Sunland Park police officer saves choking baby

LAS CRUCES — While responding to a domestic dispute around 11:15 a.m. Thursday, Sunland Park police officer Donald Venable heard another call come over the radio. A baby was choking at a home less than three blocks away, in the 100 block of Monte Vista Drive.

Venable broke off, leaving his partner, officer Humberto Hidalgo, to handle the other call. He jumped in his unit, arriving well before paramedics could get to the scene.

“Officer Venable told me that he thought it took him about 30 seconds to get there, but I don’t think it even took him that long,” Sunland Park Police Chief Jaime Reyes told the Sun-News on Friday.

When Venable arrived at the scene, the caretaker had the baby, estimated to be around 6 weeks old, in her hands and the infant was gasping for air.

“Officer Venable did exactly as they trained us to do in CPR class, and in the refresher courses that we get regularly,” Reyes said. “He took the baby and held it, face down, in the ‘football position,’ and began giving it some light taps on the back.”

Almost instantly, the phlegm that had been obstructing the infant’s breathing broke free.

“Once he did that, the baby started crying,” Reyes said. “A few seconds later, the baby was ready to go to sleep.”

Hidalgo wrapped up the domestic call, arriving at the baby's home just in time to snap a photo on his cell phone — a photo that went viral when it was posted on the Sunland Park Police Department’s Facebook page.

“Shortly afterward, the fire department showed up and checked the baby out,” Reyes said. “It was perfectly OK, and didn’t require any further treatment.”

Reyes said he was proud of his officer for responding quickly and relying on his training to save the child’s life.

“He was really at the right place at the right time. He was able to get there incredibly quickly, and knew what to do to save the baby’s life,” Reyes said.

Damien Willis can be reached at 575-541-5468 and dawillis@lcsun-news.com. Follow him on Twitter at @damienwillis