Off-duty Melvindale police officer saves 3-year-old boy who nearly choked to death
DEARBORN, Mich. (CBS DETROIT) - An off-duty Melvindale police officer is being hailed a hero after he saved a 3-year-old Dearborn boy who nearly choked to death.
Officer Mohamed Hachem was getting ready to take a nap before his shift Monday when he heard dispatch say a 3-year-old boy on his street was not breathing.
"I just bolted out the door," he said.
A video shows Hachem running towards a crowd of people surrounding the 3-year-old boy. Hachem says the boy appeared to be unconscious after choking on food.
"It's a scene I hope no parent or anybody sees," Hachem said.
Hachem reflected on the scary scene on Kendal Street and says the boy's eyes began rolling to the back of his head as he held what felt like a lifeless body.
"When I had him in my arms, I had nothing," he said. "The whole time, I was just telling the little boy, 'Come on. Come on. Wake up. Wake up. You got this.'"
Hachem's police training kicked in as he performed life-saving maneuvers to help the boy breathe.
The minutes felt like hours, but eventually, the boy regained consciousness.
Mo Zughayar, Hachem's neighbor, witnessed his heroics.
"I don't know what could've happened. If he didn't know what he was doing or wasn't the one helping, then I don't want to say it. The child probably wouldn't be with us anymore," he said.
Who knows what would've happened if Hachem chose to take that nap, but everything in life happens for a reason.
"Right place at the right time," he said. It wasn't that kid's time. Everybody has their time. It just wasn't his time."
The boy, who received medical attention on the scene, is doing ok.
Many people in the community credit Hachem's quick-thinking actions for saving his life.
