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The Dripby Mark Reutter3:15 pmJun 6, 20170

A cop, a horse and a fractured foot equals $50,000

An entanglement outside a nightclub ends in injury

Above: A DJ spins a disc at the Paparazzi Nightclub around the corner from City Hall. (dmvlife.com)

The city has agreed to pay $50,000 to a woman whose right foot was crushed by a horse following an early-morning encounter with a mounted police officer outside a downtown dance club.

Crystal Oats was leaving the Paparazzi Nightclub, on East Saratoga Street, at its 2 a.m. closing time when a mounted Baltimore Police officer, Janine L. Gilley, hoofed over.

“Speed it up!” she told Oats and other clubgoers.

A Baltimore mounted police officer circa the 1930s. (baltimorecitypolicehistory.com)

A Baltimore mounted police officer, circa the 1930s.

At this juncture, the two women’s accounts differ, according to a summary sheet provided to the Board of Estimates.

“Without provocation,” Oats said, the officer aggressively approached on her horse, grabbed Oats and caused her to fall.

Gilley said she acted properly in all respects and made physical contact only after Oats attempted to take hold of the horse’s reins.

Undisputed is what happened next: Oats toppled to the ground and the horse stepped on her foot, causing a crush fracture.

Oats was then transported (by ambulance, not horse) to Mercy Hospital for treatment.

A federal lawsuit was brought by Oats for alleged battery and violation of her constitutional rights. It was settled last week pending tomorrow’s approval of the $50,000 cash settlement by Mayor Catherine Pugh and the Board of Estimates.

A 23-year police veteran, Gilley remains on the force, according to on-line records.

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