Covington, Louisiana - An unsuspecting police officer was
in for a hoot on Christmas Eve.
Covington police officer Lance Benjamin was riding alone
Thursday with his windows down, patrolling the quiet streets of a Louisiana subdivision,
when he felt something hard hit the side of his face.
At first Benjamin thought he was struck by a football, he
told WVUE.
“And then I felt some scratching on the back of my head and
some pecking,” he said.
An owl had flown into the driver’s side window and started
attacking the officer with its wings, talons and beak.
During the mayhem, the officer temporarily lost control of
his patrol car and drove it into a ditch, according to the Covington Police
Department.
“I tried to keep control of my car, went into a ditch,
avoided some trees. Finally was able to stop the car put it in park get out.
And there he was, just chilling out in the car,” he said.
Benjamin waited about 45 minutes for the owl to finally fly
out of the car and into the darkness.
Chief of Police Tim Lentz, said he woke up to a text
message early Christmas morning about an officer crashing a vehicle because of
an owl. At first he thought it was a prank.
After reviewing Benjamin’s body camera footage, it was
clear the altercation was real.
Fortunately, it’s going to be “owl” right for the officer.
Benjamin only suffered minor scratches and was given a tetanus shot and
antibiotics after the surreal encounter.
His fellow officers wanted to memorialize the event and
presented Benjamin with a plush owl to accompany him during his late night
rides.
After Benjamin was treated for his scratches, he finished
the rest of his shift. The owl is still at large.
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