Local News
Bulls escaped from rodeo in North Attleboro after fence pin dislodged
boston
By Juli McDonald

September 25, 2024 / 11:25 PM EDT / CBS Boston

NORTH ATTLEBORO - Seven bulls escaped from a rodeo at a North Attleboro mall on Sunday after a pin came loose in the fencing surrounding their pen, the town said. A state lawmaker is now looking at whether the events need more regulations.

North Attleboro planning leaders grilled the rodeo owners for some explanation at a meeting on Tuesday. "I will tell you that I was not pleased when I arrived on the scene," North Attleboro Fire Chief Chris Coleman said.

The runaway bulls caused a logistical nightmare. Seven bulls escaped from the one-day rodeo at the Emerald Square Mall Sunday afternoon. It was initially reported that eight bulls had run away.

Six of the bulls were captured within hours about three miles away in an Attleboro. The final bull was captured Monday night on Route 1 near the mall after a chase.

Bull North Attleboro 
A bull that escaped from a rodeo at the Emerald Square Mall was captured a day later. 
CBS Boston
"The bull was walking up Route 1, as you saw last night across Route 1, heavy traffic," Coleman said. "It was only by the grace of God that no accidents occurred last night, and nobody got seriously injured last night."

Not only were neighbors at risk for more than 30 hours that last bull was on the loose through backyards and parking lots, but lifesaving emergency resources were tied up.

"That one ambulance could not respond to a medical emergency within the town," Coleman said.

How the bulls escaped North Attleboro rodeo   
The Gonzalez family, local to the area, said they've done a hundred shows in cities along the East Coast and says nothing like this has ever happened. They explained one bull bumped another into the fencing, and a pin popped loose from where the steel panels connect. 

bulls2.jpg 
Several bulls broke loose from a rodeo at the Emerald Square Mall parking lot in North Attleboro, Massachusetts on Sept. 22, 2024.
Maynor J Leon
The bulls pushed down the fence with the dislodged pin, escaped from their pen into the event space, knocked down a perimeter fence, and fled from the parking lot.

"They each weigh more than probably 200 pounds. You have to have four people to be able to carry one of them," said rodeo worker Anthony Gonzalez.

Lawmaker considers filing a bill   
From now on, they'll bolt and chain those fencing panels. Meanwhile the town's state representative is already researching how other states oversee rodeos, as he considers filing a bill.

"It's a warning and a sort of reflection point of what we can do in the future to prevent this from happening by talking about different regulations," said Rep. Adam Scanlan.

Despite how the event spiraled out of control, the fire chief did express his appreciation to the rodeo owners for their extensive efforts to locate the bulls, their concern for the animals' safety, and how quickly they secured and shut down the event Sunday once it switched from show to scene.