Local News in Brief : Officer Recovering After Fall From Horse

A Los Angeles policeman who was hurt while trying to round up two runaway horses Sunday near Hansen Dam in Pacoima was in stable condition Monday at Serra Memorial Hospital in Sun Valley, a hospital spokeswoman said.

Sgt. Bill Figueroa, 38, of Chatsworth suffered several broken ribs and a fractured collarbone when he was thrown from one of the horses in the 2 p.m. incident, police said.

In a telephone interview from the hospital, Figueroa said he and a civilian who was with him on patrol spotted the saddled horses as they were driving along Foothill Boulevard near Hansen Dam. He said he was afraid the horses would wander into traffic, so he stopped his patrol car, calmed the animals and halted them on a dirt road that runs alongside the Foothill Freeway.

“I could see a stable about 100 yards away so I decided to get on one horse and ride it over there while leading the other,” Figueroa said. “I’ve been involved in five or six runaway-horse incidents before and nothing happened.”

The officer said he had his left foot in the stirrup and was bringing his right leg over the saddle when something scared the other horse. As a result, Figueroa’s horse became startled and threw him, he said.

Despite his injuries, Figueroa said, he walked to his car and called for help.

Police said the horses apparently made their way to nearby stables.