The cowboy who wrangled a runaway cow on a Michigan freeway says he jumped into action after seeing the mayhem on social media

• A Michigan cowboy saved the day when he safely wrangled a cow off a busy freeway.
• Ricky Littlejohn heard about a loose cow on social media so he grabbed his lasso and horse.

The cowboy who wrangled a runaway cow on a Michigan freeway this week says he grabbed his lasso and jumped into action after seeing the mayhem unfold on social media.

Ricky Littlejohn, a professional cattle wrangler, told local outlet WDIV 4 that someone tagged him on a social media post about a cow that had escaped its handlers and was loose on the busy I-75 freeway in metro Detroit.

"So we gathered up our team and we decided to come over there and see if we could help," Littlejohn told WDIV 4. "The last thing we wanted to do was see anybody hit this cow and potentially hurt themselves, or hurt the cow, or anything."

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The cow successfully outran wranglers on horseback and four-wheelers as they chased it alongside the freeway, but it was no match for Littlejohn, who told WDIV 4 that his team captures 200-250 cows every year.

Video shared by Michigan State Police shows Littlejohn swinging his lasso and galloping on horseback as he chases the cow into oncoming freeway traffic. Once he lassoes the creature, he safely steers it to the grassy median.

The Michigan State Police said on Twitter that no charges were filed against the cow, and it has been returned to its pasture "with a story to tell all the other livestock."