The Great Edmond Chicken Chase

Edmond’s early morning calm was shattered last month by an unusual call. At 6:53 a.m., officers received a report that would set the stage for one of the most unusual pursuits in the department’s history.

“A chicken is running down the middle of the road.” One frantic minute later, the suspect had fled to Whataburger and could be seen evading capture up and down the West Frontage Road. 

The officers gave chase, but the feathered fugitive was simply too fast. At 7:10, an update was recorded in disheartening bits: “Too fast for him, unsure if he can catch him.” By 7:20, frustration mounted. “Cannot catch the chicken,” the dispatcher recorded. 

Enter Edmond Animal Services Officer Whitfield. “I had just gotten to work and was about to start my day when I heard about the chase,” Whitfield said. “One officer was dealing with an injured deer, another was trying to catch the bird, so I went over to help.” The chicken, by then correctly identified as a rooster, was spotted outside – of all places – Buffalo Wild Wings. “We all spotted him, but the second he saw us, he took off north.”

Fortunately, Officer Lewellyn, the youngest of the group, had the speed and stamina needed. “Lewellyn was quick and managed to get him in a net,” Whitfield recalled, lamenting the lack of body cam footage to fully capture the experience.

6:53 chicken running down the middle of the road

6:54 in front of Whataburger

6:54 keeps running up and down west frontage

7:10 too fast for him [Officer], unsure if he can catch him

7:20 cannot catch the chicken

7:46 out with animal services for the chicken

7:56 WE GOT HIM

At 7:46, the final standoff commenced—officers and animal control converging with one mission: Apprehend the fugitive. Just ten minutes later, the radio crackled with victory: “WE GOT HIM.” With the rogue rooster now safely in custody, he was transported to Edmond Animal Welfare. 

“You actually need a permit for roosters,” Whitfield explained. He then shared the good news that the rooster is leaving life on the lam behind him, and settling down in an adoptive home with plenty of room to roam.

While the case of Edmond’s runaway chicken may not have been the most high-stakes police chase in history, it certainly provided a moment of levity for all involved. And while we may never know exactly why this chicken crossed the road—in the end, the rooster found a home, and Edmond found a story worth crowing about.