Sheriff deputies, Good Samaritans, honored for saving child from Cerritos lake

Five Los Angeles County Sheriff Department deputies and two boys were honored on Thursday for saving the life of a child who was rescued from a Cerritos park lake.

At the afternoon ceremony, deputies shared how the dramatic March 29 rescue unfolded, attributing success to teamwork.

Around 8 p.m., as it was dark outside, a father was pushing one of his children in a stroller at Don Knabe Community Regional Park while his other two-and-a-half-year-old child rode ahead on his bicycle. Deputy Erick Mutum said the father lost sight of the child who rode ahead along the walkway that abutted the lake.

Two boys playing in the park noticed a child in the lake and called 911. The boys, Preston Hoang and Julian Mata – who were also at Thursday's ceremony – worked with the 911 dispatcher to provide deputies with a park location and used a flashlight to guide deputies to the exact spot.

Mutum said deputies found the child in the water and pulled him out. The child was unconscious, not breathing and did not have a pulse. Dramatic bodycam footage of the incident shows a team of deputies working to expel water from the child and perform CPR.

About three minutes later, the child began to breathe. "And by the grace of God, we felt a pulse," Mutum said.  Los Angeles County Fire Department personnel arrived and took over medical care. The child was transported to the hospital and has since made a full recovery, according to deputies.

Los Angeles County Fire Department Deputy Chief Elenie Pappas thanked Julian and Preston, who first discovered the boy in distress. "Kudos to the two young men who had the wherewithal, presence of mind and caring in their heart to look out for someone who they didn't know and to be able to call it in, get the first responders there and to stick with it to the end to make sure this young man was able to have a life ahead of him," she said.  

Deputy Xavier Alvarez, who pulled the child out of the water, said all deputies are CPR-trained and that he has done it before, but not on a child that small. As a father himself, Alvarez said, "at that point, I wanted to do just about everything to save that child."

Those honored included Deputies Xavier Alvarez, Nelida Viveros, Daniel Mailloux, Rebecca Chavez, and Law Enforcement Technician Leslie Gutierrez, as well as Julian Mata and Preston Hoang.