Police swoop in as rogue hawk stuns shoppers near Tokyo

SAITAMA, Japan (Kyodo) — A concerned passerby called the police after coming across an unusual emergency on Saturday — a bird of prey appearing dazed and confused outside a shopping mall near JR Omiya Station in Saitama Prefecture.

When the Omiya police officers landed on the scene, they found what they said was likely a wild hawk on the second-floor walkway of the commercial building near the station’s west exit.

The officers managed to coax the rogue raptor into a cage using a net, with onlookers whipping out their smartphones to snap photos of the brown-speckled bird.

After making sure nobody was hurt, police set the animal free in a quiet area away from the crowds.