Police: 11-year-old boy performs CPR after man chokes mother

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BRIDGEPORT, Conn. - An 11-year-old Bridgeport boy called 911 and then began performing CPR on his mother after she was choked into unconsciousness by a man who was already on probation for threatening and assault, police said.

Police responding to the boy's 911 call at about 8 p.m. Sunday found the 11-year-old performing CPR on his mother as four younger children huddled together nearby, the Connecticut Post reported.

The mother came to while the boy was resuscitating her, police said. She later told officers that she could remember arguing with 37-year-old Israel Vargas and then losing consciousness, they said.

Vargas was arrested a short distance from the home on charges of first-degree strangulation, third-degree assault, violating a protective order, reckless endangerment, and five counts of risk of injury to a child.

"This is an extremely serious case and the defendant has a history of this type of conduct," Senior Assistant State’s Attorney Tiffany Lockshier said during Vargas' video arraignment on Monday.

Vargas’ lawyer, Assistant Public Defender Ashley Miller, asked the judge for leniency, noting that he is a lifelong resident of Bridgeport and has extensive family ties there. But Superior Court Judge Tracy Lee Dayton ordered Vargas held in lieu of $250,000 bond and continued the case to Feb. 23.