An adrenaline-fueled bull jumped out of a ring at an Oregon arena, video shows, charging rodeo spectators over the weekend, injuring three people and sending two to a hospital.
The bull, named “Party Bus” was captured on video tossing people in its path during the 84th Sisters Rodeo, officials reported.
According to Sisters Rodeo Association, the chaotic scene took place just before 10 p.m. at the rodeo in the small city of Sisters, about 100 miles northeast of Eugene.
The association released a statement Sunday saying three people were hurt “as a direct result of the bull” and two who were taken to a local hospital.
The rodeo, also known as “The Biggest Little Show in the World,” began Wednesday and ran through Sunday, according to the association’s webpage.
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Videos show bull jump fence, charge person in red shirt
Before the melee, footage from the scene shows a large crowd singing along to Lee Greenwood’s “God Bless the USA” as the bull runs loops around the arena trying to avoid a cowboy’s lasso.
Immediately after the line “as I proudly stand up” from the song is sung, the bull jumps the tall fence, into a section of the crowd.
The crowd gasps, and an announcer is heard in footage saying, “There’s a bull out!”
Another video posted on X shows the bull in a parking lot charge a person wearing a red shirt near a set of picnic benches. The animal makes contact with the person, flipping them high into the air. The person lands on the ground, video shows, the bull spins them with with its horns.
The bull then slams into a table, footage shows, and flees the area.
After the bull cleared the fence, the association wrote, the rodeo’s announcer “immediately activated the rodeo’s emergency response plan” and the bull “ran out through the rodeo grounds and back to the livestock holding pens.”
Bull captured ‘pretty quick’
Deschutes County Sheriff’s Office Sgt. Joshua Spano told local KTVX-TV rodeo officials “caught the bull pretty quick” and ambulances responded to the scene to treat the injured.
“It was secured next to the livestock holding pens by our rodeo pickup men and immediately placed into a pen,” the association posted in its statement on Facebook.
Sisters Rodeo Vice President Brian Witt told the outlet an escaped bull “is a very rare occasion. We’ve never had it here at our Sisters Rodeo. It does happen. But what we do is, we plan for it.”
Sheriff’s office Lt. Jayson Janes said a deputy, among one of the three people injured, suffered minor injuries at the scene, the outlet reported, adding the victims taken to the hospital had been released.
“We wish the best to all affected. The safety of our fans is our highest priority and we appreciate their support,” the association continued in its statement, noting Sunday’s final performance of the year would go on as planned.
USA TODAY has reached out to the rodeo association and the sheriff’s office.
Natalie Neysa Alund is a senior reporter for USA TODAY. Reach her at nalund@usatoday.com and follow her on X @nataliealund.