LAPD Topanga Area Officers Play Pivotal Role in Reviving a 75-Year-Old Woman NR13063cj

Los Angeles: LAPD Topanga officer go into action to save the life of an elderly woman.

On Friday, March 2, 2013, around 1:30 p.m., LAPD Topanga Area patrol officers Paul Maldonado and Kurt Logan were flagged down by a pizza restaurant employee in the 6200 block of Topanga Canyon Boulevard. The employee told the officers that a woman was choking inside the restaurant. Maldonado and Logan immediately went in and saw the elderly woman on the ground, unconscious and non-responsive. The officers began administering CPR. Several minutes later, Los Angeles Fire Department Rescue personnel responded and continued treating the unconscious woman. The paramedics transported the woman to a local hospital where she was revived and was breathing on her own. The woman remains in the hospital and is recovering from this incident.

Officer Maldonado, a former reserve fireman, said, “When we walked in, I saw her on the floor to the rear of the restaurant and immediately started CPR. Within minutes, we were able to get a pulse.” Officer Logan added, “I could see something lodged inside the woman’s throat and tried to position her head to clear the object, while my partner did chest compressions until the paramedics arrived.”

Los Angeles City Fire Captain Jeff Easton explains, “The successful resuscitation of this elderly citizen can be directly attributed to the quick and effective CPR initiated by the LAPD officers.” LAPD Topanga Area Captain Thomas P. Brascia adds, “As Los Angeles police officers, we are duty bound to protect and serve the citizens of this great city, and we do this well. Sometimes, our officers are presented with a situation where immediate and decisive action must be taken to save lives. Yesterday, two of our finest were presented with that challenge. Their response was extraordinary and as a result, a life was saved.”

The officers are available today for interviews at Topanga Station until 6:30 p.m.