Man On Horse Charged With DUI After Boy Trampled During Parade
COLUSA (CBS13) — A rider at a Colusa parade who lost control of his horse, which injured a boy was under the influence at the time, Colusa Police said.
Armando Martinez Ruiz is now facing DUI charges.
Each year the parade down 10th Street in Colusa kicks off the county fair.
"It's actually one of the best parades we've had in years," said spectator Beth Lohman.
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She says the spectacle sets the mood for the fun and festivities ahead.
The main attraction towards the end of the parade is mariachi music and dozens of horses dancing in the street.
But this year, one horse got away. Spectator video shows the horse throw Ruiz from the saddle.
"He tried really hard to hold on to the horse," said Lohman.
The spooked horse trampled an 8-year-old boy in the crowd, breaking his leg. After crashing through the crowd, the horse cut back across the parade route and through a park. Several people on horseback tried to corral the horse as it ran away.
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Witnesses tell me the horse was finally caught well off the route.
"I made sure my grandmother was safe and out of the way because I knew if the horse got loose it would run," said Lohman.
"They're animals and they're going to react," continued Lohman, "so you as a bystander always need to be ready."
Ruiz has bonded out of jail. As for the boy, A family friend sent CBS13 a message saying the boy had surgery and is doing well.