Man fleeing police on horseback falls and gets hit by cop car, Virginia officials say
A man who police say rode a horse into traffic to escape police in Virginia was hurt when an officer hit him with a car.
The Lynchburg Police Department said officers responded Saturday evening to a call about a “wanted individual who was riding a horse.”
When officers told the man he was wanted by police for violating a protective order, he fled on horseback, the police department said in a news release Sunday.
He rode the horse into oncoming traffic as officers tried to get him to stop “for his safety as well as the safety of drivers and passengers,” police said.
The chase had gone on for about 14 minutes when the man fell off the horse at 15th and Polk Streets, according to police.
“As officers approached him, an officer accidentally struck the individual with a vehicle as he was laying in the roadway,” police said.
Officers “immediately rendered aid” and called the fire department for help. The man was taken to a hospital with “serious injuries.”
Police said the horse was not hurt and was returned to the man’s family.
The officer who hit the man has been placed on restricted duty while the department conducts an internal investigation of the incident, according to police. “As is our practice, the LPD will release the involved officer’s name within seven days, pending the results of a threat assessment.”
The department also requested an investigation from Virginia State Police.
“As a result of the ongoing VSP investigation, the LPD will not release body-worn camera footage at this time,” Lynchburg police said.
This story was originally published March 22, 2021 at 6:25 AM with the headline "Man fleeing police on horseback falls and gets hit by cop car, Virginia officials say."
