By Police1 Staff
PETERSBURG, Va. — An investigation has been launched after a video surfaced online showing a K-9 biting the wrong person, NBC 12 reported.
Officers responded April 30 to reports of a fight and a man possibly armed with a gun. When police confronted the suspect, he assaulted one of them and took off running. Police then released the K-9. A large crowd had gathered, and instead of pursuing the suspect, the K-9 bit bystander, Rafer Allen, on the arm.
“When I fell to the ground, I’m looking at the police officer telling him, ‘Get your dog! Get your dog off me,’” Allen told the news site.
“The dog see a lot of people, so the dog don’t know where to go,” Allen said. “The dog ain’t letting me go so he choked the dog and the dog let me go. Why do you have to do all that if it’s your dog and you’ve had it for decades?”
The K-9’s handler apologized to Allen. Police launched an internal investigation after the incident.
“The dog has been removed from service pending a complete investigation and the officer is still on regular duty,” the department said in a press release.
Police are still looking for the suspect.