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Video captures Clawson police resuscitate unresponsive, nonbreathing man

Authorities cite quick response time, CPR, defibrillator in saving man’s life

CLAWSON, Mich. – Dramatic body camera footage captured Clawson police officers responding to a call and acting quickly to save a life.

When a person needs cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR), the longer you wait, the less likely they are to survive.

On Sept. 24, Clawson police responded to an urgent call that stated a man was unresponsive and no longer breathing, but thanks to their quick response and knowledge, that man is still alive.

“I heard this breath come out of him that was very strange. So, I just, like, ran over to them and checked his carotid pulse and listen, and there was no pulse. No nothing, no breath coming out his mouth,” Meg Tipton recalled. “I was shaking, yelling his name, no answer. He was starting to kind of turn bluish in the lips.”

At that moment, Tipton thought she had lost her ex husband, but she quickly called 911.

“Upon arrival, there was some labored breathing, but shortly after we arrived, there was no more breathing and couldn’t find a pulse on him,” said Clawson detective Ian Calamita.

The responding officers immediately started CPR.

Related: Hands-only CPR: Can you save a life?

“I was blown away by how quickly they got there,” Tipton said.

“After five minutes doing that, the Alliance paramedics arrived on scene to assist us while we are performing CPR,” Calamita said. “They checked and they stated that they had a pulse.”

Tipton’s ex husband was rushed to Beaumont Hospital, Royal Oak as emergency medical crews worked to save his life.

“I can’t tell you how many times I’ve done CPR in my career, but most of the time, it doesn’t end out in a positive outcome,” Calamita said. “It’s nice to have that work.”

Calamita said the main reason crews were able to resuscitate the man was because Tipton knew to call 911 right away.

“No matter what, just dial 911 and then go through the ABCs -- airway, breathing, circulation in your head,” Tipton said.

The officers of the Clawson Police Department said the incident is a big reminder for people to be trained in CPR and for businesses to invest in an automated external defibrillator, which saved the man’s life.

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About the Authors
Kim DeGiulio headshot

You can watch Kim on the morning newscast weekdays from 4:30 to 7 a.m., and frequently doing reports on the 5 and 6 p.m. newscasts.

Dane Kelly headshot

Dane is a producer and media enthusiast. He previously worked freelance video production and writing jobs in Michigan, Georgia and Massachusetts. Dane graduated from the Specs Howard School of Media Arts.

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