On the night of his birthday, Senior Corporal Sergio Perez of the Dallas Police Department had been working with his K9 partner Goro on training.
After taking a break, he decided to reward Goro with chicken nuggets from McDonald’s. However, no sooner than he pulled into the parking lot, he heard a desperate woman screaming for help.
The woman was carrying a 1-year-old boy who had stopped breathing. Senior Corporal Perez immediately jumped into action, administering CPR. Fortunately, his efforts worked and the toddler was breathing again. But unfortunately, the boy then began having a seizure.
Once more, Senior Corporal Perez stayed calm, consoling and comforting the child. Soon, paramedics arrived, and the officer cradled the boy in his arms while rushing to get him in the ambulance. The hospital later confirmed that the boy and his mother were both doing ok.
“My training kicked in, I stayed calm, just kept talking to the child and reassuring mom that everything was gonna be okay,” he said.
“It’s a cliché, you know? Just here at the right time. To protect and serve, if you will,” Officer Perez stated. “I was just glad I was able to help her child.”
Since the rescue, many have praised Senior Corporal Perez as a hero. However, he insists he was just doing his job, and that God had put him there for a reason. He believes that if he hadn’t decided to reward Goro with chicken nuggets, he wouldn’t have been at the McDonald’s parking lot at the exact moment of the emergency.
“I believe that God put me here that night for that reason because I normally don’t give Goro nuggets,” he explained. “But that night I said since we were doing real good on training I said — you know what, my partner deserves some nuggets tonight.”
The heroic efforts of Senior Corporal Sergio Perez prove that everyday heroes can be found anywhere. He was in the right place at the right time and had the knowledge and courage to act.
