On October 29, 2022, first year Powder Springs, Georgia Officer, Carson Yates, received a call of a runner who had collapsed during a marathon.

Driving their squad car down a wooded trail to reach the runner, Officer Yates and his sergeant arrived on the scene where the man was lying on the ground, surrounded by runners who were administering CPR.

“He stopped breathing. His heart stopped,” Officer Yates, told FOX 5.

Calling on their Police Academy training, Officer Yates and his sergeant picked up where the other runners had started, performed CPR for roughly 10 minutes until medical personnel arrived. “My first thought was … just to try to get some sort of breath into him, just try to stabilize him until EMS comes,” said Yates. The officers were able to recover a pulse and the runner regained consciousness before paramedics arrived.

Powder Springs Police Chief, Lane Cadwell, recognized Yates and his heroism during a city council meeting, but when Yates was asked about the incident, he told FOX 5: “Of course I’m excited that I helped save his life, but it’s part of the job.”

Duke, Joi, Powder Springs, police officer help saves marathon runner’s life after collapse. www.fox5atlanta.com/news/powder-spring-police-officer-help-saves-marathon-runners-life-after-collapse