Los Angeles police officer seen on bodycam video saving ‘lifeless’ toddler

Child apparently swallowed object but was in stable condition at hospital

The Los Angeles Police Department has released dramatic body cam video footage of one of its officers saving a “lifeless” toddler.

The officer was on duty in the Echo Park neighbourhood of city when “he saw parents yelling for help” with the toddler, who had stopped breathing, says LAPD.

“Without hesitation, the Sergeant took immediate action, cleared the airway, and seconds later the toddler was breathing,” the department tweeted, along with footage of the 19 January incident.

In the video the distressed father runs up to the officer and tells them, “I don’t know what’s wrong! Officer, please!”

The man handed the child over to the officer, who then performed life-saving measures on the child, who is described as being around the age of three.

Another person can be heard screaming in distress in the background of the video.

The officer was told that the parents did not know what caused the child, who was in their car, to stop breathing.

As the officer patted the child’s back, a woman appears and asks the youngster what she had in her mouth and told her to “open.”

“Something came out,” the officer can be heard telling the obviously relieved woman.

The child was taken to a nearby children’s hospital, where she was treated and in stable condition, said LAPD.