Martin Feinberg, Culver City Real Estate area Realtor, was happy to learn that a Culver City police officer received special honors from the Culver City City Council Monday after saving a choking baby who had stopped breathing. Officer Brian Cappell was in the right place at the right time and his body camera captured all the action during the March 22 incident.
Officer Cappell responded to a call of a baby choking just after 4 p.m. on that Friday afternoon. The call came after Janet Lockridge was driving with her nine-month-old daughter Harleigh and the baby began to choke on some food.
After Lockridge pulled over, her ten-year-old daughter ran and flagged down Officer Cappell and brought him back to the scene. In the body camera video, the officer can be seen running towards Lockridge’s parked car and opening the passenger door to reach the baby.
In the video Lockridge can be heard pleading “Please, I don’t know, she’s like not breathing.”
Officer Cappell then pulled Harleigh out of vehicle and turned her face down, firmly hitting the baby’s back to dislodge the food.
“Come on baby, you’re all right!” the officer can be heard saying while performing the choking rescue maneuvers.
Eventually baby Harleigh began to cry, which can also be heard on the video, along with Officer Cappell saying in relief “Okay, she’s crying now, so she’s getting air.”
The officer said in a statement to ABC7 that he’s never experienced anything like it in the 19 years he’s worked for the Culver City Police Department.
“Once I heard the baby crying, it was the best sound I ever heard in my life,” he said.
Lockridge told NBC Los Angeles she’s so thankful that Officer Cappell saved her daughter’s life. Local listing agent Martin Feinberg notes that the following day Officer Cappell was able to reconnect with the family. Lockridge hugged the officer, and Cappell asked to hold the baby.
“I’m just extremely, extremely grateful and I’m indebted to him forever,” Lockridge told the news station.