[ad_1]
SAN FRANCISCO (KRON) — “Your dog is going to get shot,” one San Francisco Police Department officer tells a man who was nonchalantly walking up Market Street with his unleashed dog.
(Warning: Police body camera video above contains content some may find disturbing.)
“I will blow your dog away,” another SFPD officer warns while holding the man and his dog at gunpoint on a Sunday afternoon, November 9. The officer uses his radio to tell dispatchers, “We have a suspect with a dog. The dog is not responding to our commands … neither is he.”
The man, identified by police as Trusten Eaton, refuses to stop walking away from officers, body worn camera video shows. The dog, which appears to be a husky-shepherd mix or similar breed, growls and barks at the officers when they get close to its owner.
Trusten Eaton refuses to follow officers’ commands. (SFPD photo)
Officers were confronting 29-year-old Eaton and his “aggressive dog” because, minutes earlier, a victim reported that he was randomly bitten by the dog on Market Street, SFPD said. The victim said he wanted to press charges.
SFPD body worn camera video released Tuesday shows Eaton pointing at the husky and telling an officer, “He was just saying ‘hi!’”
Two officers followed Eaton and the off-leash dog on foot as they ordered the man to stop. “Get over here. You’re under arrest. Get over here or your dog is going to get shot,” an officer tells Eaton again.
Trusten Eaton talks to an officer before walking away. (SFPD photo)
When police made several attempts to physically restrain Eaton on Market Street near O’Farrell Street, his snarling dog charged at the officers to defend its owner, body camera video shows.
“Officer #2 quickly backpedaled as the dog advanced towards him. Officer #2 discharged his handgun striking the dog’s right front leg,” SFPD wrote. As the dog yelped in pain, Eaton charged at the officer and threw something, video shows. The officer reacted by shooting Eaton in the thigh, and Eaton grabbed the officer’s arm, police said.
A dog lunges at a police officer on Market Street in San Francisco before the officer opens fire. (SFPD photo)
SFPD identified “Officer #2” as Joseph Toomey, a patrol officer assigned to Tenderloin Station.
Eaton eventually bolted and sprinted past dozens of bystanders along Market Street. The other officer pulled out his baton and chased him. After backup officers arrived and pinned Eaton to the ground, the wounded dog bit one of the backup officers, according to the video.
Backup officers hold the suspect on the ground after he was shot, and his wounded dog approaches. (SFPD Photo)
SFPD said Eatson and his dog received medical treatment and survived.
The dog owner was booked into jail on suspicion of: Threats, force or violence to obstruct an officer; resisting, delaying, or obstructing an officer; an unleashed dog inflicting an unprovoked bite; and possession of drug paraphernalia.
Police Chief Paul Yep said Tuesday, “In the San Francisco Police Department, we recognize that our sworn duty as law enforcement officers is to honor and respect the sanctity of human life. We also know that, as police officers, we are sometimes required to use force — including deadly force — in the performance of our duties. This incident remains an ongoing investigation.”
[ad_2]
Amy Larson
Source link