A massive 1,300-pound bull escaped from a Massachusetts farm Monday morning, causing a highway crash before charging at officers, police said.
Workers at Mathieu Farms in Raynham, Massachusetts, were in the process of loading the bull onto a truck for the slaughterhouse around 9 a.m. when the animal became enraged and escaped.
Raynham police received calls that a large “highly aggressive” black bull was running down Jennings Drive near Elm Street East. The bull ran through fences, including electric fences, and jumped over a six-foot-tall berm to escape.
Before officers arrived, the bull had run onto I-495, causing at least three vehicles to crash. One driver was transported to a local hospital with injuries, police said.
The bull fled into the woods off Elm Street East and then into Lake Nippenicket near a Raynham Water District building.
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Officers and farm staff located the bull swimming in the lake. Upon seeing the officers, the bull “quickly and aggressively swam toward” them, police said.
An officer fired shots from a rifle, but they were ineffective, and the bull continued swimming toward the shore, police said. The officer fired several more shots, striking the bull in the leg, disabling it.
The owner of Mathieu Farms retrieved his hunting rifle and euthanized the bull, Raynham 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,” Chief 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.”
