Florida man allegedly tried to run over woman with his horse at rodeo

MARION COUNTY, Fla. (TCN) -- A 45-year-old man has been arrested on multiple charges after police allege he attempted to run over a woman with his horse.

According to the Marion County Sheriff’s Office, deputies responded to a disturbance at a rodeo on July 5. A woman, whose name has not been released, told responding deputies that a man on a horse had tried to run her over.

WOFL reports that deputies attempted to arrest the suspect, Antonio Castillo-Ortega, at a traffic stop as he was driving a pickup truck with a horse trailer attached. He allegedly tried to flee before realizing that an ambulance was blocking the exit route, so he ran into the woods and got into another car. Castillo-Ortega was allegedly found hidden in the backseat of the car when deputies stopped it. Ocala News reports that during the first arrest attempt, Castillo-Ortega allegedly said, “f--- that,” before running into the words and later claimed he ran because he feared going to jail.

According to an arrest report obtained by WOFL, when authorities interviewed Castillo-Ortega about the incident, he alleged that the woman tried to spit on him and that she was very close to him on the horse he was riding. Ocala News reports Castillo-Ortega denied trying to run her over and alleged he was trying to break up an altercation between two women.

Castillo-Ortega was arrested and jailed on charges that include domestic aggravated assault, domestic simple battery, and resisting arrest without violence twice, per WOFL.

“He’s the loser of the hide-and-seek game,” the sheriff’s office said. “He tried pretty hard, but he got caught.”

Ocala News reports that Castillo-Ortega posted bond and was released from jail. He is scheduled to appear in court on Aug. 11.

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