Cowboy movie in real life: a thief was caught on horseback in New York’s Times Sq; video nypd

As if it were an Old West cowboy movie, a New York police horse starred in the high-speed chase of a suspected thief in the central Times Square area, considered the “world crossroads” of tourism.

The suspect, identified as Ignacio Lewis, had apparently robbed a sunglasses salesman Saturday afternoon but was soon caught, police records showed. images posted on Twitter by NYPD, generating a curious top-angle video from the body camera of the riding policeman.

“All NYPD officers are involved in crime reduction, even the four-legged ones”

NYPD

An NYPD spokesman said suspect Lewis, 34, he had threatened the vendor with a piece of broken glass after being confronted about taking seven pairs of glasses without paying.

The sequence shows the horse trotting towards the alleged robber after a failed attempt by the mounted officer to get him to put his hands against the wall, between cars and bystanders.

Police on foot eventually caught up with the suspect on the sidewalk and handcuffed him., after the horse was forced to gallop down the block at full speed to catch it. Lewis was arrested and charged with robbery, threats and criminal possession of a weapon, Indian New York Post.

“All NYPD officers are involved in crime reduction, even four-legged ones,” the NYPD joked when posting the video on Twitter.

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