Police rescue hawk trapped in car grill after collision

Police officers respond to all sorts of calls – but usually not like this.

Officials with the Howard County Police Department released a video Friday of a hawk rescue that occurred in the 5000 block of Dorsey Hall Drive in Ellicott City in late July.

According to the video, a woman hit the hawk with her car. She then called the police, who arrived and ended up using a bolt cutter to free the hawk, which was stuck in the grill of the woman’s car.

"He is definitely alive," the woman said after officers freed the bird.

"Oh, he’s beautiful, look at that," added an officer.

The hawk was ultimately taken to Colleen Layton-Robbins at Frisky’s Wildlife & Primate Sanctuary in Woodstock.

"He’s a juvenile," Layton-Robbins told FOX 5 Friday evening. "He probably flew down to get something off of the road, and if it was on a damp or humid day, he’s not strong enough to get out of the direction of the traffic, and that’s how a lot of them get hit."

Layton-Robbins said the unnamed hawk is expected to survive. If all goes as planned, she’ll wait a couple more weeks before setting it free at a state park.