Four people were hospitalized after a bull escaped from an arena at an Oregon rodeo and lunged at patrons outside, authorities said Sunday.
Video verified by NBC News showed a rodeo enthusiast being charged and run over by the mammal named Party Bus. The Sisters Rodeo Association said the bull jumped an arena fence, dashed onto the rodeo grounds and ran toward the pens, where livestock professionals confined him.
The arena announcer immediately called for emergency response, according to the release.
“A rodeo bull jumped a fence and ran across the rodeo grounds before being secured by our rodeo catchers and arena staff near the rear cattle pens,” Sisters Rodeo said in a statement.
Video from the scene shows that Saturday’s incident at the 84th Sisters Rodeo in the town of Sisters, about 22 miles north of Bend, took place just before the final ride of the night was scheduled.
A sold-out crowd sang Lee Greenwood’s “God Bless the USA.”
Two of the injured were released from medical care Saturday evening, the Rodeo sisters said.
“We are grateful to learn that all those injured have now returned home,” he said in a separate statement on Sunday.
Deschutes County Sheriff’s Office Lt. Jayson Janes said three of the injured were taken to hospitals by ambulance and one in a sheriff’s cruiser.
The lieutenant and organizers said one of those four people could have been injured as patrons tried to get away from the bull. Some of the injuries were minor, Janes said.
Sheriff’s deputies assigned to the event and private security responded to the breach, the lieutenant said. “It was brought under control pretty quickly,” Janes said.
Organizers said it was the first time anyone could remember such a violation since the first event in Sisters in 1940.
The Professional Rodeo Cowboys Association credited the arena’s collectors for quickly containing the animal.
“We are grateful for the quick and professional response of our arena busers, rodeo staff and local first responders, who were able to prevent the situation from getting worse,” he said in a statement.
Party Bus, the bull in question, competed in the Sisters Rodeo Xtreme Bull Riding event on Wednesday and finished tied for third in that first round, according to information from the PRCA.
The bull’s contractor, Corey & Lange Rodeo of Moses Lake, Washington, could not be reached for comment. Organizers of Saturday’s event said the bull had been examined by veterinarians and was believed to be unharmed.
Janes said Saturday’s event was sold out, with a few hundred people in attendance.
The annual five-day Sisters Rodeo competition has moved forward with events scheduled for Sunday, organizers said.