LIVERMORE, CA — Days before Thanksgiving, a turkey chased off a Livermore Police Department sergeant who had just pulled over a speeding driver. Body camera footage shows the sergeant abandon efforts to ticket the man, with the bird close behind and pedestrians gathering to watch the chase. Police dubbed the bird the “No Ticket Turkey.”
“When (the sergeant) first came back to the office, he’s like, ‘You’ll never believe this,'” said Livermore Police Sgt. Steve Goard.
The sergeant was enforcing the speed limit Monday morning near Las Positas Road at Mountain Vista Parkway when he pulled over the driver, Goard said. The sergeant didn’t see the bird at first, but he could hear it. He was headed back to his motorcycle with the driver’s information when the turkey intervened.
It approached the sergeant. He circled the driver’s car, trying to keep his distance from the bird. But No Ticket Turkey was quick on his heels.
People walking nearby stopped to watch the encounter. The sergeant didn’t know what to do. His “nervous giggle” is audible in the video, Goard said.
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He whipped out his baton — not to hit the bird, but to keep it at bay.
All said and done, the driver got off with a warning. The sergeant hopped on his bike and sped away.
It wasn’t long before the video started making the rounds on social media.
Turkeys are more than just a Thanksgiving meal, commented Michelle Adams on the department’s Facebook video of the incident.
“Out to help the citizens of Livermore,” she wrote.
Wild turkeys, which can weigh more than 20 pounds, can be found in nearly a fifth of the state, according to the California Department of Fish and Wildlife. The department suggests that anyone who encounters a turkey that’s lost its fear of humans should try opening an umbrella to steer the bird away.
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