Lubbock, Texas Police Department mounted cops Bryson Lewis and William Trotter tell KCBD they were out on patrol last Monday when they encountered a sketchy-looking dude walking in the street rather than the sidewalk. They stopped 42-year-old Joseph Ramirez to ask how he was doing and if he was on or carrying drugs. Ramirez refused to consent to a search of his pockets so Trotter figured he would tease the man. “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.

So the cop told Ramirez he rides a “narcotics-smelling” horse, prompting the suspect to flee. “He kind of took off down the alley, and we thought he was joking but he kept running,” Lewis said, adding “He took it seriously, and the chase was on.” The pursuit did not last long at all.

“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,” said Lewis. “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,” said Trotter.

Ramirez was charged evading arrest and tampering with physical evidence with the intent to impair, there’s no indication of what drugs/paraphernalia he had and how he had tampered with them.