High school water polo player rescued from near-drowning in Chino

A high school water polo player found at the bottom of a Chino pool after a match was flown to a hospital in critical condition Thursday evening, a fire official said.

The boy’s teammates from visiting Nogales High School in La Puente noticed him missing when they got out of the Don Lugo High School pool, said Chino Valley Fire District Battalion Chief Scott Atkinson.

He was spotted at the bottom of the pool, and his father and other members of the crowd jumped in and pulled him out, Atkinson said.

Paramedics responded and helped airlift the boy from the school’s playing field to Arrowhead Regional Medical Center in Colton.

Atkinson said the boy was in critical condition when he arrived at the hospital. But he said that later in the evening, family members reported that the boy’s condition was improving.

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