A bull was shot to death Sunday afternoon after it got loose and sent Cayuga County Sheriff's Deputies on a 30-minute chase through downtown Moravia.

Donald Knapp, the owner of the bull, was unloading the animal at the meat market in Moravia when the bull got loose, said Sheriff Rob Outhouse. Deputies tried several unsuccessful attempts to safely subdue the animal while bicyclists with the Owasco Stage Race passed through the village.

"There wasn't any way to control the path or attitude of the bull," Outhouse said.

Someone assisting in the pursuit put the animal down with a shotgun, Outhouse said. In the chase, the bull damaged a deputy's patrol car.

The event drew a crowd of curious bystanders, including Doreen Gourlay, of Moravia, who was in the parking lot of Modern Market when she noticed the commotion. Sheriff's deputies urged people to stay a fair distance away from the action, but Gourlay had to see what was going on.

When she finally saw the bull, it didn't appear as dangerous as deputies had described.

"He stood there for the longest time," she said. "It wasn't like he was charging. He didn't have horns. Why didn't they just grab him with some ropes?"