Bagpiper Collapses During National Police Week Ceremony

A 63-year-old ceremonial bagpiper collapsed during Wednesday evening's National Police Week activities on the National Mall.

The man collapsed around 6:30 p.m. during the Emerald Society March, surrounded by hundreds of highly-trained first responders. Police say he suffered a cardiac incident, and was hospitalized in serious but stable condition. 

Two officers -- who hadn't even met each other before -- headed the resuscitation effort, performing CPR and using an automated defibrillator.

"I checked for a pulse, determined he was pulse-less and from there we started the chest compressions," Gary Robertson with the St. Louis County, Mo. Police Department said.

"With all the medical training we do go by, we go by national standards... when we look, I can see what he's doing and know exactly where he is, when I move somewhere else I know exactly what I'm going to be doing, so it's a seamless transition," Lt. Douglas Goerke with the Orlando, Fla. Police Department said.

According to the Lake County Sheriff's Office in Indiana, the man is a member of the county's ceremonial pipes and drums band. 

"Luckily he was here where enough people had the training, and I can't say enough about what happened here and what officers do on a daily basis," Lake County Sheriff's Deputy Chief Dan Murchek said.

CORRECTION: This article initially identified the bagpiper as a deputy with Lake County, which has since stated the man was not affiliated with the sheriff's office.

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