CHP Officer Brandon Pratt narrowly avoided a charge from an angry cow near a Northern California highway during a routine escaped livestock encounter, as seen in a recent Facebook video released by the department.

According to Susanville CHP spokesperson Bruce Thuelchassaigne, Officer Pratt was trying to get a cow off the highway when it suddenly “took offense” and tried to ram him, all of which was caught on video.

The mad cow, roughly a solid 2,000 pounds, can be seen in the CHP vehicle’s dash cam footage leaping from the side of the road towards Pratt who started to run away. The cow apparently grazed the officer’s shoulder during the attack.

“The cow was pretty mad,” Thuelchassaigne said. “It put its head down and went to throw him up in the air.”

Colleagues suggested that Pratt avoided serious injury due to the bullet proof vest he was wearing, which afforded him some protection.

In a Facebook post, the Susanville CHP said that cattle and other livestock often break loose from fences and can be dangerous to drivers.

The office gets around four or five calls a week to deal with such cases, as cattle ranching is a big industry in Lassen County, where Susanville is located.

While cows are mostly docile, they can occasionally be aggressive.

“Most times, the cows behave and go back through the fence, but every once in a while, you get one that has attitude,” Thuelchassaigne said.

Due to the cows sheer size and mass, running into them (or being run into) is definitely not a situation you want to be in, Thuelchassaigne reminded.

“You definitely don’t want to get run over by a cow,” he said.