Video: Runaway cows evade cops in South Phoenix neighborhood

“Are you guys missing cows?”

When the cops come to your door in the wee hours of the morning, may they ask something so oddly benign.

Early Monday morning, Phoenix police officers engaged in a hot pursuit of two runaways. The description of the fugitives? Four cloven hooves, brown fur and a tendency to moo.

Two cows had escaped from their pen and were wandering around a neighborhood near 17th Avenue and Roeser Road in South Phoenix. Concerned community members called in their daring escapade just after 5:15 a.m.

The responding officers’ body-worn cameras captured the chase, which the department then edited into an Instagram reel and posted on Wednesday, moo’s and all.

According to the police department, the officers found the bovines wandering around a cul-de-sac, their owners nowhere to be found.

“Should we put out a pursuit over the radio?” an officer can be heard asking in the video.

Footage shows men in cowboy hats with ropes helping them try to wrangle the escapees. One wore a shirt that said “Large Animal Emergency Response,” which may mean he’s a member of the Arizona Equine Rescue Organization. Robinson Ranch, which is located not far from where the cows escaped, is a member of AERO and participates in large animal rescues in Maricopa County. It’s not clear if either was involved.

For a while, the cows deftly dodged their captors, weaving in and out of cars and trotting down the neighborhood’s suburban streets. In the meantime, officers walked around the neighborhood trying to find the owners, repeating, “Are you missing a cow?” Eventually, they found the owners and the cows were returned home.