WOODBURY, Minn. -- A 2,000-pound bull sprung loose from a trailer taking it to market Wednesday morning and rampaged through rush hour traffic in Woodbury .
Police, joined by farmers who had transported the bull, tried to to corral the animal while it stormed around.
Michelle Okada, public information officer for Woodbury police, said the farmers -- from West Lakeland Township -- phoned a veterinarian for assistance on how to safely contain the bull. Efforts to lasso and tranquilize the bull were unsuccessful, Okada said.
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“In the end, they said they needed to put the bull down for the safety of traffic,” she said.
A Washington County sheriff’s officer fired two slugs from a shotgun, according to preliminary reports.
The farmers’ vehicle had just exited off Interstate 94 when the incident occurred. Okada said it was unclear whether the bull got loose while the trailer was in motion. The incident began around 7:30 a.m. and lasted more than an hour, Okada said.
She said the bull ran through a neighboring cornfield, stormed through a roadside ditch and crossed all four lanes of traffic.
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“They were concerned about the traffic hazard it was causing,” Okada said.
