Inmates save guard's life after he collapses

The inmates who saved a guard's life.
(Image credit: Screenshot/You Tube/Screen24)

When the deputy overseeing their work detail passed out last week, six Georgia inmates rushed to save his life, performing CPR and calling 911 from his phone.

They were outside doing lawn maintenance at a cemetery in hot weather — it was 76 degrees with 100 percent humidity — when the officer, who asked not to be identified, collapsed. The inmates immediately opened his shirt and took off his bulletproof vest, then began CPR. "When that happened, in my opinion, it wasn't about who is in jail and who wasn't," inmate Greg Williams told WXIA. "It was about a man going down and we had to help him."

The officer was unconscious for about a minute, and then started breathing again. "They really stepped up in a time of crisis and show that they care about my officers," Polk County Sheriff Johnny Moats told WXIA. "That really speaks a lot about my officers, too, how they treat these inmates. They treat them like people. Like family." To show their appreciation, the officer's family later treated the inmates to lunch and dessert. Catherine Garcia

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Catherine Garcia, The Week US

Catherine Garcia is night editor for TheWeek.com. Her writing and reporting has appeared in Entertainment Weekly and EW.com, The New York Times, The Book of Jezebel, and other publications. A Southern California native, Catherine is a graduate of the University of Redlands and the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism.