Bull headed for slaughterhouse shot by police after escaping onto Massachusetts highway
RAYNHAM – A "highly aggressive" 1,300-pound bull that escaped while being brought to a slaughterhouse caused a multi-car crash on a busy Massachusetts interstate and was eventually shot by police.
Several people called 911 on Monday around 9 a.m. after the large black bull was seen running down Jennings Drive near Elm Street East in Raynham.
Bull escape in Raynham
Workers at Mathieu Farms were in the process of loading the bull into a truck to bring it to the slaughterhouse when it "became enraged" and escaped.
Police said the bull ran through multiple barriers, including electric fences, and also jumped over a 6-foot-tall berm before escaping the farm.
Before officers could arrive, the bull ran onto I-495 and caused three cars to crash. One driver was taken to the hospital following the crash and is expected to be ok.
Colleen Campbell and Alex McCarthy spotted the bull at a horse pasture.
"The bull is standing still looking at us, and we're looking back at it saying, 'ooh cow, cool,'" Campbell said, "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."
"I got a better look at it, and it was just a big bull, definitely not something we see every day back here," McCarthy said.
After the bull was in the horse pasture, it ran into the woods before it went into the water at Lake Nippenicket.
Raynham police shoot charging bull
The bull swam for a short time, but when it saw the officers and farm workers on shore it began to charge at them.
An officer fired at the bull several times and eventually shot the animal in the leg with a rifle.
"The shots were ineffective at stopping the animal. The bull got out of the water and began to charge at those on the shore. 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," Raynham Police Captain Peter Beatrice said.
Just into @wbz newsroom - Raynham Police release body camera video of an escaped 1,300 pound bull charging at an officer near Lake Nippenicket. Officers say while on the run the animal caused a car crash and was aggressive towards the community. The animal was later euthanized. pic.twitter.com/h4ABK4aesR
— Chris Nielsen (@ChrisNWBZTV) August 12, 2024
Due to the bull's injuries and aggression, the farm owner was forced to euthanize it.
"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 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. "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."