Officers Bryson Lewis and William Trotter with the Lubbock Police Department’s Mounted Patrol Unit were assisting with a routine patrol last Monday afternoon when they stopped a man for walking in the road, rather than on the sidewalk.
The officers, who were on horseback, believed the man was acting suspicious and began to wonder whether he was in possession of illegal drugs. Body camera footage shows an officer asking the man whether they can check his pockets, to which he says no.
“I was going to make a joke because it seemed like it was going to break some tension. You know, it seemed like it was kind of stiff for a second there,” Trotter said.
Trotter can be heard in the bodycam footage telling the suspect he has a “narcotics-smelling” horse. That’s when the man started running.
“He kind of took off down the alley, and we thought he was joking but he kept running,” Lewis said. “He took it seriously, and the chase was on.”
Trotter and Lewis quickly caught up with the man, now identified through police records as 42-year-old Joseph Ramirez. He was arrested and charged with evading arrest and tampering with physical evidence with the intent to impair.
“A lot of people that have come before us on Mounted Patrol have been in a foot chase. Somebody is silly enough to eventually run from a horse. I don’t know why it happens. We are going to outrun them,” Trotter said.
“We are cops first; we enjoy this job. Chasing bad guys is part of the fun in it for us, so when you get to chase down a bad guy and not even get tired, it’s a good day,” Lewis said.
While viral moments like this highlight the fun Mounted Patrol has on the job, they also emphasize the teamwork and trust between officer and horse. Officers with the unit own their own horses and are responsible for nearly every expense that comes along with that.
“It’s a passion. We want to be police officers [but also] ride our best friends, hang out with our best friends and our buddies, so it’s a great unit to be a part of for sure,” Trotter said.
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