Bystander video shows Missouri police officers let their dog repeatedly bite a Black man during an arrest, and do nothing as he cried out in pain
Woodson Terrace police confirmed that the dog bit the man, and said he was resisting arrest and threatening officers. Prosecutors are investigating.
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- Footage shows the officers setting a dog on a Black man during an arrest, and watch as he cried out in pain.
- Police confirmed the dog bit him, and said he had resisted arrest and threatened officers.
- The St. Louis County prosecuting attorney said the incident was being investigated.
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Video footage shows law-enforcement officers in Woodson Terrace, Missouri, setting a police dog on a Black man while he was being arrested, and watching as the dog bit him and he cried out in pain.
The video, filmed by a bystander, shows the officers arresting the man on Monday, and leaning him over the hood of a car while another officer stands nearby with the dog.
The officer then lets the dog reach the man, and it bites him as the man grabs his ankles and says "help," but the officers do not intervene.
The officers then push the man on the ground, where the dog starts to pull his leg. The officers then pull the dog back, before releasing him again. The dog is eventually removed from the man.
Watch the footage here. Readers may find it disturbing.
In a Monday statement, the City of Woodson Terrace Police Department confirmed that the dog had repeatedly bitten the man, who was not named. The department said the man was under the influence of "a narcotic," resisted arrest, and threatened officers.
The video does not appear to show the man resisting arrest.
County officials are now investigating the incident.
St. Louis County Prosecuting Attorney Wesley Bell said in a statement that his office "is aware of this video, and we will make a thorough review of the incident," the Associated Press reported.
In their statement, the Woodson Terrace police said a local business had accused the man of trespassing, and that the man threatened to kill police officers as they walked towards him.
They said the man then walked away from the officers, and that he was under the influence of drugs. He then resisted arrest, the police said.
"The subject was then warned several times that if he did not comply the K9 would be released. The subject continued to resist causing minor injuries to one of the officers so the K9 was released and the K9 gained control of the suspect's foot," the statement said.
Police said the suspect went to the ground and the dog was pulled off him.
They said officers then tried to handcuff him, but he "continued to resist and the officers were unable to restrain the subject" because he was under the influence of drugs.
They said the suspect got up and tried to run away, so the officers released the dog and the dog bit him again. The officers were then able to handcuff the suspect and the dog was "pulled off," him the statement said.
The police said the man refused medical attention at the scene but was later brought to hospital because he was complaining about his injuries. The man was later released "pending application of warrants," the police statement said.