Duties of a California Highway Patrol officer include maintaining safety on public highways, enforcing traffic laws, and apparently attempting to wrangle angry bulls, which happened after one got loose from a ranch near Buellton on June 23.
According to the CHP Public Information Officer John Ortega, Patrolman Adam Hrehor responded to a call of an aggressive, 2,500-pound bull that broke through three fences at a nearby ranch and made its way onto the northbound side of Highway 101, obstructing traffic.
When Hrehor arrived on scene, he and the bull’s owner tried to corner the animal and get it back into a trailer. According to Ortega, they asked for tranquilizers to subdue the bull, but there was no time to notify animal control. He said the bull was too aggressive, and its owner requested that the bull be “dispatched.”
“It not only charged the ranchers on their own property but was running in and out of the lanes,” Ortega said.
Hrehor shot the bull, pumping three .223 caliber rounds from his rifle into the bull.
Thinking it was dead, Hrehor approached the bull, but the animal got back up and struck the officer, who fired several more bullets into it.
A fellow CHP officer transported Hrehor to Santa Ynez Cottage Hospital, where he was treated for non life-threatening injuries. No other injures were reported.
This article appears in Jul 2-9, 2015.
