"A lady was in the corner, sitting on the bench and she just started kind of screaming," said witness Delia Ramsey. "Then there was another woman started rubbing her back pretty hard. She was leaning over and just started screaming, 'Get it out!'"
Witnesses captured the dramatic delivery on their cellphones. At first, everyone inside the store was unsure of what was wrong, but keenly aware the woman at the center of the screams was in serious pain. Just moments later, they all found out why.
"When we heard the last scream, the big scream, everybody came running and then just as I got on the other side of the bookshelf by the door, I saw a little baby," said witness Dave Delgado.
Paramedics rushed to the bookstore around 7:30 p.m. But just as they put the mom-to-be on the stretcher and headed for the door, the game plan suddenly changed.
"Had to make a decision to go or no go, and the baby made that decision for him and decided that this would be a good place to come out. So they delivered the baby right here in the lobby of the Barnes & Noble," said Capt. Steve Deuel with the Torrance Fire Department.
"Soon as they got her on the gurney, the baby was here. I heard a little crying. It was really nice, everybody started clapping," said Ramsey.
The fire department says the baby boy was born without any complications. Both mom and baby are now resting at the hospital with a wild story to tell about his arrival and maybe even his name.
"I think they should name him Noble," said Ramsey.
