Horseback cop chased drug suspect in McDonald’s drive-thru line, Florida video shows

Drivers waiting at a McDonald’s drive-thru got a dinner and a show when a police officer on horse back dramatically chased a drug suspect through the line, a Florida video shows.

It happened just before 11:30 a.m. Tuesday, Feb. 4, in Jacksonville and body camera video shows the officer and suspect were headed against traffic.

“When (the suspect) tried to hoof it after handing off illegal drugs, he didn’t count on your #JSO Mounted Unit being hot on his tail,” the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office said in a Feb. 5 Facebook post.

“Police Service Horse Nash, with Officer Cassie Haire in the saddle, galloped into action, proving that (suspects) can run, but they can’t hide from our horsepower! After a quarter-mile chase, (the suspect) decided to rein it in and surrender.”

Haire’s body cam video shows the 25-year-old man tried to shake the horse by running directly into traffic, nearly getting hit at one point.

Nash was undeterred, trotting over curbs, between cars, across medians and through the McDonald’s drive-thru, video shows.

“Bro, you’re not going to be able to outrun us on the horse. You better stop,” Haire is heard saying.

The suspect realized that in about two minutes, at which point he sat down to catch his breath, video shows. He surrendered to Officer Zackary Maryland, who was also on horseback.

The video had gotten 242,000 views as of Friday, Feb. 7, and nearly 4,600 comments and reactions.

“Imagine explaining to your cellmates that you got caught because a horse outran you,” Jessica Reehl wrote on the sheriff’s office Facebook page.

“It’s like the wild west,” Flo DuFord posted.

“(It’s) 2025 and he got caught like 1825,” Heather Brenner-Richardson said.

This story was originally published February 7, 2025 at 7:30 AM with the headline "Horseback cop chased drug suspect in McDonald’s drive-thru line, Florida video shows."