About 40 cows broke free from a slaughterhouse where a gate was accidentally left open and stampeded through a Pico Rivera Tuesday night, leaving at least one person injured.
The Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department reported at about 8:35 p.m. that the cows were loose in the area of Beverly Road and Durfee Avenue. Residents were advised to avoid the area, located about a mile from the slaughterhouse.
"It sounded like thunder," a resident said.
The chaotic cattle driver left behind a trail of damage, including a broken mailbox and fence. A BMW parked in a driveway had a side mirror ripped away.
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The cows eventually entered to a cul-de-sac on Friendship Avenue, trampling one person in the process. The person was taken to a hospital in unknown condition.
One cow was shot and killed by a sheriff's deputy after it charged a family of four, knocking some to the ground. At least two family members were hospitalized and treated for minor injuries, the sheriff's department said.
"It was frantic, and it seemed more scared than anything, which I felt bad for," another resident said.
Video showed the cows standing together in a driveway, some feeding on grass. Authorities barricaded the cows in the cul-de-sac and were attempting to corral them into a trailer as of about 9:25 p.m.
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Thirty-eight cows were captured, but one remained on the loose until Thursday morning when it was found in South El Monte. A deputy located the cow in a park, about seven miles from the meat packing plant.
