Man attacked by emus ‘while fleeing crash scene’ after truck ploughs into shop

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A driver whose truck crashed into the front of a shop in Wiltshire was attacked by an emu while on the run.

Dean Wade, executive chef at the Old Bell Hotel, says he ran after two people after the vehicle they were travelling in collided with the front of the building in Malmesbury at lunchtime on Monday.

Mr Wade said he pursued the pair for around fifteen minutes through the market town.

The chase came to an end when one made a last-ditch bid to escape by running into a field.

It was at the border of the Malmesbury Animal Sanctuary, which hosts a range of exotic animals.

At that point, the person was attacked by a female emu who was protecting her young.

“One of them went into the field, and tried to be a bit aggressive towards the emus,” Mr Wade said of the incident.

“The emus were curious and they started pecking away at him, which he didn’t take to. Then he ran off.”

He added: “About 20 minutes later the police helicopter was out, and they picked him up.”

Malmesbury Animal Sanctuary said all of the emus in the field were unharmed and are “wonderful creatures”.

Wiltshire Police said that the two people in the car were detained following an extensive search of the area.

A spokesperson for the force said: “At around 12.30pm on 25 July we received a call about a single-vehicle collision in Gloucester Street, Malmesbury, where a vehicle had collided with the front of a building.

“The driver and passenger of the vehicle were seen to leave the scene, so officers carried out a search of the local area.

“They have both now been detained and enquiries are ongoing.”

One was arrested on suspicion of drunk driving and other offences.