PICO RIVERA, Calif. (KTLA) — A herd of cattle that escaped a California slaughterhouse was corralled in a Pico Rivera cul-de-sac Tuesday night, and officials said one was shot by deputies as they worked to round them up.
Authorities were called shortly after 7:30 p.m. when about 30 cows were running loose after escaping a meat packing facility where a gate was accidentally left open, Los Angeles County sheriff’s officials said.
Helicopter footage showed at least 20 of the cows huddled together at the far end of a cul-de-sac. Several law enforcement vehicles were blocking them in. One cow sat alone in the middle of the road some distance from the others near a pool of blood.
Deputies opened fire on one cow after it charged at a family of four, knocking some of them to the ground, according to officials.
“To protect the family from further injury, a Los Angeles County Sheriff’s deputy shot and killed the animal,” the Sheriff’s Department said. Members of the family were taken to a local hospital, where they were treated for minor injuries.
Firefighters were on scene to tend to the cow. An empty stroller also stood nearby with discarded items on the ground.
As the cows were being loaded into trailers around 9:45 p.m., three escaped the cul-de-sac and led deputies on a pursuit across town.
One resident said sheriff’s vehicles were following the cows around the neighborhood “like they’re a bunch of presidents or something.”
Deputies later learned a total of 40 cows that escaped from the meat packing facility, according to the Sheriff’s Department.
One of the cows remained unaccounted for Wednesday morning.
Earlier Tuesday evening, Daisy Laureano shared video to Facebook of a large group of cows running down a street.