When a hit-and-run driver bolted into an equestrian center Monday evening, an Upland, California, police officer didn’t just follow. He saddled up.

Right before 5 p.m. on August 4, a woman in a silver Acura sat at a stop sign near Campus Avenue and 21st Street when a minivan slammed into her from behind.

The impact left her with neck and back injuries.

Instead of helping, the at-fault driver bailed out of the van and sprinted toward nearby stables.

Police responded fast. They launched drones overhead and deployed a K9 team on the ground. As officers moved in to lock down the area, someone at the stables offered an unexpected ride: a horse.

The police officer, already an experienced rider thanks to weekend trail habits, accepted

With the suspect now hiding somewhere in a maze of barns, fences, and brush, the mounted officer joined the search on horseback.

Turns out, the driver didn’t get far

After 30 minutes hiding in a bush like a panicked raccoon, the man gave up. He surrendered after K9 warnings and was taken into custody.

Police said he was under the influence at the time of the crash. Not his first time, either…far from it

Officers confirmed the suspect had eight previous DUI convictions. His license had already been suspended for DUI before this latest crash.

Now he faces multiple felonies, including DUI causing injury and felony hit-and-run. Upland Police didn’t name the man.

The woman injured in the Acura was reportedly treated for non-life-threatening injuries.

It’s not every day an officer trades horsepower for an actual horse. But in this case, it worked.