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El Monte Police Corporal Saves Toddler Choking On Hard Candy

EL MONTE (CBSLA.com) — A 2-year-old boy is ready for Christmas, thanks to the presence of an El Monte Police corporal who was ready with his CPR training.

At about 9:14 a.m. Sunday, Corporal Aram Choe and his partner were called to the 11000 block of Medina Court in El Monte on the report of a baby choking, El Monte police Lt. Christopher Williams said.

When the officers arrived within a minute, Choe saw that the baby was turning blue and was unable to breathe, so he took the boy, named Hugo, into his arms, placed him face down on his left arm and administered several back blows.

Choe watched a small piece of hard candy fall from the child's mouth and land on the couch and the baby regained its color and began breathing on its own.

"We go through training every year on CPR and Heimlich for both adults and infants," Choe said. "It's funny, the timing is uncanny -- a year and a half ago, I was the officer who delivered the baby in the McDonald's parking lot."

Choe said that he had just finished CPR and Heimlich training before that impromptu delivery.

Hugo was taken to Arcadia Methodist Hospital for evaluation, but was released in time to visit with Choe at the El Monte Police Station with his parents Monday evening.

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