Texas Man Bolts After Police Joke About ‘Narcotics-Smelling’ Horse

LUBBOCK, TX — In what might be the most Texas foot chase in recent memory, a local man found himself under arrest after wildly overreacting to a police officer’s joke — about a horse.

Mounted Patrol Officers Bryson Lewis and William Trotter of the Lubbock Police Department were simply doing their job on a routine Monday afternoon patrol. They noticed a man walking in the road — not on the sidewalk — and decided to check things out.

Trying to break the tension with a touch of stable-side humor, Officer Trotter quipped that his horse was specially trained to sniff out narcotics.

Unfortunately, the suspect, identified as Joseph Ramirez, 42, did *not* find it funny.

“He kind of looked at us, then bolted like he just heard a police K-9 bark,” Officer Lewis said. “Except… you know… it was a horse.”

The chase was on. Hooves hit pavement. A human sprinted. The suspect quickly discovered that outrunning a horse is significantly harder than it looks in the movies.

“I don’t know why people think they can outrun a horse,” Officer Trotter added. “It’s kind of our thing.”

Ramirez was quickly apprehended and is now facing charges for evading arrest and tampering with evidence.

The Mounted Patrol Unit, meanwhile, says the encounter was both funny and a reminder of the tight bond between officer and animal. The officers own their own horses and care for them at their own expense — and it’s clear these steeds aren’t just for show.

“They’re our best friends and coworkers,” Trotter said. “And in this case, criminal detectors — kind of.”

The officers say it’s not uncommon for people to try and run from horseback units. But they always catch up — one hoofbeat at a time.

“We get to chase bad guys *and* we don’t get tired,” Lewis laughed. “That’s a win.”

For more hoof-powered law enforcement stories, stay tuned to Hunt County Theft Reports.