By KBC Associate :max_bytes(150000):strip_icc():focal(749x0:751x2)/horses-in-walmart-041225-e655cad212af48faaa68adb2bea91beb.jpg?w=1200&resize=1200,0&ssl=1 "4 People Charged After Allegedly Riding Horses in Walmart Store")
Four people in Louisiana have been charged after they allegedly rode their horses through a Walmart.
According to reports from local outlets WAFB, WBRZ and the Baton Rouge-based newspaper The Advocate, three adult men and one minor were arrested after turning themselves in to police on Friday, April 11. Their arrests came after a social media video of the four riding their horses through a Walmart in Baker — located about 11 miles north of Baton Rouge — went viral.
Baker Police Chief Carl Dunn told the outlets that Brendon Bridgewater, 24, Patrick Derozan, 22, and Mason Webb, 18, turned themselves in and were charged with misdemeanor counts of entering and remaining after forbidden, disturbing the peace and “unlawful posting of criminal activity for notoriety and publicity” — a state offense which stops anyone from posting videos or photos on a public forum for attention.
A fourth horseback rider, a 16-year-old boy, also turned himself in and now faces the same charges.
Several videos posted on social media platforms, including TikTok, X and Facebook, show four horseback riders trotting down the aisle at the Baker Walmart, located on Groom Road.
Bystanders can be heard saying, “What the f—?” and one person, who appeared to be a Walmart employee, laughed, before suggesting that someone call the police because the group was “gonna scare the s— out of somebody.”
Other footage posted on TikTok appeared to be taken from the perspective of one of the riders, as Big & Rich’s 2004 song “Save a Horse (Ride a Cowboy)” played.
Dunn told the Advocate that the group’s actions “might be fun to them at the time, but you know, this could’ve been real bad for other citizens.”
“We’ve got to always think of others before we act,” he added.
Want to keep up with the latest crime coverage? Sign up for PEOPLE’s free True Crime newsletter for breaking crime news, ongoing trial coverage and details of intriguing unsolved cases.
Getty
Webb later spoke to WBRZ for an interview, in which he called himself and his friends the “cutthroat cowboys.” He said the group didn’t intend to hurt anyone with the stunt.
“It was fun, we were famous. That’s all,” he said.
As the outlet asked about the viral social media clips,” Webb explained, “We didn’t wanna hurt nobody or nothing. We always ride to Baker, and we just wanted to do it that day.”
After someone off-camera pointed out that there’s a discussion around bringing dogs inside stores such as Walmart, Webb agreed, adding that his horse is his “emotional support animal.”
Entering and remaining after forbidden and unlawful post of criminal activity each carry a potential fine of $500, a maximum prison sentence of six months, or both. Disturbing the peace carries a maximum sentence of 90 days or a $100 fine in Louisiana.