Los Angeles Mayor Comes to the Aid of Fallen Photographer

Matt Growcoot

The mayor of Los Angeles, Karen Bass, used her background in medicine to help a photographer who collapsed during a press conference.

While speaking alongside the Los Angeles Police Chief Michael Moore on Thursday, a photographer in attendance apparently suffered a medical episode and collapsed.

Bass reacted quickly, immediately stopping the press conference and leaving her station to administer first aid.

Video footage captured the mayor crouched over the stricken photographer helping with his care until paramedics arrived.

Bass graduated from the University of Southern California Keck School of Medicine Physician Assistant Program and in the 1980s worked in an emergency room as a physician’s assistant.

“The very first person to run to his rescue was the mayor,” says KNX News reporter Craig Fiegener, who was standing next to the photographer when he fell.

Feigner adds that the mayor was orchestrating the photographer’s care — despite all of the police officers who were present.

The first thing Bass did was check his breathing and also took his pulse. An ambulance arrived 20 minutes later and took the man to hospital.

The photographer works for KCAL News which provided a positive update about his condition to KTLA.

“Our photographer is home and feeling back to normal. He expects to be back to work next week,” the station said in a statement.

Typically for a politician, not everyone is a fan of Mayor Bass but online commenters put political aspersions aside to applaud her for taking swift, decisive action.

“Good to know the photographer is doing ok, the mayor responded well, and good on her to have those medics qualifications,” writes one person on YouTube.

Bass has just passed one year in office with the Californian city’s homeless crisis topping her priorities. She has spent $76 million on the “Inside Safe” program which aims to permanently house those with no fixed abode.

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