Police Horse Hit by Drunk Driver for Second Time in 16-Year Career

Elton the horse, a 16-year police force veteran, is recovering from his second accident caused by a drunk driver.

The Wilmington Police Department announced that 19-year-old Elton was hit while his unit patrolled downtown Wilmington, North Carolina, in the early hours of August 27. Elton and his rider, Officer Aaron Mininger, were struck from behind by the driver.

Mininger was unscathed but Elton sustained an injury to his left leg, said police. The driver, 24-year-old Alexis Williamson, registered a 0.19 blood-alcohol level—well over the legal limit of 0.08. She was arrested for driving while intoxicated, improper passing and failure to reduce speed.

"This is the second time being struck by a drunk driver," said Police Chief Donny Williams in a video posted to Facebook. "One of his previous riders made us aware that a drunk driver clipped him with a mirror of a car when he was downtown on patrol."

The chief added that Elton has "been through a lot" and remains a "remarkable animal," boosting the department's work in public relations as well as crowd control.

Officer Mininger has ridden the horse for five years.

"It took us both by surprise, but luckily, I was uninjured and Elton, the horse, he has very mild injuries, all things considered—being struck by a drunk driver in a vehicle," he said.

Elton is being treated with medication and hydrotherapy, a method of using cold water to rinse the affected area and reduce swelling.

"His recovery is going well and he is back on the job," a police spokesperson told Newsweek. "He will continue hydrotherapy for now."

On Friday, Wilmington police will hold a meet-and-greet for the community to share well-wishes with Elton in person.

Mounted police units—or police horses and their riders—can help departments maintain public order and crowd control, in addition to supporting community engagement and ceremonial duties. A 2014 study from RAND Europe and the University of Oxford found that neighborhood patrols by mounted police were associated with higher levels of public trust and confidence than patrols by police on foot.

However, mounted police have also been tied to imagery of violence and brutality. In February, a video appeared to show mounted Ottawa Police officers plowing through Canadian "Freedom Convoy" protesters and trampling two people with their horses. Meanwhile, in the United States, a Texas police department faced criticism in 2019 for a photo of mounted officers parading a Black suspect on a rope.