Forty cows escaped a slaughterhouse and ended up in a Los Angeles suburb where one was killed after charging at a family, authorities said Wednesday.
Cows were reported running loose on the streets of Pico Rivera around 7:30 p.m. Tuesday after a gate at a meat packing facility was accidentally left open, the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department said in a statement.
The herd made its way to a neighborhood about a mile away and one cow charged at four members of a family, knocking them to the ground.
A deputy shot and killed the animal to protect the family from further injury, the department said. The family was taken to a hospital for treatment of minor injuries.
The sheriff’s mounted enforcement detail was called in to help recapture and transport the animals.
“Of the forty, thirty-eight were safely captured, one was shot, and one has not been located,” the department said.
The Associated Press contributed to this article