Turkey chases motorcycle cop — and saves driver from a ticket, California police say
A Northern California driver owes this wild turkey a big thank you.
The Livermore Police Department released body camera footage this week showing a motorcycle cop pulling over a driver in a white car — but then having to give up on writing a traffic citation because a wild turkey started to chase the officer.
“You’re not getting a ticket, he doesn’t want you to get a ticket!” the officer says in the video, which the department posted on Facebook, Twitter and YouTube on Wednesday.
The clucking turkey can be heard in the background.
Police in the San Francisco Bay Area city described the mischievous animal as the “no ticket turkey,” suggesting that the bird’s antics gave the speeding driver “something to be thankful for this Thanksgiving.”
The traffic stop was on Monday, KGO reports.
“When (the sergeant) first came back to the office, he’s like, ‘You’ll never believe this,’” Livermore Police Sgt. Steve Goard said, according to Patch.
The officer used his baton to ward off the bird and gave the driver a warning, then drove off on his motorcycle, Patch reports.
Wild turkeys roam in roughly 18 percent of California, according to the state’s Department of Fish and Wildlife.
Officials said the birds “can weigh upwards of 20 pounds, can destroy flowers and vegetable gardens, leave their droppings on patios and decks, and roost on cars, scratching the paint. Turkeys can become aggressive during the breeding season, occasionally even charging, threatening, and acting aggressively toward people.”
This story was originally published November 28, 2019 at 3:50 PM with the headline "Turkey chases motorcycle cop — and saves driver from a ticket, California police say."
