Baby injured as US police dog set on innocent man's car
Dash cam footage has been released showing a US police dog being set on an innocent man’s car and biting his baby daughter in the state of Nevada.
The child was alone in the car after Henderson police forced her father out, initially suspecting him of involvement in a nearby robbery.
The police quickly realised Arturo Arenas was innocent and could be heard saying so on tape, but when a K-9 unit arrived on the scene, officers continued to ‘secure’ the vehicle.
The video was recorded on police dash cams and the footage was released this week by Henderson police, almost a year after the incident occurred.
“You don’t look like the person so it’s OK now,” an officer can be heard saying to Arenas, but at the same time, Sergeant James Mitchell can be seen unleashing a Belgian Malinois in the direction of the car.
As it jumps in, Arenas, who spoke limited English, said: “My baby…I’ve got my baby”.
After a moments silence, a panicked officer shouts: “There’s an infant in that car! There’s an infant in that car!”
But it was too late, the damage had already been done and screams soon followed from 17-month-old baby Ayleen.
In a statement, Henderson Police Chief Patrick Moers said: “the dog may have been used too quickly, and there could have been additional communication among the officers prior to its use,” News3LV reported.
The girl reportedly suffered nine small puncture wounds from the bite and the city of Henderson paid $13,000 for her medical bills.
Sgt. Mitchell voluntarily moved from the K-9 unit to the patrol division.
Police dogs often grab the public's attention in videos that go viral - for mixed reasons:
