SAN BERNADINO, Calif. — Video shows two police officers rescuing three people from rushing water when rain caused flooding in southern California.
Video recorded by SoCal News shows a family of three trapped in the water. In a Twitter post sharing the video, SoCal News said that the group had initially called police about an unrelated problem and were swept away by floods as they tried to return to their vehicle.
SBPD rescued a family of 3 from fast moving waters during a flash flood warning in San Bernardino county, the family had originally called about a unrelated problem and as they were heading back to their vehicle strong rains started to impact the area and they were swept away, pic.twitter.com/EAEuWh0Qhw
— SoCal News Outlet (@SocalNewsOutlet) September 12, 2022
“As I am debriefing (the other officers) we notice the mother and her two children fall into the water and start washing away,” San Bernadino police officer Gabriel Rodriguez, who was first at the scene, told KNBC.
Video from the police officers’ body-worn cameras, shared with KNBC, offers another view of the rescue, as officers worked to grab the mother and her children, ages 6 and 14, and pull them to safety.
The rushing water was so powerful that the officers had to hold on to each other while pulling the others to safety.
“So they held on to me as I tried to walk the family back to the other side of the road,” officer Tommy Tran told KNBC.
In a tweet, the San Bernadino Police Department thanked SoCal News for capturing the video, saying, “Our officers do not encounter swift water floods often, however it doesn’t stop them from jumping into action and saving lives.”
Thank you @SocalNewsOutlet for capturing our officers rescue a mother and her children from being swept away during a dangerous flash flood. Our officers do not encounter swift water floods often, however it doesn’t stop them from jumping into action and saving lives.#SBPD_CHIEF https://t.co/eo4x7hvi3Y
— San Bernardino PD (@SanBernardinoPD) September 12, 2022
“Never once in the academy did we train for a swift water rescue,” Tran told KNBC.
All three officers involved in the rescue have been on the job less than a year, KNBC reported.
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