Cops save child from choking on her food

Her baby girl was choking on a chicken nugget, and Ana Graham, unable to dislodge it, pleaded for help. “Please call 911!” the mom shouted across the mall food court.

What happened next was caught on dramatic surveillance video: Two Palm Beach Gardens officers who were just footsteps away rushed to her aid. One officer placed 14-month-old Lucia over his lap and slapped the nugget loose.

“I remember at some point just turning away,” Graham told WPEC-CBS12, the South Florida Sun Sentinel’s news partner. “Because I can’t see what’s going to happen.”

It happened recently at Palm Beach Gardens Mall. Graham had tried her best to get the toddler to cough up the nugget, to no avail. Despite slapping her daughter’s back, the girl’s throat wouldn’t clear, the video shows.

Officers Robert Ayala and Rafael Guadalupe, who happened to be sitting at one of food court’s tables, kept their cool while acting fast to save the child.

“Because of you, our family is intact,” Graham told CBS12. “And I know those guys are angels who saved our daughter’s life.”

On Thursday night, the Palm Beach Gardens City Council honored the officers.

The recognition drew big applause. Graham, her husband and kids attended the ceremony.

“He was caring and loving,” Graham said of Officer Ayala. “And Lucia finished her lunch actually. She asked for food, so we knew she was OK.”