A bull bound for the slaughterhouse escaped its handlers, ran through electrified fences, and jumped a berm before causing a multi-vehicle crash and charging police officers in Massachusetts on Monday, officials said.
The Raynham Police Department said officers responded to multiple 911 calls at around 9 a.m. Monday reporting a large, black bull running loose on Jennings Drive near Elm Street East in Raynham, about 40 miles south of Boston. The owners of Mathieu Farms had also called 911 to report the escaped bull, warning that it was "highly aggressive" and would likely need to be killed rather than captured, police said.
Workers at Mathieu Farms had been loading the bull onto a truck for transport to a slaughterhouse when it "became enraged" and escaped, police said. The bull "ran through multiple fences, including electrified fences, and jumped over a 6-foot-tall berm to escape."
Before officers arrived at the scene, the bull had made it to Interstate 495, where it caused a multi-vehicle crash. According to the Raynham Fire Department, there were three vehicles involved in the crash, and one person was transported to a hospital with injuries.
The bull fled into a wooded area at Elm Street East and entered Lake Nippenicket near a Raynham Water District building. The bull continued swimming for a short time before it was located by officers and farm staff. When the bull spotted the officers, it "quickly and aggressively swam toward the group on shore," police said.
A Raynham officer fired a department-issued rifle at the bull, but the shots did not stop it. The bull got out of the water and charged at those on shore. Officers fired "several" more rifle shots and struck the bull in the leg, disabling it.
Police said that after the bull's injury, it needed to be humanely euthanized, but the department's rifles were not powerful enough. The farm owner retrieved his hunting rifle and euthanized the bull, police said.
"I want to commend our brave officers who put themselves in harm's way to make sure that a bad situation did not get worse," Raynham Police Chief David LaPlante said in a statement. "Facing a charging 1,300-pound bull is not something you go into your shift thinking is going to happen, but our officers were able to respond and effectively handle the situation and prevent further injury and destruction."
Raynham Police Department Responds After Escaped Bull Causes Motor Vehicle Crash on Interstate 495, Charges at Officers from John Guilfoil Public Relations on Vimeo.
--with reporting by TMX
