A rodeo bull wrestler jumped a fence at an Oregon arena and ran across a concession area into a parking lot, injuring at least three.
The Saturday night crowd at the 84th Sisters Rodeo sang along to Lee Greenwood’s ‘God Bless the USA’ as the bull, named Party Bus, raced across the arena before what was to be the final ride of the night.
Fan videos that have surfaced online show the exact moment the bull broke loose, jumped the fence and gained some degree of temporary freedom.
Other videos showed the animal running through the concession area, knocking over a trash can and causing rodeo attendees to panic.
The bull lifted a person off the ground, spun him from end to end, and bounced him on his horns before the individual fell to the ground.
Rodeo fans captured on video Saturday night a bull at an Oregon rodeo making its bid for freedom when it jumped out of the arena and began charging through populated areas of the venue.
The Sisters Rodeo Association, based in Sisters, Oregon, where the rodeo was held, issued a statement saying three people were injured.
“As a direct consequence of the bull, two of which were transferred to a local hospital,” the organization said, according to local media.
The cowboys and other rodeo professionals quickly secured the bull and managed to guide it back into a corral and away from the crowd.
Deschutes County Sheriff’s Sergeant Joshua Spano said several ambulances were called to the scene.
Officers transported a patient with non-life-threatening injuries to a hospital, and one officer also suffered minor injuries while responding to the bull’s escape.
The cowboys and other rodeo professionals quickly secured the bull and managed to guide it back into a corral and away from the crowd.
Danielle Smithers was among the rodeo fans with her cell phone flashlight on as the Party Bus moved around the ring with two riders on horseback nearby.
“And about 30 seconds in I stopped and looked at it and thought, ‘This is too beautiful not to have a video,'” he said.
He turned off his flashlight and “started recording the bull, just following him, doing his loop and when he started to go around his second loop in my video, he goes over” the fence, he added.
The Professional Rodeo Cowboys Association said Saturday’s incident is a reminder that “while rodeo is a very entertaining sport, on very rare occasions it can also present any risk.”
“PRCA sends our thoughts and good wishes to those who were injured or otherwise affected by this terrifying and very rare incident,” the association said.
The final performance of Sunday’s rodeo went as planned.
