According to a report released by the Department of Justice on Wednesday, a Louisville Metro Police officer unleashed his police dog on a 14-year-old Black boy lying on the ground. The teenager suffered severe injuries and was hospitalized.
Following the March 2020 killing of Breonna Taylor by seven officers, the DOJ launched a two-year investigation into the Louisville Metro Police Department and the Louisville/Jefferson County Metro Government.
The DOJ reviewed video from the incident, which took place during a search for a suspect in a home invasion, but neither the date nor the officer's name was disclosed.
"The officer was leading his dog to search for a person suspected of a home invasion. After searching for several minutes, the officer saw the teenager lying on the ground, face down in the grass," according to the report. "Immediately after noticing the teen, the officer deployed his dog off-leash — without giving any warning — and ordered the dog to bite the teen at least seven times."
The teen remained prone during the encounter and pleaded, "OK! OkK Help! Get the dog, please!" as officers stood over him and shouted orders "while the dog gnawed on his arm."
"At one point, an officer shouted, 'Stop fighting my dog!' despite video showing the teen lying still with one arm behind his back and the other arm in the dog's mouth," according to the report.
The teen suffered severe injuries on his arm and back and was admitted to a children's hospital.
The Justice Department's larger report concluded that the police department and government agency exhibited a pattern of misconduct, excessive use of force, and discrimination.
The unconscionable misconduct of the Louisville Police Department is yet another testament that law enforcement in America only functions within violent tyranny and abuse of Black Americans. #AbolitionNow
Source: Insider