Police: Chimp acted violently before death

BASTROP, Texas, April 5 (UPI) -- Police in Bastrop, Texas, say a 140-pound chimpanzee lunged at police officers and stole a stun gun prior to being fatally shot, documents show.

Released documents reveal police took lethal action after the large chimp escaped from a research center March 12 and was not slowed by multiple tranquilizer darts, the Austin (Texas) American-Statesman reported Saturday.

A released police report details how the animal stole a tranquilizer gun from an animal attendant and failed to respond to a police officer's warnings.

"The chimpanzee started flailing its arms. The officer shouted at least twice that he was going to shoot," the report said. "In fear for his safety, the officer then fired several times, striking the chimpanzee."

The report said the initial gunshots did not stop the chimp, forcing the officer to shot an unspecified amount of times until the animal was killed, the newspaper reported.