A teen who has often found himself on the wrong side of the law is now being hailed as a hero after he helped saved the life of a police officer who was booking him at the jail.

Jamal Rutledge, 17, was handcuffed and sitting in the Fort Lauderdale police booking facility on Sept. 10, a few feet away from a desk where Officer Franklin Foulks was doing paperwork.

Suddenly, Foulks, 49, leaned backward from the desk, toppled off his chair and collapsed to the floor, according to Detective DeAnna Greenlaw.

Left to right: Officer Raymond Ketchmark, Officer Franklin Foulks, Jamal Rutledge, Officer Robert Norvis, Sergeant Todd Bunin (Fort Lauderdale Police Department)

Seeing Foulks in distress, Rutledge got up and began kicking the security fence and yelling to alert other officers in the area. The events were captured on surveillance video.

Within minutes three other officers arrived to find Foulks semiconscious and clutching his chest.

Sgt. Todd Bunin called Fire Rescue and then began to remove Foulks' police gear and cut off his shirt, Greenlaw said.

Officers Robert Norvis and Raymond Ketchmark overheard Bunin's radio transmission and arrived to assist.

Norvis began performing CPR on Foulks while Ketchmark grabbed a nearby defibrillator to begin stimulating Foulks' heart.

Ketchmark also made direct contact with Fire Rescue crews to provide updates on what was going on. After Fire Rescue arrived, Foulks was taken to Broward Health Medical Center.

Rutledge was being booked for violation of probation on charges including burglary and violation of juvenile imposed conditions, Greenlaw said.

He has been arrested "multiple times" since that September arrest, Greenlaw said. Because he's a juvenile, the details of the allegations were unclear on Tuesday.

Broward Health medical staff noted that Rutledge's action and the quick response of officers were critical to Foulks' survival.

Foulks is currently on light duty, and is expected to return to full duty at the end of this month, Greenlaw said.

Rutledge, a Fort Lauderdale resident, along with three police officers who teamed up to save Foulks' life, will be honored Jan. 21 at a city commission meeting.

[email protected]

Copyright © 2015, Sun Sentinel