LENOIR, N.C. (QUEEN CITY NEWS) – Police officers in Lenoir made quite a heroic capture over the weekend…not of a suspect, but of a massive bird.

Kevin, the female emu from a farm in Moravian Falls, traveled more than 30 miles and ended up in a quiet residential neighborhood.

“I actually asked for clarification on the radio to make sure I heard it right,” said Sgt. Martin Crisp of the Lenoir Police Department, who helped rescue Kevin.

When neighbors on Eastwood Park Drive SE saw the emu taking a stroll across their front lawns, they didn’t know what to think.

“Fear. It’s a giant bird. And they have huge talons,” laughed Matt Bocox.

After throwing out some birdseed, the Bocox family realized Kevin seemed friendly enough. Then, the real fun began.

“I gave it a two-hand feeding,” said nine-year-old Orion Bocox. “It just felt like a little pinch.”

Neighbors say it took three police cruisers, two animal control vehicles, and a horse trailer to help wrangle the bird. Eventually, Sgt. Crisp used a dog leash to carefully maneuver her. For those on the scene, it was certainly a first.

“When you go to a call, you think of a million things on the way there. When I got to the scene, I saw the family kind of wave me down, and then I looked over to the right side of my car and sure enough, there’s an emu standing in somebody’s front yard,” said Sgt. Crisp.

It was a neighborhood bonding experience those on Eastwood Park Drive SE won’t soon forget, and a fun memory that will last a lifetime.

“I don’t think people will let me forget it,” laughed Sgt. Crisp.

“It was an interesting sight,” said Orion.