BOYNTON HONORS LIFESAVING OFFICER
BOYNTON BEACH — Out for a jog around the neighborhood in late August, Brian Smith set a goal to run 4 miles but made it only to 3, when his heart stopped beating and he collapsed.
Boynton Beach police Sgt. Brian McDeavitt was driving into work when he spotted Smith on the ground, on Hypoluxo Road between Haverhill and Jog roads, with people around him. McDeavitt pulled over and, with the help of an off-duty paramedic, performed chest compressions on Smith until rescue crews arrived.
Smith, 47, would later learn he went into ventricular fibrillation and his heart stopped beating for
seven minutes. He spent two days in a medically induced coma.
He survived, but he doesn’t remember any of it.
On Tuesday, about six weeks after he collapsed, and the first week he has really felt somewhat back to normal, Smith met McDeavitt in person and thanked him for saving his life.
“I felt that God put somebody in the right place at the right time,” he said. “I wouldn’t be here if not for him.”
Smith, his wife, Daniela, and their 7-year-old son, Graeson, surprised McDeavitt at the police department’s quarterly awards ceremony at Intracoastal Park, where the sergeant was to be honored for his lifesaving efforts.
Graeson read aloud the Police Officer’s Prayer and handed McDeavitt a copy with “Thank you for saving my dad’s life” written on the back.
Other awards
In addition to McDeavitt, the department handed out several awards to officers, civilians, and residents. Assistant Chief Joe DeGiulio said the ceremony was to honor “outstanding police work, to acts of kindness, and citizens stepping up when we needed
them the most.”
Civilian of the Quarter went to Doug Solomon, who works in tech services. He has been involved in moving Lantana police’s dispatch to Boynton’s communications center, and he made sure that during Hurricane Irma the departments didn’t lose connections, according to a statement from the Police Department. Also during Irma, he helped move Manalapan police’s dispatchers and computers into Boynton’s building.
Detective of the Quarter went to Jeff Gleicher, who “has played a central role in an astounding number of successful major case investigations.”
He’s worked two arrests for first-degree murder, two arrests for attempted murder with a firearm, three arrests for robbery with a firearm and the arrest of a serial business burglar, the statement said.
Mark Sohn is Officer of the Quarter. The K-9 officer’s work led to arrests of six felons and alleged drug traffickers, the seizure of substantial amounts of cocaine, heroin, MDMA and marijuana, and the recovery of six firearms, according to the statement.
Also, officer Jose Rivera was promoted to sergeant.
Three citizen appreciation awards were given out: Resident Loudwige Pierre was honored for allowing police to use her apartment for surveillance. Hampton Inn and Suites manager Michael Harding was honored for opening up the hotel to the police during Irma. And Courtyard by the Marriott manager Patrick Hines was honored for allowing police to use hotel rooms to work a human trafficking case.
After the awards ceremony, McDeavitt and Smith walked to the side of the room and chatted about the day Smith collapsed. McDeavitt said it felt like the chest compressions “went on for a while,” which was no surprise to Smith.
“My chest felt like it went on for a while,” he responded.
Smith, who sells spinal implants, hasn’t gone back to work yet but said he’s ready for the moment God decides to put him in the right place at the right time.
“I’ve been looking when I’ve been driving,” he said.