ZIONSVILLE, Ind. (WISH) — Some shoppers in Zionsville got an unexpected nature experience on Saturday night, when a deer bolted through the aisles of a Kroger.

Von Brigitte Dan, who owns a nail spa in Zionsville, said she was at the Boone Village Kroger around 6:45 p.m. Saturday with her two kids and her mom, standing at the meat counter to buy salmon when the deer came running into the counter, startling customers.

She said she initially thought the animal was a German shepherd and reached to protect her children, who are 4 and 9 years old. Then she saw the deer’s long legs.

Other customers and employees nearby tried to block the deer in so it wouldn’t hurt itself, but it jumped over the shopping cart they had used and escaped, she said.

In videos she posted on Facebook, the deer is seen running frantically through the back of the store around shoppers, eventually jumping over the glass counter where meat and seafood are kept.

The other customers were all upset, she said, and eventually police showed up to help.

According to Dan, the deer got out of the store on its own.

Kroger on Sunday released this statement:

“The store did have a surprise visitor last night, entering through the front door. After the deer left, the manager and store team performed a thorough cleaning of the area.  

I hope, in her time near the meat case, the deer noticed our expanded selection of plant based protein products.”

In an earlier version of this story, the shopper was identified incorrectly as Von Mia. Her Facebook account used her first name, Von, and her daughter’s first name, Mia.