911 dispatcher realizes her daughter is on the other end of emergency call
Topics: US News, Crime, McDonalds, Food and Drink, True crime
Poppy Bilderbeck
Featured Image Credit: WDSU News/YouTube
Topics: US News, Crime, McDonalds, Food and Drink, True crime
A 911 operator has spoken out after she picked up the phone to find her daughter on the end of the line.
On 17 October, 2022, Tenia Hill was working a shift at a branch of McDonald's in New Orleans, Louisiana, when a woman came into the restaurant carrying a gun.
The 16-year-old was able to call emergency services, but was surprised to hear her mother Teri Clark on the other end of the phone.
**Warning: The below video contains images and descriptions some may find upsetting.**
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Tenia and her co-workers were forced into the freezer by the armed woman, who proceeded to rob the branch.
Thankfully, Tenia had her phone on her, so quickly dialled 911 from inside the freezer.
And who should pick up the phone but her mum, Teri, who is an assistant operations manager in the police.
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Teri was meant to have finished her shift earlier in the day, but decided to stay late to help her colleagues out.
The mum noted she was in a 'state of shock' when she realized it was her daughter on the other end of the line.
The recording of the 911 call reveals Tenia told her mother: "Please hurry up, she's got a gun."
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Despite it being her young daughter on the end of the line and in serious danger, Teri managed to remain calm.
"We are going to hurry. Give me a description," she said.
Teri's daughter described the woman as wearing a mask.
"She's got somebody outside and she's got us in the freezer mama, please," the recording of Tenia's emergency call continues.
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In an interview with WDSU, Tenia explained how she was 'really, really scared' during the armed robbery.
"I could never have imagined that at my first job I would get robbed. Let alone have a gun pointed at me," she said.
The 16-year-old also noted how 'worried' she was because she didn't want Teri to have to 'bury her youngest child'.
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While remaining calm and collected in getting more information about the robber from her daughter and successfully getting police sent out to the restaurant, Teri noted what 'broke [her] down' was when Tenia told her the McDonald's staff had all been locked in the freezer.
The assistant operations manager said: "I was thinking of the cold. Tears were coming down my face but I was still trying to do my job.
"And I did the job to the best of my ability."
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![Teri admitted she started crying while on the phone to her daughter, but thinks she did her job to 'the best of [her] ability' still.](https://resizer.ladbiblegroup.com/unsafe/rs:fit:3840:0:0:0/g:sm/q:70/aHR0cHM6Ly9ldS1pbWFnZXMuY29udGVudHN0YWNrLmNvbS92My9hc3NldHMvYmx0OTQ5ZWE4ZTE2ZTQ2MzA0OS9ibHRkMGVjNjU5N2ZkMWY3MzA0LzYzNjNkZTA1ZDhlZDVhNWI5Zjk0OTI0ZC9TY3JlZW5zaG90XzIwMjItMTEtMDNfYXRfMTUuMjIuNDgucG5n.webp)
Teri's ability to remain calm, and her determination in coming back to work the very next day after the incident despite how much of a scare she got, has been praised by OPCD director Tyrell Morris.
Morris said: "If I could clone Teri I would. I just remind everybody, there are people under the headset. They have feelings, they have emotion. And we are committed to your safety, believe it or not, 365 days of the year - even when it's our own child."
If you or someone you know is struggling or in mental health crisis, help is available through Mental Health America. Call or text 988 or chat 988lifeline.org. You can also reach Crisis Text Line by texting MHA to 741741.
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You can also call 1-800-985-5990 or text “TalkWithUs” to 66746 at the SAMHSA Disaster Distress Helpline.