Police officer credited with saving 2-year-old who ingested a fentanyl pill while playing at Tacoma park

TACOMA, Wash. - A 2-year-old was rushed to the hospital on Thursday after he ingested a fentanyl pill he found while playing at a Tacoma park. 

Tacoma police say the child and his parents were at the Oakland Madrona Playfield just before 1 p.m. on Thursday. 

Parents told police they noticed something was wrong with their child, so they put him in the car and rushed to Mary Bridge Children's Hospital. The parents pulled over at S. 15th Street and S. D Street where they were met by medics and police for further assistance. 

"She handed me her child, and he was unresponsive and limp in my arms. He was blue in the face," said Officer Masyih Ford. "I immediately knew something was wrong, so I put him on the ground in recovery position and I started CPR. Then I asked the mom what did he take, is he choking on something, because I checked his airway, and it was clear."

The child's parents had the wherewithal to grab the remnants of what the child ingested. 

"She wrapped it in an empty wrapper and showed it to me, and it was M30 which is a synthetic Percocet or fentanyl pills that are commonly seen in our region," said Officer Ford. "It looks like it was bitten in half, so I immediately knew that the kid was suffering from a fentanyl overdose."

Tacoma firefighters gave Narcan to the child.

"The color starting to come back to this kid, the Narcan basically looked like magic to see that condition improve. I saw him literally blue and lifeless all the way until he was watching cartoons. For me, it was nice to have the closure that he was going to be okay."

The boy was taken to Mary Bridge Children's Hospital after receiving first-aid from medics.

Officer Ford said the boy is expected to make a full recovery with no lasting issues.

Officer Ford also called Metro Parks to alert them of the incident and ask that they check the area for pills. 

Crews with Metro Parks Tacoma did a thorough sweep on Thursday and Friday morning at the park to make sure the area is clean of hazards. 

Tacoma Police Chief Avery Moore thanked the officer who responded to the medical emergency. 

Ford is a four-year patrol officer of the Tacoma Police Department. He was born in Seattle and raised in Tacoma, having previously worked at Metro Parks Tacoma and Pierce Transit Public Safety. Ford said he immediately thought of his nieces and nephews who are close in age with the two-year-old boy when he responded to the call.