Police rescue toddler with head trapped between steel railing

BOULDER, Colo. - Police carried a battering ram into an apartment complex last month, but officers weren’t there to break down any doors.

They needed it to pry open two bars a toddler had gotten her head stuck between. Officers widened the bars just enough for the 3-year-old to free her head.

She then tearfully rushed into her mother's arms.

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"I was crying and whining. The police come and got my head out with a big heavy tool," the 3-year-old told KDVR. "Well right now it feels oh so nice!"

With the mom’s permission, police tweeted body camera footage of the incident — identifying the responding officers as Sgt. Michael Marquez and Officer Jordan Kyle.

Marquez said he was only a block or two away when he saw the girl and her family panicking.

Officers in Boulder, Colo. helped a 3-year-old girl free her head from two steel bars. (Credit: Boulder Police Department via Storyful)

"I think it just comes with experience on the job because if you’re spun up showing you’re nervous or panicking, that might make them panic even more. Remaining calm is important. It just melted my heart. It was a great day. It felt good to help her, help her family. People around her were having a tough time, we were making it better for them," Marquez said.

Kyle, who is heard speaking gently to the girl, said calls like this one serve as a reminder of why he became an officer.

"Helping out folks, getting the bad guy, helping out 2 to 3-year-olds with head stuck in fences. Every day is different. That’s the nice thing about this job. You might put on the same uniform and get in the same car, but calls are going to be different, experiences are going to be different. It’s the best job I ever had," Kyle said.

This story was reported from Atlanta.