The Des Moines Police Department found itself in pursuit of an unusual suspect on the lam Saturday night.

A King-Irving Park resident noticed a suspicious figure running up and down Clark Street, near King Elementary School, a bit after 5 p.m. Saturday, calling police to report... a goat on the loose.

No one knew where the animal had come from. But it had a cut on its right front leg and needed a veterinarian's attention.

First, though, it had to be caught.

The suspect was surprisingly quick, despite the injury, and managed to evade two officers for about 20 minutes, over five blocks.

How'd it feel to spend time chasing down a goat on a Christmas Eve-eve shift?

"Like being on the farm again," one of the two officers to respond to the incident told the Register.

Once it was apprehended, just behind King Elementary, the goat struggled to put weight on its injured leg. Luckily, the Animal Rescue League soon arrived.

Tami Moeller, an animal control officer with the ARL, said this is the first goat she's had to pick up. She and the officers worked together to put the nervous animal into the van.

She said she'd drive the goat to one of the ARL's vets, then get it settled into a barn at the main shelter. It appeared Saturday night that the goat would not face any charges.

"We'll try to find the owner, but if we can't, it will go up for adoption," Moeller said.

Check back with the Register for updates on the goat's condition.

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