Crime-stopper cows stop suspect hoofing it

A MAN on the run from the police found his route to freedom obstructed by an unusual group of crime-stoppers – a herd of cows.

The suspect, who had fled the scene of an alleged crime in Devon and was being tracked by police, found his escape plans thwarted when he ran through the field of cows. Footage from the National Police Air Service appeared to show the herd rounding the suspect up and marching him off the field.

Thermal imaging software showed the cows gathered behind the man, seeming to escort him off the land. Police then arrested him. It is not the first time cows have behaved in such a manner. In 2018, The Guardian reported that a man on the run in Florida had fled from a getaway vehicle only to be chased by cows across a field and subsequently arrested.

A Seminole County sheriff ’s department helicopter crew captured the incident on video. In the footage, a crew member can be heard telling pursuing officers: “If you see a large group of cows, they’re literally following her.”

Meanwhile, in 2021, a herd of cows helped police to catch a motorist wanted over a registration violation in Wisconsin by forming a blockade in front of the vehicle.

A spokesperson for the NPAS joked yesterday that the man had been “mooved out” of the field and that they had had to remind the herd “not to take the law into their own hooves”.

“It was a high steaks incident – he was told to stop running but it clearly went in one ear and out the udder – great team effort as always,” he added.

A fellow police officer tweeted: “Trying to escape? How dairy….” while another wrote: “This is terrifying, his life was at steak! I’ll get my coat.”

In response, one person said: “Meanwhile, Sir Loin later gave an interview on how his fellow cows rounded up the suspect.”