An animal rights activist unleashed fury on a horse-drawn carriage driver in New York City on Tuesday, and berated the man before attacking him with her skateboard.
One of the drivers recorded the activist's meltdown in Central Park and shared the wild incident on
"You're animal abusers! Horses do not do well in New York City. They are very sensitive to light and noise," she exclaimed. "I'm Squid the Kid, bro. Y'all will know my f****** name."
One of the drivers made a muffled rebuttal, which apparently triggered the green-haired activist, who the New York Post identified as 27-year-old Abigail Holbrook.
Holbrook struck the driver in the shoulder with her skateboard and punched him, video footage shows.
The driver then grabbed her board and told her to "get the f*** out of here."
After she pried the skateboard back, the animal lover tried to rip the phone out of the cameraman's hand.
"You're an animal abuser! Are you proud of that?" she said as she tried to snatch away the cameraman's phone.
"This is outrageous and unacceptable," said Alexander Kemp, administrative vice president of TWU Local 100. "We need a more visible police presence for our members at horse-carriage stands in the park to protect against these wackos. This is their place of work. People are coming just to harass and attack them. All workers deserve to be safe at work."
According to the NYPD, officers responded to a 911 call connected to a Central Park altercation shortly after 11 AM on Tuesday.
Holbrook was arrested and charged with two counts of assault, ABC 7 reported. Police said she has no prior arrest history.
Christina Hansen, a TWU Local 100 shop steward who said she witnessed the skateboard attack, said misconceptions about the horse-drawn carriage industry have caused increased tensions regarding the practice.
"This is what you get when the City Council Speaker praises and poses for photos with extremist organizations like PETA and NYCLASS. Whose leaders have lied and vilified us as animal abusers for decades. Their followers, who don't know a thing about horses, have been brainwashed by these groups' propaganda. And [are] emboldened to lash out," Hansen said.
