The staff of the St. Louis Carriage Company is still in disbelief after the bizarre turn of events that upset one of their driver's usual Tuesday night rides back to the stables.
Suspect Johnny Medina, 40, allegedly struck the carriage driver over the head with a metal cain and then stole the horse, Harry, in what appears to be a horse-drawn carriage hijacking, according to KTVI-TV.
"I took off but he was able to get in the carriage," the driver, 60, who asked that his name be withheld for safety reasons, told the station.
Luckily, Medina was no match for Harry the horse, who took off through the streets of downtown and led the suspect directly to the stables of the St. Louis Carriage Company.
"Horses pick up on emotions and situations very quickly," Jenny Holzum, a spokeswoman for the St. Louis Carriage Company told KTVI-TV. "He probably understood that there was something wrong and immediately wanted to go to the place he felt safe, which is home."
The carriage came to a halt by crashing into a trolley, and that's when Medina allegedly turned violent, punching and kicking the horse.
"He was totally out of control. I think he was having some kind of psychotic episode, would be my guess" the driver told the station in an exclusive interview.
Holzum, the carriage company spokeswoman, told First Coast News that a military man was nearby while the incident was going on. He put Medina in a chokehold and rendered him unconscious until the police arrived.
According to First Coast News, Medina is now in jail with a $30,000 cash-only bond.
Earlier this week, a Florida man was held for questioning related to the theft of five horses from the Southern Arkansas University's rodeo team in November. Four of the horses were recovered, but one was found dead.
Hijacked horse foils would-be thief
ST. LOUIS -- A man who allegedly hijacked a horse drawn carriage is now behind ...
Loading comments… 
The Huffington Post | By Katherine Bindley Posted: 05/10/2012 12:55 pm Updated: 05/10/2012 12:55 pm