Raynham Police capture escaped bull that caused crash on Interstate 495, charged at officers

Chief David LaPlante reports that the Raynham Police Department responded to an incident where a bull escaped from a farm on Monday morning, posing a significant threat to the community.

At approximately 9:00 a.m., Raynham Police responded to multiple 911 calls that a large black bull was running down Jennings Drive near Elm Street East. Workers at nearby Mathieu Farms had been in the process of loading the bull into a truck to be transported to a slaughterhouse when it became enraged and escaped. The bull ran through multiple fences, including electrified fences, and jumped over a 6-foot-tall berm to escape.

Farm owners also called 911 to report that the 1,300-pound bull was loose and warned that the animal was highly aggressive.

Prior to officers’ arrival, the bull had run onto Interstate 495, causing a multi-vehicle crash. The Raynham Fire Department reports that three vehicles were involved in the crash and one driver was transported to a local hospital for their injuries. 

The bull then fled into the woods of Elm Street East and 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.

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.

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.

Through the subsequent investigation, officers determined that the bull had been frightened while being loaded onto a transport trailer, causing it to escape.

“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 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.”

In addition to the Raynham Police Department and Raynham Fire Department responding to the call, the Raynham Police Animal Control Officer, a member of the Raynham Board of Health, and Massachusetts State Police responded to the incident.