121 arrests made during holiday weekend in H.B., including a drunk guy on a horse

While authorities say alcohol-related crimes are common on the Fourth of July, Huntington Beach police experienced a unique variation Monday afternoon when a man was arrested on suspicion of drinking while riding a horse downtown.

The man was initially a performer in the parade and continued riding alongside his friend down Main Street after the event was over, said Huntington Beach Police Department Public Information Officer Jennifer Marlatt.

As the man was riding, police say people handed him red cups, presumably filled with alcohol.

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Marlatt said around 3:20 p.m., the man rode the horse to a 7-Eleven store at Ninth Street and Pacific Coast Highway, where undercover Alcoholic Beverage Control agents were working to investigate alcohol-related complaints.

“The ABC agent saw the man ride up with a red cup, asked to see what was in it and confirmed it was alcohol,” Marlatt said. “He asked the man to get off the horse, and when he did, he showed signs of being intoxicated to such a degree he was unable to care for his own safety.”

Uriel Villaneda-Marquez, 52, of Commerce was arrested on suspicion of public intoxication, Marlatt said.

The police department took to Twitter to comment on the arrest.

“It’s possible to be arrested for public intoxication while on a horse if you ride up to [officers] with a red cup in hand,” the department tweeted. “DUI on a horse would be a new one. This was a charge of public intoxication.”

Marlatt added while there is no municipal code prohibiting horses from being ridden on a public street, it can become a violation if traffic is impeded in some way.

Marlatt said from Friday to Monday, there were a total of 121 arrests, including 15 for DUI and 75 relating to drugs and alcohol. Last year, there were a total of 95 arrests, including 20 DUIs and 34 that were alcohol-related.

Police also issued 11 citations for illegal fireworks throughout the weekend, compared to 39 last year.

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Brittany Woolsey, brittany.woolsey@latimes.com

Twitter: @BrittanyWoolsey