latest news Video: Burbank cop saves runaway horse

A Burbank police officer made what authorities called a “wild run” early Tuesday morning when he rode and rode an escaped horse through the Rancho neighborhood.

Officers responded to a call about a loose horse in the Riverside Drive and Mariposa Street area around 12:30 p.m., according to Burbank Police Sgt. Brent Fekety.

A woman reported seeing a horse running frantically down the street with a saddle, but no bit or rider. It is not known how the horse broke away or if its rider was ejected. But the woman reported to police that she believed someone had fallen and been injured.

Police found the horse, named Oreo, grazing on grass in front of a house. Officer Nicholas Moreno, who grew up with horses and is an experienced rider, calmly approached and mounted the horse, Fekety said.

The video showed Moreno riding Oreo to his owner, who was found at the Mariposa Bridge near Valley Heart Drive, police said.

According to Fekety, Oreo became “frightened” while on a ride with his owner and ran away. But the two were happily reunited, he said.