A Chicago Police officer who performed cardiopulmonary resuscitation on a 21-month-old boy who had stopped breathing is being lauded for helping out on the Skyway this afternoon.
The officer, Edward Paukula, has about 17 years on the force, according to Pat Camden, a spokesman for the Chicago Police union.
The baby was in the backseat of a vehicle traveling on the Skyway near 89th Street at 12:24 p.m. when family members noticed that the child was not breathing, according to a police News Affairs statement.
They stopped the vehicle and found the baby unresponsive, but the child's father turned to see a Chicago Police vehicle driving in his direction and flagged down the officer, the statement said.
The police officer cautiously removed the baby from the vehicle, gently laying him on the pavement, and began to perform CPR, the statement said.
The baby regained consciousness and was taken to the hospital for treatment and observation. This isn't the first time the Officer has been in the hot seat:
- But Pakula is no stranger to being a “hero cop.'' He was hailed for saving the lives of residents in a burning South Side apartment building in November of 1999, according to a 1999 Chicago Tribune story.