A deer in Oshawa was a little early for happy hour on Sunday. Police were called to Atria Bar and Grill after a young buck jumped through the bar’s front window, shattering it.

“So a deer walks into a bar ...” quipped the Durham Regional Police Twitter account. “No really, three deer made their way downtown Oshawa this morning around 10:30 a.m.”

The family split up at some point, and while one deer made its way to a green space safely, the other two decided to pursue politics and alcohol, respectively. Durham police said one deer broke into a local MPP’s office and damaged the interior before fleeing the scene.

Jennifer French, the NDP member for Oshawa, posted on Facebook that her community office was damaged by the deer and will reopen when it’s been cleaned up.

The second deer found its way to Atria, on King St. E. near Simcoe St. N.

Erum Khan, who works near the bar, said she was sitting in her car when the deer ran past her and through the bar’s window around 11 a.m.

She said people on the street were screaming and running away.

Atria posted a video on its Facebook page showing the incident from the perspective of staff — two people were inside the establishment at the time, one behind the bar and one standing a few feet away with a tray in hand. The video shows the deer smashing through the window before scurrying confusedly out of the frame.

Durham police Staff Sgt. Micah Wagenberg said the young male deer was around 75 pounds and only superficially injured.

“Our concern was when we first got in there that he was bleeding pretty heavily. We thought it might have been something more serious,” Wagenberg told media at the scene. “It became apparent that he wasn’t really in that much distress, because within about half an hour he’d settled right down with just kind of watching us, watching him, to be honest.”

There was little damage to the bar itself, apart from the window, Wagenberg added.

Police were concerned that the deer’s fight-or-flight instincts might kick in if they tried to approach.

“Their hooves can get on you and they can cut you up pretty easily,” Wagenberg said. The decision was made to tranquilize the deer — a move executed in what Wagenberg described as a “perfect shot.”

Once the deer was out, a veterinarian and staff from the Ministry of Natural Resources and Forestry could approach and tend to its wounds. The deer had some cuts that needed to be sutured, Wagenberg said, before being removed to an animal facility.

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Atria posted that it had reopened around 6 p.m., despite a “few scars and scratches.”

After this experience, the next time that young deer wants a drink, he may just head down to a creek instead.

With files from The Canadian Press

Alexandra Jones is a breaking news reporter, working out of the Star’s radio room in Toronto. Follow her on Twitter: @AlexandraMaeJ

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