Video captured the moment that Massachusetts police shot a “highly aggressive” escaped bull that caused a multi-car crash on a busy highway, WBZ News reported Monday.
The 1,300 black bull was being loaded up to be brought to the slaughterhouse when it “became enraged” and escaped, running through multiple barriers at Mathieu Farms, according to WBZ News. After escaping, the bull bolted onto I-495, causing three crashes and sending one driver to the hospital, WBZ News reported. (RELATED: Bull Captured After Causing Major Transit Delays. Animal’s Origins Remain Unknown)
Bull headed for slaughterhouse shot by police after escaping onto Massachusetts highway https://t.co/G7XcNMJOFm
— WBZ | CBS News Boston (@wbz) August 12, 2024
Local residents Colleen Campbell and Alex McCarthy spotted the bull at a horse pasture, WBZ News reported.
“The bull is standing still looking at us, and we’re looking back at it saying, ‘ooh cow, cool,'” Campbell told the outlet. “We were really close to them, and I was like this isn’t someone’s bull, this is a missing bull, and this isn’t normal, and we were like we need to call the police.”
McCarthy added, “I got a better look at it, and it was just a big bull, definitely not something we see every day back here.”
Before police arrived on the scene, the bull ran into the woods and went for a dip in Lake Nippenicket, WBZ News reported.
Video shows the moment after the bull noticed the farm workers and police on shore and charged them, prompting an officer to shoot the bull several times.
“The shots were ineffective at stopping the animal,” Raynham Police Captain Peter Beatrice told WBZ News. “To avoid being injured by the charging bull, the officer fired several more frightful shots and struck the bull in the leg. This disabled the bull and prevented any further injury.”
The farm owner was forced to euthanize the bull due to its injuries, WBZ News reported.
“He was having fun, and to have it end that way, it’s a bit of a bummer, but I get why police did it too,” McCarthy told the outlet.
