Man chased by van turns out to be 'moose on the loose'

ROCHESTER - Police officers answering a midnight call for a report of a man hurtling a barrier at Lowes while being chased by a van might have thought they were going on a wild goose chase.

Actually, it was a wild "moose" chase.

It all began with an early morning call from a customer at Buffalo Wild Wings, who called police dispatch to report he'd seen a truck chasing a male across the parking lot when he was at the restaurant around midnight.

According to dispatch notes, the caller said "the male went over the barrier at the Lowes end of the lot towards the highway."

The caller didn't notify police about the incident till he'd left the sports bar a half hour later.

Police, however, concerned about the seriousness of the report, sent two cruisers up to Buffalo Wild Wings to see if they could find the van and speak with the four individuals of whom the caller had spoken.

But when the officers spoke with the driver of the van they found out it wasn't a man being chased. It was a moose. The driver had proof, too: cellphone video showing him chasing the antlered beast until it disappeared over the Lowes barrier headed toward the highway.

While being happy to report the four hadn't been chasing a man across the parking lot, Deputy Rochester Chief Gary Boudreau said it wasn't very smart chasing a moose like that.

"I would not advise anybody to do that," he said today. "A moose is a large animal, and if they think you're a threat and depending how big the moose is, they could do a lot of damage to your vehicle. It's not safe. We would strongly advise against such activity."