ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. — Police in St. Petersburg charged a man with battery on a law enforcement animal after he intentionally slapped a police horse on its "rump."
According to an arrest affidavit, a St. Petersburg police officer was patrolling the area of Central Avenue and 3rd Street in downtown St. Petersburg when it happened.
At around 1: 30 a.m. Saturday, a 29-year-old Philadelphia man suddenly slapped the officer’s horse on its behind, causing it to "lunge forward and be disturbed."
The man then "spontaneously admitted" to slapping the horse on purpose, an arrest affidavit says, adding that he was drunk.
The police officer said he was in uniform, and the horse was visibly marked with the department’s insignia and police collar.
The man was booked and has since bonded out of jail.
