Horseman Taken Into Police Custody After Dan Ryan Gallop

CHICAGO — As a television news helicopter made its way overhead, a man seen riding horseback made his way through the local lanes of the Dan Ryan Expressway during rush hour early Monday evening.

Hours later, the man who has come to be known as the Dreadhead Cowboy, Adam Hollingsworth, was charged with reckless conduct, disobeying a police officer and criminal trespass to state supported property, the Illinois State Police announced.

Flanked by what appeared on local news video coverage to be a caravan of motorcycles, Hollingsworth could be seen heading south as police vehicles followed behind. According to news reports, the horseman reached speeds of 15 mph during his ride, but averaged speeds of 12 mph.

The ride, which began at 4:20 p.m. at the 47th Street exit of the Dan Ryan, ended after the rider, later identified as Hollingsworth, exited the expressway at 95th Street and was taken into custody by state troopers. Another man, Darron Luster, was also charged after he refused to relinquish control of the horse over to troopers after Hollingsworth was taken into custody, police said.

Luster was arrested and charged with obstructing officers and resisting arrest. Both men were taken to Chicago Police District 5 headquarters.

Before his arrest, various social media accounts identified Hollingsworth as the "Dreadhead Cowboy", who went live on Facebook to document the ride. In the video, he promoted his KidsLivesMatter movement and said that he was "fixin' to shut down the Dan Ryan."

"Until we understand kids' lives matter, nothing else matters," Hollingsworth said during the video.

Hollingsworth has become a staple of Black Lives Matter rallies and protests. He also joined a initiative led by Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot for local residents to participate in the census effort and became known on social media as The Census Cowboy. According to state police, Hollingsworth met with authorities earlier this month and inquired about a planned protest on the Dan Ryan, which was denied because the activity was dangerous and illegal, police said.

State police received several reports of Hollingsworth on the expressway and troopers arrived on the scene at 71st St., where they found Hollingsworth surrounded by motorcycles. Troopers ordered Hollingsworth to exit the expressway, which he refused to do before police finally got him to exit the expressway at 95th St., where he was arrested.

As the ride continued along the Dan Ryan, the rider, wearing a black sweatshirt and black cowboy hat, identified himself as the Dreadhead Cowboy. As traffic passed around him, he implored viewers to share footage of the ride live, and he repeated the Kids Live Matter mantra as, at times, the horse picked up speed.

Just after 5 p.m., helicopter video footage showed the rider being apprehended by Illinois State Police troopers and being placed into handcuffs and into the back of a state police cruiser.

State police said the horse sustained numerous injuries, including bleeding from the left hoof, an injury to the right hoof and saddle sores on the right side of the horse's body, police said. Police indicated that the horse was taken to Chicago's Animal Care and Control, where an evaluation of the horse's condition began Monday evening.

On Monday night, Lightfoot's office said that animal control officials were working to find temporary shelter where the horse can receive proper care. Lightfoot, in a statement, called the incident dangerous.

“What is clear is that this stunt not only seriously endangered the horse but also the rider and all travelers on the expressway,” the mayor said in the statement. "There is a right way and a wrong way to call attention to issues of great importance and this stunt was decidedly the very wrong way."