A pair of quick-thinking police officers ditched their gear to make a daring rescue of a man trapped in his car during a flash flood along Pacific Highway and Witherby Street on Thursday night.
Officers Dudley Ward and Richard Perkins dropped their gun belts and waded into the water to save a 20-year-old man in a minivan as water quickly rose to dangerous levels under a bridge near the Marine Corps Recruit Depot.
“When I got there, the water was probably at just below the door, where the window is,” Ward said at a press conference Friday. “At the time, I thought we had plenty of time to wait for lifeguards and fire to get there. But I saw the water was rising more and more.”
The driver couldn’t get out his window, but water was quickly rushing in. So Ward used a sharp object for breaking glass that he bought on his own and broke through the window.
“It’s just a sharp, pointy metal object. That’s its purpose,” Ward said of the tool, which resembles a small water pick and costs around $20.
Once the glass was cleared, Perkins pulled the man out of the vehicle to safety.
“He was yelling for help, trying to have us come help him. I could see his arm waving out the window,” said Perkins, who grew up in Mira Mesa. So they dove into the water, which he described as “icy cold” and “very dirty.”
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Water quickly submerged the car soon after the rescue. The victim sat in a patrol car until paramedics arrived and was OK after warming up a bit.
The officers also helped a taxi driver, who was able to exit his car before the water got to dangerous levels.
