Baltimore police shoot and kill steer rampaging on city streets

A steer that escaped from Baltimore police twice and rampaged through the city for nearly 45 minutes was shot and killed by a police officer Friday morning, authorities said.

The steer was first spotted near Pennsylvania and North avenues about 10:15 a.m., Baltimore Police Sgt. Sarah Connolly told The Times.

Police tried to corral the animal without hurting it by boxing it in with four police cruisers, Connolly said.

But the steer took a running start and jumped over one of the police cars, then fled to a local parking garage, according to Connolly.

Minutes later, an emergency services truck arrived and police again cornered the steer inside the garage. But it managed to find a gap between the vehicles and charged past police a second time, Connolly said.

The animal was becoming more aggressive and a possible danger to civilians, Connolly said, so after 45 minutes, an officer opened fire and killed the steer near West Preston Street.

“We had taken our time trying to take other measures before discharging our weapons,” Connolly told The Times.

No one was hurt and no property was damaged during the short stampede, police said. The officer who opened fire was not carrying animal tranquilizers, and the emergency services officers who responded are in the process of being outfitted with new tranquilizers, Connolly said.

The steer escaped from a local slaughterhouse on Friday morning, according to Connolly.

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