A police department in Texas has apologised after a photo showed two white officers on horseback leading an detained black man by a rope.
The image, widely shared on social media, showed 43-year-old Donald Neely being led by mounted officers in Galveston.
Adrienne Bell, a local congressional hopeful, posted about the incident on Twitter.
She described it as a scene "that has invoked anger, disgust, and questions from the community".
We have verified with law enforcement officials in Galveston, that the photograph taken in Galveston is real. It is hard to understand why these officers felt this young man required a leash, as he was handcuffed and walking between two mounted officers. pic.twitter.com/bEFZnn4qmH
— Adrienne Bell (@AdrBell) August 5, 2019
Civil rights group ACLU called it a "disgusting evocation of the history of both slavery and lynching".
Democratic presidential hopeful Beto O'Rourke, who's from Texas, said the incident demanded "accountability, justice, and honesty".
In a statement, Galveston Police confirmed details of the incident - naming the officers only as P Brosch and A Smith.
They said Mr Neely was arrested for criminal trespass - and suggested he was "handcuffed, and a line was clipped to the handcuff".
However, Police Chief Vernon Hale apologised to Mr Neely for the "unnecessary embarrasment".
He said: "Although this is a trained technique and best practice in some scenarios, I believe our officers showed poor judgment in this instance and could have waited for a transport unit at the location of the arrest.
"My officers did not have any malicious intent at the time of the arrest, but we have immediately changed the policy to prevent the use of this technique and will review all mounted training and procedures for more appropriate methods."
A statement from the force adds that "immediate action" has been taken to suspend the method from being used during arrests.
