Prosser officer with history of heroics helps rescue 12-year-old stuck in canal

A Prosser officer rescued a 12-year-old girl struggling in an irrigation canal after she couldn’t climb out because of the slick concrete sides.

An emergency dispatcher received a call from a the girl’s friend explaining that she’d fallen into the water about 3:15 p.m. Monday, according to a Prosser police news release on Tuesday. They figured out the call came from the area near the Grant Street Bridge in Prosser.

Officer Antonio Bustamante found the 12-year-old in the water, and she wasn’t able to climb out because she couldn’t get enough of a grip on the canal walls.

Bustamante was able to pull her out and medics evaluated her. She was shaken up, but not hurt.

The Chandler Canal stretches between Prosser to Kennewick and diverts water from the Yakima River for irrigation.

This is not the first time Bustamante has been a hero. He received the Law Enforcement Medal of Honor from the Washington State Attorney General’s Office in 2020.

Bustamante was running after a suspect in a Prosser apartment complex when the man fired 10 to 20 rounds at him, according to documents. He was hit once in the leg and continued to chase him.

This story was originally published August 23, 2023 at 11:26 AM.