Woman arrested for allegedly slapping police horse in US

The suspect claims she only tried to pat the patrol horse in Arizona

Edward Chrisman with Greyhawk the horse. Picture: KTVK-TV (KTVK-TV)

A woman has been arrested in America for allegedly slapping a police horse.

Selma Iris Gonzalez has been charged with intent to kill a service animal outside a nightclub in Arizona on 19 July.

The 25-year-old denies any offence, telling police she only wanted to pet the patrol horse, called Greyhawk, in the city of Scottsdale.

Police said the smack was loud enough to be heard by the crowd of drinkers at the bar, KTVK-TV reported.

The force claims Greyhawk was frightened and could have started running into a crowd and injured members of the public.

The horse's partner, Officer Edward Chrisman, told KTVK-TV: "It's not only dangerous for him, it's also dangerous for us being on top of him if for some reason he does get spooked and he decides to run.

"He could have turned into a crowd and possibly hurt the people on the sidewalk."

Additional reporting by AP