Memphis Police K-9 Dog Bites Blind Man Who Was Wrongfully Handcuffed; Victim Sues City

A blind man was terrorized after Memphis Police Department officers wrongfully arrested him and unleashed their K-9 on him.

The incident took place in his hostel room in Memphis, Tennessee, in January 2021. As per recent developments, he is suing the city of Memphis for damages incurred.

The victim Kyle Maxwell was left with multiple bite wounds and a bruised tailbone after the police dog attacked him. Maxwell said he is completely blind in one eye and has 10% vision in the other.

He lives in the hostel at First Congregational Church in Cooper-Young, Tennessee where the incident took place. The hostel is in one of the three buildings at the church premises, all connected by a keypad, WDTN reported.

He fell target to the attack after police were dispatched to the scene following a 911 call from church staff who reported a break-in at the premises by two men. Staff had notified the officers about a man living in an apartment above the main church building. Maxwell lived in a separate building, northside of the premise.

The officers entered the building with a K-9 unit, and announced their presence, as seen in the body camera footage. "Come out here. We're going to release the dog. Come out!" they yell. They took off the police dog's leash and followed its lead.

Officers encountered the man they were warned about by staff. They instructed him to remain inside his apartment. The officers began moving north, arrived at the hostel, and asked for the code to get in.

A staff member gave them the code, unaware of their location. In a conversation with Memphis Police Department's internal affairs, the staffer said, "I wasn't sure where they were, and she asked me for a code."

The officers entered the hostel unannounced, and Maxwell was unaware of what was going on. He said he didn't hear the officers enter the hostel. "I was oblivious to everything that was happening," Maxwell said, reported WREG. "I'm sure I was listening to a podcast." He was in the kitchen area when the dog attacked him.

As seen in the video, the door opened and the dog jumped on Maxwell, who immediately fell to the ground, repeatedly screaming, "Who is this?"

"I didn't know what was going on. I just know several men are holding me down and a dog was biting me," he said. Maxwell told the officers that he lived there but was still handcuffed. They released him shortly after, realizing he wasn't the person they were looking for.

The video also shows a police officer acknowledging the mistake. "It looks really bad on us. We didn't intend to sic a dog on some guy, make him a f---ing snack," the officer said on his body camera.

During the investigation, officers blamed the incident on the lack of clear information. All they were told was, "no one was supposed to be inside the building except for one person on the third floor."

Maxwell's attorney countered the claims saying, "There was no reasonable basis for them to be in this part of the building in the posture they apparently were." Officers weren't able to make any arrests or spot any suspects in the building that night.

In the lawsuit, along with Memphis city, Maxwell also sued police officers for violating his civil rights. Maxwell is seeking $250,000 in damages.