A deer smashed its way into a Christmas store in Jonesborough, Tennessee, early Friday morning, running through displays before becoming trapped in a piece of furniture and ultimately being removed by police.
The incident took place at Gabriel’s Christmas and More, a holiday-themed shop located about 60 miles north of Asheville, North Carolina.
According to the Jonesborough Police Department, the deer entered the store unexpectedly and moved quickly through the aisles.
In a statement posted on Facebook, the department described the animal’s path through the shop.
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“Once inside, he took a grand tour: sniffed the ornaments, inspected the garland, side-eyed a nutcracker, and galloped around like he was trying to remember where he parked the sleigh,” police said.
The department added humor to the account of the incident, writing that the deer needed to “lay off the eggnog” and was “clearly three sips too deep into the Holiday Spirits and making terrible life choices.”
Video taken inside the store shows police officers attempting to direct the deer toward the front door as it struggled to gain traction on the hardwood floor.
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The deer ran through the shop before becoming stuck in a chair, which prevented it from continuing to move freely around the store.
Officers worked to remove the animal safely.
The deer can be heard screaming as officers lifted it by its hind legs in an attempt to guide it out of the building.
Officer Adam Depew described the moment in an interview with WJHL-TV.
“I just said I was going to grab it. What other choice do we got?” he said.
“You know, so they goes in the chair and I was like, ‘gotcha.’”
After being taken outside and freed from the chair, the deer ran off, police said.
No injuries were reported, and the store did not report any significant damage beyond what occurred during the deer’s brief time inside.
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