Salt Lake City service dog ordered to attack kneeling Black man despite putting his hands on air, cop suspended
Salt Lake City Police department on August 12 suspended their officer Nickolas Pearce, pending investigation, over a viral video where he’s allegedly heard encouraging a K9 to attack a Black man who was on his knees with his hands in the air.
The use of K9s has been suspended by Salt Lake City Police due to an incident on April 24, reports the Daily Mail. On that day, cops went to 36-year-old Jeffery Ryans’ house and allegedly encouraged the dog to attack him. Ryans' injuries are predicted to be severe and there are chances that his leg may be amputated, the report states. The report further claims that Ryans had filed an intent to sue on July 20, but the investigation about the incident began only on Tuesday. Ryans in an interview with The Salt Lake Tribune stated that he was inspired to speak out due to the ongoing Black Lives Matter protests.
As reported by Fox 13, Salt Lake City Mayor Erin Mendenhall had signed an executive order on August 3 directing SLCPD Chief Mike Brown to implement several changes to the department's policies. The Daily Mail article states that the orders included that they need to report use of force, even if it doesn't result in injury. But according to the police they first heard about the incident only on Tuesday and immediately took action. “At this time, we have placed the officer on administrative leave pending the results of these investigations. SLCPD has also launched a thorough review process of the K9 apprehension program by external subject matter experts,” read a police statement as reported by The Daily Mail.
The Daily Mail report suggests that the police were acting on a call they had received from someone who heard Ryans arguing with his wife. According to the report, Ryans had been home for several weeks and was smoking outside when the incident happened and he was about to leave for his job as a train engineer. In an interview to Salt Lake Tribune, Ryans said, “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?”
According to The Salt Lake Tribune, the bodycam footage shows that even though Ryans was kneeling on the ground with his hands in the air, the K9 officer still ordered his dog to attack. The video of the incident also resurfaced, and as a CBS report states, the officer can be heard saying, “Get on the ground or you're gonna get bit.” However, moments later, he can be heard ordering K9, “Hit. Hit.” The report further states, "Good boy, good boy," the officer is heard saying. "Ow!! Why are you guys doing this?" Ryans asked. "Good boy, hit! Good boy," the officer continued to say. Ryans' attorney, Dan Garner, told CBS News that his client wasn't resisting at all. “Even when the dog starts to bite him. He's, he's still just laying there," Garner explained. "Looks like someone took a chainsaw to his leg.” According to the report, Ryans is still recovering from multiple surgeries and amputation has not been ruled out.