Brazil police throw a horse in jail for kicking a car

  • Faceiro the horse was put behind bars for nearly 24 hours in north eastern Brazil
  • ‘Bronco bandit’ jailed after angry car owner said it had kicked and damaged a car
  • Owner William dos Santos called the arrest ‘ridiculous and totally over the top’ 

Police suspected foal play when they threw this horse in jail for kicking a car in Brazil. 

To the surprise of its owner, Faceiro the horse was put behind bars for nearly 24 hours after being accused of criminal damage in Nossa Senhora Aparecida, north east Brazil.

The ‘bronco bandit’ was detained from Sunday evening until Monday afternoon to compensate the angry car owner who demanded the horse should be locked up until she had received payment for the damage.

Banged up: Police suspected foal play when they threw this horse in jail for kicking a car in Brazil

Banged up: Police suspected foal play when they threw this horse in jail for kicking a car in Brazil

A video of the dejected animal incarcerated in a military police prison cell has generated both amusement and anger on social media.

According to the owner William dos Santos, the arrest was ‘ridiculous and totally over the top.’

He said: ‘A young friend asked me to take the horse for a jog and I saw no problem in lending him out.

‘While he was riding, the horse got startled and kicked out hitting a woman’s car.

‘She called the police and an officer arrested my horse and took him to the police station.

‘When I arrived at the station, I found my horse was locked in a jail cell as if it was a common criminal. On top of this my pet had not been given any food or water and couldn’t move around in the tight space.

‘I took food for him on Sunday night but they wouldn’t let me feed him in the morning,’ he claimed.

Officers denied the animal had been mistreated.

However, Mr dos Santos has reported the force to a local animal welfare and protection organisation.

The irate owner denied the charges on behalf of his pet but cops only agreed to release the dapple white once Mr dos Santos had agreed to cover the repair bill for the damage to the vehicle.

Asked whether it was normal procedure to arrest a horse for allegedly committing a traffic offence, Jonathan Evangelista, chief of police in Sergipe, told Globo TV: ‘Of course it is not normal to arrest a horse.

‘We have launched an investigation to find out exactly what happened,’ he said. 

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