders to knock on the fire station door to see if anyone is inside.
Things were not looking good.
But Oden didn’t give up. Miraculously, the infant’s leg started to move, and his pulse returned.
That’s when EMS workers arrived and brought the baby to the hospital.
“By the time Grady EMS arrived, SPO Oden had successfully gained a pulse from the infant as the infant’s legs began to move. Grady EMS took custody of the child and rushed him to the hospital for further treatment,” the City of Atlanta Police Department wrote. “If being at the right place at the right time was a person, SPO Oden is him. He could not have imagined that his patrolling that area would result in this type of emergency encounter.”
There’s no word on what happened to the baby, but Oden’s heroic act was caught on his body camera and posted online.
The story was picked up by Inside Edition and ended up going viral.
“Officers never know what to expect during their shift, they just show up ready to act. SPO Odens actions were quick, calm, caring, and professional,” Oden’s police department said.
“This is another example of the heroic work that officers do on any given day. His response reflects a high level of training, readiness, and compassion. We could not be prouder of him in this critical moment. We know the City of Atlanta is safer with SPO Oden and our team of professional, responsive, and caring officers who do this work and patrol our streets, 24/7, and 365 days a week. It is indeed a calling. Job well-done sir!”
Inside Edition’s video about the story was viewed over 70,000 times on YouTube.
“I can not imagine what that mother was going through seeing her unresponsive child, god bless that hero of an officer,” wrote one YouTuber.
You can check out the video below.
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