The Florida teen that saved the life of a Fort Lauderdale police officer who arrested him will be honored for his heroic duty.
17-year-old Jamal Rutledge. (Courtesy Photo)
Jamal Rutledge, 17, has been in the spotlight this past week for saving the life of police officer Franklin Foulks, 49. According to CBS News, last September, while Foulks was processing Rutledge’s paperwork for violating probation on charges including burglary and violation of juvenile imposed conditions, the officer grabbed his chest and fell to the ground. Rutledge, who was handcuffed, kicked the security gate, alerting other officers of what had just happened.
Three officers rushed to help their peer, who had apparently suffered a heart attack. While one called emergency services, another administered CPR and the third used an automated external defibrillator, also known as an AED, to shock Foulks’ heart, according to CBS News.
Doctors believe Rutledge’s quick actions were a major factor in Foulks’ survival.
Dr. Clifton Callaway, the vice chair of Emergency Medicine at the University of Pittsburgh medical center says that using an AED quickly increases the odds for survival. “If we can get an electrical shock to that person in the first few seconds, or first few minutes, it has a very high chance of working,” Callaway told the network.
The surveillance video of the incident was recently picked up by news outlets across the country, making this a national story.
Rutledge has been arrested multiple times since the age of 8. He has even been arrested since he saved Foulks’ life. However, Rutledge says now that the video of him saving Foulks’ life has gone viral, he plans to turn his life around, according to the Sun-Sentinel.
The Fort Lauderdale resident and the other Good Samaritans who teamed up to save Foulks’ life, will be honored Jan. 21 at a city commission meeting.