The Salt Lake City Police Department has arrested an officer who ordered a K9 to bite a man’s leg while he was kneeling with his hands up, leading to serious injuries and several surgeries.
In early April 20, Jeffery Ryans, a 36-year-old Black man, was dating his wife when he was ready for work, which prompted someone to call police, the Salt Lake Tribune first reported.
Ryans’ attorney, Gabriel White, said Ryans and his wife had an earlier argument in December, which resulted in his wife filing a protective order against him, but they have since been reconciled. Ryans was back in the house weeks ago.
The Salt Lake City Police Department said officials have been called to the home many times to respond to domestic violence, and that related charges are pending against Ryans.
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In April, six police officers and a K9 unit went to the residence and found Ryans in the yard, where he smoked a cigarette and left the family dog. In footcam footage, officers can be seen telling him to get on the ground.
‘Get on the ground! Go to the ground or you will become something, ‘said the K9 officer as other officers began to carry out similar missions.
Ryans seems to be satisfied and drops his hands up to his knees. But the K9 officer still ordered the dog to “hit” when he got closer, and asked the K9 to bite and tremble at Ryans’ leg. 45-60 seconds later, the K9 officer continuously orders the dog to “hit”, and tells him “good boy”, while Ryans kicks out of pain on the ground.
Warning: the following video is awesome.
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“This was a dog that was trained not only to bite, but to rip and tear, and so when you look at his injuries, it looks like he was hit by a chainsaw,” said Ryans’ lawyer, Gabriel White. “It’s the hottest dog bite I’ve ever seen.”
Ryans had multiple surgeons on his leg who became infected, and doctors told him it still needed to be amputated.
Ryans’ lawyers filed a lawsuit on June 29, the first procedural step in a lawsuit. They allege that Ryan’s was treated unfairly because he is a Black man.
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‘This man had an argument with his wife. Have I ever had an argument with my wife? Sure, we say, we are human. Have I ever been away at night and let my dog out? Yes, ”said White. ‘Could I ever imagine a whole troop as a team of cops coming down to a location with an attack dog and a bunch of cars to look for me? No.”
The Salt Lake City Police Department said they just heard last week about the controversial use of the police dog. City Police Detective Greg Wilking said three investigations into the incident are taking place, one by the Department of Homeland Security, one by a Civil Assessment Board, and one by the Salt Lake City District Attorney to determine whether criminal charges should be filed.
In the meantime, however, the officer has been put on administrative leave and the K9 apprehension program has been suspended pending an assessment.
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“I am disturbed by what I saw in that video, frustrated by how the situation was and I’m working hard to make sure nothing happens again, “Salt Lake City Mayor Erin Mendenhall tweeted Wednesday.
