9-Year-Old Calls 911 During Attempted Burglary in Her Home: 'Please Help Me'

According to a press release shared by the Westminster Police Department, on Friday, the young girl -- whose name has not been released -- called 911 via a cellphone to report that someone was breaking into her home, and gave the dispatcher a play-by-play of what was happening.

Police said the girl was upstairs while other members of her family were also in the home, including her father, who was in the kitchen.

The intruder -- identified as Jorge Mendoza Diaz -- allegedly "smashed through a window" downstairs and entered the home, before the girl's father confronted him in the kitchen.

"The father utilized pepper spray and was able to successfully drag the suspect out of the home," police said in the release. "Diaz then fled the scene, jumped a fence into a nearby residence, and hid in the backyard."

Alongside the release, which was also shared on the Westminster Police Department's Instagram, police also released an edited audio recording of the young girl's 911 call.

According to the recording, the girl remained calm throughout the attempted burglary as she answered the dispatcher's questions, and shared detailed information about what was occurring in her home.

"How are they trying to get in?" the dispatcher asked the girl, who replied, "They broke the window."

She went on to share more information, including that her family was downstairs and her age. While the girl continued to have a calm demeanor, she told the dispatcher at one point, "Please help me. I hear them talking downstairs. I don't really know what's going on."

Later in the call, the young girl appeared to talk to her family -- who seemingly returned upstairs -- asking them, "Are you done? I called the police."

After one of the voices was identified as the girl's sister, the dispatcher said that the sister was speaking with her partner and that officers were on their way. Before ending the call, the dispatcher praised the nine-year-old, telling her, "Good job, OK?"

According to the Westminster Police Department, officers arrived "within three minutes of the initial call," and found Diaz in the backyard of a nearby home. Diaz was arrested for residential burglary.

In the release, police applauded the young girl's actions -- particularly the fact that she "reminded calm."

"The Westminster Police Department applauds the brave actions of the nine-year-old victim, who called 911, remained calm, and provided vital information to dispatchers, significantly contributing to the timely apprehension of the suspect," police said. "The calm nature of the nine-year-old victim can clearly be heard in the 911 call."

Westminster Police Chief Darin Lenyi added, "I am very glad that the actions of both the nine-year-old and her father were such that kept the situation from possibly becoming much more serious. Based on her performance, I invite the nine-year-old, when she grows up, to become a member of the WPD as either a police officer or dispatcher."

As for why the WPD decided to share the audio file of the girl's 911 call, it said, "We are releasing this audio with the hope that parents train their children on the use of 911 in emergencies."

The police department's Instagram post also featured a photo which appeared to show the young girl posing for officers while wearing a police cap.