Raynham police shoot bull that caused crash on I-495, charged at them
by NBC 10 NEWS
Raynham police said Monday that a bull that got loose from a farm ran onto an interstate highway, where it caused a crash, and later charged at officers.
It was eventually shot and then put down.
“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 David LaPlante said in a release. “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.”
Police said the bull escaped from Mathieu Farms while it was being loaded onto a truck for the slaughterhouse.
“It became enraged and escaped,” police said in a release. “The bull ran through multiple fences, including electrified fences, and jumped over a 6-foot-tall berm to escape.”
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The farm’s owners called 911 to report the bull was loose and that it was highly aggressive.
Police said the bull ran onto Interstate 495, where it caused a three-car crash. One of the drivers went to the hospital.
The bull eventually ran into Lake Nippenicket near a Raynham Water District building.
“After swimming in the water for a short time, officers and farm staff were able to locate the bull. Upon seeing the officers, the bull quickly and aggressively swam toward the group on shore, prompting a Raynham Police officer to discharge his department-issued rifle. The shots were ineffective at stopping the animal, and the bull got out of the water and began to charge at those on shore,” police said.
Police fired again, shooting it in the leg and disabling it.
Police said the bull needed to be put down, but the officer’s rifle wasn’t powerful enough. The farm’s owner retrieved his hunting rifle and euthanized it.
Nelson Reyes witnessed and captured video of the bull from a steakhouse parking lot on Broadway .
“I heard galloping, and immediately I thought, Oh, it’s a deer. And I looked up and there was this big cow, all black cow just passing through,” Reyes said.”Just seemed determined, really like I said he was moving with the purpose. So it was like he just had some place to be.”
Reyes said he was sad to hear that people were hurt from the incident, but also said he wished things could have ended differently.
“I’m rooting for him. And then I heard the I heard that they put him down somehow. So shoot, but it was going to happen anyway at the end of the day,” said Reyes.
Nelson Reyes witnessed and captured video of the bull from a steakhouse parking lot on Broadway. (WJAR)
Police said there are no pending charges at this time for the farm workers.
“The farm owner and farm staff were cooperative throughout the incident and relayed to police early on that the bull would likely need to be put down rather than captured, due to its aggression,” police said.
Police said they were assisted by Raynham firefighters, animal control, a member of the town Board of Health and Massachusetts State Police.
NBC 10’s Kennedy Buck and Leanna Faulk contributed to this report.