EPHRATA, Pa. -- A woman driving on Bethany Road took pictures of what she said is an Amish man beating a horse.
Authorities responded to calls Tuesday for a horse down and partially blocking traffic on Bethany Road in Ephrata.
The passerby, who did not want to be identified, said she saw the man hitting the animal with what looked like a whip. When she came back later, she said the situation had taken a turn for the worse.
"The horse was laying on the ground gasping for air, tongue laying on the ground, the guy was kicking, hitting, he was picking the reins up with his hand and letting the head drop to the ground," she said.
People who drove by said they saw the horse collapse after it was unable to pull a wagon full of watermelons and two men. A witness called 911, and Ephrata police arrived.
Lt. Christopher McKim said, "There was a report of people striking the horse while it was standing and also striking the horse while it was on the ground. There's also the potential that the horse may have been overloaded with a wagon that was too big and too heavy."
People said the horse couldn't stay up.
"The horse was struggling to try to stand up. It kept falling over. He wasn't in good shape at that point," a passerby said.
Police said they got the horse out of the road. The passerby said a machine arrived soon after for the horse.
"Some sort of machinery with like a front plow to pick it up. And that's what I saw when I left," she said.
Police said after they left, the horse was euthanized. But they are not sure how it was killed or when.
"This is a highly emotional thing as well as a potential criminal act," McKim said.
Police are not yet releasing the identity of the owner of the horse or the driver. They only said they live in the area.
Police are investigating what happened.