An innocent Black bystander in Virginia was attacked by a police dog this past Saturday after officers were trying to apprehend a suspect who was allegedly selling drugs in an apartment complex.
Facebook user Brandon Barner recorded the entire incident as a live feed on his profile page.
According to reports by Petersburg, Virginia-based news outlet NBC 12, Rafer Allen — the man who was attacked by the police dog — was helpless in trying to get the animal off him. The bystander saw the dog charge at him, and he tried to get his children to safety to avoid a similar fate.
“I stood there like, ‘I’m going to take the bite. I don’t got no other choice,’ ” Allen told the news reporter. “ ‘I’m not about to run. He’s too close up on me.’ ”
Allen says the officer had to choke the dog in order to get him off. He also says that the officer did not appear to have control over the canine.
“Why do you have to do all that if it’s your dog and you’ve had it for decades?” he asked.
The Petersburg Police Department said in a news release:
“The canine unit officer on scene released the dog who bit a person not involved in the altercation. The person refused medical treatment and left the scene. The dog has been removed from service pending a complete investigation and the officer is still on regular duty.”
The PPD has refused to comment on if the canine unit officer followed proper protocol by releasing the dog because of the impending internal investigation.
