Goat stolen from Indian Mounds Regional Park in St. Paul, Minn.

ST. PAUL, Minn. (KMSP) - One of the 30 goats being used to help stop the spread of invasive plants at Indian Mounds Regional Park in St. Paul, Minnesota was stolen Thursday night.

St. Paul Police got the usual call late on Thursday night that goats were being taken from the park.

"I was on my way to get a cup of coffee and when I came around the curve here and I saw a bunch of goats crossing the road and I saw some guys ahead of him and I looked and I saw the goat enclosure was torn down and that's when I called the police,” Fred Jarell, a St. Paul resident, said.

Police found the goat, named Gordy, in the back of a car after a short chase on the city’s east side. Officers were on patrol in Indian Mounds Regional Park at about 1 a.m. when their squad was almost hit by a speeding SUV. The officers attempted to make a traffic stop, but the driver of the vehicle fled.

The driver eventually lost control of the SUV lost and came to a stop after it hit a parked car in a nearby driveway. The four people inside the car then attempted to flee on foot.

After taking two of the men into custody, officers found the goat lying in the cargo area of the SUV. He appeared unharmed. The two men, Thaying Cha and Eni Xiong, were booked into the Ramsey County Jail for gross misdemeanor theft.

Police handed the goat over to the St. Paul Parks Department, which will return the goat to the park. But before returning to work, Gordy went back to the farm for some rest and hydration.

The incident remains under investigation. No suspects have been arrested.

The group of goats was released in Indian Mounds Regional Park on Tuesday, where they'll help cut down on invasive plants like buckthorn and garlic mustard. The goats will roam fenced-in sections of the park along the bluffs by the Mississippi River and eat the unwanted vegetation.