Nashville Police Officer Rescues Choking 9-Month-Old Boy

A Nashville, Tennessee, police officer is being hailed as a hero after he rescued a choking nine-month-old boy Tuesday night.

The infant’s frantic mother jumped out of her car at a gas station Tuesday night, begging Metro Nashville Police Officer Philip Claibourne to rescue her choking son.

Claibourne and another officer were looking into a traffic accident at the time when he moved to save the baby.

“I could hear that the baby was gasping for air and not really breathing and wasn’t making any kind of noises other than that,” Claibourne told WTVF.

Claibourne said that his police academy training in the Heimlich maneuver and CPR kicked in:

“I knelt down and turned the baby over and kind of palmed its chest in my hand and rested my hand on my leg,” he said. “I gave the baby one good smack on its back and immediately the baby started coughing and crying.”

The mother, 29-year-old Tanisha Rutledge, said she was very relieved.

The Nashville Police Department recognized Claibourne’s actions in a statement Wednesday.

“On National First Responders Day we salute Central Precinct Officer Philip Claibourne, whose gentleness and training saved the life of a choking 9-month-old Tuesday night,” the Nashville Police Department said.