Even The Enticement Of Chick-Fil-A Didn't End Fort Worth Officer's Foot Chase
FORT WORTH (CBSDFW.COM) - When it comes to police officers, the mantra to 'protect and serve' means doing what's best for anyone, or thing... even pursuing or coming to the aid of animals!
What started as a call reporting loose livestock in Fort Worth ended with a lot of sweat, thorny scratches and frayed nerves.
Some 20 Tarrant County cows broke free and made their way into a residential neighborhood. So, it was up to members of the Fort Worth Police Department to round them up. The task was going fairly smoothly, with all of the animals complying with directions... except for one.
Officer Damon Cole said he's spent 19 years as a police officer and his longest foot chase happened just this week. The 'bullheaded' suspect led he and others officers around for about an hour.
Recording the chase on cell phone, as the cow meandered in the background, Cole said, "For the last 20 minutes I've been chasing this fool, trying to get him back home safely, but he ain't trying to hear it. I told him I'd take him to Chick-Fil-A... he ain't trying to hear it."
Cole said this kind of pursuit could only happen in Fort Worth. "That's why they call it cowtown," he said.
The veteran officer tried to entice the cow every way he knew how. "Come on buddy, I just don't want you to get hit by a car," he reassured the animal. "You like Chick-Fil-A. I see your signs!"
And this wasn't a major metropolitan area pursuit, the cow lead officers off-road, which made the situation particularly prickly for Cole. "The one day I wear shorts," he said as the cow went into high grass. "Aw man! And this [brush] is the pokey kind too! Oh, totally not cool. These things are tearing up my legs."
As he continually tried to shepherd the cow one way it would go another, making the situation that much more exasperating. "Seriously?" Cole said of the animal's actions, before turning to the camera and asking, "You ever just have one of those days? This is one of them."
Finally, when Cole and the 3 other officers got the wayward cow moving toward the rest of the herd he encouraged the animal with rewards. "You want a junior police sticker?" he asked.
Ultimately, the officers got all of the cows home safe. No word on if Officer Cole followed through on those promises of Chick-Fil-A and police stickers.