Crime-Fighting Cows Assist Police By Herding A Suspect
In a real “holy cow” moment, police officers in Sanford, Florida, have a herd of cows to thank for helping them stop one of three carjacking suspects on Monday, August 6. The Seminole County Sheriff’s Office also participated in the hunt after the trio allegedly stole a Subaru SUV.
According to ClickOrlando, officers attempted to pull the stolen vehicle over, but the driver, Jamie Young, opted to run a stop sign instead. Shortly thereafter, Young allegedly crashed the Subaru into a ditch before running into a pasture. Another suspect, Jennifer Kaufman, allegedly fled the scene as well, but she made the poor choice of running into a different pasture that was filled with cows.
An aerial team from the Seminole County Sheriff’s Office is credited with noticing that the herd of cows was on the case. They filmed most of the encounter while following the riled-up bovines from a safe distance. It’s unclear exactly why the crime-fighting cows got involved, but Fox News quoted local resident and cow owner Richard Kondracki as speculating that the incident was sparked by panic.
“They panicked. The cows were nervous… they don’t know them. They don’t know if they’re there to hurt them, or to steal one of the babies.”
Approximately 20 cows joined the chase. Although most of the bovines merely ran after Kaufman, video footage shows that at least one of them appeared to be actively trying to catch her. Female cows typically weigh at least 1,000 pounds, so this story could have ended very differently. Fortunately for the carjacking suspect, she was herded straight toward police instead of getting trampled.
HOLY COW! A herd of cattle was caught on camera chasing after a woman who was trying to run away from police. The herd was able to corner her at a fence until police arrested her. We like to call it "bovine" intervention. #policechase pic.twitter.com/kiNqds9Urn
— FOX26 News (@KMPHFOX26) August 8, 2018
The cows weren’t the only animal heroes of the day. The driver, Young, was apprehended in part due to the hard work of the local K-9 unit. The third suspect didn’t flee the crash scene and was taken into custody.
Several charges have been filed again Kaufman and Young, including petty theft, trespassing, and resisting arrest. Police also found drug paraphernalia and 1.3 grams of cocaine, which led to drug possession charges. No further details have been released about the unnamed third person who was in the Subaru SUV when it crashed.
This isn’t the first time that cows showcased a holy cow moment with some unusual, attention-grabbing abilities. Per The Telegraph, a New Zealand woman’s life was saved by a swimming bovine in 2004. In another unique twist, SBS News reported that one cow escaped a slaughterhouse in Poland earlier this year and swam to an island for safety.
