Bull On The Loose On MA's I-495 Shot And Killed By Police

RAYNHAM, MA — A 1,300-pound bull that escaped from a farm and ran loose onto Interstate 495 in Raynham has been euthanized after causing a car crash and charging at officers Monday morning, according to the Raynham Police Department.

The bull escaped from Mathieu Farms around 9 a.m. as workers were in the process of loading it into a truck to be transported to a slaughterhouse, police said.

The animal became enraged and ran through multiple fences, including electrified fences, and jumped over a 6-foot-tall berm to escape, "posing a significant threat to the community," officers added.

Shortly after, several people called 911 to report that the bull was running down Jennings Drive near Elm Street East. Among the callers were the owners of the farm, who warned police that the bull was "highly aggressive," police said.

Before officers had time to respond, the bull ran onto I-495, causing a crash between three vehicles, according to police. One driver was taken to the hospital.

The bull then fled into the woods of Elm Street East and ran into Lake Nippenicket near a Raynham Water District building, police said.

"After swimming in the water for a short time, officers and farm staff were able to locate the bull," officers added. "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 shouts were not effective at stopping the bill, which got out of the water and began to charge at those on shore, police said.

"To avoid being injured by the charging bull, the officer fired several more rifle shots and struck the bull in the leg, disabling it and preventing further injury," according to police. "After being disabled, the bull needed to be humanely euthanized; however, the rifle that the officer was using was not powerful enough. The owner of the farm that the bull escaped from was on scene and is a legal gun owner and hunter. The farm owner retrieved his hunting rifle and effectively euthanized the bull."

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.

"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 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."