A Kanabec County sheriff's deputy went out on a cattle call Monday night and returned with a no-bull story — along with a smashed-up squad car.

Responding to a call about a Red Angus bull loose on a highway near Mora, Minn., Deputy Daniel Steven searched for the animal, but didn't find it.

As he was making one final pass through the area, however, a calf, which was not the subject of the original call, darted out of the ditch and Steven struck it with his squad car, according to Lt. Tiffani Nielson, spokeswoman for the State Patrol.

The impact killed the calf and was enough to set off the vehicle's air bags and send Steven to the hospital, where he was treated and released.

Nielson said no photos or video of the incident would be released until the investigation is complete. The farmer whose cattle were loose could face charges, she said.