The runaway bird led cops on a wild chase that was only brought to an end when an officer put handcuffs on its feet to stop it kicking out at him and tying it to a fence
Bizarre moment police officer ‘arrests’ an emu
A runaway emu was “arrested” by cops after leading them on a wild chase when it was reported missing.
The flightless bird, named Tina, escaped from a farm in Florida last Friday then fled cops who had been called to help restrain it.
Hilarious video footage shows Corporal Keisler from the St. Johns County Sheriff’s Office giving chase and as he tried to secure the emu, it was able to make a run for it after a flurry of kicks and scratches.
He can be heard saying on bodycam footage of the incident: “Interesting, I’m in pursuit of an emu.”
He then gets out of his patrol car and tries to persuade the bird back to its sanctuary. At one point, he has the emu is hands, but groans as the emu jumps away and makes a dart for it back toward the road.
Following a short foot chase, the bird was cornered and after creating a makeshift lasso, Cpl Keisler tried once more to grab it.
He can be heard saying on the bodycam footage: “I’ll be honest with you, I’ve never handcuffed an emu before, but they’ll fit around his legs, and that’ll keep him from kicking.”
As he tenderly puts the cuffs on its legs, he says: “Look whose got you now.”
Cpl Keisler managed to get one cuff on one leg before the bird moved. He was able to grab it quickly and cuff the other leg and tie the bird to a fence.
He can be heard telling the apprehended animal: “Don’t look at me that way. Don’t bite me, don’t even think about it. Don’t do it. Are you done resisting? I don’t want to have to charge you. Don’t talk back to me.”
Eventually, he gets a full set of cuffs on the emu and ties its legs together, telling the bird: “You ain’t going nowhere now.”
According to a social post released about the escaped emu, the bird was secured safely and without harm and was reunited with its owners, who then returned home without any issues.
Officers joked: “All criminal charges against the emu were dropped.”
Corporal Keisler said in a statement: “In my 25 years, I’ve never handcuffed an emu. This is definitely a new one.”
Native to Australia, emus can grow up to 6ft 3in tall and can sprint at up to 30mph.
The incident occurred on January 9 at County Road 13, St Johns in Jacksonville, Florida.
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