Black man faces amputation after Salt Lake City cops ordered their dog to attack him: 'I felt like a chew toy'
SALT LAKE CITY, UTAH: A Black man might have to get his leg amputated after he suffered severe injuries after Salt Lake City police ordered their dog to attack him. According to reports, the alleged attack on Jeffery Ryans by the police dog happened on April 24 when he was smoking outside his home before leaving for his work as a train engineer. Police arrived at the 36-year-old’s house after an anonymous call was made when someone heard him arguing with his wife, who had earlier filed a restraining order against him for domestic violence. Now, Ryans is preparing to sue the police department as he believes he was treated inhumanly because of his color. His lawyer has also made the same claims, saying police used excessive force on him because he is Black. “I felt like a chew toy. I didn’t know why this was happening to me. That’s what was going through my mind. Why?” Ryans told the Salt Lake Tribune. While his lawyer Gabriel White said: “What’s different between the two of us that could make this happen to him, but I couldn’t imagine happening to me? No one’s ever shown up at my house.”
Police body camera footage showed the Alabama native in his backyard when suddenly cops showed up and beamed their lights on him and started yelling. One officer shouted, “Get on the ground! Get on the ground or you’re going to get bit!”
Recalling the night, Ryans said: “I wasn’t running. I wasn’t fighting. I was just cooperating. We’ve been through this. We’ve seen this. Always cooperate with the police, no matter what.” The footage showed despite the Black man co-operating with the K9 officers, kneeling on the ground with his hands in the air, they ordered their dog --Tuco -- to attack him. They reportedly continuously instructed the dog to bite him. “I'm on the ground, why are you biting me?” Ryans pleaded, begging the cops to “stop”. While an officer said “Good boy” to the canine. Even after one cop sat on top of Ryans and put him in handcuffs, the dog continued to attack him.
In a July 20 notice of claim, which is required before a lawsuit is filed, Ryans’ lawyers Daniel Garner and White said that officers used unnecessary force that left their client with nerve and tendon damage, infections, and difficulty walking. They also claimed that cops did not “perform the appropriate actions” while arresting Ryans because he is Black. The alleged attack has reportedly led to several injuries, a lost job, and also restricted his ability to play sports with his children. Meanwhile, Ryans said that he wanted to share his story amid the recent Black Lives Matter protests against police brutality because “people need to know Black lives matter”. He added: “Everybody matters, but you can’t just treat people differently because of their religion or their skin color. I developed myself to get to where I’m at right now. I should have the same respect as others. We don’t get it.”
The Salt Lake City Police Department has also issued a statement after The Salt Lake Tribune's report. “As there is pending litigation, we are unable to discuss specifics of the case. Although this incident occurred in April there was never an Internal Affairs complaint filed, when we became aware of the situation this morning, an Internal Affairs investigation was immediately launched by our department to determine if the use of force was within policy,” they said.
“That investigation will consider the totality of the events that occurred that night. As with every complaint regarding use of force The Salt Lake City Civilian Review Board has the opportunity to conduct their own separate investigation,” the statement added.