CHARLOTTE, N.C. -- Police officers roam the halls of schools each day to keep our kids safe. But it was some quick thinking in the school cafeteria that has Ardrey Kell Students hailing a hero.
Officer J.C. Herrera was eating lunch at his normal table in Ardrey Kell's cafeteria when he noticed a commotion two tables over.
He noticed ninth-grader Alexis Mitchell making a commotion. And when he got closer, he realized she was having trouble breathing.
"When I realized she was choking, all I could think about was saving her," said Herrera.
Herrera reached around her to use the Heimlich to loosen a grape stuck in her throat. After a short struggle, Alexis was breathing again.
"You just don't ever know. I was blessed that I've taken that class and that I'm in the position that I'm in. I was just really blessed that I was there to help the young lady out so she's still around," said Herrera.
It took Alexis awhile to calm down, and she knows just how lucky she is.
"He saved my life," said Mitchell.
"A day like that is a great day, and it makes what I do really fulfilling," said Herrerra.