After a police pursuit of a huge inflatable pumpkin, body cam video shows officer struggling with it

PARMA HEIGHTS, Ohio (AP) — The subject of an Ohio police pursuit took off down the road, a flash of orange in the darkness, but officers eventually caught up and grabbed the escapee: a runaway inflatable pumpkin as tall as them.

Body camera footage from the Parma Heights Police Department in northeast Ohio shows an officer struggling to grasp the floored gourd as he describes to a clearly amused colleague how he had chased it down early when it kept blowing away. “And when I went to grab it over here, it just took off,” he says. “I was pretty much in pursuit.”

After some more struggles attempting to deflate the decoration, multiple officers squished it into a police car.

“I’ve never seen that before,” one can be heard saying of the Halloween inflatable packed tight in the back seat.

Police said they then returned it to the home where it was displayed.

“Just another example of our officers going above and beyond, even for seasonal decor!” the department posted Wednesday on Facebook when it shared the case, which drew plenty of puns and quips from commenters, including other local law enforcement.

“Some departments would have Squashed this story,” the nearby Bedford Police wrote. “Glad to see you guys rolled it out.”