A common call took an unexpected turn for a local police officer this week — and it was all caught on camera.
The officer was one of the first on scene as a man was unconscious and on the brink of death.
So he didn't wait for medics to arrive.
Monday night, Patrolman Josh Bartholomew got a call for an unresponsive man at a Sheetz gas station in Streetsboro.
"As soon as we got him on the ground, I just immediately started doing chest compressions," said officer Bartholomew.
Firefighters arrived moments later.
In the meantime the officer kept pressing forcefully, trying desperately to get a pulse.
"I told them, 'just to tell me when to move' and they counted down as soon as they hit three I jumped out of the way and they went to work doing what they do best," he said.
During the less than two minute ordeal, Bartholomew says the man never showed any signs of life.
"It wasn’t until they left that I was made aware that they were getting a slight pulse from him," said Bartholomew.
The following day the victim’s wife called the officer with an update and a thank you.
"Hopefully we gave him a fighting chance, hopefully, he can win that fight and come out of this without too much of a problem," he said.
Despite the best efforts of the officer and emergency personnel, the man later died but Officer Bartholomew wants the public to know that police aren’t just here to give out tickets and arrest people.
"In a moment of need, we can be there," he said.
