Late last month, Deputy Tyler Milton spotted a car heading south on Lakewood Boulevard, running through red lights.
He tried to catch up, and finally was able to pull the car over.
“That’s when both parents got out,” Milton said Monday at a press conference at the Lakewood Sheriff’s Station. “They were crying, and that’s when I saw the child. His eyes were open, but he wasn’t breathing.”
Milton got on the radio. Deputy Alissa Farrington heard the call and arrived to escort them to the hospital. “I heard the urgency in his voice,” she said of Milton.
On the way, Milton performed CPR, and the 9-month-old baby, named Steven, began breathing on his own.
deputy Tyler Milton describes the scene when baby Steven was saved pic.twitter.com/P3u4QynL0S
— Melissa Evans (@MelissaEvansLBP) September 10, 2018
The family of the baby, father Yasser Hanna and mother Reda Felamon, thanked the deputies early Monday for their quick action in saving their son.
The parents, who are from Egypt, have lived here for about a year and a half. They stood behind a microphone—holding their baby Steven and their other son, who is 3—as Hanna spoke with gratitude.
“I thank all the officers who helped me,” Hanna said. “The only thing I wanted to do is to keep my son [alive].”
Sheriff Jim McDonnell said deputies were faced with a difficult decision, whether to transport the boy to the hospital immediately or wait for the paramedics.
“I’m proud of their fast action,” McDonnell said. “They made a lifesaving decision at a moment’s notice.”
Milton and Farrington have both been with the department for about two years. Milton said he has a son, who is almost 2.
“I can’t imagine what they were feeling at the moment,” Milton said of the parents.
Hanna said his son stayed in the hospital for about four days before coming home. He had been suffering from the flu when the incident occurred. It was about 10:30 p.m. on Aug. 27.