GASTONIA, N.C. — A Gastonia police officer saved a child who was choking on food at a restaurant Thursday, according to a Facebook post from the department.
Capt. Trent Conard was eating at Olive Garden during his lunch break when he heard a woman shout, “She’s not breathing, my baby’s not breathing!”
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Conard then rushed over to where the mother, Sierra Altizer, and her child.
“The child had choked and was blue and limp, and people in the restaurant were upset and crying,” the post said.
Altizer said her daughter, Aryia Peterson, choked on a breadstick.
Conard performed four or five back thrusts and then stopped to monitor the child. When she came to, she started crying and suddenly everything was fine again, according to the post.
“That’s what we do as police officers, that’s how we’re trained,” Conard said. “It’s awesome to be able to help someone in their moment of need and save a life.”
Altizer also said her father is a police officer.
“With everything going on, you know, we stand for Black Lives Matter. So for him to be there and to show us what an amazing cop was, just like my dad, it was a great experience for us. You know, she wouldn’t be here without him, so I’m so appreciative of him," Altizer said.
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