NYPD cop on horseback chase down alleged thief
By: A NYPD horse was forced into a high-speed chase down a Manhattan side street when an alleged thief who robbed a Times Square sunglass vendor attempted to evade arrest, body camera footage posted on Twitter by the NYPD showed.
The clip from Saturday shows the horse trot up to alleged shoplifter as the mounted officer appears to gesture for him to put his hands against the wall.
An NYPD spokesperson said the alleged bandit, identified as 34-year-old Ignacio Lewis, had threatened the vendor with a broken piece of glass after being confronted for taking seven pairs of sunglasses from the stand without paying.
Lewis takes one look at the steed, pauses — then books it down West 40th Street with NYPD officer and stallion hot in pursuit, according to the NYPD’s footage.
Cops on foot eventually caught up with the suspect on the sidewalk and handcuffed him — but not before the horse was forced to gallop at top -speed down the block to catch him.
Lewis was detained and charged with first degree robbery, second degree menacing and criminal possession of a weapon, NYPD said.
“All of your NYPD officers are involved in crime reduction, even the four-legged ones,” NYPD said on Twitter.
“Saturday evening, a male robbed a sunglass vendor in Times Square, but a @NYPDSpecialops Mounted officer was hot on his trail. With assistance from nearby officers an arrest was quickly made.”