Vandals Injure Chicago Police Horses In Stable Break-In
By Samantha Abernethy in News on Sep 18, 2012 4:00PM
Two police horses are out of commission today after vandals broke into the police stable at South Shore Cultural Center, released the animals and used a fire extinguisher to injure two of them. J.R., 20, suffered swelling to the eye after being sprayed with the extinguisher, while Schott was struck on the back of his right leg and flank with an extinguisher. The rest of the horses "were very agitated and fearful."
Officers assigned to the mounted unit had returned to the stable on the grounds of the South Shore Cultural Center about 11:15 p.m. Sunday and found 27 of the stable's 30 horses out of their stalls, [Lt. Paul Bauer, commander of the department's mounted patrol unit] said. They were circling inside the stable's arena, and some were shaking, he said.
The injury to J.R.'s eyes was the worst of it. He was given a shot and ointment to ease swelling after his eyes were flushed out. Schott's cuts were not severe.
"At this point, it's all conjecture as to how they got in," Bauer told NBC, "but obviously there's people out there who would know who entered this stable, and they did not enter this to commit a theft, rather it appears they entered this to maliciously harm our horses. For what reason, I don't know." Police say the vandals may have used a rear window to break into the stable. No arrests have been made.
Last week, there was a "suspicious" fire at a North Side stable for carriage horses, but no horses were injured.