Police marksmen were forced to shoot a bull as it ran through the streets of Birmingham today.
Armed officers are understood to have shot the animal in the head, killing it instantly, after a vet ruled it would be too dangerous to use a tranquillizer.
The bull was spotted running along Haden Way, Balsall Heath, after escaping from a nearby abattoir shortly before 7am yesterday by officers in a passing police patrol car.
West Midlands Police said a number of roads were closed around the area as the animal ran through neighbouring streets.
At one point the bull was cornered in bushes at the junction of Haden Way and Arter Street, but a vet who had been called out to help police said it was not possible to sedate the animal because it’s behaviour was “unpredictable”.
Officers from the force’s firearms unit shot the animal and the roads were reopened by 9am.
A police spokesman said: “Rolling road closures were put in place as the animal ran around busy neighbouring streets. A vet was called out, along with specialist firearms officers.
“The vet’s assessment was that it would be too dangerous to tranquillize, due to the animal being unpredictable and it being a busy, built up area. the decision was made to humanely destroy the animal to ensure public safety.”
