A veteran deputy chases down an escaped pet emu running loose on a Florida road and cuffs its legs to keep it from kicking.

St. Johns County deputies responded to calls about a large bird running loose on County Road 13 on January 9, 2026, and found an emu that had wandered more than a mile from its owner's property. Corporal Tommy Keisler, a 25-year veteran of the sheriff's office, cornered the bird, which kicked at him repeatedly with its powerful talons and tried to flee before he lassoed it and cuffed its legs together to keep it under control. 'In my 25 years, I've never handcuffed an emu. This is definitely a new one,' Keisler said afterward, joking that all charges against the bird had been dropped. The emu was uninjured and reunited with its owners; bodycam footage of the chase went viral.