Police officers in Macon, Georgia, managed to save a teenager this week after she had attempted suicide on Facebook Live.
“The haunting scene unfolded on digital screens about 7:30 p.m., prompting several to call 911,” reported Macon.com. “About 30 minutes after the calls, three patrol cars and an ambulance headed down Vineville Avenue toward the teen’s house. By that time, Facebook had also called 911 to alert Macon authorities.”
“The teen still had a pulse as medics carried her downstairs on a gurney,” they continued. “The teen was taken to a hospital but was OK on Wednesday.”
Sheriff David Davis thanked those who saw the livestream and called 911, declaring “It’s a good thing that the people watching this called it in… Those people did the right thing.”
“All social media is is a conduit for attention,” Sheriff Davis continued. “Even in this tragic situation, this young lady was looking for attention, and thankfully, the right people were watching… It could have been more tragic.”
On Wednesday, Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg announced that he would be hiring 3,000 new employees to sort through violent content on the platform, following a spike in video suicides and murder on the site.
“We know we need to do better,” said the company in a statement following numerous incidents, which included the revelation that one murder video had been on the platform for hours before removal.
Just last week, an Alabama man live streamed his suicide on Facebook Live following a relationship breakup, while a Thai father also streamed himself hanging his 11-month-old child before killing himself.
In January, four people were also arrested in Chicago after they filmed themselves torturing and beating a tied up disabled man, who was repeatedly forced to say, “f*ck Trump,” and, “f*ck white people,” while on Easter Sunday, Facebook user Steve Stephens filmed himself shooting and killing 74-year-old Robert Godwin Sr. before he evaded police for days– eventually committing suicide in a standoff.
Charlie Nash is a reporter for Breitbart Tech. You can follow him on Twitter @MrNashington or like his page at Facebook.