‘I have the coolest freaking job’: N.M. police bodycam shows officers capture fleeing swine suspect

The pig named “Parrot” has been taken to an animal welfare center after officers chased him down, rescuing him from roaming on the busy highway

‘I have the coolest freaking job’: N.M. police bodycam shows officers capture fleeing swine suspect (Albuquerque Police Department)PauseUnmute

1xPlayback RateQuality LevelsFullscreen

By Nakayla McClelland
Albuquerque Journal, N.M.

ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. — Albuquerque police on Tuesday detained an unusual suspect — a domesticated pig — following a chase alongside Interstate 40.

The oink-er has since been turned over to the Animal Welfare Department to be claimed by his owner or otherwise adopted to a loving home.

| POLICE RESEARCH: How 8-, 10- and 12-hour police shifts affect staffing and wellness

The hoof-chase happened around 11 a.m. Tuesday.

Dash cam video posted Wednesday to Facebook by the Albuquerque Police Department showed an officer saying “I have the coolest freaking job” as she pulled up to assist other officers along I-40. Ahead of the officer’s SUV, a black and gray speckled pig could be seen running full-bore up the offramp toward Carlisle.

The video then cuts to lapel footage of officers sprinting after the pig — circus music playing over the chase — who outmaneuvers an initial would-be captor and turns to head back toward I-40.

Officers temporarily blocked traffic to give chase and several officers cornered the pig, now named Parrot, against a wall as he squealed and tried to escape.

“Open up the back of your unit,” an officer in the video says as the pig wriggles in his arms. Two officers high-fived to celebrate the capture after detaining the porker in the back of an SUV.

Lt. Ramon Candelaria, a field lieutenant with the Animal Welfare department, said he was able to pick up the pig shortly after police caught him.

“I put a little leash on it and put it in the back of my unit,” he said.

Social media users speculated that Parrot was a javelina, a member of the peccary family, but Candelaria said APD officers would not have been able to capture Parrot if that was the case.

“That officer would not be able to touch him in the way he did,” Candelaria said. “Pigs are real funny. When you touch them, they’ll squeal bloody murder but this guy has been handled a lot.”

Candelaria said the pig was likely domesticated because he loves to be scratched and petted. Animal Welfare scanned Parrot for a microchip and it came up negative.

“With all the publicity, I’m shocked nobody has come forward to say ‘hey, that’s my guy,” he said.

Candelaria believes the pig fell out of a livestock truck while being transported, which landed him near the highway. He said it is not uncommon to see animals like porcupines or badgers near the highway, but this is the first time he has secured a pig near I-40.

Parrot the pig is currently at the city’s Westside Animal Shelter and is available for adoption, although he does have a priority hold. Parrot’s future owner will be able to pick him up as soon as Monday. The shelter believes Parrot is roughly one year old and weighs about 50 pounds.

According to Animal Welfare Marketing Manager Desiree Cawley, the shelter did not receive any 311 calls about the pig and an owner has not been identified.

The shelter placed Parrot on a three-day hold to see if anyone would take ownership of the pig.

Police release bodycam video showing New Orleans jail escapees being captured in Texas

New video shared by the Huntsville Police Department shows officers arresting two fugitives who escaped from a New Orleans jail.

HUNTSVILLE, Texas — Texas police released body camera video showing the moments when two of the remaining fugitives who escaped from a New Orleans jail were found and arrested.

On Tuesday, the Huntsville Police Department released the bodycam and dashcam videos online.

According to the Deputy U.S. Marshal, Texas DPS arrested Leo Tate and Jermaine Donald off Highway 190 and Geneva Road in Huntsville, Texas. The two have been on the run since escaping with eight others from the New Orleans Justice Center on May 16.

ORIGINAL REPORT: 7 men at large after escape from New Orleans jail, including 4 charged with murder

Tate and Donald are facing additional charges and will remain in custody until they are moved back to Louisiana.

According to Louisiana Attorney General Liz Murrill, Tate was initially incarcerated on charges of burglary, possession of a firearm by a felon, and illegally carrying a weapon. He also has a criminal history that includes attempted second-degree murder.

Murrill also said that Donald was initially incarcerated on charges of second-degree murder, aggravated battery, and possession of a firearm by a felon.

According to Louisiana State police officers, two more of the inmates who escaped on May 16 are still missing.