Video shows Florida teenager saving life of policeman who was questioning him

Officers have credited Jamal Rutledge with coming to officer's help

In a departure from most police-related videos seen lately, footage a from Fort Lauderdale police room has surfaced, showing a teenage boy coming to the rescue of the police officer who collapsed while booking him.

Jamal Rutledge was arrested on 10 September last year for allegedly violating his parole and was taken to jail for processing. The security-camera video shows Mr Rutledge being led into a cell by Officer Franklin Foulks.

Mr Rutledge is handcuffed and seated against a wall while Mr Foulks completes his paperwork. At about the 37:50 minute mark in the video, Mr Foulks clutches his chest and falls to the floor.

Mr Rutledge then walks over to check on the officer before kicking the security fence of the cell and yelling to alert others to Mr Foulks’ condition. Four officers come to the cell, where they perform CPR and use a defibrillator on the downed officer, according to the Fort Lauderdale Police Department.

Mr Foulks was taken to Broward Health Medical Centre, where he was treated and he pulled through. Hospital staff said that without the quick actions by Mr Rutledge and the other officers, Mr Foulks likely would not have survived.

It is unclear why the footage has surfaced now and the police did not respond to queries on Wednesday. However, Fort Lauderdale will honour those responsible for saving Mr Foulks with an award ceremony during the City Commission meeting on 21 January.