An NYPD mounted officer pursued a woman through the Upper West Side on April 15 after she allegedly snatched a purse from a victim’s lap. Video shows the horse, later named Kelly, weaving through traffic and under scaffolding while the officer shouted for the suspect to stop. A bystander helped restrain the woman, the purse was recovered, and police say no injuries were reported. The suspect, 44-year-old Felicia Field, faces grand larceny and false personation charges.
NYPD Mounted Officer Races Through Upper West Side to Apprehend Alleged Purse Snatcher
Credit: @NYPDnews/X
An NYPD mounted officer galloped through Manhattan streets on April 15 in a dramatic pursuit of a woman accused of grabbing a purse from a seated victim, video and police records show.
The incident occurred at about 11:06 a.m. near West 72nd Street and Columbus Avenue on the Upper West Side, according to an NYPD incident report shared with PEOPLE. Police identified the suspect as 44-year-old Felicia Field, described in the criminal complaint as undomiciled. The complaint says Field allegedly took the purse from the victim’s lap before fleeing on foot.
Body-camera and bystander video show a mounted officer shouting “Stop running!” while following the suspect atop a horse the NYPD later named Kelly in a social media post. The footage captures the horse weaving through traffic, moving under sidewalk scaffolding and following Field between parked cars.
The chase ended after a bystander intervened and helped restrain the woman, allowing officers to take her into custody without further incident, police said. The purse was recovered and no injuries were reported.
In footage obtained by NBC New York, Field can be heard denying she stole anything as onlookers react. One bystander is heard yelling at the mounted officer: “You’re going to hurt somebody! You’re going to hurt this horse! Stop! Get out of the street!”
According to the criminal complaint, Field faces charges of grand larceny and false personation after allegedly giving false information to officers to conceal her identity.
What Officials Say
Police say the recovered purse was returned to the victim and that officers took the suspect into custody without injuries to bystanders or the horse. The NYPD has not reported any departmental action related to the tactics used during the pursuit.
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