A California man has been arrested for DUI after drunkenly riding a horse that trampled over a young boy.
Families were lining the streets at the Colusa County Fair, as Armando Martinez Ruiz and other riders on horses trotted down the road.
That’s when Ruiz’s lost control of his brown horse as it began acting erratically and threw him off.
The horse then came charging toward the crowd, trampling an eight-year-old boy and breaking several bones in his leg.
Armando Martinez Ruiz is pictured being dragged on the floor after allegedly drunkenly riding a horse during the Colusa County Fair. He has been arrested for DUI
Armando Martinez Ruiz is seen walking away after his horse threw him off (left). The horse is seen (right) charging the crowd where it trampled the boy
Police say Ruiz was in fact intoxicated while riding the horse and taking part in the fair.
‘In California, the same laws apply when riding horses as driving cars,’ the Colusa Police Department wrote on Facebook.
Ruiz was arrested and booked into jail for a felony DUI because of the boy’s injuries.
A bystander in the crowd recorded the moment the horse bucked Ruiz off and came charging into the crowd.
Men are seen on the video wearing cowboy hats on horseback while music is playing as part of the fair’s tradition.
As they come down the road, chaos ensues when Ruiz’s horse gets spoooked.
Ruiz is seen on the ground, attempting to hold onto the horse’s reins, but it gets away and heads toward the camera.
ENLOE Medics and CFD personnel attended to the child after the June 8 incident.
Police say the horse was located and the boy is recovering.
Colusa Police Sgt Elden Tamez told Fox 40 that in his 20 years, this was his ‘first time charging somebody for this.’
‘The problem was him, not the horse, let me tell you something,’ he said.
‘We’re just thankful it wasn’t bigger than it was and I’m sure we’re probably gonna take a look at including horses in our future parades,’ Tamez added.
Police determined Ruiz was drunk and arrested and charged him with felony DUI