Police officer saves Navy veteran's life during Memorial Day weekend

SMYRNA, Ga. — A Smyrna police officer who is a U.S. Army veteran stopped a fellow veteran from killing himself during Memorial Day weekend.

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Officer Daniel Sperano was working an off-duty job May 25 at RaceTrac at 1461 Veterans Memorial Highway in Mableton when he was told that a man was "acting strangely" on the bridge at Veterans Memorial Highway and Riverview Road at the Cobb-Fulton county line, Smyrna police said.

Sperano arrived at the scene and came face to face with a man who said “he wanted to die and was attempting to jump into the Chattahoochee River,” Smyrna police said.

Sperano grabbed the man, who pleaded with the officer "to let him die," the department said. The officer struggled with the man, who identified himself as a United States Navy veteran, for more than three minutes.

Sperano, who is one of the department’s K-9 officers, was able to keep the Navy veteran subdued until more officers and medical personnel arrived to take over the incident.

Smyrna police said Sperano has been nominated for the department’s Medal of Honor and Life Saving awards for his actions.

Cox Media Group