911 call in Michael Jackson death released

[March 19, 2010]  LOS ANGELES (AP) -- A 911 caller seeking help for Michael Jackson told an emergency operator that only a personal physician had seen what happened, and an ambulance was urgently needed because resuscitation efforts weren't working.

The Los Angeles Fire Department on Friday released a redacted audio recording of the call made Thursday by a person who only referred to Jackson as a 50-year-old man. It appeared that a mention of the phone number was deleted from the recording.

"I need an ambulance as soon as possible, sir," the caller said urgently but politely. "We have a gentlemen here that needs help and he's not breathing yet. He's not breathing and we need to - we're trying to pump him, but he's not, he's not."

The caller reported that Jackson was on a bed and the emergency operator began to instruct him to do CPR, but stopped when the caller said that the personal physician was there.

"Oh, OK. We're on our way there. If your guy is doing CPR and you're instructed by a doctor, he's a higher authority than me. And he's on the scene," the 911 operator said.

The operator asked if anyone witnessed what happened.

"No, just the doctor, sir, the doctor was the only one there," the caller said.

"Did he see what happened?" the operator asked.

"Doctor, did you see what happened, sir?" the caller asked someone in the room. Only an urgent mumbling can be heard on the recording.

"We're on our way. It's less than a mile away from Cedars," the operator said, referring to Cedars-Sinai Medical Center.

Paramedics, however, took Jackson to Ronald Reagan UCLA Medical Center, where he was later pronounced dead.

[Associated Press; By RAQUEL MARIA DILLON]

Copyright 2009 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.