Chamblee officers revive father after 15 minutes of CPR: "I really am eternally grateful"

Newly released body-camera video shows the intense moments Chamblee Police Department officers worked to revive a father who collapsed at a Jiffy Lube on Peachtree Boulevard — performing nearly 15 minutes of continuous CPR until his pulse returned.

Officers were dispatched after an employee, Pablo Santiago, collapsed and stopped breathing. Officer Dustin Bulcher was parked across the street when the call came in and rushed inside to begin chest compressions immediately.

"Adrenaline's pumping. Just trying to get there as fast as possible," Officer Elvin Kerr said.

Body camera video shows officers rotating in and out to keep compressions going without rest.

"We just took turns, make sure we had each other's back, make sure we didn't get tired, too winded out," Officer Brandi Boddy said.

Bulcher said the reality of doing CPR outside a training room hit hard.

"It's tough. You know, it looks easy when you're training a training class, but when it's real life. It's…it's real life," he said.

Kerr said he focused on giving everything he had.

"The only thing in the back of my mind is, you know: do the best I can, pray for him while I'm doing it," he said.

After nearly 15 minutes of nonstop chest compressions, officers felt a faint pulse. Body-camera footage captures one officer shouting, "Got a pulse?! Woo!"

Boddy said seeing Santiago's color return was a moment of cautious relief. "When I initially get there, and his face is blue, and then you actually see his life is actually coming back to him, his color return and stuff like that. It's kind of relief, but it's not. I mean, the battle is not over until he's actually okay."

Weeks into his recovery, Santiago spoke with Bulcher over FaceTime to thank him.

"Wow, man, I really am eternally grateful," he said.

Santiago suffered cardiac arrest and remembers little from that day. But he knows what doctors later told him: survival depended heavily on timing.

"The doctor told me that only people who are in the right place at the right time are able to survive something like this. The possibilities of surviving are minimal. If you don't have the right people," Santiago said.

He also offered personal thanks to Bulcher, who happened to be feet away when the emergency call went out.

"Thank you, thank you, thank you, and express my gratitude to all the other officers," said Santiago.

Santiago said their determination came from their passion to serve.

"They don't have to do what they did. He just put out the effort from his heart," he said.

He even extended a heartfelt invitation: "Whenever you want to come for the Puerto Rican meal, I got you."

The officers' rapid response gave Santiago another Christmas with his children — and perhaps a new friendship with the officers who refused to give up.