GALVESTON, Texas – Two mounted Galveston police officers handcuffed two white men and escorted them using a blue leash, or rope, just like Donald Neely, the men told KPRC 2 on Wednesday.
The officers, one white and one black, approached the men on horseback on a Galveston beach several years ago, they said in separate interviews. KPRC 2 confirmed their accounts with a witness.
Who are the men?
Danny Allex and his friend, who did not want to be identified, were both born in Galveston. Allex was detained for public intoxication but was not ultimately booked.
His friend, however, was booked for outstanding warrants related to traffic violations, he said. KPRC 2 found old traffic violations among his police record in Galveston.
What happened?
The men said they were drinking with friends on a beach in Galveston when they were approached by Galveston Mounted Patrol officers.
“The officers detained us, handcuffed us, and tied a blue leash around the handcuffs and then on the horse,” Allex said.
“They handcuffed me, tied the rope to the handcuffs, and walked me to a waiting patrol car,” a couple of hundred feet away, his friend said.
How did the men react to Donald Neely’s arrest?
“It looks bad,” Allex said of the images of Neely, who mounted patrol led using a blue rope for more than a block. “But I think the officers were just doing what they had to do.”
“Why did they do that to me? We’re both people. I don’t think they did it for any racial-type deal. You know, they were doing their job, and it’s part of their job," the other man said.
“The officer who detained me and tied me to a horse was African-American, and so, in my eyes, it’s not a race thing,” Allex said.
What does the Galveston police department say?
A Galveston city spokesperson acknowledged that mounted patrol has used a rope to detain people over the years, but the department will no longer use the tactic, which is usually employed during crowd control situations.