Police Body Cam Footage Shows Man Biting, Choking K-9 During Arrest
Wisconsin Police released body cam footage of a man on Wednesday who they said attacked a K-9 unit during an arrest.
The Racine County Sheriff's Office received a call Monday regarding a man disturbing the peace outside of a home in the town of Dover. The complaint stated that the suspect, later identified as 44-year-old Leland O'Malley of Walworth County, refused to leave the area and appeared intoxicated, reported WITI, a Milwaukee-based ABC affiliate.
According to the news station, Deputy David Fisher and his K-9 partner "Murphy" approached O'Malley as the man reportedly walked around the house banging on windows and doors trying to gain entry.
The deputy then asked the suspect to step back, but he refused. The complaint said O'Malley also failed to "remove his hand from his pocket" when asked.
"It appeared to me he was not in the right state of mind," said Racine County Sheriff Christopher Schmaling, according to the news outlet. Fisher then released the dog who "took hold of the defendant's arm," the complaint said.
O'Malley then "wrapped his arm around the K-9's head" and appeared to "attempt to bite the K-9." Fisher, who had been wearing a body cam, recorded the incident.
"You can see on this video, he was clearly told this was going to happen. But he kept -- kept advancing," Schmaling said.
Deputy Fisher reportedly told O'Malley to stop biting the dog, which he complied, according to WISN. Murphy escaped the altercation unharmed. Schmaling said the dog received prior training to handle this type of situation.
"So here's the bright side. I don't have a deputy sheriff that's injured or killed. The dog is not injured. So this is a win-win," Schmaling said. "The suspect, we did not have to use another level of force to overcome his resistance."
O'Malley reportedly faces several misdemeanor charges including two counts of disorderly conduct, one count of resisting arrest, and one count of striking a police animal. He is being held in Racine County Jail.
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