Cop Races After Amish Buggy Zig-Zagging Against Traffic, Dives In Window To Save The Day

Jul 28, 2019

When we hear a story about a high-speed chase, it usually involves desperate criminals anxious to get away from the police. However, we’ve got a new high-speed chase that didn’t involve an escape vehicle at all – unless you’re counting the buggy!

That’s right – police in Wooster, Ohio, had the adventure of a lifetime when they were involved in a chase with an Amish buggy. As Wooster is home to many Amish people, sighting a buggy in the area isn’t a strange occurrence; however, it is unusual to see one being chased by the police!

The owner, Stephen Yoder, explained that the retired racehorse had acted skittish that morning and, sure enough, when he got into the buggy, the horse became spooked by something and decided to take off. Yoder struggled to take control, but it was a losing battle. The Amish man was thrown from the buggy and, although he tried to stop the horse, she was going too fast for him to catch on foot.

The police were forced to intercede as the buggy careened down the road. Sergeant Otis Smith is a veteran Marine who's had his share of crazy experiences but, until now, none of them had involved horses.

Sergeant Smith tried to drive ahead of the buggy to stop it, but ended up on foot, stopping the horse by jumping onto the moving buggy and grabbing the reins to pull her to a halt. 

Smith’s brave attempt worked and the horse immediately stopped. After such a long, exhausting chase, the horse was completely worn out and collapsed in the road.

While things looked rough for the horse, within an hour, she was doing well and a vet assured police and by-standers that she was good to go. Likewise, Yoder was injury-free and able to leave.

The horse, whose name is Penny, was released to go back home with the Yoders. We can only hope that she has learned her lesson and that she will no longer want to be involved in a police chase! The police took to Facebook with the story, explaining that both the Apple Creek Police and Wooster Ohio State Patrol had been involved in the wild chase.

Have you ever seen a horse get away and take off without a driver? Let us hear about a wild chase that you witnessed in the comment section below, and then invite your friends to read this story.