'Highly aggressive' 1,300-pound bull shot, killed in Raynham after escaping, causing crash

RAYNHAM — A "highly aggressive" bull that got loose from a farm on Monday morning and eventually caused a multiple-vehicle crash on Interstate 495 was shot by police, then fatally shot by its owner, police said.

Raynham police responded to multiple 911 calls reporting that a large black bull was running down Jennings Drive near Elm Street East at about 9 a.m. Monday.

Police Chief David LaPlante said workers at the nearby Mathieu Farms had been in the process of loading the bull onto a truck to be taken to a slaughterhouse "when it became enraged and escaped." The bull ran through multiple fences, including some that were electrified, 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," police said in a written statement.

Before officers arrived on scene, police say the bull ran onto Interstate 495 and caused a multiple-vehicle crash. The fire department said three vehicles were involved and one driver was taken to a local hospital for undisclosed injuries.

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

After the bull swam in the lake for a short time, officers and farm staff were able to locate the animal.

"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," police said in the statement. "The shots were ineffective at stopping the animal, and the bull got out of the water and began to charge at those on shore."

The police officer fired several more rifle shots and struck the bull in the leg, which disabled it, police said.

"After being disabled, the bull needed to be humanely euthanized; however, the rifle that the officer was using was not powerful enough," the statement says. "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."

Police say that the farm owner and staff were cooperative throughout the incident and said early on that it was likely the bull would need to be killed rather than safely captured.

"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," 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 Raynham police and firefighters, Raynham Animal Control, a member of the Raynham Board of Health and Massachusetts State Police responded to the incident.

Enterprise senior reporter Cody Shepard can be reached by email at cshepard@enterprisenews.com.

This article originally appeared on The Enterprise: Raynham bull: Animal shot, killed after causing crash on I-495