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Ohio officer ‘attacked’ by giant runaway pumpkin – months after turkeys chase him during traffic stop in viral video
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Ohio officer ‘attacked’ by giant runaway pumpkin – months after turkeys chase him during traffic stop in viral video

Pumpkin spice and run for your life.

An Ohio police officer was ‘attacked’ by a runaway inflatable pumpkin in a bizarre scene – just months after viral footage captured the same officer being chased by wild turkeys during a traffic stop in traffic.

The giant Halloween decoration flew from a resident’s yard and plowed its way into the middle of a road, blocking two lanes of traffic, during high winds in Bay Village, Ohio, on October 14.

Officers from the Bay Village Police Department — located just west of Cleveland — were dispatched to the grisly scene to contain what was characterized as a “runaway pumpkin.”

A giant ‘runaway’ pumpkin toppled over an Ohio police officer. via REUTERS
No officers were injured in the Halloween-themed incident. Bay Village Police Department

Dash cam recordings showed the decorative lantern rolling right over the body of Officer Grant Williams as it rolled closer to the police car’s windshield. The policeman disappeared from the camera for almost 20 seconds before he was spotted again.

Williams was able to go pumpkin picking once backup officers arrived on the scene. They harnessed the inflatable vine and pulled the giant exploded pumpkin off the suburban road and onto the grass.

“Fortunately, no officers (or pumpkins) were injured during the event,” police said in a statement.

Cops safely return the powerful object to its owner just in time for the Halloween festivities to begin.

Once backup officers arrived, they were able to get the pumpkin off the road. Bay Village Police Department

This is not the first time Williams has been caught on camera in a strange situation while at work.

In March 2024, Williams was training rookie police officer Molly Searles when two wild turkeys tracked the two down during a routine traffic stop.

Officer Grant Williams and his trainee were followed by turkeys in March. Bay Village Police Department via Storyful
The turkeys followed the officers back to their police car. Bay Village Police Department via Storyful

Dash cam footage showed them pulling over a speeding suspect when they were accosted by the two male turkeys who chased the officers back into their cruiser.

“I don’t know what’s wrong with me, we’ll see if Santa Claus comes to haunt me at Christmas time, but I think that probably ranks up there in terms of the funniest moments of this career.” Williams told CBS News.

“We’ll see if Santa comes to haunt me around Christmas,” Officer Williams joked. CBS News

“Once they got in the car, you can actually hear in the video, you can hear the turkeys start gobbling and getting closer and closer to the cruiser,” Sergeant Edward Chapman said. Fox 8 News.

The population of wild turkeys has increased in the city every year, and during the spring, the turkeys’ hormones go “on a rampage” as they prepare to mate.

Tim Jasinski, a wildlife rehabilitation specialist at the Lake Erie Nature Science Center, said wild turkeys are becoming more comfortable in suburban areas because they are either being fed or looking to mate, the publication added.