Bay Area motorists got quite a surprise earlier this week when their morning commute was interrupted by a group of horses galloping down the freeway.
According to NBC San Diego, the Contra Costa County California Highway Patrol post received a report around 7:35 am on March 27 about a pair of horses running loose on the streets of Alamo, California. CHP troopers responded, and a twenty minute chase ensued as the horses did their best to elude capture. Eventually, the animals made their way on to Interstate 680 and made a run for it. Northbound I-680 was closed for about fifteen minutes as Walnut Creek Police, CHP, and Contra Costa County animal control corralled the frightened horses.
John Watson, one of the commuters stranded by the escaped horses, had a front row seat for the festivities.
"I was in the HOV lane when all the traffic began to come to a halt, then I saw two horses coming rather quickly toward me along the center divider," Watson told NBC 7. "All the other cars ahead of me proceeded ahead, so I ended up being the first stopped car in my lane. The horses ran right up to the front of my car, stopped, went to the second lane, did a little circle, and finally went a few paces ahead of my car. A police car pulled up next to them from behind me along the divider, and an officer opened his car door right in front of them, which spooked them, so they went running back in the direction they'd just come from."
By 8:30 am, animal control officers had the horses safely off the freeway and they were delivered to their owners soon thereafter.
Escaped animals clogging up traffic and leading the police on merry chases has been a surprisingly common occurrence lately. Last February, the CHP recovered this unicorn from an orchard and returned it to its 5-year-old owner. Then there was this bull and this horse, both in Texas of course. How does this keep happening? Haven't any of these people ever heard of a cattle guard?
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According to NBC San Diego, the Contra Costa County California Highway Patrol post received a report around 7:35 am on March 27 about a pair of horses running loose on the streets of Alamo, California. CHP troopers responded, and a twenty minute chase ensued as the horses did their best to elude capture. Eventually, the animals made their way on to Interstate 680 and made a run for it. Northbound I-680 was closed for about fifteen minutes as Walnut Creek Police, CHP, and Contra Costa County animal control corralled the frightened horses.
John Watson, one of the commuters stranded by the escaped horses, had a front row seat for the festivities.
"I was in the HOV lane when all the traffic began to come to a halt, then I saw two horses coming rather quickly toward me along the center divider," Watson told NBC 7. "All the other cars ahead of me proceeded ahead, so I ended up being the first stopped car in my lane. The horses ran right up to the front of my car, stopped, went to the second lane, did a little circle, and finally went a few paces ahead of my car. A police car pulled up next to them from behind me along the divider, and an officer opened his car door right in front of them, which spooked them, so they went running back in the direction they'd just come from."
By 8:30 am, animal control officers had the horses safely off the freeway and they were delivered to their owners soon thereafter.
Escaped animals clogging up traffic and leading the police on merry chases has been a surprisingly common occurrence lately. Last February, the CHP recovered this unicorn from an orchard and returned it to its 5-year-old owner. Then there was this bull and this horse, both in Texas of course. How does this keep happening? Haven't any of these people ever heard of a cattle guard?
Related Video:
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