Former child hostage: I want to be a police officer

SACRAMENTO, CA (KTRK) -- Six years ago, Sacramento law enforcement came face-to-face with a dangerous hostage situation.

Law enforcement and tactical teams all worked together to save the life of one little boy who was in grave danger.

Armed with several weapons, 26-year-old Anthony Alvarez was holding his cousin's baby hostage. That baby was Michael Pittman.

It was one of the longest standoffs in state history, Alvarez was killed, and baby Michael was carried out, unharmed.

Sgt. Orrlando Mayes carried then 16-month-old Pittman to safety.

"He didn't cry one time. He looked at me and I talked to him," Mayes said.

KTXL reports that Pittman and Mayes have become fast friends, bonded through a trauma few can understand.

"For everything he went through on that three-day period to see him now, and remember him then, is pretty amazing," Mayes said.

Now 7 years old, Pittman is a first-grader and a football enthusiast. His parents say he is just a normal kid with big dreams.

"I want to be a police officer like him," Pittman said.