Video shows NYPD officer on horseback chase down suspected purse snatcher

A dramatic scene was caught on camera as a mounted NYPD officer chased an alleged purse snatcher through the streets of New York City. 

It happened just after 11 a.m. Wednesday near West 72nd Street on the Upper West Side. 

Body camera footage shows the officer repeatedly shouting at a woman to stop running as his horse, Kelly, gallops down the road. 

A good Samaritan apparently helped grab the suspect, and the officer made the arrest. 

"Whether on foot or on hooves, our officers are always ready," the NYPD said in a social media post. 

The woman is facing grand larceny and impersonation charges, as officers said she gave a fake name when she was being taken into custody. 

The NYPD says its mounted unit is an elite group that plays an important role in police and community relations. The city's so-called 10-foot cops are "an effective crime deterrent." 

They have been around the city since 1858. The unit is one of the largest in the nation, with troops in four out of five boroughs, according to the National Law Enforcement Museum.