Cow Tip: Some Cattle Helped Police Apprehend a Suspect Following a Car Chase in Wisconsin

In the pre-dawn hours of Tuesday, June 1, all was quiet along the rolling fields between Barron, a tiny Wisconsin town, and Cumberland, an even tinier Wisconsin town.

That peace was disrupted by a Chevrolet Cavalier speeding down the road with Barron police officers in hot pursuit. The chase lasted for about 13 miles before the officers caught up with their quarry—but the driver might’ve gotten away with it, if it weren’t for some meddling cows.

As TMJ4 reports, the Cavalier came to a halt in front of a herd of cows blocking its path, which gave officers enough time to close the gap and arrest the suspect. The Barron County Sheriff's Department posted about the ordeal on Facebook, saying “we would be remiss if we didn’t thank the Barron County Bovine Unit for jumping into the fray when the vehicle came into their patrol area.”

They also clarified that “no humans nor cattle were injured during this incident” and described the end result as “Another happy ending.” Surely not for the driver, who spent the night in jail, nor for the cattle, who no doubt got a bad night’s sleep and also might not appreciate being used to drum up publicity for the police.

Then again, maybe the cows were trying to drum up publicity for themselves: As a few Facebook commenters pointed out, June is National Dairy Month. Wisconsinites typically mark the occasion with farm tours, community breakfasts, and other events to celebrate the area's cows and dairy farmers.

Whatever the case, it’s not the first time cows have helped police wrangle a suspect into custody. In 2018, a cattle herd in Florida chased a suspected car thief around a pasture until she sought refuge in a nearby bush and was arrested.

In short, if you’re fleeing police and you come upon a bunch of cows, don’t assume they’re on your side.