A Phoenix woman is heartbroken after her runaway pet EMU “Richard” died after cops lassoed him, hung him by the neck and wrestled with him while he was trying to get into the back of a police car.
- A Mesa, Arizona woman is devastated after her pet emu died after officers tried to restrain him with a rope and force him into their patrol car.
- Video shows officers struggling with the unusual animal, while a deputy has his hands around the bird’s neck at one point, trying to drag it into the vehicle.
- Moments later, the six-and-a-half-year-old pet emu appeared lifeless with severe neck damage, although the bird showed no aggression.
A Phoenix mother and son say they are devastated after their runaway pet emu was killed when Mesa Police Department officers tried to capture the bird and force it into the back of their car patrol.
The bird, known as “Richard,” was known to occasionally break free from his enclosure, but he always returned home alive.
On this occasion, a neighbor called the local police to help him but things took a tragic turn.
Officers attempted to lasso the six-and-a-half-year-old emu, but in doing so appeared to damage the bird’s long, fragile neck.
Mobile phone footage of the incident shows police standing around the bird which can be seen lying flat on the ground after apparently suffocating the bird following police coercion.
Video shows officers struggling with the unusual animal as they tried to get it into a police car.
At one point, a deputy can be seen with his hands around the bird’s neck before trying to drag it into the vehicle.
From the start, officers had difficulty forcing the bird into the vehicle.
Footage of the botched ‘arrest’ shows the bird struggling against two officers, flapping its wings wildly as it tries to free itself.
One of the officers could be seen with his hands around the bird’s neck while another shot shows a rope around it.
At one point, both rear doors of the patrol car were open and officers appeared to be dragging her by the neck into the vehicle.
When this approach failed, the bird suddenly appeared lifeless, with its long neck hanging upside down.
Police officers could then be seen trying to resuscitate the bird by giving it water, but this was of no use and the emu remained unresponsive.
Officers attempted to use a rope to “surround” the animal in the back of their patrol car.
Officers then attempted to resuscitate the bird by placing a bowl of water on the ground.
The bird’s lifeless body can be seen lying next to the sheriff’s car.
There was little the officers could do after this tragic incident.
“You can’t put a lasso around their neck and try to pull them and get them to do what you want them to do.” You’re going to kill them,” the bird’s owner, Stéphanie Moilan, told Fox 10. “It was so inappropriate. It was completely unnecessary.
Moilan described the unusual animal as “awesome”.
“You could feed her by hand.” I was going to pet her and cuddle her,” she added. “She was so much fun,” Moilan said through tears. “I’m really going to miss her.”
Michael Davis, who filmed the tragic chain of events, says he believes the police responded authoritarianly.
“I don’t think it was supposed to happen like this. He was just very quiet, just wondering around. Not aggressive at all. Not threatening,” Davis said.
“Everyone who was here as a witness said, ‘Is it breathing?’ Are you suffocating him? The emu was Visibly distressed, she kicked and screamed as the officers tried to get her into the car. Then he stopped moving. Unfortunately, no one knew what to do at that point,” Davis said. 12 News.
“You can’t put a lasso around their neck and try to pull them and get them to do what you want them to do.” You’re going to kill them,” said the bird’s owner, Stéphanie Moilan.
The bird had been seen walking around but was not aggressive towards anyone.
The emu, known as Richard, is seen in better times
Moilan’s child loved playing with the bird and watered it regularly
Davis says the officers were ill-equipped and poorly trained to deal with the situation.
Officials with the Maricopa County Sheriff’s Office said officers responded to a call for the emu on the loose and “during the gathering, the bird collapsed and died.”
Moilan does not agree with the police version of events.
“There was no gathering. I don’t think you need a lasso for that,” Moilan said.
“I think they were thoughtless. My 11 year old’s first response was, “Did they call animal control?” Did they call wildlife response? »
