Being put on hold for any reason can be annoying in itself, but a whole different issue arises when that phone call is a potential life or death situation.

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One restaurant worker in the Buckhead area of Atlanta got an unfortunate example of that feeling by the Atlanta Police Department when his 9-1-1 call after being shot while on a lunch break was met with a “please hold” response.

As FOX Atlanta reported last week, a waiter at Mediterranean seafood restaurant Kyma says he witnessed two men trying to enter a car while on his 7:30PM break. Once spotted, the man was shot before both men sped off in a getaway car. Thankfully, he wasn’t fatally injured in the ordeal as the bullet only struck his arm.

As he dialed 911 for help, his calls were repeatedly met with an automated recording telling him to hold, which laster for way longer than anyone should have to wait during an emergency.

Take a look below to see what happened next, via FOX 5 ATL:

“A restaurant co-worker decided to call an off-duty officer she knows. That officer used his police radio to directly contact the communications center and explain the circumstances. 

The Atlanta Police Department released the incident call to FOX 5. 

The waiter’s co-workers decided not to wait for a first responder and drove the injured man to the hospital.”

The target goal for answering 911 calls in Atlanta is 10 seconds, which unfortunately hasn’t been met in many recent cases. Atlanta City Council member Michael J Bond questioned the progress on getting those call times back to acceptable levels during a recent city hall meeting, which APD Assistant Chief Todd Coyt responded by saying, “there is a shortage [of 911 dispatchers], but we’ve hired a large number of people this year to fill some of those vacancies.”

Watch below to hear clips from the incident call, and the report also ends with some helpful info when it comes to staying on the line if making a 911 phone call:

 

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