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Dallas teen knocked out by police horse at State Fair of Texas, family says
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Dallas teen knocked out by police horse at State Fair of Texas, family says

The family of a teenager injured by a Dallas police horse at the State Fair of Texas is speaking out for the first time.

The State Fair of Texas at Fair Park is an annual tradition for the Macharia family. The family of five took a photo in front of a Little Big Tex on Tuesday.

But when it came to taking a photo for Big Tex, Dallas police say a mounted police officer was patrolling the Big Tex Circle when the horse spooked. The officer tried to regain control of the horse, but he was repulsed.

Esther Macharia says her 17-year-old son, Ian Macharia, was injured by the horse.

“I heard a crash behind me. So I turned around,” she remembers. “The crowd started shouting. Then I turned around. I saw the horse running. So my son is on the ground.”

Ester says her son had a seizure for the first time in his life after he was knocked to the ground and lost consciousness.

“He moved his hands. His eyes rolled back and forth. Then he just closed his eyes and passed out,” she recalled.

Cell phone video recorded by Ian’s father shows Ian being placed on a stretcher before police say he went to a hospital.

Attorney Ramez Shamieh represents Ian and his mother. He believes that mounted police officers are not needed at the fair.

“I think in this particular scenario it’s a little bit exaggerated. I think it’s all for show,” he said. “We want to get more answers. We want to know exactly why this happened. We want justice for this family, and we want to make sure this doesn’t happen again.”

The state fair says, “The safety of everyone at the State Fair of Texas is our first priority. We are deeply saddened that a fairgoer and an officer were injured… and we hope they will make a full recovery soon.”

Esther says her son is recovering at home, but doesn’t remember exactly what happened.

β€œHe knew there was an impact,” she said.

However, Ester will always remember the moment she says her son lost consciousness.

β€œI can’t even get rid of it,” she said. ‘I’m thinking about it. I’m replaying it in my head.’

The family’s lawyer is asking anyone who has video footage of the incident to contact him.

Dallas police declined to comment.