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Newly released body camera footage has captured the dramatic moment California Highway Patrol (CHP) officers heroically rushed to rescue an unresponsive driver from a burning vehicle in South Los Angeles.
The state agency released the video on Thursday highlighting the officers’ heroic actions during the July 3 incident.
In the video, an officer was seen rushing to a car already engulfed in flames. Soon joined by colleagues, the officer used a baton to shatter the driver’s side window before pulling an unresponsive man to safety. Moments after the rescue, a small explosion erupted on camera.
“Our officers on routine patrol discovered this crash and immediately rushed in to check on the wellbeing of the occupant inside the burning vehicle,” CHP told Fox News Digital on Saturday.
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CHP said the driver may have “experienced some type of medical emergency that caused him to veer off the freeway into an embankment and collide into a tree.” The crash then caused the car to catch on fire, the agency added.
FOX 11 Los Angeles reported that the responding officer, Sal Leon-Brito, was on routine patrol when he spotted a car that crashed into a tree. By the time he arrived, the vehicle was already engulfed in flames.
Leon-Brito told the local station that he acted without hesitation.
“I didn’t really think about what could happen to me, I just cared to see if there was anybody still in the car,” he said.
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In the video, Leon-Brito rushed towards the car as flames shot several feet into the air. He then used his baton to shatter multiple windows to check for passengers, FOX 11 reported.
“I took out my baton and broke the passenger side window. I didn’t see no passengers. Broke the rear window, didn’t see no passengers in the rear. It wasn’t until I broke the driver’s window that I saw a man unconscious,” Leon-Brito said.
His partner also appeared to help pull the man away from the inferno. FOX 11 identified him as Officer Manuel Gonzalez.
CHP told Fox News Digital that the driver was soon transported to a local hospital in stable condition.
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The two officers involved were recently recognized for their service by the Elks Lodge, a “fraternal organization,” according to FOX 11. Viewers who watched the video online also praised the officers for their heroic actions.
“In the face of danger, CHP – South Los Angeles officers acted without hesitation, breaking the windows of a burning vehicle using their rapid containment batons to rescue an unresponsive driver trapped inside,” the state agency said Thursday.
“Their swift and courageous actions saved a life and prevented what could have been a tragedy,” CHP added.
“Recognition is nice, but I’m just here doing my job really,” Leon-Brito told FOX 11.
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